by Jade Wolfe
Electricity shot through my body, enough of a jolt to make my limbs tingle and go numb. It was disorienting, and my vision swam for a moment, blurring my red-clad captor with the dusty cave ceiling above her. I whimpered.
"It's all right. Your death will be for a good cause, I promise."
She looked up. "Popo, get off."
He huffed, but did as she said.
"He can't speak," she said to me. "That makes him terrible company but perfect for obeying orders."
He stood up and I sucked in the deepest breath I could manage. The feeling was coming back into my arms, but I still didn't feel like I could control them well. Pearl had been right - that shit hurt. I squeezed my hands into fists a few times to flex my fingers.
She watched Popo affectionately as he stepped aside and the smell of his godawful BO dissipated a little. "His real name is Poporognangitrapicatius," she murmured. "The third. You can see why I decided to shorten it."
I could see. "I thought you were here for Miranda," I said. I figured if I could keep her talking, it might give me time to figure out an escape plan.
"Miranda has very little power, compared to you."
I didn't actually believe that. Miranda's power lay in another direction, but it was no less potent. "But her husband Peter did? Is that why you killed him?"
She pursed her lips in slight annoyance. "No, I killed him because he wouldn't shut up. I need my quiet. Popo understands."
Popo didn't have much of a choice, did he?
"So you're here for me, and my power? What if I don't give it to you?"
She laughed, a musical sound that could charm a bird. "I'm certain you won't. I'm just going to take it."
"Why? You seem pretty powerful already."
"There is no such thing as too much power, my friend. It's one of the things you learn after a few centuries. Raw energy is malleable and necessary for any number of difficult situations."
I had no idea what the hell she was talking about, but as long as she was talking I wasn't dead. As long as I wasn't dead, there was a chance to escape.
"What about Lucy? Why do you have her?"
She laughed again. "How else was I supposed to get you here?"
I glared at her. How dare this hateful bitch think of Lucy - honorable, kind, Lucy - as nothing more than bait. My hands came together into a large fist and I swung it up and back over my head, trying for her face.
She saw it coming and pulled her head back, rendering the attempt harmless.
"Oh, stop. You don't have what it takes to best me, child."
I rolled to the side and got to my feet, moving fast, but not fast enough. Popo grabbed me from behind and pressed my arms to my sides. What I wouldn't give for my magic right now.
Isadora considered me, then walked over and picked up my light. She clicked off the beam. "As long as you're up, I suppose we might as well go. Popo, hang onto her."
He grunted and pushed me forward, making me stumble a bit. I managed to keep my footing, mostly because him picking me up would bring me into greater contact with his poisonous cloud of body odor. Maybe that was his power - acrid stench.
We followed along behind Isadora, moving deeper into the cave. Her long strides would have made her faster than me even if I didn't feel like I was dragging Popo along like a sack of stones. As it was, I had to push forward to even keep her in sight around the twisty turns.
The closed, dusty air got hotter, the farther we went, and my eyes were watering from that and Popo's proximity. I swallowed again and again and even bit the inside of my cheek a few times, trying to create enough saliva to swallow. Sweat poured off me. Popo's grip even slipped a couple of times.
That gave me a great idea. Isadora was moving on ahead, assuming that we would follow without incident. If I could be ready and slip out of Popo's grasp, I could run back the other way. I might not outweigh him, but I could outrun him.
Of course, there were two things wrong with that. First, I didn't know where I was going without the light. Second, if I got out now I wouldn't know where they were keeping Lucy. So for now I stayed put, hoping for another chance in a bit.
If Popo didn't suffocate me first.
The farther we walked, the faster Isadora moved. Even Popo was huffing, trying to keep up. I stumbled several times. Without proper light, I couldn't even see my own feet, much less what was on the ground in my path.
"Are we in a hurry?" I asked Isadora's back after a few more minutes. "Because if I end up with a broken leg it's going to slow us down a lot."
"Broken legs are not important, silly."
Well, not to her maybe.
"I don't need your body. I need your heart." We turned a corner where the cave split again.
"My heart is part of my body, so...."
"You know what I mean."
She did slow down a little, though.
It occurred to me that I should probably memorize the path we were taking, but I got the impression that even trying was a waste. All of these corridors looked the same to me. Still, I made a mental note when we made a right, and then a left, and then another right.
The cave was a little less dark after that last turn. I could at least look down and see the flickering shadows of rocks here and there along our path. Then, a few beats later, I thought I heard voices.
One more turn after that and we emerged from the tunnel into a large cavern.
There was a fire in the center, ringed with stones. Over our heads, thick stalagmites looked like they might have been hanging there since the days of the caveman. Behind the fire, in sharp relief, stood two people who looked a little...singed, for want of a better word. Their hair was ragged and soot smudged their faces. I smiled a little, guessing that these two were the ones I'd blown up back at the entrance. The shorter one even flinched a little when she saw me.
"I've got her," Isadora announced. "You two can take care of the others, if you like."
Lucy was one of those others, I was sure, but who was the other one? I looked around, scanning the room for anyone else besides us and these two. At first I didn't see anyone, but then I caught a hint of movement in the far corner. No more than an extra-large lump, I could have easily mistaken it for a rock. Then the rock moved, and I saw an arm.
The rock became a pile of lumps, then the lumps took shape. No faces, but I could make out possible heads, and maybe a curve of waist. I turned that way and pulled out of Popo's grasp. He grunted an alarm, but Isadora held out her hand. "Let her go. She's not a threat now."
I shot her a dirty look, then I ran for the lump and groped at it. My fingers closed around stiff cloth and I dragged what turned out to be a thick, filthy blanket off the figures under it. For a woman who looked so impeccable, everything around Isadora looked filthy. A cloud of dust came away with the blanket, making me cough. I waved it away.
Lucy was lying on her side. There was blood on her face, and one elbow looked to be twisted at an odd angle. I dropped to my knees and rearranged it, which uncovered the second person's face.
I didn't need to do that, though. I recognized the uniform.
Sheriff Michaels. There was blood smeared across his forehead and the collar of his gray uniform, but I couldn't see why. Maybe it wasn't his. Maybe it belonged to one of the werewolves in town, or even the little old guy, Mr. Pickens.
"A witch and a werewolf," Isadora announced from behind me. "Aren't they cute together?"
My jaw dropped. Michaels was a werewolf?
I thought of his small, dark eyes. He couldn't be one of the packs here in Red Rock, and I doubted there was a pack of wolves in town. Lucy would have known about it and mentioned something. That made Michaels a lone wolf. They were rare, but from my reading in Lucy's library they always managed to find a place in power, when they were able to fit into normal society. It had to do with their alpha nature and aggressive stance. Michaels fit the bill there, but the werewolves here in Red Rock had a menacing air about them that I didn't sense in Michaels' d
emeanor.
Of course, it could be that the werewolves who still changed were a lot different than the ones who had elected to live out their days as a wolf.
Either way, I had to get him and Lucy out of here. I glanced over my shoulder at Isadora. "What's wrong with them?" I asked.
"Nothing yet."
The two idiots by the fire snickered.
I wanted to smack the smirk off her face. How dare she come into our forest and hurt the people I loved, the way she had hurt Miranda? What made her think she had that much power? I knew she had to have incapacitated Lucy before Lucy could defend herself - Lucy was the strongest witch I knew, she would have demolished Isadora in a fair fight.
But Lucy wasn't able to do that right now, so it became my job. One I would relish, as soon as I figured out how to pull it off.
I hadn't had a chance to try my magic in this part of the cave, but I got the suspicion that it might work. After all, something was keeping Lucy and Michaels asleep. What could it be, if not magic?
I held my hands directly in front of me, shielding my actions from Isadora with my body, and tried to pull up a fire ball. It flickered and went out, then came back. So I could connect with my magic, but it was still weak.
Think, Indigo. Think.
It was Lucy who taught me my magic. She understood that I was powerful, and also that power didn't matter if I couldn't direct it properly. She always reminded me, "Power is about the manipulation of energy, Indigo. Once you understand energy and how it works, you'll be able to make more things happened than you ever dreamed. Until then, work with your environment, not against it."
But what was here, in this environment, that I could use?
I pretended to tuck the blanket in around Lucy and rearrange her to be more comfortable - all things that a loving granddaughter would naturally do - while I wracked my brain for ideas. My environment wasn't much right now - dirt, a couple of idiot witches, Popo the great white moron, and a fire. I doubted Isadora would allow me to get so close I could push her into the flames.
Could I bring the flames to her? It was a good thought, and one that I should ponder later if I got out of this, but I didn't think it would work right now. There was too much room for her to evade my fire.
But there was dirt everywhere in here.
It was a little bit of a risk, but I had to try it.
Chapter Fifteen
My magic might not be much good here, but the elements, well, they had their own kind of power. I didn't understand it, but I knew that they operated outside the parameters of regular old earth rules.
I kept my hands where they were, away from her sight, but this time I drew a rune in the air.
Earth nudged the bottom of my foot. I bit my lip to keep from yelling with joy and visualized my intention, detailing it as well as I could without actually turning to look at the cavern.
Behind me, something rumbled. Only then did I dare turn around.
The two witches from the entrance stopped chattering and huddled against each other, looking around.
Isadora was watching me.
I smiled at her.
The cavern rumbled again, and her eyes narrowed suspiciously. She didn't look away, though. "Whatever you're doing, you might as well stop it."
Those were the only words she offered before a large, blunt stalagmite dislodged from the ceiling and dropped onto her shoulders. She went down without a sound, surprise contorting her face into a weird parody of her natural beauty.
At the same time, a large crack appeared near the fire circle and spread quickly into a ravine. It swallowed the taller of the two minion witches and caused the other one to lose her footing. She nearly tumbled in after him, but scrambled away at the last minute. Damn. I watched her disappear through the entrance, but I couldn't chase her down right now, and she wasn’t the biggest threat, anyway.
Isadora was still moving, struggling to pull herself from under the pile of rubble that the stalagmite had become on impact. I nodded toward another one and Earth obliged, pinning her completely. This one must have done more damage, because she quit moving.
I turned back to Lucy and tried to wake her, but she wouldn't even open her eyes. Michaels groaned, though, so I turned my attention to him.
"Michaels!" I jiggled his shoulder, then his chin. "Michaels, wake up."
Something crumbled behind me. More stones falling. I thanked Earth Elemental and let him go before we were all buried in here.
Michaels," I hissed again.
Something slammed into my side and sent me rolling. I grabbed for anything to stop my fall, but got nothing but handfuls of dirt. The smell of Popo followed me down.
Damn, I'd forgotten about him.
He rolled me toward the edge of the room, smacking my head on the floor two or three times in the process. I saw stars and tried to keep my bearings.
I managed to get my knees to my chest and shove him off me, but he came right back, greasy hair swinging wildly in his face. The second time I missed his chest with my feet and caught him in the chin. His head snapped back, but his bulk was still pressing down.
And then, all at once, he was gone. I jumped up and looked around, surprised and relieved, but worried about where he went. Then I saw it - Michaels was up, hovering over Popo's lumpy form and pummeling his head with a meaty fist. I almost cried with relief.
It didn't take long for Popo to slump. He was out. Michaels turned to me.
"Will you help me get Lucy home?" I asked, moving to where she lay, still not moving. "Please? I don't think I can carry her myself, and I'm afraid she'll be hurt if I have to drag her."
I was acutely aware of who - or what - he was now, and I was nervous about letting him take control of Lucy in such a vulnerable state. I just didn't have a choice. Without a word he walked over to us, brushed past me, and scooped her up off the floor.
I took that as a yes and headed for the dark tunnel. I stumbled a few times but then Michaels took the lead. I grabbed the back of his shirt and held on tight. Apparently, his werewolf eyes could see in the dark, and I was perfectly willing to take full advantage of that.
As lost as I felt, Michaels wasn't having any problem. Holding Lucy's scarily still form close to his chest, he made turn after turn, winding us through the mountain toward home.
I was following him through the first entrance, where the barrier began, when I heard something that stopped me dead.
Voices.
Coming from the right arm of the cave.
I glanced that way and let go of the sheriff's shirt. He paused.
If I went home - I really wanted to go home - this whole thing might just repeat ad nauseum. I thought about how I'd ignored the Air Elemental the other day, and how that had turned out. I looked at Michaels and nodded. "You go ahead," I said. "I need to take care of this."
He frowned.
"Take her to Miranda. She'll know what to do."
He sighed. "Do I need to come back for you?"
I shook my head. "No - go make sure your town is safe. I'll deal with whatever is going on out here."
He started to turn away, but I touched his arm. Werewolf or not, he had saved my life. "Thanks, Michaels. I owe you big time."
I watched him go, then turned right, into the darker cavern.
My fireballs worked here, at least. I pulled one up, gripped my knife in my free hand, and went to see who was talking. I knew I needed to learn some different tricks for these sorts of situations, and I would, but I liked making fire. Since I'd stepped into the world of magic, making flames felt the most magical to me. Maybe someday the novelty would wear off, but it hadn't yet.
The going was slow, partly because I kept turning around to check for Isadora sneaking up behind me. Also, this cavern sloped upward, toward the top of the mountain. I didn't feel it at first, but then I did. It was damp in here. Water dripped from small rock outcroppings and the walls reflected my light, giving the tunnel a warm glow. More than once I hopped over puddles
to keep my feet dry. I was already chilly from a small breeze, no need to make it worse.
The voices were intermittent, and I stopped whenever they stopped. I couldn't make out any words. I couldn't tell how far away they might be, or even if they were male or female. When I came to a branch in the tunnel, I paused to listen.
The right, I thought. I walked that way to make sure, and the voices were a little louder, a little clearer. The air was stronger in this direction, too, and I shivered as the damp chill washed over my arms and face.
It took maybe twenty minutes, but I found the first opening in the rock. I was deep under the mountain now, but trying not to think about the tons of earth just over my head. I pressed against the wall and twisted to peer inside. It was completely dark, and smelled a little bit like something dead. Not strong, whatever had decomposed in here had died a long time ago, but I still wrinkled my nose. Then I moved on.
The next three openings were clustered together, making my movements more difficult. I couldn't check all three of them at once, so I had to choose. The first one I dismissed, but the second and third, almost directly across from each other, were both dimly lit. Flickering shadows bled out into the corridor.
Fire.
The voices helped, they were much clearer here, and I could even make out most of what they were saying, but they still echoed off the walls of the tunnel enough that I wasn't sure which opening would lead me to them.
"Do you think she'll do it?" A female voice said.
"Of course she will. My life depends on it." This voice was female, too, but she sounded older and frail. Shaky, like she was cold or very, very tired. I held my breath and walked past the openings. Doing that gave me a little more of a hiding spot, since the openings were situated in a way that faced more toward the way I'd come. If someone came through, they would most likely turn the other way. Mostly I had to watch out for someone coming around a bend in the tunnel itself.
"The girl doesn't even know what she is," the older voice continued, "And she's so young - definitely not as adept as Isa."