Annie and Spencer turned down Wing B, the prison wing. At the entrance, a security officer viewed their identification, comparing it to his list of approved officials with permission to enter. He waved them through the first gate.
“Nice to meet you,” said François as his shoes clicked against the linoleum floor. He wore a uniform, brown pants, and a matching short sleeve shirt. Above his heart was a small, silver pin, the same that Annie had seen on several others in their Wizard Hall.
“Um… Francois. Can I ask you a question?” Annie asked. He was tall and plain but very friendly with a permanent smile across his lips.
“But of course. What can I answer for you?”
“Well, I keep noticing these lapel pins. Everyone here seems to have one. Is this required for everyone to wear, or is it a choice? What are they for?”
He chuckled quietly. “Ms. Pearce, these pins are a source of pride for all of us who work here. But, of course, we are required to wear them when we enter. They were given to us as a way to promote… team building, I think you call it.”
“Has it been something you’ve always worn?” Spencer asked.
Francois stopped walking. His gaze shifted to the wall, or through the wall. It was a distant, cold stare.
“I could not tell you for sure. I think it was maybe a year ago,” he replied.
“Thanks. I just found them fascinating,” Annie said.
He smiled uncomfortably with a crooked smile as he pushed open a door. Annie and Spencer exchanged confused glances before following him down a flight of stairs to the vampire floor of the small prison.
A small wooden box hung beside a sliding door. Francois cast a spell, and the door slid inside the wall with a rattle and a bang.
A second security guard waited for them on the other side. He too wore the silver pin just above his name tag, which read Stefan.
“Stefan, this is Annie and Spencer, the American wizard guards. They are here to see the vampire.” A look of acknowledgement passed between the men. Annie’s discomfort grew.
“Stefan will see to what you need,” Francois advised before he turned and walked back through the door.
Annie watched after him. His heavy footsteps pounded against the cement floor. As he climbed the stairs, they grew softer until Annie and Spencer were blanketed in painful silence.
“Welcome to France. It’s nice to meet you,” Stefan said. He stood from his small desk and walked to the far wall. “Your vampire has been no trouble. I expected more.” He offered a wan smile and waved them to join him. “You know; we’ve heard such things about him.” He sent a spell through the lock box, and the door slid open to reveal a sparse room with four cells, two on each side. If there was more than one vampire, they were awfully quiet or muffled.
She knew the answer as they passed the first two empty cells. The next was inhabited by a petulant Sturtagaard.
“Here he is. I will leave you to it. Call me should you need anything.” Stefan bowed slightly and headed out of the small room that held only four cells and only one prisoner.
When he closed the door, Annie turned to Sturtagaard. He glanced up and leered.
“I better get back for this,” the vampire growled.
Annie observed the brightly lit room. The strong artificial light bounced around the shiny white walls, floor, and ceiling. Annie shielded her eyes as she adjusted to such bright light.
It must be hell on vampires.
“What are you talking about. This place is awesome. There’s no sun streaming in from an acidiac window and look over there.” She pointed to the pile of blood receptacles in the corner of the cell. “It looks like they feed you well,” she answered.
“Tartarus is far better than this hell hole.” Sturtagaard grimaced. The room was devoid of a cot or sink and was half the size as his cell at Tartarus. He’d definitely had more roaming room at Tartarus; here the vampire was chained to the wall by a notch in the collar. Not only was he tethered to the wall, but the chain hung high above him. All Sturtagaard could do was stand. If he chose to pace, his path was barely four feet wide.
Interesting choice, Annie thought.
“We could have accomplished this together,” Sturtagaard said.
“Yes, because you were so helpful before.” Spencer glared at Sturtagaard. The vampire was not known for childish maneuvers.
“Where is your boy? He’s much more pleasant,” Sturtagaard remarked, glaring at Annie.
“Are we done here?” Spencer asked. He switched his weight between his feet, anxious to leave this dank wing of prison.
“You, go meet the team.” Annie pointed to Spencer and then to the door. Rather than arguing, Spencer skulked down the hallway.
“You, shut up. When we get the princess, I’ll take you home. Anything else we should know?”
“Check out drug dens and student hostels. Look for young men traveling, a beautiful young woman. I would see if any travelers are missing. If not, she might still be hiding there.”
Annie tossed him a phone. “My number is the only one programmed. If you need me or have other ideas, call. Make yourself useful for once.”
Before Sturtagaard could answer, Annie was halfway down the hallway.
Chapter 21
Large maps cluttered the conference room table. All of them had large circles around any possible location where the princess might be hiding.
That’s a lot of options, Annie thought. Her scrying crystal hung loosely around her hand.
“Any luck?” Jory, an affable young man with a clean-shaven face, entered the conference room.
Annie glanced up, still shocked how young he looked. “No. I’m not sure why I keep looking.” She smiled lightly as she picked up her scrying crystal holding it in her palm.
“You do because that is who you are. You… don’t give up.”
“I’m not so sure anymore,” Annie admitted. The small crystal was cool and smooth. She ran her finger across the nearly perfect rock.
“Eh, but that is what we do. We keep at it until we’ve exhausted all options. Do we not? We are wizard guards after all.” His dark blue eyes, harsh against his fair skin, twinkled and he offered a smile. Summoning his own crystal, he held it in his hand. “So where should I try?”
“I’m trying this next. These are all done. You can start at the end of the table,” Annie suggested. She let her crystal necklace fall so that it hung above the next map. Without Annie moving it herself, the crystal began to swing softly at first, rotating on its own. The swing grew wider and faster, nearly jumping from her hand.
It stopped just as quickly, landing on a location in Austria. “Her cloak is growing weak,” Annie murmured.
“What?” Jory stopped and glanced over.
Annie glanced back at him.
Could he be the mole?
His delicate features and his warm smile told her he’d be a good actor if he was. She was greatly aware she shouldn’t give away too much information, but it was only a matter of time before Amelie was discovered. She would eventually kill the wrong person.
Maybe she already has.
“Here.” She finally handed the map to Jory and watched as he studied it carefully, circling several locations. He was, after all, their best tracker.
He glanced up and smiled before returning to the map, double-checking his options. Finally, he said, “Okay. Here are the coordinates to which to teleport.” He slid the map to Annie.
“If you’re positive, we need to leave soon. I don’t want to bring in yet another Wizard Guard unit to kill her,” Annie said.
“I don’t trust the magic. You have been unable to find the princess for several hours, and all of a sudden she is there,” Marielle said. She stood with her hands on her hips, her lips pursed. “I don’t think we should go in. It’s much too dangerous.”
Annie set up the scrying crystal and the fabric from the coffin and re-scried for the princess. Again, it dropped over the house in Austria. “Is that enough for you
?” she asked.
“Fine, but that seems to be a very difficult location for the princess to reach so quickly. From the house in Southern France to there. She would need more than vampire speed, cars, or trains. She’d need…” Marielle stopped.
“She’d need a magical assist,” Annie finished.
Color drained from Marielle’s face. Neither French wizard guard spoke.
Do they believe there’s a mole too?
“That’s not possible!” Marielle protested. “Nobody here would have done such a thing!” Her angry voice reverberated off the walls. Annie felt the vibration in her fingers.
“I wouldn’t suggest that, and there’s really no proof that’s how the vampire’s getting around. It just seems odd that she’s moving so quickly across countries,” Annie said.
“Well. You should have mentioned your suspicions. We can’t do our job when you don’t share your thoughts.” Marielle’s voice grew calm and yet her hands shook.
“For that I apologize. However, that isn’t our main concern. What we need is enough wizard guards to sweep each location she’s been at and track teleportation spells,” Annie asked.
They can’t spare anyone. I wish we could bring in our team!
“What is all this commotion? I can hear you from the middle of the hall,” Fabien inquired, stepping into the room.
“We were just discussing the possibility Amelie has magical help to get around. Marielle thought we should have discussed this sooner,” Annie said and repeated her desire to search for magical trace at all locations where Amelie had been. Fabien looked at her and nodded in understanding.
“Yes. Yes. I do see that would be helpful. If the trace is the same across the locations, we will have a likely suspect. Our database is quite extensive with magical trace,” he said thoughtfully.
Marielle paced, her lips curled in concentration. When she stopped, she glanced at the map and at the crystal as it lay on Amelie’s current location. Agitated, the French wizard guard continued to pace to the short wall. With no more room, she turned and headed back to the other side.
Deep in thought, she began to chew her lower lip roughly. “No. I disagree, Fabien. We need all of the assistance we can get to ensure the princess is captured and killed. We do not have time to send someone off on a hunch. It is much like sending guards to this location. It’s all a hunch!” Marielle threw her hands in the air.
“We’re wasting time, Marielle. You either come with us or keep quiet. We should leave, yes, Annie?” Jory asked.
“Yeah. We should leave. Can you get us out of here without needing the tower?” Annie asked. She grabbed her phone and started typing out a message to Spencer.
Fabien nodded. “Yes, of course.” He glanced around the small room. “But is Spencer not joining you?”
“Phone call from home,” she said. “I just texted him. Shall we?”
Fabien led them from the room. Annie waved to Spencer who hastily concluded his call and joined them at the back wall. If Annie hadn’t been magical, she wouldn’t have known that the empty wall held a doorway to somewhere. With a wave of his palm, Fabien accessed the back door to French Wizard Hall.
Why don’t they just use this one all the time?
The door materialized with a shimmer and opened into a dark, narrow hallway. With flashlights shining brightly, they stepped inside, shedding light on a little-used entrance. Annie glanced at Spencer with the same quizzical look.
“This place is backwards,” Annie whispered. Spencer shrugged while Fabien played with his phone. They followed the soft glow of the smartphone.
“I am ordering a few more teams to meet us there. They will arrive in intervals after us. Should that be acceptable, Annie, Spencer?”
“Why are you asking them? This should be our mission,” Marielle said. Her voice pierced the quiet. Annie’s stomach roiled.
“Enough, Marielle. Go back. Go home if you cannot keep quiet. Annie, are we good with this plan?” Fabien asked.
“Yeah. That’s fine. Are we ready, then?”
“Yes. Follow me.”
The narrow passage angled upwards toward the ground level. Flashlights swept the seldom-used passage, which was covered in cobwebs and smelled musty. Annie skirted around a small puddle where the water had seeped through the rock walls. It was imperative that they trust the French Wizard Guard, and yet Annie couldn’t. Something felt not right, strange, backwards. She reached for Spencer’s hand. He was the only person who, in this moment, she trusted. He squeezed her hand.
They could be leading us to our deaths.
It was a ten-minute walk to the end of the corridor, where a hastily constructed staircase led to a door and, they presumed, outside. Annie gave Spencer a nervous look and followed Fabien, who took the stairs with ease. A worn, steel door stood waiting. Fabien twirled the wheel open and pushed the door upwards. It squeaked with rust and lack of use.
Finally!
Annie had never been so happy to be in the fresh air, to see the sun as it touched the horizon. It was just now dawn.
Where did the night go?
“Where are we?” Spencer asked. They had popped out somewhere at the center of town, but this location was hidden in a large alley filled with garbage dumpsters that reeked of rotted food and wet boxes.
“I wish we had known about this entrance sooner,” Annie said.
Fabien made last-minute instructions through his phone. “Well, now you know,” he quipped. “Okay. We are good. Let’s move.” The teams teleported away in pairs, landing where Jory had instructed them.
The landing spot was small, surrounded by a dense, thick cluster of evergreen trees. Annie wrapped her jacket around herself as a cold chill blew in around them. She took a deep breath. The smell of pine permeated her nostrils, and a tightness filled her chest as her jaw clenched.
She better be here!
“Are you okay?” Spencer whispered.
Trust Spencer.
“I have a bad feeling,” she said. She peered through the branches and beyond the trees. The royal family had once called this home. The house stood alone in the acreage, surrounded by thick grasses and overgrown bushes. Its windows were caked in years of dirt and grime, the shutters had rotted, and the front door had been kicked open.
No one’s lived here for a while.
“Do you want to call in our team?” Spencer whispered. His hand rested on her shoulder.
She offered a wane smile. “Not yet.”
The French wizard guards quickly fanned themselves out amongst the trees, encircling the house.
When each pair placed themselves in their location, they sent the slightest spark into the air. Annie counted each. When they were all situated behind trees and in the grasses, she snuck across the small lawn and hid herself behind an unruly hedge. Seemingly alone, though she knew they were watching her, she ran to the house, and peered through the window, her view slightly obscured by years of dirt.
I can’t see anything!
Annie flashed her light inside the abandoned property. It bounced against the window and across the floor, where a fat racoon lay in the center of a large rug. A pool of blood spread beneath its body.
“You are like a dog with a bone,” Amelie said. Annie twirled to face the vampire, who licked the last of the raccoon’s blood from her lips.
The vampire’s self-satisfied smirk angered Annie. She summoned a stake and held it out for Amelie to see.
Leaves and grass rustled around them as the team took up their positions closer to her.
“Does that scare most vampires?” Amelie asked. Her soft, seductive voice heightened Annie’s anxiety. Amelie took another step closer; Annie gripped her stake tighter.
She distracts!
Annie moved closer. Leaves crunched and twigs cracked in the trees. If Amelie heard the sounds, she ignored them.
Or maybe she doesn’t hear them?
“You should be.” Annie flipped the stake in her hand. Smack!
Amelie started slightly, stared at the stake and smiled, regarding her nemesis carefully. The vampire licked her lips. “I’m not frightened by you, little girl. I’ve escaped you twice.” Her smile widened, unnaturally plastered to her face. But it was her eyes that stood out most. They were black pools, soulless, filled with so much rage, anger, and fury.
Annie held the stake so tightly her muscles stiffened. She held the pointed end toward the vampire. As the other wizard guards’ footsteps neared. Amelie lunged.
Though Amelie wasn’t very large, she flew at Annie with such force that Annie flew backwards. So in the moment, blinded by her passion to do Annie harm, the vampire couldn’t stop her own momentum forward and fell on top of the wizard guard.
Stale, unoxygenated blood dripped from the vampire as the stake easily pierced the soft flesh of Amelie’s belly. The vampire roared in pain and thrashed above Annie in an attempt to free herself. Cold, stagnant blood saturated Annie’s jacket, pants, and shirt.
Footsteps crunched ground getting nearer. With nothing left to lose, Amelie grasped Annie’s neck. Cold hands pressed against Annie’s windpipe; her breathing was choked off. Someone threw a jinx throwing the weakened and wounded beast upwards. Unfortunately for Annie, Amelie still had hold of her by the neck. They flew through the air, falling to the ground in a twisted heap.
Wizard guards descended on them. The weakened vampire sat up. A high-pitched growl came from Amelie as her eyes darted from guard to guard. Acting like a frightened animal with little choice, she let go of Annie and dashed for the trees. Spencer ran for Annie. The rest ran through the trees after Amelie.
“You okay?”
“Help them!” Annie shouted.
A wizard guard from France that Annie hadn’t met yet jumped on the vampire, wrestling her to the ground.
Jory reached in to assist. His stake out, he pushed it forward. Amelie, in her frenzied state, roared and swiped at Jory, knocking him a few feet away. He was thrown with such force that landed several feet from the vampire.
So out of control was the vampire, the other wizard guards backed up, circling Amelie. She reached out and swiped at the closest guard, her long finger nails sharpened to a point. They took many steps closer; Amelie growled and lunged, pushing aside two men. They landed on the ground.
Wizard Hall Chronicles Box Set Page 87