“What’s happened? Who’s hurt?” she asked urgently. “It wasn’t you, was it?”
“No, it was Deward.” Tommy dragged his hands through his hair. “I was meeting him here to help him with his feat –– some troll rite of passage he asked me to complete with him –– but he went in without me. I got a call from him and heard a woman speaking in the background but I couldn’t understand her, then he screamed and the call cut off. By the time I got here, this was all that was left.” He gestured at the blood. “No footprints. No sign of him.”
“Shit.”
“Yeah.”
Evangeline was quiet for a moment, hovering low to the ground over the blood like she was searching for clues. “Have you gone further into the tunnels to look for him?”
“No, Amber wanted to wait for the pack. Deward wasn’t a pushover. Anyone that could take him out like that is a big threat to any of us.”
He could hear Amber filling the others in as they approached. They were getting close.
“Is it okay if the others know you’re visiting me? They already know about the mark.”
She hesitated, the light shifting jerkily as she bobbed in place. “Yeah, no reason to hide it really. And I want to help. I can scout things out ahead. Nothing can see me or hurt me.”
“That would be really helpful. Better to know what we’re getting ourselves into.”
“I’m going now. Don’t go too far before I come back.”
He nodded and she zipped away, light trailing behind her like a shooting star just as the others rounded the corner.
“Evangeline is scouting ahead for us,” he said, nodding at the rest of the pack in greeting.
Ceri ran to him, wrapping him in a tight hug. He melted into her, burying his face in her hair to block out the scent of Deward’s blood for a moment.
“We’re going to find him, okay?” she whispered as the others started discussing what had happened again, giving them a little privacy.
“I know. We have to.” Deward had trusted him. He should have been here. Deward should have waited.
She pulled back and squeezed his shoulders. “Amber said he called you. What did you hear?”
He took a deep breath, forcing himself to remember the strange conversation. “It was mostly incoherent. There was a woman rambling about fools and lies I think. He tried to ask her what she wanted but that’s when he started screaming. It happened really fast.”
“Alright, knowing it was a woman is important. That will help narrow things down. Has Evangeline found anything yet?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know but she’s heading back toward us I think. She can only go so far from me.”
Evangeline appeared around the curve. “Went as far as I could. Nothing yet.”
“Amber, Evangeline said she went as far as she could but didn’t find anything yet. I’ve got to move farther down so she can keep scouting.”
Amber nodded. “Let’s go. Tommy, with me in front. Genevieve, take up the rear and keep your ear out for any sounds of movement. Ceri and Derek in the middle. Ceri, do you have anything that could detect traps or any magic that might be waiting for us?”
“A few things,” Ceri replied as they all got into position. “I’ll see what I can do while we’re moving.”
Any other time, Tommy would have laughed at how organized they were now. They’d come such a long way as a pack and Amber had really stepped into her role as alpha. But…he couldn’t bring himself to smile when Deward was in danger. Or dead.
This was like losing Ceri all over again but they had no way of telling how he was doing.
Evangeline pushed ahead of them as they walked. He felt a constant tug on the mark as she stretched their connection to its limits to scout for them.
He glanced at Amber, wondering how much Kadrithan could help them if he wanted to. It was possible things like that were a little different for Evangeline since she was only half demon. Still, it made him wonder. It would be good to know the limits of Amber’s demon.
They walked silently down the narrow tunnels. He strained to hear everything he could but it was weirdly quiet. There was nothing alive down here, not even rats. He wasn’t sure if the magic kept them out or they just didn’t like the feel of it. He certainly didn’t.
There was an abrupt tug on the mark and Tommy’s hand flew to his chest. “I think she found something, let’s hurry.”
Amber nodded and they broke into a run, moving as fast as they could without leaving Derek behind. The light from his flashlight bounced unsteadily making it hard to see but they had other senses that could warn them of danger.
The tunnels sloped steeply downward before a sharp curve. As they rounded the bend, Evangeline came into view, bobbing in front of a room.
“I can’t open the door but I went inside. There’s no one in there, but someone did burn everything inside,” she said in a rush.
“There’s no one in the room. She said someone burned everything in it though,” Tommy said, running ahead toward the door.
“Wait!” Ceri shouted, jogging after him. “Let me check the door first. There could still be a trap or curse Evangeline can’t sense.”
Tommy paused just in front of the door and nodded impatiently. “Fine.”
Magic flowed from Ceri’s fingertips and the handle glowed brightly, then the whole door. She stepped back and nodded.
He yanked the door open. Smoke hung heavy in the air, unable to dissipate. Some magic must have contained it to the room.
As soon as he crossed the threshold the stench of burnt paper filled his nose. The room was filled with ash. Whatever was in here had been burned a few days ago at least. The ashes were no longer smoldering and the room felt cold.
“Stand back, out of the way of the door, I can clear this out,” Ceri said, walking in as well.
He stepped back out of the room and rejoined the others as Ceri began chanting in Latin. Her words echoed off the stone, reverberating in his chest.
The smoke swirled around her like a slow-motion whirlpool. She drew it in tighter and tighter until it was condensed into a black cloud, then thrust her hands at it with one final word.
It blew out of the room and around the bend before expanding again with a pop.
“Best I can do right now, sorry,” Ceri said with a shrug.
“It’ll help us look for his scent…” Amber trailed off, staring at the floor in confusion. “Ceri, don’t move. Are those Deward’s footprints?”
Tommy looked down near Ceri’s feet, and sure enough, bloody footprints big enough to be Deward’s were scattered all around the room. If it weren’t for the blood, clearing out the smoke would have blown them away.
“Then he started walking here? That doesn’t make sense. These aren’t…there’s no sign of a fight. How could they get him to comply like that?” Tommy asked, hurrying back into the room.
“Mind control of some kind perhaps, though that sort of magic is particularly hard to pull off, especially for only one person. Was anyone talking or even breathing in the background when Deward called you?” Ceri asked.
He shook his head. “No, I don’t think so.”
“There are dozens of possibilities, but the simplest may just be that whoever this was had already overpowered him once and threatened him into compliance. Or…” she hesitated for a moment. “Or gotten him to comply by threatening you, if they knew you were coming. How long did it take you to get into the tunnels after Deward called?”
“A minute, maybe.” What Ceri was implying sunk in slowly and he felt his heart drop. “He could have been down here while I was back there.”
“Hey,” Amber interrupted, grabbing his shoulder. “Don’t start with that. Even if he was, this person could have just taken both of you if you’d tried to rush after him. Then we wouldn’t know anything about what had happened. You made the right choice.”
Tommy nodded absently, as he stared at the bloody footprints, tracing their route. They stopped in f
ront of the wall. “These don’t lead to anywhere.”
“Could be a hidden back door out of here,” Derek said, shining his flashlight parallel to the wall. The uneven texture of the wall was highlighted, along with a subtle crack that would have been hard to see without the light. “Ceri, you got anything for this?”
“Maybe––”
Amber walked up and stomp-kicked right next to the crack. The stone groaned as it slid in, dust falling to the floor. “Looks like you were right.”
“Well, that’s one way to open it,” Derek said with a shrug.
Amber stepped back, then kicked it again, harder this time. He felt her draw on the pack bond, using their strength. The stone door slid back a foot. He couldn’t see anything but darkness beyond it.
Ceri walked toward it with a frown. “I don’t like what I’m feeling from in there. Don’t kick it again.”
Amber cringed and stepped back slowly. “Did I trigger something?”
“No, its…” Ceri leaned toward the crack, eyes slipping shut as she focused on something the rest of them couldn’t sense. Her fingers twitched, magic lifting from them and seeping into the opening. “Black magic. There is some sort of curse on this tunnel.”
“Can you break it?” Tommy demanded. They had to be able to go after his friend. “Would this have cursed Deward?”
Ceri shook her head. “No to both. I’ve heard about these curses before. They’re used as a sort of ward. I would need a coven to break something like this. It was made with at least thirteen witches over the course of thirty days. Even after all these years, this is still more powerful than any curse I’ve ever encountered. The witches used it to protect their escape route, so whoever took Deward through here would have had some kind of amulet that allows them to pass through unharmed, bound to them by blood. If they hadn’t given him the same, then Deward’s entrails would be…well…it would be obvious.”
“I have to tell his parents he’s been taken,” Tommy said, his lips settling into a grim line.
“I’ll go with you,” Amber said, putting a hand on his shoulder.
He nodded, dread filling him. If he had just shown up a few minutes earlier…
Evangeline drifted up behind him, filling him with her light again. “I have to go. I’m sorry. I’ll come back as soon as I can.”
He nodded absently, dreading the news he was about to have to deliver.
Chapter 30
Amber
Amber kept a hand on Tommy’s shoulder as they waited for the elder to join them. Deward’s parents had taken the news stoically, looking at the pictures they’d snapped of the blood, the tunnels, and the room without a hint of emotion.
They’d asked questions –– smart questions –– then Deward’s father had left to fetch the elder.
Deward’s mother, Ithra, walked back into the room carrying a tray of refreshments. “Please, eat and drink. You have had a trying day.”
Amber accepted a tall, ice cold glass of tea and a plate stacked with sandwiches. Tommy just shook his head, his eyes never leaving the ground.
Ithra sat down across from them, the only sign of her distress the tight grip on her own glass.
“I’m sorry I didn’t have his back. I was supposed to,” Tommy said quietly.
Ithra’s lips pressed into a thin line and she shook her head. “It is not you who should apologize, but my son. He foolishly walked into a dangerous situation alone. It is his poor decision that has caused this, not any action or failure on your part.” Ithra’s eyes flicked to Amber. “Your pack is not under any obligation to involve yourselves in this.”
“Deward is Tommy’s friend, we want to help. We will do everything we can to find him and bring him back,” Amber said firmly. She was fond of the troll and even if she hadn’t been, she would never just turn her back on someone in need.
Ithra inclined her head. “Thank you.”
Deward’s father, Olwen, opened the door, letting the elder in ahead of him. Tommy had mentioned her, and she was just as he described. Fierce. Her age showed in the lines on her face but not in her posture.
“Alpha Hale, Thomas Anderson.” The elder nodded at each of them. “I understand Deward has been kidnapped and possibly murdered during pursuit of his feat?”
Tommy nodded. “Yeah.”
“Before we continue, I must mention that if we intervene to rescue him, his feat will be forfeit––”
“Are you kidding me?” Tommy interrupted angrily. “How is that even a concern right now?”
Amber grabbed Tommy and jerked him back when he tried to stand. “Enough, Tommy.”
She got his anger, but this felt like part of a ritual, not just misguided priorities.
The elder, not reacting to his anger, looked to Deward’s parents for their answer.
“His life comes before any other pursuit,” Ithra said calmly. “The feat is hereby, forfeit.”
“As elder, this is heard and accepted.” The elder clasped her hands together and bowed her head formally. “Now, we may continue. What assistance can the tribe offer?”
Olwen pulled up a chair for the elder, then sat down next to his wife. “What information did Deward share with you concerning his feat? As per tradition, we knew only the goal, and nothing else.”
The elder nodded. “During his preparation, Deward discovered a diary and parts of a map that had belonged to a witch who was cast out of the coven that built the tunnels Deward was taken in. This coven was known for their wealth of knowledge. It is believed the founding witch had escaped from the Library of Alexandria with some of their most important texts before it was destroyed. His goal, as you know, was to find a book of prophecies. He believed he knew where this book had last been stored and that he could find the entrance to this hidden place very soon.”
“And it was in those tunnels?” Tommy asked quietly, looking regretful for his outburst.
The elder nodded. “Yes.”
“Is it possible someone else was after the same thing? Was Deward the only one with this knowledge?” Ithra asked.
The elder shrugged. “He had the original copy of the diary and a torn map. Perhaps someone else had the other half, or found their way to the same place through a different route. Deward was not aware of any outside threats when we last spoke. Did he mention any to you, Thomas?”
Tommy shook his head. “No, he made it sound easy, to be honest. He was…” he paused and took a deep breath. “He was pretty sure he could finish his feat first.”
“Do we need to call the police and file a missing person’s report?” Amber asked. She really didn’t want to but if they needed the police’s help, then she’d accept it no matter the risk.
Olwen shook his head immediately. “We will handle this as a tribe unless it becomes absolutely necessary to involve outside help. We take care of our own.”
“I understand.” Werewolves often did the same thing. Anything that could be dealt with internally was. No one wanted to bring the intrusive attention of the authorities into their midst. Laws and traditions often…clashed.
“Olwen said that Deward’s trail lead to another passage that you could not pass through. Why is that?” the elder asked.
“There is some sort of curse on it that the witch in our pack, Ceri, says she cannot break without a large coven helping her,” Amber said.
Ithra frowned. “That is, perhaps, a problem I can work on with her if she would be willing. Trolls do not use magic like witches or elves, but we can manipulate it in our own way. Perhaps joining with the power of the tribe, we can give her the strength to break it.”
Amber eyebrows shot up. “That is a very interesting idea. I’ll talk to her about it as soon as we get back. I think she would be willing to try but she’ll know better than me what’s possible.”
“I will search through the notes Deward left here concerning his feat and see if I can find any other clues that may lead us to wherever this woman may have taken him. Perhaps there is another place this
coven hid their valuable items,” Olwen said.
“I’m going to search the forest for their scent in the direction the tunnel went,” Tommy said, fingers wound tightly together. “The part we went through curved a little but headed basically in one direction. Maybe the rest is the same.”
Ithra nodded and rose from her seat. “I believe this is all we can do tonight. If anyone discovers anything, please share it at once.”
“We will,” Amber said before draining her glass of sweet tea.
Tommy silently followed her back to the truck. Pain emanated from him like a dark cloud. She silently sent strength to him through the pack bond. There were no assurances she could give him to make this easier.
Chapter 31
Tommy
Tommy leaned back into the couch. He couldn’t sleep. He flipped the TV on just to have some noise. The silence left too much room to think.
He was about to change the channel when a news helicopter circling over a familiar length of highway caught his eye. Tommy frowned. He’d driven that way when he was going to meet Deward. He turned the volume up a notch and leaned in, listening intently.
“Laurel Teller, a TV actress and model, was found by her best friend yesterday morning violently murdered in her own home. We have Thomas Arnold reporting from the scene of the crime. What can you tell us, Thomas?”
The second reporter stood in front of a two story, modern home. Police cars blocked a view of the lawn. The place was swarming with officers.
“Good evening Karen. Unfortunately, we don’t know much at this point. Our contacts with the police have been unable to comment, however, we were able to find out that there was no forced entry. It’s almost certain that whoever murdered Ms. Teller used magic to get in and out. In fact, it appears the MIB is actually joining us on the scene right now. We’ll see if we can get a comment straight from the authority.”
The reporter and his cameraman rushed after the MIB agents that stepped out of their sleek, black suburban but were ignored.
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