by Linsey Hall
There was a murmurer of assent as I turned and stared down the tunnel. “We need to get to the Hyde Park Corner Station. Follow me.”
Grey joined me as I led the group farther down the tunnels.
“I don’t know where the Dwarves have magically joined the lines, so we’ll try to go the normal route.” I searched my memory of the lines and stations, then groaned. “It’ll take hours, though. We’re pretty far away.”
“We don’t have hours.”
We came to a magical intersection. The lines crossed here, no station needed, and I swore I could see the Dwarves’ magic working at the seams where each tunnel joined the other.
I racked my memory. “If we go north, it should cut off a lot of time. Maybe.”
“How sure are you?” Grey asked.
“The alternative is a two-hour jog that will make us too late. So I’m sure enough.” Confidence surged through me. I turned to head south.
The group followed, and we hurried along. It took two more turns down two different lines, but I felt the dark magic grow stronger. We were on the right track. “We’re nearly there. Hyde Park Corner is up ahead.”
Sure enough, we passed through the ghostly station and kept heading north. Within a hundred meters, we reached a darker section of the tunnels. Black slime coated the walls, and the magic reeked so badly that my stomach pitched.
I stared into the darkness, a shiver racing over my skin. “We’re here.”
16
Grey
She’d done it. Carrow had directed us through the ghostly Tube lines, flawlessly locating the base of Black Church.
I searched the area ahead of us, grimacing at the stench. The black slime covering the walls of the station was unusual.
“Where’s the entrance?” Carrow asked.
Mac hurried ahead, shining a lightstone ring on the walls of the tunnel, and avoiding the largest puddles of slime. “I see nothing here.”
The shifters spread out, searching for a secret door.
“Hang on.” Carrow pointed to a small animal running down the tracks toward us. “Something is coming.”
“That’s the biggest sewer rat I’ve ever seen,” Quinn said.
The animal neared, then stopped and stood upright. It hissed at Quinn. Who are you calling a rat?
“That’s Cordelia, Quinn,” Carrow said. “My familiar. She doesn’t like being called a rat.”
“My apologies, Cordelia.” Quinn frowned. “I didn’t recognize you from a distance.”
Hmm. I’m not impressed.
I glanced at Quinn, who still frowned. “Can’t you hear her?” I asked.
“No.” Quinn looked at me like I was crazy. “She’s Carrow’s familiar, not mine.”
Carrow shot me a surprised look. “Can you hear her?”
Dare I tell her? I hadn’t been able to hear Cordelia earlier, but now I could.
I didn’t answer, and Carrow’s expression suggested she wanted to talk about this later. She turned to Cordelia. “Do you know how to get in?”
Of course. I know all the good ways into all the best places.
Again, I understood her. What the hell was going on? Only a familiar’s person could understand them.
Cordelia shot me a keen glance, her black eyes gleaming. What are you looking at, Fang Boy?
Fang Boy?
I felt my eyebrows rise halfway up my head. Unexpectedly, a laugh almost burst from me.
A raccoon had just called me Fang Boy. It’d been centuries since anyone had so much as considered disrespecting me. Even the sorcerers treaded lightly, though they often hurled spells while they did so.
But this raccoon feared no vampire.
The absurdity of it made the corner of my mouth crack up in a smile.
Carrow stared at me, eyes wide. She mouthed, “Fang Boy?”
Come on. No time to dally. Those egg-sucking rat bastards are hard at work up there.
“Let’s get a move on,” Carrow said.
Cordelia nodded, then turned on her back feet and ran about ten meters down the way. She made a sharp right and dove into what appeared to be a pit. You have to go down to go up, she explained, her voice echoing out.
I went first, climbing down a ladder into a narrow tunnel that extended five meters to the side. At the end, a long tunnel led upward. Another ladder was bolted to the wall, and Cordelia was already halfway up.
Carrow appeared behind me, and I could just barely catch the lavender smell of her magic. She was so much better at controlling her signature. Safer for her, but I missed the scent.
“Be careful,” I said.
“You too.” She grinned. “Fang Boy.”
“Let’s not make it a thing.”
“Sure.” She winked. “Now get climbing.”
I turned and hurried up the ladder, following the fat raccoon to the top. A trap door blocked us, and Cordelia disappeared, climbing right through the wood like a ghost.
I pushed on the wooden door and emerged into a dank, dark room that had to be in the dungeons. I pulled my lightstone out of my pocket and raised it high.
“We’re in a cell.” Carrow’s voice sounded from below. She’d popped her head up though the trapdoor and quickly climbed out.
I strode to the iron door and pushed on it. With a shrieking creak, it swung open.
“Who’s there?” a rough voice sounded.
Shite.
I shoved my lightstone back into my pocket and let my night vision take over. I’d lost my ability to see color when I’d been turned, but I could see in the dark, which compensated for it. Fortunately, I hadn’t lost my night vision when I’d regained the full spectrum of color.
Behind me, the team was almost silent as they crept from the tunnel down below. I strode quickly down the hall, searching for the voice.
Near the front of the dungeon by the stairs where they’d kept Carrow, four members of the Council were locked in a cell.
My brows rose.
“You,” Ubhan hissed. “You’ve done this.”
“Hardly,” I said. “We’re here to help.”
“You’re being an idiot, Ubhan,” Mateo said. “He wasn’t there when they came.”
“We’re here to stop them. How many are there?” I asked.
“Get us out of here,” Ubhan demanded.
“I’m looking for a key,” Mac’s voice sounded from nearby.
“Me, too,” Carrow said.
“It’s at the end of the hall, in the alcove!” Ubhan shouted.
I turned to Carrow. “There should be a pair of powerful Magicuffs there. They’re reinforced with Elvish steel.”
Mateo’s gaze met mine. “You want the Elvish cuffs?”
“For their leader. He’s immortal. Impossible to kill, even with trauma.”
“They should be hidden,” Mateo said to Carrow. “A stone box in the back right corner.”
“I’ll find them.” She disappeared.
I turned back to Mateo. “Tell me what you know about them.”
“There were over two dozen men that we saw,” Mateo said. “Scattered throughout the church, setting up a spell of some kind. The leaders said something about the alcoves off the main room.”
“I got the cuffs, but we couldn’t find a key,” Carrow said.
“And we need to get a move on,” Mac said. “I feel the dark magic growing.”
She was right. It pulsed like an oily sickness, polluting every breath.
“There’s a key in my office, on the second floor,” Ubhan said.
I looked at my guards and pointed to James, a wolf shifter. “Go find it. Let them out.”
Ubhan scowled. “You’re sending just one?”
“We need every person we have to fight Ivan.”
“You know he’s right,” Mateo said.
“Kiss arse,” Ubhan hissed.
I left them to it, striding toward the stairs. Carrow joined me, along with her friends and my crew, and handed me the cuffs. At the main level, I he
sitated, listening for anything out of the ordinary.
Sound came from main church.
Chanting.
“He’s started the spell,” said Carrow, and sprinted forward.
We raced after her, moving silently through the entrance hall of the church. The doors to the main hall were open, and we could see right into the round space.
Ivan stood in the center, surrounded by a dozen guards. There were six alcoves situated around the edges of the main room, alcoves that were normally empty. From our vantage point, I could only see three. But each contained three of Ivan’s men, hurriedly marking something on the floor with glowing paint.
I turned to my guards. “You lot take out the men in the alcoves. We’ll deal with Ivan.”
He and his personal guards stood in the middle, atop the bronze star. The floor around him had been painted with an enormous symbol. Its intricate lines were impossible to see well from here, but it would have taken hours to paint it.
Though I hadn’t encountered Ivan in years, he looked as I remembered him: tall and wiry, with white hair and a manic glow to his eyes. It was even worse now, as if centuries underwater had polluted his mind even more.
They probably had.
He held a key in one hand and an intricate metal box in the other. As he chanted, he moved the key toward the box.
Carrow and I sprinted for him. Fear for her made my blood chill and my heart race. At my side, the shifter Quinn transformed into a panther. He ran alongside Carrow, sprinting ahead of her to block her from anything Ivan’s guards might throw her way.
I didn't like Quinn, but I appreciated his loyalty. Anyone who protected Carrow was fine by me. Still, I felt the oddest pang of jealousy.
Mac drew her sword from the ether and charged. Eve’s wings unfurled behind her, glittering and bright. She launched herself into the air, raising a hand that crackled with lighting. Thunder boomed as she hurled a bolt at one of the guards who’d started to attack. It slammed into him, sending him to the ground.
Ivan raised a hand, making a broad gesture that formed a small magical dome around him. It gleamed transparent blue, like the protective barrier that had kept us out of Black Church.
Mac clashed with one of the guards, her sword swinging. She took off his head with one powerful blow, then whirled to find another target. Quinn took out another, leaping for his throat.
From the left, another guard hurled a fireball the size of a small car. It plowed toward me. I powered through, calling upon protective magic I used rarely and only when attacked by fire.
The flames slammed into me, sending pain singing through my veins. I absorbed the heat, transferring it into energy so that I could run faster. I couldn't take hits like this indefinitely—it weakened me eventually—but in battle, it was a handy talent. Maybe it was the ice in my veins, but fire wasn’t as harmful to me as it was to others.
Around me, the sounds of battle rose. Out of the corner of my vision, I saw my guards transform into animals—lions, bears, wolves. They attacked Ivan’s men, scattering them throughout the church.
Ivan stood under his protective dome, still chanting. He was turning the key in the lock now. My heartbeat thundered.
We were too late.
Ivan had prepared the spell. All that remained now was for him to finish it.
Carrow
I sprinted alongside Grey, racing for Ivan. Mariketta’s spell had been long and complicated, and he was already nearing the end.
Beneath my feet, the paint glowed with magic. It grew brighter as Ivan chanted, energy flowing out from the container that he was unlocking. I could feel it vibrating as the lid slowly opened, revealing a brilliant glow from within.
On my chest, Orion’s Heart began to pulse in tandem, like it was responding to the magic.
Overhead, Eve swooped through the air, avoiding blasts shot by a fire mage while trying to take him out with her lightning. Quinn made quick work of another guard, taking him down and tearing out his throat. Mac moved like a ghost, quick and precise with her blade. More men seemed to be appearing from the alcoves, more backup than I’d expected.
Grey neared the barrier that protected Ivan, moving like a train as he crashed through the transparent blue wall. I followed. Gripping the gem in my hand, I smashed through after him.
Pain blazed through me as I forced my way to the other side. I skidded to a stop in front of Ivan.
The man’s wild eyes met mine, and he laughed. In front of him, the power source shone and pulsed with magic. It was the size of my fist and had risen out of its container entirely. The key lay discarded on the ground, and the intricate box dropped to the floor with a clatter, leaving the glowing orb hovering a foot above Ivan’s head.
Overhead, the star-shaped window in the ceiling opened. The blinding light from the power source shot into the sky, spearing through the opening.
“It is done.” Ivan laughed. His eyes were glued to Grey. “There is no stopping the spell, Devil.” He threw out his hand, sending a blast of magic at us.
I ducked, taking the blast partially to the shoulder. It threw me backward, slamming me into the ground. I skidded painfully across the stone.
Aching, I scrambled upright. The blast had thrown Grey off his balance. Ivan made a run for it, but the vampire was too fast. He lunged toward Ivan and grabbed him by the throat.
I sprinted for the glowing power source. It pulsed with magic, going wild as the power inside started to spin out of control.
“You’re not going anywhere,” Grey growled. He grappled with Ivan, trying to get something out of his hand.
A transport charm.
The bastard was going to try to transport out of here, leaving us all to blow up. He’d have to make it out of the church to use the charm, though.
I left Grey to it. The fighting men were only two meters from me, but my attention was on the pulsing power source.
How the hell did I stop it?
Shaking, I reached out to touch it.
“No!” Mac screamed. “It’s too powerful.”
But I didn’t have a choice.
I had the spell in my mind. And Mariketta had said that I had everything I needed.
What did she mean? I had nothing except my ability to read objects.
I’d have to risk it.
As my fingertip neared the gem, it burned with heat. All around, the battle raged. I had eyes only for the glowing stone that threatened to take us all out. With every second that passed, it vibrated more fiercely, sending out waves of magic that made my stomach pitch.
My fingertip collided with the gem, and I forced my magic to do my bidding, calling it up from the deepest recesses of my mind.
An image flashed—me, chanting the spell in reverse.
Reverse?
Why the hell hadn’t I thought of that?
It could undo what Ivan had started—at least partially. The power source was primed to blow, now. But if I could undo enough of the spell to get the stone back into the box, it would be contained. Controlled.
We’d be safe.
I just had to get that damned box.
The intricately carved box and key lay scattered on the stone where Ivan had dropped them. He and Grey were locked in a battle of magical assaults punctuated by flying fists. In their scuffle, Ivan nearly stepped on the box.
“No!” Fear pulsed. We needed that. I lunged for it, taking a kick to the head that made me see stars.
I curled myself around the box and tried to roll out of the way.
Grey roared and yanked at Ivan, dragging him away ferociously. The power with which he fought shocked me.
I grabbed the key and got to my feet.
I squeezed my eyes shut to better remember the spell, trying to drag it up from the depths of my memory. It was so long and complicated—and I had to recite it backward?
In my mind, I sent myself back to Mariketta’s strange room. I recalled touching her temple and absorbing the spell. It came to my lips, spilli
ng forth. As the sounds of battle raged, I chanted the spell in reverse.
The dark magic that pulsed in the air began to lessen. The beam of light that shot through the window in the ceiling retracted.
“No!” Ivan shouted.
I spoke faster, the words tumbling over themselves. I held out the open box, praying this would work. As I neared the end of the spell, I opened my eyes.
The glowing orb was dimmer now, not as blinding. It floated down toward the box that I held. My heart thundered in anticipation.
In the distance, Ivan struggled to break free of Grey’s headlock. The battle was fierce since both men were immortal—Ivan even more so, since trauma apparently could not kill him.
The power source fitted itself neatly into the box, and I snapped the lid shut. Quickly, I cranked the key in the lock.
The dark magic stopped pulsing.
The window in the ceiling closed.
The spell was dead.
Ivan roared in rage. Magic vibrated through the sound, shaking the room so violently that I fell to my knees. Power exploded out of Ivan. It threw Grey across the room, slamming him into the side wall with enough force to crack the stones.
“Grey!” I yelled.
Ivan charged at me, fury on his face.
I scrambled upright and screamed, “Eve!”
My friend appeared above, flying just below the ceiling. I chucked the key and box upward. She swooped down, grabbed them, and darted away.
Ivan was nearly on me.
I flicked my wrist, turning my Fae bracelet into a dagger. “Don’t even try it,” I growled.
He was only a few feet from me, and his eerie eyes brightened as he looked at me, gleaming with triumph.
His gaze was right on my chest.
Orion’s Heart.
I could feel it lying outside my shirt, the gem gleaming brightly. It had started pulsing in response to the power source, though that had stopped once I’d killed the spell.
Ivan began to chant the spell again, loud and clear.
He was on the last verse, though.
The paint on the ground began to glow again, the symbols going wild.
What the hell was he doing?
I charged, swiping out with my blade. He ducked and continued to chant.