“That means,” I said, “that most of the blood casters are probably going to be down there on the dock, right? They're going to assume I'll try to get on the ferry and there'll be waiting for me.”
TS nodded. “That would be my guess, which means that their ritual site should be easier to get to.”
“So, we're sticking to the new plan?” I asked, thinking of our discussion after Mariana and I returned last night.
“Yeah,” Thomas said. “I still think that's the best...” He paused. “I think it's the most likely to succeed plan,” he amended, obviously still not thrilled with me going into the labyrinth.
“Right,” TS said.
I wasn’t entirely happy with the plan either, but Thomas was right that it was the best thing we had. Everyone was feeling better after some sleep. Mariana and I had ended up near the buffet line again, so we took advantage to get some extra food for us and TS.
Now the new plan was for TS to come with me and Mariana while we headed to the ritual site in search of the other doorway. If everything went well, all three of us would enter the labyrinth. Not only would it increase our chance of success, but thanks to their bond TS and Thomas would be able sense what was going on with each other; Thomas and the others would know we had made it into the labyrinth safely and if we got back out again, and be able to gauge when we were coming to rescue them. In turn, we'd know if everything was all right and if they were managing to elude capture.
The island being evacuated threw a bit of a wrench into things but, assuming we were able to find the labyrinth doorway, I was going to deliberately leave some things behind so Alaria knew I found it; with any luck she wouldn’t think to look for anyone else.
I hated to leave Thomas and the others behind, but it did sound like the best plan. There was certainly no reason to risk any of the non-humans coming back across the barrier. Thomas had been hesitant to admit it, but it was clear the effects had been worse the second time he was exposed, for all we knew he wouldn’t be able to survive a third time. Even once we knew exactly where the doorway was, it was too far from where the barrier started to risk; if the labyrinth was closed again by the time they got there and they were forced to travel all the way back…
“I think we should wait until the ferry starts loading people,” TS said. “Most of the blood casters will be down at the docks waiting for Jen. Presumably everyone who works here will be busy getting people on the ferry as soon as possible. That gives us a chance to get into the woods so we can start looking for the doorway.”
All we had to do now was wait.
After about twenty minutes or so it started to seem like waiting would be the hardest part. I was somewhat relieved when Thomas announced that he had heard the ferry. We watched as the ferry slowly arrived; people were already gathered on the dock, milling around and looking a lot less excited than they had been last night.
The ferry boarded in record time. I could distantly hear the shouts of the resort staff as they tried to get everyone organized.
“Looks a bit chaotic down there,” TS said.
“Good,” said Dani. “The longer it takes them to board the ferry, the better it is for us.”
“Still no hurricane?” Charlie asked.
An odd shade of blue rippled through Dani's eyes as he frowned in concentration. “No, there's absolutely nothing.”
Once they started boarding the ferry, we got ready and stepped out into the hallway; we didn't see anybody. Encouraged, we hurried along through the halls and out the back door of the resort. We were exposed here, but everyone was busy down on the dock and the way the land rose up to the hotel was just perfect for hiding us from view. Still, I was relieved when we reached the edge of the woods with no incident.
“Everyone good?” Thomas asked.
We all nodded and looked around; we had made it safely without being spotted. We headed for the path and walked along quickly, staying alert in case we encountered anyone. Soon, we reached the fork in the path; Thomas, Dani, and Charlie could go no farther.
“I guess this is it,” Thomas said grimly as he gave me a hug, then followed it up with a firm kiss. “Be careful.”
“You be careful,” I countered.
He nodded. “Good luck.” He squeezed me harder, then released me. There were a few more hugs and goodbyes and a joking “you’re our only hope,” from Dani.
The three of us crossed the barrier. I turned for a moment, Thomas smiled sadly at me and I smiled back. He was just a couple of feet away and yet he couldn't come any farther. I forced myself to turn away to follow TS and Mariana down the path toward the cabanas. We really were their only hope.
I glanced back one more time, but they were already out of sight, heading back to the hotel to lay low. Our hope was that after Alaria realized I was gone, she’d stop looking for me and they could stay safely at the hotel to wait for us.
We were almost upon the cabanas when Mariana frowned.
“Do you hear something?” she whispered.
“Yes,” TS said, narrowing his eyes, then muttered, “sort of. Fecking human ears.”
We left the path and cautiously crept through the underbrush on our hands and knees until the cabanas came into view. It was a good thing we did; there was a flurry of activity. Blood casters were running in and out of the cabanas, depositing boxes and things on the ground in the middle.
“There’s the guy from yesterday,” I said, as the newest initiate rushed out of a cabana with a suitcase and box under one arm.
“What’s in the boxes?” TS whispered.
As he spoke, the box tipped slightly as the blood wizard put it down, giving us a perfect view; it was the potions ingredients.
“What are they doing?” Mariana whispered.
“Bloody hell,” TS gasped.
Mariana and I both turned in alarm. “What?!”
“They’re packing,” TS breathed. “They’re evacuating!”
I looked back and swallowed nervously. He was right. They were packing everything; the only explanation was they were evacuating, too.
“But there's no hurricane,” Mariana said.
“Just because Dani didn't sense it,” TS said grimly, “doesn't mean there isn't one.”
“No way,” Mariana insisted. “Hurricanes can be unpredictable, but a tropical depression turning into a category five hurricane overnight? Mm-mm. And too far away for Dani to sense, even though it’ll be here this afternoon? It would have to be moving impossibly fast. Even if Dani couldn’t sense the storm itself, it would have to be affecting the tides by now.”
“Unless…” I said slowly, “there isn’t one yet. Unless it’s a magic hurricane!”
“You think blood casters can make a hurricane?!” Mariana gasped.
“It’s mental…” TS said slowly. “A week ago I would have said impossible, but after what we’ve seen… Even if blood magic alone can’t do it, we don't know what types of magics Alaria has sacrificed or even what kind of power arcanists have. Maybe… maybe she can conjure a hurricane.”
As if on cue, “Hurry up,” called an impatient, familiar voice that sent a shiver up my spine.
I held my breath, not even daring to breathe, as Alaria herself stepped out of one of the cabanas. She was holding, of all things, a walkie-talkie. I almost laughed at the unexpected sight of it.
“Our renegade witch still has not boarded the ferry,” she said in irritation. “And no one thinks they have spotted her on the dock yet. Finish up, we’re leaving.”
“Won't the others be affected by the hurricane?” one of them asked.
Alaria scoffed at him. “There won't be a hurricane. I have something much more thorough in mind.”
TS, Mariana, and I exchanged a nervous look.
“When will we return, Mistress?” asked a blood witch as she came down the little steps to her cabana. She switched her suitcase to her other hand and glanced behind her, as if she was hoping to just leave it.
“We will not.” Alar
ia’s declaration was met by several gasps. “Now that this witch is here we have been compromised. I cannot assume that her death will solve this problem. If she spoke of this to anyone or left any clues behind her… No. No, I will not risk leaving any evidence behind. The island has served its purpose, sooner perhaps than I intended, but it is of no consequence. Come.”
Alaria spun abruptly with a swish of her cloak and began to stride away, leaving a couple of suitcases on the ground behind her. I wasn’t surprised when a couple of blood casters scrambled to pick them up, in addition to their own things. The four of them quickly followed her out of the clearing, heading in the direction of the ritual site.
We waited until they were out of sight, then cautiously began to follow.
“That didn’t sound good,” Mariana whispered.
“No,” TS agreed. “Although I’ll feel quite a bit better about leaving the others behind if Alaria is gone.”
I nodded in agreement and as long as we could make it through the labyrinth, we’d be okay. Unless Alaria ordered the minotaur to close this doorway once she was through.
“We have to hurry,” I gasped as it occurred to me. “Alaria could have this doorway closed! We have to get inside before she reaches the minotaur.”
“Bloody hell,” TS spat. “Let’s go!”
We sped up, hurrying to catch up before we lost them. As we neared the ritual site we slowed down again, practically crawling through the underbrush to keep out of sight.
Just before we broke through the trees, someone cried out in pain and I heard a familiar voice chanting. I pushed aside the last few leaves and bit back a gasp of horror. One of the blood casters was suspended in the air in front of Alaria. As we, and the other blood casters, looked on in shock, Alaria sliced her wand across his throat.
The blood caster dropped to the ground and Alaria began chanting a new-sounding chant.
“What is that?!” TS whispered.
At first I thought it was blood, but the black stain appearing around the wizard was forming a perfect circle. It spread out until the body was engulfed, then abruptly seemed to shatter.
Black bolts spread from the circle, moving along the ground like snakes, winding away from the body, leaving blackened dirt and dead grasses in their wake.
“It is done,” Alaria declared.
One of the tendrils of blood magic ran through a large rock; the rock split in half with a crack as it passed. They looked like they were growing larger and gaining speed as they went.
“What the hell…” TS breathed.
“There’s one heading right for us!” Mariana gasped.
We started to back away in alarm. The blood magic continued to go faster and before we could even run, it rushed through the trees. As soon as it broke the tree-line plants were blown back like they were in an explosion. All three of us were thrown from our feet as the tendril crackled and shot by us. Leaves and broken branches tumbled around us and I shielded my head, waiting for it to stop.
Silence.
I sat up slowly and looked around. The strange streak of black was gone and in its wake it had left the ground cracked and burned. A foul stench hung in the air.
“Bloody hell!” TS said suddenly, lurching to his feet. “They’re fecking gone!”
I jumped up too and looked out in alarm at the ceremony site. It was full of destroyed ground, all radiating out from the dead wizard. Even his body looked burned and blackened. The alter itself was cracked in half. But the other blood casters and Alaria were nowhere to be seen.
They had already entered the labyrinth and we had missed it, now we had no idea where the doorway was.
Chapter Eight
Jen
“Which way did they go?” I gasped.
“The doorway has to be right there,” Mariana said. “They didn't have time to go anywhere else.”
“We’ve got to find it, before it…” TS trailed off, then snapped his head back in the direction of the resort. “Something’s wrong,” he breathed. “Very wrong.”
Suddenly finding the doorway didn't seem to be nearly as important. I spared a nervous glance back at the ritual site, the blackened ground sent a shiver up my spine. Then, I turned and rushed after TS and Mariana.
My legs were starting to ache by the time we burst out of the woods near the resort, but I had to keep going. The moment the resort came into sight the three of us skidded to a halt; someone, maybe me or maybe all of us, let out a scream of horror: the entire resort had been cracked in half. It was just like the rocks at the ritual site, one of the strange black things Alaria unleashed must have cut straight through it. Part of it was collapsed and smoke was rising from it. I couldn't tell if it was on fire or if it was just dust from the devastation.
We rushed down toward the resort, grateful that TS’ bond with Thomas would lead us straight to him. The door to the hallway that we used to get to our room was full of rubble; the three of us frantically began to clear it aside. A rock on the other side moved and a face appeared, I screeched before realizing it was Thomas.
“You're okay!” I gasped.
“Yeah,” he said, sounding relieved.
“What about Dani and Charlie?!” Mariana said.
“We’re alright,” came Dani's voice from somewhere behind the rubble. “Just wondering what the fuck happened.”
“It was Alaria,” I said, as we worked to clear the rest of the rocks.
The rocks moved much faster now that there was a vampire involved. There was a groan and a creak from somewhere above us and we redoubled our efforts. Finally, the hole was big enough for them to squeeze out. The moment they escaped we all ran until we were safely clear of the building.
“What exactly did Alaria do?” Dani demanded, eyes churning wildly as he took in the damage to the hotel.
“She killed another blood wizard,” I said, dusting myself off. “Then she… she used his body and cast some kind of a spell into the ground!” I described how the black circle had seemingly burst, sending bolts of black cutting across the island, leaving destruction in their wake.
“It gets worse,” TS said grimly.
“How can it possibly get worse than this?” groaned Dani, glancing around as if he expected Alaria had followed us or something.
“The blood casters are evacuating,” TS said. “Considering Alaria unleashed… something powerful enough to do that,” he gestured to the hotel, “I can’t imagine we want to stick around if they aren’t.”
“Okay,” Dani said agreeably. “It got worse.”
“Did you find the doorway?” Charlie asked.
“No,” TS spat in annoyance. “We were knocked down by Alaria’s spell. By the time we recovered, they were nowhere to be seen. They can’t have gone far though, wherever the doorway is it must be right at the ritual site.” TS winced, looking like a sad puppy. “I’m sorry. We should have gone ahead with the plan, but once I sensed something was happening here…”
Thomas shook his head. “It’s okay.” He laughed ruefully. “None of our plans seem to have worked out so far.”
I heaved a sigh and looked out over the water, wishing I’d spot a rescue ship or something. Instead, I caught sight of a strange gray storm cloud that looked suspiciously low over the water.
“What is that?” I asked.
Everyone turned to look.
“That’s odd,” Mariana said.
“It’s…” Dani tilted his head at it, eyes narrowed in concentration. “It’s a… really tiny hurricane.” He held up a hand toward Charlie who had started to say something. “Moving away from us.” Dani took a couple of steps toward it, still frowning. “I mean… it’s sort of a hurricane. More like a lot of rain, but it’s kind of windy and…”
“Where’s the ferry?” Mariana asked suddenly. “Shouldn’t it still be within sight?”
We all looked around, then back to the hurricane.
“You don’t think they’ll capsize it?” Thomas asked in alarm. “With all those people
on board?!”
“No,” Dani said slowly. “It’s not strong enough for that… well, not yet.”
“I bet it’s got them all convinced there really is a hurricane though,” TS said. “They’ll get safely to Miami, thinking they’ve weathered the storm.”
“Not to mention they can’t see that.” Dani inclined his head toward the ruined hotel.
Suddenly, there was a splintering crack. We all moved closer together in alarm, looking around for the source of the sound.
“The dock,” Thomas said. “Look!”
Sure enough, the long part of the dock where the ferry anchored had collapsed! We watched as a couple of the supports simply fell over, sending the boards they held crashing into the water.
“Danio, what’s causing that?” Thomas demanded.
“Nothing!” Dani said. Dark waves crashed across his eyes as he frowned down at the dock. “The water is fine. It isn’t doing anything that should take out the dock.”
An even louder crash rent the air as part of the hotel collapsed. We watched as a large section tumbled down in a cloud of dust with a deafening roar.
“I’m starting to think we shouldn’t stick around,” said TS.
“Yeah,” Thomas agreed. “But where do we go?”
“Where’s the beach?!” Mariana suddenly cried.
“That beach?” TS asked, pointing to the large beach.
“No, the one on the other side of the dock. Jen and I went down onto it last night!”
She was right, the smaller beach on the far side of the dock was gone, the gentle waves were lapping right at the coarse sea grass on the dunes.
“It’s probably just high ti—” Dani stopped abruptly. “Holy shit.”
“What?” several voices asked at the same time.
Frowning in concentration, Dani knelt down and put a hand to the ground. “The tide is going out, but…”
“But?” Thomas prompted.
Dani’s eyebrows furrowed and gray began to churn into the blue in his eyes. “The water is… really high.”
“Define high,” Charlie said nervously.
Rise of the Arcanist Series: Books 1 - 6 Page 38