by Sammie Joyce
“It could be, but as I said, I’m coming and that’s final. The only question is whether it’s Mace or Dane who stays behind. We discussed it and decided that Mace will be of more value down there. The five of you have mental communication, which will work when you’re all on the same plane—in other words, all in hell. The more communication we have in the group, the better.”
“Besides, while I can fight, my skills are more toward healing. I’ll be here, unhurt, ready to patch you all up when you return.”
Rose had about a thousand objections, but she didn’t think that any of them would dissuade Annabelle or Dane any more than they would dissuade Mace.
“How quickly can we do this linking ritual? Asher, Jagger, and Gavin have already been in hell for hours. I don’t know how long they can wander around in there before being attacked. We need to move, and fast.”
“I’ve prepared everything we need for the ritual. With your help, we can have it done in under an hour.”
“Excellent. We leave on the hour, then.”
“Wait.” Everyone looked at Mace. “You were right before, Rose, about how we rushed into things without a proper plan. We can’t do that here, or we won’t be any help to anyone.”
“What more do we need, Mace? We’re sorting out our ways into and out of hell. I can do locator spells to find Asher, Jagger, and Gavin. Dane can pull us out once we’ve found them.”
“Except we’re not just finding them. We’re going to find them and then help them complete their original mission: getting that contract. We need a plan for what to do if Hellith doesn’t cave under torture. Even more than that, though, we need backup.”
“That’s what I’m for!”
“Don’t think I don’t appreciate it, Annabelle, but I’m talking about more serious backup. We don’t need two witches. We need the coven.”
“The coven isn’t exactly an option, Mace.” Rose was impatient to get going, but she forced herself to listen to Mace. The last thing they needed was to make the same mistake Asher had, rushing off based on their emotions rather than a strategic plan.
“Not right now, but only because they’re under Hellith’s spell. If we can lift that spell, they will be on our side.”
“But that could take weeks! We wouldn’t even know where to start, or even if it can be done. Asher and the others don’t have that kind of time.”
Mace nodded, his shoulders tense. “I know we’re on the clock, but I want to at least try to get some further backup. Let’s give it two days. If in two days we haven’t found a way to break the coven out of the spell, then we’ll go, just the three of us. But we need to try. We won’t be any help if we just go down there to die with them.”
He was right, of course. The question was, how much time could they afford? For all Rose knew, Asher, Jagger, and Gavin could be fighting for their lives right now, on the verge of death. Or they could be lying low and taking stock of the situation, in which case spending some time getting proper backup would be the best thing they could do.
“Fine. Two days, but not a single hour more than that. And that includes making the potion to get in, and the bond between Annabelle and Dane.”
“Agreed.” Mace looked to Annabelle and Dane, who both nodded.
“Then let’s get started.”
Chapter Fourteen
Rose’s heart ached slightly, coming back to the coven. This place was her home, along with the people in it. The people weren’t her home anymore, though, at least not now. If all went well here, they soon would be.
As much as she wanted that, she was impatient. Jagger, Asher, and Gavin needed her help now.
“One day,” she reminded Mace. “One day, and we go after them.”
“I remember. We’ll sleep in shifts. Someone has to come out here eventually.”
“You and Mace sleep now,” Annabelle said. “Dane and I will take first watch.”
Rose couldn’t argue that she was tired. It had been more difficult than she’d expected, recreating the potion to take them into hell, as well as forming the link between Annabelle and Dane. Then they had needed to figure out how to let other people attach themselves to the link, which would allow them to be pulled out of hell alongside Annabelle.
All in all, it had taken longer than she’d hoped, but they still had time to find some potential allies. From what little research she and Annabelle had been able to do, the only way to undo Hellith’s influence was to catch the people who had been infected and force them to undergo a cleansing ritual.
This would be difficult, considering that they would no doubt resist the cleansing ritual, so they would need to be restrained the entire time. Mace’s original hope of getting the whole coven on their side wasn’t going to work, at least not in the timeframe they had available.
So now they were camped out in the woods by the coven, waiting for some unsuspecting witch to wander into their path. Mace and Dane would knock her out, which would give Annabelle and Rose time to perform the ritual.
Rose was hoping it would be Maria or one of the more experienced witches. They could use all the skill and power they could get.
Or maybe they wouldn’t get anyone. The hours dragged by. Rose was acutely aware that every moment they spent here was another moment they could be in hell searching for Asher, Jagger, and Gavin.
Mace and Dane suddenly sat up straighter, both staring in the same direction.
Someone’s coming? Rose guessed.
Two of them. Wait here.
Mace gestured for Dane to follow, and the two of them slipped through the trees.
A few minutes later, they returned carrying two limp bodies. As they were laid down, Rose recognized Wendy and Jade.
Despite her original hopes of getting Maria, she couldn’t help but be glad that it was her two friends they’d caught. Wendy and Jade might not be as powerful as some of the other witches, but friendship had its own kind of power.
“Are they okay?” Annabelle examined a bruise on Jade’s head.
“They’ll be fine. We were as gentle as we could be.” Dane checked the bruise himself, and gave Wendy a quick once-over. “I’ll do some healing on them if they’re in pain when they wake up, but I doubt it’ll be necessary.”
“You should be quick. I don’t think anyone else is about, but we don’t want to take any chances. If we’re captured now…” Mace didn’t need to finish. If they were captured now, Asher, Jagger, and Gavin were as good as dead.
Rose grabbed her bag and started setting out the circle for the healing ritual. Annabelle positioned Wendy and Jade inside it, then joined Rose on the outside.
They held hands and chanted together. Rose had been expecting her necklace to jump in and help, but for some reason, it remained cool against her chest. Perhaps her sense of urgency wasn’t enough to set it off. Regardless of the reason, she would have to manage without it.
It wasn’t a spell she or Annabelle had ever done before, so Dane stayed on hand, in case it went wrong and he was needed to revive Wendy or Jade. Mace scouted around them, checking for any movement from the coven. Rose couldn’t see him from here, but she could tell that his mind was calm, indicating there were no intruders.
They finished chanting the spell and waited. Rose held her breath, praying that it had gone right.
The candles flared green, an indicator of a successful ritual.
Rose turned to Annabelle to share the moment of triumph, but the world suddenly tilted alarmingly. Rose felt the ground fall out from under her. She was just vaguely aware of something cushioning her head as she fell before she passed out.
When she awoke, it was dark. Rose pushed herself up, trying to remember what had happened. She was sprawled on top of Mace, and quickly rolled to the side so that she didn’t wake him.
“Don’t move too quickly.”
Oh. So he’d already been awake. “What happened?”
“You and Annabelle both passed out after the ritual. I think we all underestimated how much of
a toll it would take on your energy without the necklace.
“Wendy and Jade?”
“They’re fine. The ritual worked—they apologized endlessly for ever being taken in, but I told them that’s not necessary. They’re sleeping. Since you and Annabelle were out, I decided it would be best for us all to take a nap. We’ll need our strength for what’s to come.”
“Are we still in the forest outside the coven?” They were definitely still outside and on the ground, but it was too dark for Rose to see much.
“Yes. Wendy and Jade put up some spells that’ll alert us if someone comes close, but it’s unlikely that anyone will be taking a walk this late at night.”
“Why didn’t you move us? This is hardly the safest resting place.”
“We thought of it, but Dane didn’t want to carry you and Annabelle while you were unconscious. He said it wouldn’t be restful, and it would be best if your bodies were given a chance to recuperate without being jostled.”
It still didn’t seem like the best decision to Rose, but they hadn’t been found out yet, so she supposed Mace had a point.
“Is Annabelle awake?”
“Not yet. She’s just over there.” Rose could see a lumpy silhouette that was probably Annabelle sleeping on top of Dane.
“How long has it been?”
“We passed the two-day mark about an hour ago.”
Rose leapt up. “Then let’s go.”
“We should wait for Annabelle to wake up naturally. Let her regain as much of her strength as possible.”
“Without the necklace, Annabelle is almost as strong as me. If I’m awake, then she’s not far behind. We need to go.”
“I’ll go wake Wendy and Jade, then.” Mace gave Rose a brief kiss before walking silently between the trees, bending down a few paces later.
Rose crawled her way over to the silhouette that was Annabelle and Dane, not trusting herself to walk without tripping in the dark. She could create a light with magic, but didn’t want to risk it so close to the rest of the coven.
“Annabelle, Dane. It’s time to leave.” She gently shook Annabelle’s shoulder. Annabelle moaned and rolled over. Dane woke in time to catch her before she fell off his chest.
“How are you feeling?” He helped her sit up, and Rose moved back a little to give them space.
“Okay. What happened?”
As Dane explained, Rose turned her head toward the soft sound of footsteps. Mace was leading Wendy and Jade by their hands.
“Rose! Annabelle!” Rose staggered back a step as her friends flung themselves on her.
“We’re so sorry—”
“I can’t believe we ever—”
“Hey, it’s okay. It wasn’t your fault.” Rose retuned the hug in kind, more than relieved that Wendy and Jade were back to themselves. “I’m just glad you’re better now.”
“Thanks to you.” Jade’s voice was slightly muffled, with her mouth pressed against Rose’s shoulder. The three of them broke apart, only for Jade and Wendy to fall on Annabelle. A few muffled apologies and reassurances later, they were ready to go. Mace had explained everything to Wendy and Jade while Rose was asleep, but Rose felt the need to be sure.
“Listen, just because we lifted that spell on you doesn’t mean you owe me your lives. We’re talking about going into hell. If you don’t want to come, you don’t have to. You can stay with Dane and be ready to heal anyone who comes back injured.”
“Nonsense, we’re going.” It was too dark to make out Wendy’s expression, but her tone was resolute.
Jade put a hand on Rose’s arm. “Don’t think we’re just doing this because we owe you something. Even if you hadn’t saved us, we’d come. We care about what happens to Jagger, Gavin, and Asher too.”
Before Rose had found out she was pregnant, she and her dragons had spent a lot of time with Annabelle, Wendy, and Jade.
She felt her face burning. She’d been so worried about her friends sacrificing themselves just to save her mates that Rose had forgotten that they were friends with her dragons too.
Wendy and Gavin got on particularly well—they had similar personalities. And Jade was always joking around with Jagger. The two of them had gotten into a number of competitions to see who could be the first to make Rose fall down laughing. When they’d expressed shy interest in flying, Asher had spent hours soaring over mountains with them. They hadn’t been able to stop smiling for hours.
After that, witches regularly started requesting rides from dragons. Asher, Wendy, and Jade had broken the ice. It led to closer relationships between witches and dragons, and a number of reverse favors, with dragons requesting specific spells.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. I guess I was just so caught up in my own head, I forgot that I’m not the only one who cares about them.”
“Don’t worry about it. If it were me, I wouldn’t exactly be thinking rationally either.” Wendy looked around, the movement of her head barely discernible in what moonlight made it through the trees. “So, we should get going, right?”
“Not yet.” Dane had his arm around Annabelle as he spoke. “We shouldn’t take the potion here. There’s too much of a chance of me being discovered here, and I don’t want to take any chances with bringing you back. We should go back to the hotel.”
“That’s hours away.” Rose was itching to go. Asher, Jagger, and Gavin were so close—merely one swallow of a potion away.
“Then we’d best get going immediately. Dane is right. Annabelle, you take Wendy on his back. Jade can ride with Rose and me.”
As much as she didn’t like it, Rose also didn’t like the idea of Dane in an unsecured location that could be found by the coven. Once they discovered Wendy and Jade were missing, they would no doubt conduct a search. The hotel they were staying at was far enough away from the coven that Dane would be safe there.
If the witches caught him, they would probably block his powers. Rose didn’t know if that would block the link between him and Annabelle that they needed to bring them back from hell, but she didn’t want to take that chance. Asher, Jagger, or Gavin could be hurt and in urgent need of Dane’s healing skills.
“Fine, but let’s hurry.”
It was too cramped for Mace and Dane to shift in the trees, so they jogged to the edge of the forest. Rose, Annabelle, Jade, and Wendy stayed close behind the two dragons, who could see fine in the dark. There were a couple of tumbles, but fortunately, no sprained ankles.
Rose thought that she and Annabelle could have picked a better time to pass out, but tried not to dwell on it. They could only move forward in time, not backward.
As soon as they were clear of the trees, Mace and Dane shifted. Rose helped Jade onto Mace’s back, aided by the moonlight that was now unblocked by trees.
She closed her eyes, letting the stream of cool air wake her up. She would need her wits about her where they were going.
Mace flew as smoothly as he could for Jade’s benefit. She held tightly to Rose’s waist and seemed stable, but she wasn’t as used to flying as Rose was. During the flight, Rose and Mace didn’t speak much except to bring up little issues with their plan, which were mostly quickly resolved.
Mace? What if it’s dark down there? It is hell, after all. We need to be able to see where we’re going.
You can enchant things with light spells, right? Maybe do it with bracelets or something, and we can all wear them. Do you think we’ll need food and water down there?
Hopefully we won’t be around long enough to need either. If we do, I think Wendy knows a conjuring spell. I could lend her aid with the necklace. We will be in our bodies, right? We won’t be like spirits or ghosts or something?
Asher, Jagger, and Gavin disappeared entirely—their bodies included. So I think that our bodies will come with us.
They exchanged thoughts back and forth for the whole ride. By the time they arrived back at the hotel, Rose was shivering, but she didn’t want to take the time to warm up.
“Is
everyone ready?” They were all in the living room of the suite. Dane stood slightly apart, his shoulders tense. In some ways, his job would be harder than any of theirs.
One by one, everyone spoke up that they were. Rose got out the bottle of the potion she and Annabelle had created, and divided it into five parts. She took Mace’s free hand with hers, squeezing hard. Rose was more anxious about this than she was letting on to the others, but now wasn’t the time to express doubts.
“Everyone got their bracelets on?” Annabelle checked to see that everyone was holding up a wrist with a glowing bracelet, even Mace. They couldn’t guarantee that whatever darkness hell offered would be penetrated by his night vision.
“Then let’s do this.” Rose swallowed her potion in one gulp.
It felt like being hit by a bus. Pain screamed through her joints, her skin, through every pore of her being.
She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out.
The world around her vanished.
Chapter Fifteen
Not even Jagger could come up with a joke for this situation. Mace’s hands were clenched as he watched Asher divide Rose’s potion into three. Gavin was beyond relieved that he’d been chosen to go. Staying, waiting, not knowing if he would ever see his brothers alive again… Mace definitely had it the worst.
“Everyone ready?” Asher met all of their eyes. One by one, they nodded. “See you on the other side, then.”
As one, the three of them downed their potions.
Gavin had experienced pain before, but nothing quite like this. It felt like his body had been lit on fire and smashed by a boulder at once.
Everything went black. Gavin recognized the rush of unconsciousness, and embraced it, but after a few seconds, he realize he wasn’t passing out. The pain was fading quickly, and within a few seconds, it was nothing more than a memory.
But he still couldn’t see. Though his eyes were open, he may as well have had them closed. “Asher? Jagger?”
His voice echoed oddly. Gavin stamped his feet. They were on what felt like the ground. It certainly wasn’t the smooth hotel floor of a few moments ago.