Excerpt from The Black Witch by Laurie Forest, plus links to reviews, author biography & more

"Do you need help, Sage?" I keep my voice low, not wanting to spook her any more than she already is.

"I need to give you something," she whispers then reaches with a shaking hand for something hidden under her cloak. She pulls out a long, white wand that spirals up from an exquisitely carved handle, its tip so white it reminds me of the birds' wings. But my eyes are quickly drawn away from the wand to her hand.

It's covered with deep, bloody lash marks that continue up her wrist and disappear beneath the sleeve of her cloak.

I gasp in horror. "Holy Ancient One, what happened?"

Her eyes are briefly filled with despair before they harden again, a bitter smile forming on her mouth. "I did not honor my wandfasting," she whispers acidly.

I've heard tales of the harsh consequences of fast-breaking, but to see it…

"Elloren," she pleads, the look of terror returning. She pushes the wand out at me as if trying to will me to take it. "Please. There's not a lot of time! I'm supposed to give it to you. It wants to go to you."

"What do you mean, it wants to go to me?" I ask, confused. "Sage, where did you get this?"

"Just take it!" she insists. "It's incredibly powerful. And you can't let them get it!"

"Who's them?"

"The Gardnerians!"

I force out a disbelieving breath. "Sage, we're Gardnerians."

"Please," she begs. "Please take it."

"Oh, Sage," I say, shaking my head. "There's no reason for me to have a wand. I've no magic…"

"It doesn't matter! They want you to have it!" She gestures with the wand toward the tree above.

"The birds?"

"They're not just birds! They're Watchers. They appear during times of great darkness."

None of this makes any sense. "Sage, come inside with me." I try to sound as soothing as I can. "We'll talk to my uncle…"

"No!" she snarls, recoiling. "I told you, it only wants you!" Her expression turns desperate. "It's the White Wand, Elloren."

Pity flashes through me. "Oh, Sage, that's a children's story."

It's a religious myth, told to every Gardnerian child. Good versus Evil—the White Wand pitted against the Dark Wand. The White Wand, a pure force for good, coming to the aid of the oppressed and used in ancient, primordial battles against demonic forces. Against the power of the Dark Wand.

"It's not just a story," Sage counters, teeth gritted, her eyes gone wild. "You have to believe me. This is the White Wand." She lifts the wand again and thrusts it toward me.

She's mad, completely mad. But she's so agitated, and I want to calm her fears. Relenting, I reach out and take the wand.

The pale wood of the handle is smooth and cool to the touch, strangely devoid of any sense of its source tree. I slide it under my cloak and into a pocket.

Sage looks instantly relieved, like a heavy burden has been lifted.

Movement in the distance catches my eye, just inside where the wilds begin. Two dark figures on horseback are there and gone again so quickly, I wonder if it's a trick of the light. There are so many strange, dark shadows this time in the morning. I glance up and look for the white birds, and I have to blink twice to make sure I'm not seeing things.

They're gone. With no sound made in leaving. I spin around on my heels, searching for them. They're nowhere in sight.

"They're gone, Elloren," Sage says, her eyes once again apprehensively scanning around as if sensing some impending doom. She grasps my arm hard, her nails biting into my skin.

"Keep it secret, Elloren! Promise me!"

"Okay," I agree, wanting to reassure her. "I promise."

Excerpted from The Black Witch by Laurie Forest. Copyright © 2017 by Laurie Forest. Excerpted by permission of Harlequin Teen. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.