Hilda smiled. Yep, she was definitely coherent. “I didn’t have a choice.” She stumbled to her feet and held out a hand. “Get up. We need to haul ass. We’re too vulnerable.”
“To where?” She looked around. “There’s nothing for miles.”
Ignoring Carina’s protests, Hilda grabbed her arm, yanking her to her feet. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you it’s better to be a moving target? Let’s go.”
Moving quickly across the field was hell on their injured bodies, but they didn’t stop until their legs gave out. Hilda hit the rocky ground with a thud, every muscle aching. “Where are we? This place isn’t anything like where we were before.”
“No idea.” Carina pulled off her boots, studying the blisters on her feet. “They’ve got a whole world. Why would the Guardians put us somewhere we already knew? It’d give us an advantage.”
“You make it sound like they took the time to plan this out.” Hilda lay back, staring up at the endless darkness. “This isn’t some elaborate game.”
“No. It’s about survival, which is even more dangerous.” Carina winced as she slipped her shoes back on. “They put us back here to pacify the Eversors. Without us they’ll starve. That makes us prey. You don’t give prey advantages.”
“All right, Polly Sunshine, but sometimes the prey turns on the hunter.” She murmured an incantation and a silver blade appeared beside her on the ground. “I have an idea. I don’t know if it will work—hell, it might even kill us. But we don’t have much of a choice.”
Carina leaned forward, stretching her back. “I’m almost afraid to ask.”
“Hear me out. The wards were weakened when Cade pulled us out. That’s probably what pissed off the Guardians. They can always find more prey. But destroying their wards, that’s a big deal.” She paused. Carina was impossible to read, so Hilda wasn’t sure she was taking the right approach.
“Go on,” Carina snapped. “We might not have much time before those things come back.”
“All right, all right. So with the wards weakened, together we may have enough power to push through them and get the hell out of here. You’re a blood witch, so you know how to pull things from the different planes. Do you think you could push us out if I lent you my power?”
“Do you have any idea how much blood I would need to filter through that type of spell?” Carina shook her head. “It’s a huge risk. We should wait. The others will find a way to get us out. They did it before.”
“They’re not going to be able to help us. The Guardians are watching them.” Hilda struggled to her feet, somehow managing to stay upright. “We’re on our own. Either we do this or we become Eversor snack packs.”
“Hilda, we’ve got time. Let’s wait. See what the others do.” Carina stood as well, brushing the dirt from her pants.
Hilda grabbed her hand, pulling her forward. “You don’t get it,” Hilda said frantically. “We have to do it while the wards are weak. Once they fix them, we’re done. No way out.”
Carina pulled her hand free. “We can’t do anything until we find shelter. If we do the spell out in the open, they’d shut us down before we could even begin.”
“Fine. But promise me you’ll think about it.”
“Sure. I’ll make a decision by the time we stop again,” she replied. “Which won’t be long. There’s a set of caves to the right of us.” She pointed toward a sparsely wooded area.
After a few moments, Hilda saw what she was talking about. It was only a few more yards. Totally doable. But as they took off toward the cave, she couldn’t push past her frustration. What she had proposed was their only option. Yeah, there was a good chance it could get them killed, but if she had to choose between dying and spending an eternity in the Void, she’d choose dying any day.
He’d lost her again. Cade couldn’t calm down. He wanted to scream and kick the crap out of something. Instead he was frozen in place, staring at the burn mark on the floor where he had last seen Hilda.
It wasn’t fair. The Guardians were supposed to abide by the fundamental principles of right and wrong, not do whatever the hell they wanted. So he’d scratched the wards a little bit on their way out. It hadn’t hurt anything. The Eversors couldn’t escape. The balance had been maintained.
“Cade.” Gray stepped forward. “Are you okay?”
“Sure.” The other man flinched as Cade turned to face him. “I’m used to losing Hilda. Hell, it’s becoming a habit.” His nails dug into his palms until blood dripped off his hands to the floor. “The Guardians exist solely to protect and monitor the Veil and police their own. We didn’t interfere in their duties. They can’t retaliate just because we made their monsters hungry.”
“Cade’s right.” Brenna turned to Gray. “We need to confront the Guardians.”
“What if they’re not in the Void?” Keegan said. “You don’t want to go to the Guardians if they didn’t have anything to do with it. You’ll stir things up and make it worse for all of us.”
“The odds of them not being in the Void are slim to none. And how would it make things worse?” Brenna glared at him. “I’m not going to accuse them. I’m going to ask for help.”
“And in doing so, bring to their attention that you were able to rip open their wards and could have freed the Eversors. What do you think they’re going to do? Pat you on the back?” Keegan shook her head. “You’re a threat. They’ll kill you.”
“They already know.” Cade stepped forward. “The Eversors saw the rescue. They’re cut off from the Guardians, but they’re still part of the collective consciousness. If they know, the Guardians know.”
“So we’ve got nothing to lose,” Brenna continued. “If we try to pull them out of the Void and Guardians are involved, we’ll fail. So we have two choices—go talk to the Guardians, or say goodbye to Hilda and Carina.”
“Wait,” Gwen said. “How are you going to find the Guardians, much less talk to them? They’re part of the Veil.”
“Not always,” Brenna and Cade said together. Cade relaxed. If Brenna knew the Guardians could take physical form, she might actually be helpful. Most people had no idea of the extent of their abilities.
“All I need is one Guardian. There’s a spot not far from here where the Veil is thin. There’s always one there keeping watch.”
“That doesn’t make sense,” Keegan replied. “The Void is filled with corrupt Guardians who have been stripped of their powers. If they work as a unit, how would that even be possible?”
Cade couldn’t hold his tongue. He hated the Guardians and the false mythology they perpetuated. “Just because they can talk to each other doesn’t strip them of free will. They act independent of each other.”
“And we know they’re not invincible.” Brenna walked over to Igor, bending down to place a kiss on his head. The dog stared back at her, its red eyes filled with sorrow.
“You’re going to do it, aren’t you? Go to the Guardians and call in your favor.” Cade watched her carefully. “Do you really think they’ll help us?”
“I have no idea. But I have to try. I can’t let Hilda stay in a hell dimension if there’s anything I can do to pull her out. She sacrificed herself to save countless lives. She deserves better.”
“Fine. I’ll drive.” Gray snatched the keys from her hands. “No teleporting. We’re going to need all our strength. “Let’s go get our witches back.”
“Count me in.” Gwen waved her hand and Igor vanished. “You’re going to need all the help you can get.”
Cade was in a daze as he followed Brenna out to the black Taskforce SUV. His anger had drained away, leaving frustration in its place. He had been so close to happiness, he’d almost been able to touch it. Then, for the second time, it’d been yanked away. This time not because of death, but because some monster needed a midnight snack.
Even so, he was uneasy at the thought of mee
ting with the Guardians. When he was a child, the Guardians had been the monsters that lurked in the dark. He never thought there would be a time when he’d be actively interacting with them. And the last time he had seen one, it had ripped him from his home and banished him through the Veil.
Cade stared out the window as they sped through the night across what had once been Interstate Seventy. He was glad the others stayed silent as the minutes passed, the main road dwindling to a curvy dirt and gravel road that ran up the side of what was left of the Rocky Mountains. Years ago the Veil had torn in spots, the tears a series of black holes that sucked in everything around them. One had reduced much of the mountain range into craters of ice and snow.
But as they drove past what had once been the city of Breckinridge, the silence began to grate. Cade started humming to keep his mind focused. They pulled off the main road, ending up in a clearing filled with aspen. The trees scraped the sides of the SUV as they continued forward, eventually stopping in front of a rickety old cabin.
“That’s not what I expected,” Cade said as he jumped into the snow. “I didn’t realize the Guardians had a vacation home.”
“I’m going to assume humor is your defense mechanism and not get pissed off,” Brenna said as she walked past him. “There is a series of tunnels near here that will lead us to the top. This is one of the only mountains that survived the Fall, but it’s uninhabitable. You’ll be fine if you use your magic to protect yourself.”
The tunnels had been carved into the snow, kept intact with a minor enchantment that Cade didn’t recognize. The ice was difficult to travel over, and Cade was forced to take three steps to move one. But he managed to keep up with Brenna and the rest. By the time they reached the top, his breath was shallow, his heart pounding out a painful rhythm.
He stepped out into the night and sucked in his breath. It was as if they’d reached the Earth’s precipice. Thick white clouds surrounded them on all sides and the air was so thin it was difficult to breathe. Where the clouds thinned, you could see for miles. The view was breathtaking, but Cade didn’t care. He wasn’t here to enjoy the sights, just to get Hilda back for good.
Because he had no idea where he was going, he followed Brenna over the ice-covered ground to the shard of violet light that had broken through the cloud cover. As they drew near, he could feel power spilling from the Veil. They had almost reached the light when a humanoid creature stepped into the clearing. Nearly seven feet tall, its purple skin was camouflaged in the violet light. Cade tasted rage as the creature approached. These damn Guardians had been ordained to protect, but all he had seen them do was destroy. As the creature stopped before them, Cade was able to see the golden carvings in its flesh. These were the runes that infused them with the power to travel between the dimensions and rendered them nearly impossible to kill.
“We are not surprised you have come,” it said, its voice like the rush of the tide. “But we are uncertain if the debt we owe you is enough to render you aid. You interfered with our duties by pulling your people from the Void. Your actions compromised the security of our prison.”
“So you returned our people to make us an example? You are not supposed to interfere.” Brenna started to move forward, but Gray grabbed her arm, holding her back
The beast looked down on her with distain. “There are a set of seals on the portion of the Veil that surrounds the Void. Each seal is protected by a cloak of wards. Your carelessness ripped through the wards and shattered one of those seals. We were able to fix the rift in time, but it could have allowed an Eversor to escape. That we can’t allow. It violates our purpose.”
“So you put our people back, giving us a reason to repeat our interference? That makes no sense.” Brenna jerked free of Gray’s grasp. “They were put there by a demon’s curse, not by you. They don’t belong in the Void. Yet you returned them, knowing how they would suffer, because you wanted to make a point?”
“No one can be allowed to disturb the wards. You do not understand the consequences of freeing one of those creatures. The balance cannot be disturbed.” Its yellow eyes glowed in the semi-darkness. Its body tensed.
Cade was amazed it hadn’t struck them down. Brenna wasn’t even trying to play nice. He stepped forward. “The balance was not disturbed. The Eversors did not escape.” Brenna gave him a dirty look, but moved beside him.
“But they could have,” the Guardian countered.
“Could have doesn’t count. You can only interfere if we shift things in a negative way, and we did not,” Cade continued. “We broke no law. You had no right to interfere.”
“Let them go,” Brenna said, not breaking eye contact with the Guardian, who was now inches away and clearly furious. “If you free them, there’s no risk of the seals being weakened.” She moved forward so they were touching. “You owe me a debt and that debt leaves things unbalanced. Do this and we’re even. You want to maintain balance? This is how.”
“You have made a valid point. We will consider it.” The Guardian stepped back until it was barely visible against the slant of violet light. “But know this—if you try to get them back yourselves, we will stop you.”
Chapter Eleven
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Carina said for what felt like the millionth time as she set the circle. They’d managed to find a decent-sized cave where they could do the spell to break through the wards, but Carina was still reluctant.
Hilda pushed to her feet, kicking at the dirt. “Do you have another option? One that doesn’t involve an eternity of torture?”
“You could die,” Carina replied. “Even if you come back as a ghost, the Eversors will consume you. They tend to get greedy around that much energy.” She withdrew her athame from the dirt, wiped it on her jeans and then slid it into the sheath on her ankle. “If you’re determined to do this, we better get started. We need to finish before we’re discovered.”
“Agreed,” Hilda closed the circle. “I’ve played sacrifice to a blood witch before, so I know the drill. Where do you want me?”
“In the center. And get comfortable—this is going to take a while.” Carina closed her eyes and murmured an incantation. A wave of power swirled through the room, blowing her hair back. “I’m going to need blood. A lot of it.”
“Understood.” Hilda settled where Carina directed, trying not to tense and failing miserably. “Do what you need to do. I’m ready.”
Carina’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t want to lose you, Hilda. You’ve been a good friend. I know you sacrificed your ticket out of here to save me. There was no guarantee Cade could get us both out.”
Hilda shrugged. The last thing she wanted to do right now was get emotional. This was hard enough. “I wasn’t going to leave you. You helped me.”
Carina smiled. “Even if I hadn’t helped you, you would have made the same decision. You’re a good person, Hilda. You have my friendship.”
Hilda rose to her feet, a little shaky. “And you have mine.” Unable to help herself, she gave Carina a hug. “But we’re getting out of here. Stop being so negative.”
“Fine. Let’s do this.” Carina sharpened her blade on a stone as Hilda settled herself on the ground.
Hilda closed her eyes when the other woman knelt before her, knife in hand. She felt the blade slice deeply through the skin, felt the heat from the wash of blood flowing across her arm. Taking several deep breaths, she focused on the sound of Carina’s chants and the feel of her magic as it swirled around the room. When the darkness came, she embraced it.
Hilda woke to the sound of Carina’s voice, a sharp demanding cadence that wouldn’t let her stay asleep. She opened her eyes, but closed them again as a wave of pain cascaded through her body. “I’m guessing it didn’t work?”
Carina looked up from binding Hilda’s arm. The cloth was tight, turning the skin on either side of it purple, but it wasn’t stopping the bl
eeding. “You’re healing too slowly. You’re going to bleed out.”
Hilda fought off her rising panic, sucking in her breath as Carina applied more pressure. It hurt so bad. And she was so weak, she couldn’t even open her eyes. When she started to doze, Carina slapped her across the face. Hard.
“Keep talking. I need you conscious,” Carina said.
“Fine. Do you want me to sing? I sure can’t dance a jig.”
“Glad you still have your sense of humor.” She pulled back to study Hilda’s arm. “Damn. You’ve soaked this through. I’m going to have to use your shirt. Mine is already gone.”
The air was cool against her skin as Carina stripped off her shirt. Soon the soft cotton was wrapped around her wound. Carina had just started to increase the pressure when Hilda’s skin began to tingle, then burn, as if a thousand wasps had perched on her flesh to take a taste. The Eversors were coming, and they were close.
Cade smelled blood the moment he stepped out of the SUV. He slammed the door and raced toward the boarding house. When he threw open the front door, his heart stopped. At least it felt like it did. But then it restarted as the panic set in.
Carina lay on the blood-stained floor, shirtless and covered in blood. Hilda was sprawled across her lap, motionless, blood streaming from her arm. Carina looked up as he approached, her eyes wild. “She’s lost too much blood. She’s going to die.” She glanced frantically around the room. “Where’s Brenna?”
“She’s not here. They had me drop them off in the woods a few miles back. Said something about a spell they wanted to try in case the Guardians didn’t come through.” Panic surged through his blood. Hilda’s wounds were bad. There wasn’t time to wait for Brenna, but he was so exhausted that teleporting would be difficult, if not impossible. But he had to try.
Cade closed his eyes, gathering his powers, pulling into his reserves. He could only pray it would be enough. “Grab a hold of me. Now.”
Piercing the Darkness Page 8
