Which won’t change the fact that his career will have been ruined, I almost add. But I remind myself that I’ve decided to say as little as possible during these planning meetings. Besides, it’s Perry’s choice to help the Griffin rebels. He’s obviously decided it’s worth the risk.
“Okay.” Calla separates the pages, placing six large drawings beside each other. “Six levels. We’ll only know once we get there and check the inmate records in this room here—” she taps her forefinger onto one of the blocks on the first page “—exactly which cells our people are in. But let’s assume the worst and figure out how we’re going to get all the way down to the furthest floor below ground.”
“And remember,” Carter says, “they’ll have a Griffin Ability detector over their entrance.”
Chase nods. “So one of you who isn’t Griffin Gifted will need to sneak in first and disable the enchantment.”
Kobe raises his hand. “Great,” Calla says. “Thanks, Kobe. Em will tell the gate to open, so that won’t be a problem, and I’ll hide outside and imagine you as invisible.”
“Or Em could tell every lock in the prison to unlock,” Carter suggests. “That’ll make our lives easier once we’re inside.”
“And risk some actual criminals escaping?” Calla says. “Probably not a good idea.”
Kobe leans forward and asks, “Do we know where the detector enchantment is housed?”
“It’ll be in the control room here.” Chase points to another part of the plans.
“Once that’s disabled,” Calla continues, “we can all get inside.”
“And the surveillance bugs that will no doubt be flitting around?” Elizabeth asks. “Both inside and outside. They’ll see through whatever illusion you’re projecting. Kobe might not even make it inside if someone sees him on an orb.”
“Tropical storm,” Chase says. “It’s going to rain so heavily outside The Noxsom Facility that no one will be able to see a thing.”
Elizabeth nods. “That works for outside, but what about inside?”
“We can do that explosion thing again?” Kobe suggests. “To cut all the light spells. It worked well at the Maxwood Museum.”
Despite my plan to remain quiet, I can’t help asking, “Are you sure you guys aren’t criminals? Why on earth would you need to break into a museum?”
“Because the curator of that museum stole a valuable family heirloom from someone,” Calla explains to me. “The Guild couldn’t help her because they couldn’t prove anything, so after hearing about us, she asked for our help. We located the heirloom hidden inside the museum and stole it back for her.”
“But … what if it wasn’t actually hers?” I ask. “What if she’d been lying to you?”
“The family crest engraved on the item was a bit of a giveaway. We assume the curator was planning to remove it, but if so, he hadn’t got around to it yet.”
“Is it really necessary to tell this story right now?” Elizabeth asks.
Calla sighs and looks at Elizabeth. “Just explaining that we’re not actually criminals.”
“Or,” Krystal says, “that we’re the right kind of criminals. That might be more accurate.”
“So, back to the explosion,” Chase says, looking at Kobe. “Yes, exploding some nightlace should work well. Whoever’s hanging out in the control room won’t be able to see a thing.”
“It’ll make it difficult for us to see as well,” Elizabeth reminds everyone.
“Yes, but it won’t be completely dark,” Calla says, an edge of frustration to her voice. “We’ll be fine.”
“If it isn’t completely dark for us, then it won’t be completely dark on the surveillance orbs the guards are watching.”
“Elizabeth! It’ll be fine. You heard what Kobe said. It worked well at Maxwood.”
“It did work well,” Kobe adds, nodding.
Elizabeth holds her hands up and sits back. “Okay. Just checking.”
Calla turns back to the plans. “Next thing we need to figure out is how to get through the security gate that separates each level from the next one down.”
“Well,” Carter says, “the logical thing to do is use that Griffin Ability that can unlock anything. You know, the one Gaius transferred into that antique key.”
“Isn’t that one of the Griffin Abilities we lost when the others went to get Vi and Ryn?” Chase asks.
I clear my throat and lean forward. Nerves flutter in my stomach as I say, “Do you know how much easier all of this would be if you just let me go inside the prison?” Silence greets my suggestion. Everyone looks at me. I elaborate quickly. “If I go into the control room with Kobe, I can tell all the guards on duty there that they can’t see any of you. Then I can go to each gate and tell it to open. I can open whatever cells Vi and Ryn are locked in. Every step of the way, I can simply say something, and it will happen.”
Another beat of silence passes. Then: “Out of the question,” Calla says.
“Why? It would be so much easier that way.”
“Does your Griffin Ability have enough power for that many commands?” Krystal asks.
“Well, I told the veil to close. And it did. I assume that would have required a rather large amount of magic?”
Carter’s mouth drops open. “Wow. Okay. Yeah, I think you can handle a bunch of locks and surveillance enchantments.”
“Still out of the question,” Calla repeats.
“Why?” Krystal asks. “If her magic can do all these things, then why make this rescue operation harder than it has to be?”
“Em is brand new here,” Calla reminds everyone. “We can’t ask her to do something this dangerous.”
“You’re not asking me,” I remind her. “I’m offering.”
“Ryn and Vi wouldn’t want you to do this. You’re—” But she cuts herself off before finishing, which makes me wonder if she was about to tell everyone that I’m actually Vi and Ryn’s presumed-to-be-dead daughter. Would it make a difference to anyone’s decision to let me inside the prison if they knew? I don’t get the chance to find out, though, because Calla says, “Yes, Em’s ability can do all these things. Which is exactly why we can’t risk the Guild getting her in their clutches again.”
“But if we don’t use her magic,” Krystal says, “chances are high that we’ll fail to rescue our people. We could all end up imprisoned as well.”
Calla looks at Chase, a question in her gaze. He’s quiet for several moments before saying, “You can stay with her the whole way. Keep her concealed. And I’ll remain close by so I can fight off anyone who happens to see the two of you.”
Calla’s face is full of uncertainty. “Chase …”
“I know,” he says. “But we need to get everyone back, and this is the best way. We’ll make sure Em doesn’t get caught in the process.”
Calla looks at me. Her voice is pained as she says, “I don’t want to lose you again.”
Carter turns to Krystal and whispers, “Is there something else going on here I don’t know about?”
“No idea,” she whispers in response.
“I know,” I say to Calla. “But you won’t. I can do this. I have more control now. You know I’ve been practicing. We’ll all come out the other side of this just fine.”
I guess I sound more confident than I feel, because eventually, Calla gives in and agrees. But as we sit down to decide on the exact words I should say at each point in the operation, I can’t help remembering what she said after we very nearly messed up our escape from the shadow world: No plan ever goes the way it’s planned.
Six
We wait until late in the evening before leaving the oasis so we don’t have to hide too long near Noxsom before my Griffin Ability’s magic is ready to be used. Technically, we should be able to go at any time; I’m fairly confident that I can hold onto my Griffin power and release it at will later on. But Chase and Calla decided it would be better to wait. “This way,” Calla said, “you’ll have whatever power you’ve re
served from this morning, plus the additional power you’ll receive when your ability replenishes again tonight.”
We gather in the living room of the mountain and Chase goes around the group, writing a quick spell onto each person’s arm with his stylus. We discussed numerous communication options last night, including tiny devices the Guild recently developed—a few of which Gaius somehow got hold of—but this enchantment is apparently the easiest option. “Just don’t try any other spell that requires writing on your skin while you’ve still got this one on,” Chase tells me. “It’ll interfere with communication.”
“That shouldn’t be a problem,” I assure him. “I don’t know any spells that involve writing on my skin.”
“We may not even need to use this spell,” he adds, “but if we have to split up inside Noxsom and you want to talk to the rest of us, just touch the words on your arm to activate the spell and then speak normally. “
Elizabeth rises from the couch and sets her amber tablet aside. “The news is everywhere,” she says as she holds her arm out to receive her communication spell. “The Guild can’t stop crowing about their success at having sent a whole bunch of Griffin rebels straight to Noxsom.”
“Yes, I saw that,” Krystal says. “And I noticed that those who’ve always been the most outspoken about the controversial methods The Noxsom Facility employs are keeping strangely quiet.”
“Of course. I mean, torture’s totally acceptable when you’re doing it to Griffin Gifted fae, right?”
I’m about to ask someone to explain the kind of torture methods Noxsom employs, but Chase speaks before me. “Look, it’s horrible that it’s splashed all over the news, but at least we know we’re heading to the right place.”
“Do you think they’ve jacked up security there?” Elizabeth asks. “You know they feel totally threatened by any Griffin Gifted fae. They’ve probably added another hundred guards because they’re so afraid our friends are somehow going to escape.”
“Surely Noxsom is secure enough as it is?” Calla says, rolling her sleeves down once her communication spell is done. “If the rumors are true, then most of the prisoners are asleep. Besides, Perry would have reported it to me if he’d heard anything about extra security around Noxsom.”
“Look, Perry’s great,” Elizabeth says, “but he doesn’t know everything. He’s part of one small department inside one Guild. He has nothing to do with the security at Noxsom.”
Chase raises his voice above the chatter and says, “I think we can safely assume the Guild hasn’t sent an extra hundred guards to Noxsom. You know why? Because the Guild is facing the one thing no one else in the history of our world has ever faced: the entire human realm suddenly becoming aware of our existence. That’s massive. And since Prince Roarke began openly attacking humans, things have got even worse. With all of that going on, the Guild isn’t going to waste extra guardians on a facility that’s already highly secure.”
“True,” Elizabeth says. “You’re probably right.”
“Let’s hope so.” Chase pats his jacket and the belt slung around his hips, probably to check that all his various weapons are still in place. “Okay. Everyone ready to break into a prison?”
“Absolutely,” Krystal and Carter say at the same time, before laughing at one another.
“Hey, it’s nothing we haven’t done before, right?” Elizabeth says, pulling her gloves a little tighter. “Should be a piece of cake.”
“Em?” Chase looks at me.
“Yep. All good.” What I really want to say is, Am I the only one who feels like throwing up? Probably, since I’m the only one who hasn’t done something like this before. I try to push aside my doubt and the nagging reminder that pretty much nothing in my life ever goes right. Instead, I silently repeat, This will all work out.
“Hey, Em?” I look up and find Calla in the doorway looking back at me. It seems everyone else has left the room already. “Are you sure you’re okay?” she asks.
“Yes.” My voice sounds odd, so I clear my throat and try again as I walk toward her. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“Are you having second thoughts about—”
“No. I’m fine, don’t worry. I know I can do this. It’s just speaking, right? It’s easy.”
She grips my upper arm and gives me an encouraging squeeze. “I’ll be with you the whole time. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Outside the dome layer, in the cool desert night, the seven of us hold hands and walk into the faerie paths together. If I weren’t so nervous, I’d probably want to laugh at how strange we look. Instead, as the darkness closes around us, I focus on trying to keep my heart from leaping right out of my chest.
The faerie paths bring us to a wooded area bathed in pale beams of moonlight. The air is warmer, balmy like a summer night. Looking up through the trees, I notice that the moon isn’t as high as it was by the oasis. Early evening, I think to myself. Noting the position of the moon or sun wasn’t something I ever did in the non-magic world. But that was back when I had a cell phone to tell me the time, and when I didn’t switch time zones so often—or ever, for that matter.
“It’s this way,” Chase says, leading us through the trees. We don’t have to walk far before we reach the edge of the forest. Up ahead, surrounded by the kind of shield layer that shimmers just enough to be seen, is a plain, rectangular, single-story building. The Noxsom Facility. It doesn’t look too bad from the outside, but I don’t let the boring exterior fool me. All kinds of horrific torture could be taking place on the five additional levels hidden beneath this one.
“How long until your magic is ready, Em?” Chase asks.
“Uh …” I focus my attention on my magic for a moment. “Probably less than fifteen minutes. I can sense that it’s almost ready.”
We spread out as we wait, each of us remaining pressed against a tree to blend in with the forest so Calla doesn’t have to conceal us yet. True to her word, she sticks right beside me, her back against the same tree I’m peering around. “I assume we can’t use the faerie paths to get to the other side of that shield layer,” I say.
“Nope. No access to the faerie paths beyond this forest. At least, that’s what Perry said when he was explaining how to get here. We have a complicated series of enchantments we generally use to disable shield magic—including a few spells no one outside the Guild is supposed to know—but hopefully your Griffin Ability can save us the hassle.”
“Yeah. I think it should work.” I lean back against the tree and fan my face with my hand. It’s warmer here than I expected, and my nerves are starting to make me sweat.
“I could cool you down with magic,” Calla says, “but it might interfere with the communication spell.”
I let my hand flop down against my leg. “It’s okay. I’ll probably cool down if I just stand here calmly and stop fanning myself.”
“Probably,” she says.
But I find it impossible to keep still. My hands end up twisting together. One heel taps repeatedly against the grass.
“You’re nervous,” Calla says, stating the obvious.
“I’m fine,” I reply, though we both know I’m lying.
“You’re scared this isn’t going to work.”
“Actually, I’m scared of the opposite. I mean—” I shake my head. “Sorry, that didn’t sound right. I’m scared of seeing them again—Violet and Ryn—not because I don’t want to, but because …” I swallow, and my heel tapping begins again. “Because … what if they don’t want me as their daughter?”
Calla turns her head to look at me. “What?”
“I mean, what if I’m a huge disappointment to them? They’ve probably spent years building Victoria up in their minds, this perfect daughter they would have had if she’d never died. She’d be just like them, brave and selfless and totally kick-ass. And now I come along and I’m just … me. I’m the girl with the totally average human-world upbringing. I’m the girl who ran away from everything they offered me without e
xplaining myself. I’m the girl who trusted the Unseelies instead of trusting them. There’s no way they’re not going to be disappointed by that girl.”
“Look at me,” Calla says. When I do, I find her bright golden eyes staring fiercely back at me. “Don’t you dare let yourself believe lies like that. I can promise you, Em, that disappointment is the last thing they’re feeling. You are their daughter. They will love you no matter what kind of person you are or what you’ve done. Okay?”
I breathe out slowly, letting go of some of my anxiety. “Okay.” I tilt my head back against the tree, shut my eyes, and remain like that until the moment my Griffin Ability’s magic rushes to the surface. I hold on tightly to it, imagining it as a living thing I’m wrestling into submission. Each time I do it, it gets a little easier. When I’m certain I’ve got it under control and it isn’t about to escape me in a single flood, I open my eyes. “I’m ready,” I tell Calla.
“Great.” She raises her voice so the others can hear her and says, “I’m picturing us all as invisible now.”
“Alrighty,” Carter says from the next tree over. “It’s all on you, Em. No pressure.”
I manage a breathy laugh. “Yeah. No pressure at all.”
Holy. Freaking. Fudge nut.
I breathe out slowly through my mouth and try not to throw up. Then I remind myself that I volunteered for this—that somewhere deep inside me, I still want to do this—and I walk forward with the rest of the team.
We leave the trees behind us and walk at a steady pace toward the facility. On the other side of the shield surrounding the building, rain begins to fall. It seems Chase is keeping his storm confined for now. I’m not sure what will happen once the shield is gone, but hopefully someone here knows how to keep us from getting drenched.
When we’re a few paces away from the shield, we stop. No one says anything, but I know they’re waiting for me. Like turning a faucet, I let some of my power leak out. My voice is rich and resonant, both far away and deep inside my chest, as I tell the shield around The Noxsom Facility that it no longer exists.
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