7. Islagray WyckaFrom afar, Islagray looked peaceful.
The Silverwater filled the world below her, shining all the way to its distant banks. The moon shone solid again now, hanging low over the land. In the middle of the lake, directly ahead, lay the island of the witches. Trees covered its slopes so that it resembled a clump of moss there on the water. Around it, darkness gathered.
Hellen flew downward. She ached with weariness. Flying over water always exhausted her. The cold made her cheeks hurt sharply. She began to hear the raucous calling of the island's crows, louder and louder, as if they were becoming more and more angry. The spire of Islagray Wycka jutted out from the tree-tops. She would soon be home.
Thoughts jostled in her mind, so many that she couldn't focus on any one of
