by Linsey Hall
I nearly blacked out, the pain and pull of the ether too much. When the ether spit us out at Ugarit, the kidnapper chucked me to the ground. I landed hard, pain singing through my shoulder. Weakness pulled at every muscle, and I just lay there, eyes slitted.
Well, shit.
I’d been kidnapped.
And Grey wasn’t here. I’d feel him.
I’d known this was a possibility, but thought it highly unlikely, considering the fact that we had the entire witches’ coven on our side. I’d underestimated Anton’s goon, though.
This was better than nothing, though. At least I’d be on the inside.
“I’m here,” the bastard bellowed.
I played dead, pretending to be unconscious. Through narrowed eyes, I could see that we were in the middle of an open courtyard inside the temple. The protective dome shimmered overhead.
From the other side of the courtyard, five red-cloaked figures appeared. Their faces were all blocked by their hoods, but the magic radiating from them felt slimy and gross. Behind them, I could see dozens of figures appear through doorways and windows.
There were so many of them. We’d need an army to take them all.
Fear slithered down my spine.
Don’t think of it.
I needed to focus on my goals—rescue those who had been kidnapped and find that damned lever to let my friends in.
The figures neared. One of them paid careful attention to me, his frank perusal making my stomach turn.
“She’s conscious.” He raised a hand and shot a blast of red magic at me.
Pain slammed into my head, and darkness took me.
Minutes or hours passed—I had no idea—but I felt him again.
Grey.
Just like in my dreams.
My mind was foggy, but I fought to remember what was going on. Why was I asleep right now?
Kidnapped.
My friends were back at the Witches’ Guild and I was here.
“Grey,” I shouted, the words sounding hollow in my mind. But I could feel him.
Grey.
I called upon my magic, trying to manipulate it to my will. It had been growing, connecting me to him, and maybe even to the voice in my head that I thought might be Anat. I just needed to make my magic do what I wanted it to do.
I envisioned him, trying to find him through the ether. Trying to go to him in whatever strange and magical way that I could. He was so close, I just needed to get to him.
17
Grey
I reached for Carrow, but she slipped through my grasp. The ether pulled her away and spat me out, shoving me back into Guild City. I slammed to the ground, terror racing through me.
Heart thundering, I surged to my feet and searched the area around the clearing, desperate to find her.
Of course she wasn’t there.
My skin turned icy. I’d never felt such fear in all my days—not even when the vampire had turned me so long ago.
They’d taken her.
The fear blasted through my mind, a tornado that cleared away the cobwebs. Memories of her surged to the surface, crowding out everything else. They’d been lost only a day ago, yet it felt like they’d been gone forever.
Now I could recall them all. Cyrenthia’s spell was breaking, and every moment I’d spent with Carrow was unearthing from my mind.
I nearly went to my knees.
How had I gotten rid of these? How had I borne it?
And she was gone.
A voice sounded in the distance, and I felt the party receding. The music and shouts all drifted away, my surroundings turning shadowed.
“Grey,” Carrow shouted.
I spun around, searching for her. But all I could see was darkness. Stone walls. My eyes adjusted, taking advantage of the thin sliver of light that turned the space from black to gray.
I stood in a cell, a lump at my feet. My chest felt strange—different. My heart raced.
“Carrow.” Fear pierced me. I fell to my knees, reaching for her. My hands passed right through. “Why can’t I touch you?”
She blinked up at me, dazed. “I don’t know. Maybe the spell on the temple.”
“They’ve taken you to the temple?” I reached again for the ropes around her wrists, but my hands passed through.
“Yes. I think I’ve called you here with my magic.”
I nodded. “You did.”
“Wild.” She swallowed hard, clearly in pain. What had they hit her with? “You need to bring everyone you can to the temple. I’ve seen dozens of cult members, and we’re going to need an army to fight them.”
“I’ll bring one.”
“Good. Get here and wait silently. In shadows. Don’t just burst in. I need to get out of this cell and find the lever that will disable the magical barrier that protects the temple.”
How the hell was I supposed to wait quietly while she was in here, tied up?
As if she could read my thoughts, she said, “You must do this as I say. There are so many of them. If you show up here and try to break your way in, they’ll have warning, and they could start the ritual. I was the last person they needed, remember?”
She was right. I nodded. “I’ll bring an army, and we’ll wait in the shadows until the protection on the temple drops.”
“Perfect.” Her gaze moved to mine. “Now go. This will work, I promise.”
I wanted to reach for her again, but her magic shoved me backward, out of this half world and back to the Witches’ Guild.
I swallowed my fear and rubbed my chest. What the hell had just happened?
I’d been called to Carrow, but something else had happened.
The mate bond.
The spell that Cyrenthia had cast to break our mate bond was fading. I could feel the fated connection growing, fighting past the blood sorceress’s magic. Every time Carrow called me to her, it must fade a little bit.
I couldn’t think about it now.
I turned back to the party, spotting nearly forty witches nearby, standing in a semi-circle, shock on their faces. Mac and Seraphia pushed through the crowd, their faces white.
“They got her.” Mac’s wide eyes searched the area that was now empty.
“I saw her,” I said. “She called me to her with her magic.”
Mac’s brows rose. “Whoa. Her power is really growing. What did she tell you?”
I laid out the plan, quickly and concisely. I wanted to storm that temple and take it by force, tearing the throats out of anyone who stood in my way. I forced away the desire.
“Okay,” Mac said. “So we go now and set up. We’ll be there waiting when the barrier drops.”
Mary stepped forward, nodding. “The witches will be ready in ten minutes. A little longer to get a proper portal set up. We’re too many people to use transport charms.”
I looked at the figures standing in a semi-circle around us. It was the army I’d promised. With my security forces, we’d have enough. I just prayed that this would work.
Carrow
Consciousness came in fits and spurts, my head aching like it had been hit with a giant mallet. Though my vision was still bleary, my other senses were working fine.
I’d just called Grey to me in my dreams. I rubbed my chest. What the hell was that feeling? Almost like our mate bond was trying to return.
We were supposed to stay apart, yet I kept calling to him in my sleep. Fate didn’t care if I did it unconsciously.
No time to think of it now.
Grey was coming with an army, and I needed to find the lever and drop the barrier on the temple.
Carefully, I drew in a breath, focusing on my surroundings.
I lay bound on a cold, hard floor, my wrists tied in front of me and my head flopped on the ground. It smelled of the sea and ancient stone, but there was almost no noise. Blinking, I took in the small white room.
My magic felt blocked, no doubt by a spell cast on the room, but I was still wearing the jewelry that Eve and the Fae d
ress shop owner had created. There were a variety of useful potions stored in the wide cuff bracelets, and they were definitely going to come in handy.
Aching, I sat up.
Cordelia appeared next to me, the little raccoon wringing her tiny hands as her worried eyes inspected me. You got nabbed.
“Yep.” I rubbed my aching head and looked around.
I was alone with no sight of the other prisoners, but at least there were no guards watching me.
I thrust my wrists toward her. “Little help, please?”
She nodded and got to work, moving quickly as she tugged at the knots. It took her a few moments, but finally the bindings fell free.
Want me to go scout the hall?
“Genius. Thanks, Cordelia.”
She shook her head. This was a dumb plan.
“It was our only option.”
Yeah, yeah. She disappeared.
I stood, facing the door. There was a little window in it, and I hurried up to it and peered out warily. There were only a few torches affixed to the walls, giving off a faint glow that barely illuminated the dark corridor.
Several more doors dotted the hallway. Each had a little window in it, and I wondered if the temple had originally had cells built into it or if these rooms had been re-purposed from something else.
Across the hall, a face appeared in the little window set into the opposite door. Dark eyes and golden skin, along with straight black hair.
“Coraline!” I whispered.
“Shh.” Her eyes darted left and right, then her expression relaxed. “The guards are gone, thank fates. Did they get you, too?”
I nodded. “Yeah. But help is coming. I was bait, and it went wrong.”
Coraline’s brows rose. “Bait? That’s quite bold.”
“We couldn’t get into the temple otherwise.”
She nodded, a knowing look in her eyes. “The shield. I know. It’s powerful. Is my coven coming?”
“Yes. If I can get out and pull the lever to drop the shield that protects this place. How many other prisoners are there?”
“At least a dozen.”
“A dozen?” It was so many more than I’d expected. They must have been taking supernaturals from other towns as well, maybe organized through someone other than Anton.
Cordelia appeared at my feet. Coast is clear out there. No one in any of the nearby halls. Lots of prisoners, though. Each locked in their own room.
“Thanks, pal.” I looked back up at the witch on the other side of the hall. “Give me a moment, and I’ll get us out of here.”
She nodded, and I ducked behind the door and fumbled in the wrist cuff for a tiny vial of magical acid-like substance that would melt the metal. When Eve had given me these bracelets prior to the party, she’d explained what each of them did.
We had hoped I wouldn’t need them, but we both knew it was a possibility.
The tiny vial glowed yellow between my fingertips. I uncorked it and poured a tiny amount onto the metal lock. I was stingy with it, wanting to preserve as much as possible to help get Coraline out. There was no way I’d have enough to free everyone, but I’d cross that bridge when I came to it.
The lock sizzled, a tiny cloud of green smoke billowing outward. When the smoke settled, I pulled on the door. It stuck for a moment, then broke open.
Across the hall, the witch grinned at me. “Nice.”
“I’ve got a little more. Step back.”
She disappeared from the window, and Cordelia and I hurried across the hall. I poured the rest of the potion onto the lock and watched it smoke and sizzle. When it was done, I pushed hard on the door.
It popped open, and Coraline rushed out. She was still wearing the crazy feathered outfit that she’d been abducted in, but the plumes were all broken and dirty now. She flung her arms around me. “You rock, Carrow.”
I hugged her back, then pulled away. “We have reinforcements coming—including your coven—but we need to disable the barrier that protects the temple. There’s supposed to be a lever that will drop the protective shield. Do you know where it is?”
“No, but I know some places it’s not. Areas where the weirdos congregate.”
“We’ll want to avoid those.” I crossed the hall and shut my door, so it looked like I was still inside. She did the same to her door. “Let’s go find it.”
“What about us?” A voice whispered.
“We’ll get you out, Beth,” Coraline whispered. “Promise.”
“Beth’s over there?” I hurried to the door and looked through the window.
A woman sat against the wall, looking exhausted and too skinny. Her midnight braids hung down her back, threaded through with beautiful emerald silk that sparkled despite the dim light. She surged upright. “Carrow!”
“Beth. We’ve been looking for you.” I fumbled in my bracelet for another one of the potions that would melt the lock. I only had two more, and I needed to save one in case the lever was behind a locked door. But I could get Beth out at least.
When I looked back up, she’d come to stand at the window. I handed her the potion. “Just use half, and you can use the other half to let someone else out.”
Coraline shook her head. “We don’t want to alert them that something is amiss. There are over a hundred people in this crazy cult, and if they know we’re out, we’re screwed.”
Beth nodded. “She’s right. I’ll hang onto this potion and stay here. If the guards show up, I’ll create a ruckus to keep them from noticing you’re gone.”
“Thank you.”
Cordelia's tiny hand tugged at my leg. I looked down.
If the prisoners hold me up to their lock, I can pick it. She held up two tiny pieces of metal.
I raised my brows. “That’s handy.”
Very.
I looked up at Beth. “How do you feel about raccoons?”
“Fantastic.” She said. “Is Cordelia here?”
I nodded and explained about the locks and her skills.
She nodded. “All right. I’ll tell the other prisoners not to freak out when a raccoon appears in their cell.”
Cordelia scoffed. Freak out? Rude.
I rubbed her head. “You’ve got this, pal. Thanks.”
She nodded, and I left her to it. Coraline joined me, and I gave her one of my two daggers. “Just in case.”
“Thanks.” She grinned and gripped it tight.
We hurried down the hall, passing the cells. The prisoners watched us silently from behind their tiny cell windows. Some of them had heard the exchange with Beth, and whispers were traveling down the hall as each person alerted the room next to them.
“Good luck,” one woman said, and a new wave of fear clutched me.
What if we were too slow? What if we couldn’t find the lever. If we failed these people . . .
I shook the thought away.
We reached the end of the hall, and Coraline gestured to the left. “This way. Guard quarters to the right.”
I followed her left, and we slipped down another hallway. Immediately, I felt the spell that had suppressed my magic fade.
Coraline sighed softly, moving her shoulders in a stretch. “That’s feels good. I hated that spell.”
“Let’s work our way methodically through the temple. We have to find the lever eventually.”
“We can do that. It’s roughly rectangular, I think. We’ll work our way around counter-clockwise.”
“How do you know your way around?”
“We’re taken out occasionally for ‘training’.” She put air quotes around the word. “They’re trying to brainwash us to perform some horrible ritual, but it’s not working.”
“That’s good, at least.”
She shook her head. “For now, maybe. But I think they’re trying to come up with a potion that will force us to do their bidding.”
I grimaced. Shit. “Doesn’t matter. We’re getting out of here tonight and putting an end to all of this.”
She nodd
ed. “I’m going to kill every bastard I see.”
We crossed through a large room that was filled with a shallow pool. Torches gleamed along the walls, shedding a warm, golden light on the glittering water. Golden fish swam over the pale blue tiles. Benches surrounded the pool, and I couldn’t believe how big this place was. “It’s a maze.”
“It’s enormous. I’ve already seen so many rooms, I can’t keep track.”
A dark red line was painted on the ground through the middle of the room, cutting right through the shallow pool. We’d seen a similar line painted through the hallway, as well. The paint was messier than the rest of the tidy temple. I pointed to it. “What’s that? It doesn’t look like it was built into the place but added later.”
“No idea. But I’ve seen them everywhere. If you hover your hand over it, you can feel magic.”
I ducked low and did as she said, feeling the buzz of magic. “Weird.”
We were nearing the door when a noise sounded from up ahead, the scrape of shoes on the floor.
I darted to the wall, tucking myself beside the door. Coraline hid on the other side. She held her dagger up, a bloodthirsty gleam in her eye.
18
Carrow
I pressed myself against the wall, silent and still, waiting.
Finally, a figure entered, the red cloak brilliant in the light. Coraline was fast, as if she’d been waiting for this moment a long time. She grabbed the figure and yanked it to her. He struggled, the hood falling back to reveal a squashed-looking face and black eyes.
Coraline sliced the dagger across his throat. Blood spurted, and she grinned with delight.
He slumped, but she kept the body clutched to her as she met my gaze. “We need to find a place to hide the body.”
I looked out into the hall, spotting a small door across the way. I darted across the empty hall and peeked into the room. It was small and dark. Empty. I turned back to Coraline. “This should do.”
We dragged the body in, then I tore off a piece of the red robe and did my best to wipe up the blood we’d spilled. It wasn’t a perfect job, but it was close enough. I tossed the dirty rag into the room with the body, then shut the door.