Witch's Blade

by Jenna Wolfhart

  Dorian frowned. “What do you mean?”

  “Thorne dropped in that bombshell about my mother,” I said. “I think he realized who I am, and he was trying to get a rise out of me.”

  “I think he suspected, but you didn’t confirm. By not rising to his bait, I’m sure you’ve lessened any doubts he might have had about you. Or else he wouldn’t have let us inside this room for the night. We’d have been thrown into the dungeons.”

  “They have dungeons? Of course they do. Why am I not surprised? That’s straight out of Vampire 101.” I cocked an eyebrow. “Dorian, do you think there’s something a little unusual about Magister Thorne or is it just me?”

  “There are a lot of unusual things about Magister Thorne,” Dorian said. “But I’m guessing you’re referring to his appearance.”

  “It’s a little vampy, don’t you think?” I asked. “He looks more like the leader of a Clan than a Coven.”

  “Oh, is that so, Zoe Bennett?” a chilling voice slithered into the room.

  With a jolt, I turned toward the voice and found Magister Thorne’s tall, thin frame filling up the open doorway. The door had been shut only seconds before, but he’d somehow snuck in without either one of us noticing.

  “Magister,” Dorian said after clearing his throat. He slid his body in front of mine, shielding me from view, though I had a sneaking suspicion that wasn’t going to help. Not here in this place. “Is there something we can help you with?”

  “That would make you Dorian Kostas.” With a shake of his head, he laughed and stepped further into the room, revealing Ben’s tense form behind him. So, he’d betrayed us then. It was the only explanation. Just as soon as he’d had his chance, Ben had told the Magister exactly who we were and why we were here.

  Dorian didn’t respond. He merely slid his hand to his belt and bent his knees in preparation for an attack.

  But the Magister smiled. “I have two dozen men in the hallway, ready to knock you out if you so much as blink the wrong way. You’re outnumbered, and you’re way outmatched. Lucky for you, we don’t want anyone to get hurt. Hand over your weapons and your chalk. Turn around and face the wall. You’ll be staying in different accommodation tonight.”

  Chapter 11

  For the second time in twenty-four hours, I was a prisoner. And it was getting pretty fucking old. Sighing, I stood from the hard-as-nails cot that was bolted to the wall and paced the small space. The Blood Coven, it turned out, was a firm believer in the old medieval tactics of dungeons and torture chambers. I was stuck in a concrete cell underground, complete with the thickest metal bars I’d ever seen. They were slotted into the floor and could only be opened by a crank that would lift them, inch by inch, toward the ceiling.

  Even I couldn’t get out of this one, lock pick tool or not. And, as it turned out, they’d been sure to confiscate that anyway.

  Across the stone passageway, Dorian sat in an identical cell, a dark scowl etched deeply into his face. Rage radiated from his body. Even from this distance, I could feel it rolling off of him. It seemed our bond could communicate intense feelings, which meant…well, it meant there was a high probability that he knew just how insanely I wanted him. Which was pretty embarrassing, but now was not the time to focus on that.

  “Dorian, can you spot Ben anywhere?” I called out to him. In the commotion, I’d lost sight of the council member, and the rest of the cells surrounding us were empty. That unease niggled within me again, making me question every exchange I’d had with the warlock. Was all this Ben’s fault? Had he given us up? I didn’t want to think it, but I couldn’t help but land on that conclusion. He’d disappeared into the Magister’s study, and only moments later, we’d gotten caught.

  “He’s not down here,” Dorian said, his voice edged in anger. “They didn’t take him as a prisoner. He’ll be alerting the Bone Coven of what we did and where we are.”

  “I can’t believe it.” With a frown, I slumped back onto the cot and glared at the smooth wall that was sporadically dotted with carved writings from previous prisoners. “After he helped us fight against the splinter coven, I thought we could trust him. Plus, he kept my secret.”

  “The alliance is important to him. It’s important to the entire council,” Dorian said. “Ben is trying to keep the peace. By giving us up and preventing us from getting the rune to the rebels, he’s allowing the siege to continue.”

  It was strange to hear Dorian speak this way. He’d always been nothing if not loyal to the coven. No matter what, and in any situation, he’d taken their side. It was part of his own personal moral code, and I’d always respected it, even if it did infuriate me at times. But over time, I’d noticed he’d been becoming more and more uneasy with the way things were handled. Maybe this whole Sun Coven siege thing was the straw to break the camel’s back.

  “I don’t understand why he would do that, even in the name of the coven. The rebels said most of the mages trapped behind that wall are innocent people who are just trying to go about their lives. It’s not just council members. It’s not just Enforcers.”

  Dorian nodded. “And yet Ben believes what the rest of the council believes. And what the Blood Coven believes. That every mage in this world should be fighting the fight and stopping the demons, even the ‘civilian’ ones, so to speak. In their minds, the ends justify the means.”

  “And what do you believe, Dorian?” I couldn’t help but ask.

  He sighed, an exhale that was one of the weariest sounds in the world. “Obviously, I believe that everyone who can should fight against these creatures. The future of this world and humanity is at stake. However, no one should be forced to do anything they don’t want to do. We still have our free will, after all. A lot of these mages won’t have experience in combat situations. They aren’t trained for it, just like most bone mages aren’t trained. Rounding up unskilled mages against their will is a recipe for a lot of unnecessary deaths. And that’s not even considering the horrifying plan to create an army of Nosferatu.”

  His words sent chills through my body. “We have to stop them, Dorian.”

  “Well, first, we’re going to have to find a way out of here.” Frowning, he glanced around at the dungeon cells. “Unfortunately, if I’m remembering correctly from the last time I was hear about fifty years ago, it’s not going to be that simple. These cells are built to withstand even the strongest Nosferatu. On top of that, they’ll be warded heavily. The only way out is if they let us out.”

  Footsteps echoed down the long and dark passageway. My body tensed, but I forced myself to stay still. It had been hours since we’d been dropped into the dungeon, and this was the first sign of our captors. Dorian had warned me to stay calm and not to jump at the first chance of escape. We needed to wait until the right moment, lull them into a sense of complacency.

  But I was itching for a fight.

  Out of the darkness, a familiar figure melted into view. It was Ben, hurrying down the hallway and carrying nothing but a small ball of light in his palm. Anger pounded through me. He had a lot of nerve showing up here like this.

  “Ben.” Dorian leapt from his spot on the floor, his eyes flashing with anger. “What are you doing down here?”

  “Shouldn’t you be busy detailing ways the Blood Coven can torture us for information?” I snapped, narrowing my eyes.

  Ben shook his head. “No time to argue. I know what it looks like, but I swear I’m on your side. I had to make it look like I was trying to turn you in so that I didn’t get captured, too.”

  Dorian growled. “So, you were just looking out for yourself.”

  “Yes and no,” Ben said hurriedly, pulling a key ring from his pocket. “I couldn’t very well get you out of your cells if I was in there with you. I’m going to unlock these doors and take down the wards. You’re going to go all the way down the passageway to your left. At the end of this one, you’ll unfortunately come to a bunch of cells that have Nosferatu in them. I strongly suggest that you go past them
as quickly as possible. After that, you’ll come to a fork, and you’ll take the left there. It’ll open out into a sewage tunnel that can take you to another gate. I’ve taken down the ward there, but it won’t be long before they figure out it’s down and put it back.” Ben pulled another set of keys from his pocket. “And then you’ll be free. Out in the middle of nowhere in Scotland, but free.”

  Hope flickered through my chest, but it was burdened by a heavy sense of suspicion. Instead of leaping to my feet, I crossed my arms over my chest and lifted my chin. “How do we know we can trust you? This could be another trap.”

  “Because I would have absolutely zero to gain by doing this,” Ben said, shoving the key into the lock by the crank. “If I wanted to capture you, why would I let you go so that I could trap you again? It’s not logical, Zoe. Can’t you see that? All this time you’ve known me, I’ve done nothing but try to help you. Please don’t let one moment of doubt keep you trapped inside this cell when you’re moments away from getting free.”

  “He’s right,” Dorian said as Ben turned to unlock the door to his cell. He pulled on the crank, and the bars rolled up from the floor, releasing Dorian from his prison. “There’s no reason to do this if he was against us.”

  Doubt still clouded my brain, but I did my best to push it aside as I joined Dorian and Ben in the passageway. Immediately, Dorian grabbed my hand and pulled me close, angling his body protectively in front of me. Warmth filled me, even in this cool, dark, and dreary dungeon. Darkness wasn’t so bad, not when I had Dorian by my side.

  After Ben had passed us the daggers the Magister had taken from us, Dorian turned left toward the tunnel that would take us to the exit, but I hesitated only a few steps in. “Ben, what will they do to you when they find out you let us go?”

  “I’m hoping they don’t.” Ben shrugged. “I figured I’ll tell them that you are a master of escaping impossible places and situations, and that we underestimated you. Of course, by then, I should be on a plane back home.”

  Dorian clapped his hand on Ben’s shoulder and nodded. “Thanks for the help. Come on, Zoe. Let’s get going before they notice Ben is missing from his room.”

  But once again, I hesitated, my eyes firmly on Ben’s face. “What about the rune the rebels need in order to get the Sun Coven mages out from behind that siege wall? Did you find it?”

  “I haven’t really had a chance to look,” Ben said. “Not with everything that’s happened. I know you want to help the sun mages, but we’ll have to figure out another way. Maybe we can convince Magister Salvatore to reverse the spell, explain to him why the mages should be set free to make their own decisions.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Really? And who is going to convince him? Me? I’m a con artist Enforcer-in-training who just agreed to break into the Blood Coven’s castle in order to steal from them. Dorian is a full-blown Enforcer, but he just did the same thing I did. And so did you. As much as I’m sure you’re hoping they won’t figure it out, they probably will. You leaving right after our escape is going to look pretty fucking coincidental.”

  Ben winced. “It’s our only option, Zoe. I want to help those mages just as much as you do, but I don’t know how we can do that other than plead with the Magister. He’s a smart man, and you’ve worked with him enough to know that he’s open to listening to what you have to say.”

  “Except he’s also the one who agreed to this siege plan in the first place.” I shook my head and let go of Dorian’s hand, stepping in the opposite direction of freedom.

  “Zoe?” Dorian frowned. “Where are you going?”

  “I’m going to go find that goddamn rune.”

  “It’s the middle of the day, so we’ll need to move carefully,” I whispered as we stood on the prison side of the gate. Ben still hadn’t unlocked the door to let us reenter the Blood Coven castle, but I could see his resolve weaken with every word I said.

  “There are a lot of night owls in the Blood Coven,” Dorian said. “As the biggest enemies of the Nosferatu, their bodies have adapted to later nights than most people.”

  “Dorian is right,” Ben said. “It was the only way I was able to do this. Most of them will be asleep right now. However, I must warn you that—”

  “Perfect,” I said, cutting him off before he could come up with another excuse for why we shouldn’t do this. “A sleeping coven means we have a good chance of grabbing the grimoire and getting out of here before an alarm is raised.”

  “You know what?” Ben sighed, raising his arms to his sides. “Fine. Let’s do this. It’s too late to turn back now. Just please be careful. If you got killed on my watch, I don’t know what I would do with myself.”

  For a moment, I stopped to glance at Ben and guilt drowned out my earlier irritation at him. I hated that I’d doubted him, hated that I’d accused him of nefarious motives. Ben had always been on my side, even when he barely knew me. Just because he wasn’t jumping for joy about the plan to rush headfirst into danger didn’t mean that he had been plotting against me.

  “Thanks for your help, Ben,” I said with a smile. “And thanks for coming down to the dungeons with the keys. If it weren’t for you, who knows how long we would have been stuck here.”

  “Yes, well.” He smiled back, though it was a dimmer version than usual. “Don’t thank me yet. We could very easily end up right back in those cells again.”

  With a nod, he finally unlocked the dungeon gate. I pushed it open, the door creaking on old, rusted hinges. Wincing, I froze. The sound was unmistakable, and it echoed down the long castle hallway. If any mages were near, they’d know exactly what that sound meant—that prisoners were lurking in the dark.

  “Which way should we go?” I whispered.

  “The grimoire library is upstairs,” Ben whispered back as he pointed above us. “It’s locked, but that’s an easy fix to beat. I have the keys. The problem will be finding the rune among a hundred books.”

  It was a task I was ready for, but I wished I had Laura or Nathan to help. They were the book people. Not me. My skills were more on the physical side of things, as well as deceptive. They’d somehow know the best places to look, but unfortunately, they weren’t here.

  The three of us edged down the cold hallway, the musty scent of old leather and dust filling our noses. The castle was still and quiet, as if the place were either vacant or full of sleeping bodies, just like Dorian had said. In other circumstances, I would have loved to look around this place. I’d never been inside a castle before, and I couldn’t imagine I’d be welcome here again after this. Instead, my curiosity had to be satiated with passing glances of pristine suits of armor and sparkling chandeliers.

  After what felt like an eternity, we reached the library door. Ben unlocked it for us, and we slid inside. Before us, tall, oak shelves were crammed with books, rows upon rows of leather-bound volumes. Curving ladders were fit perfectly against the shelves, their rolled feet ready for use. In the center of the room stood a grand oak table that was flanked by comfortable armchairs and claw-foot lamps. This library was far more impressive than the grimoire collection that had been housed at the previous Bone Coven headquarters that had burned down several months ago. Instead of a cramped closet, this was like something out of Beauty and the Beast.

  My breath expelled through my parted lips as I gazed with admiration. “Are all these books grimoires? I had no idea that so many spells existed. I mean, it makes me feel like a total amateur. Not that I didn’t feel that way already.”

  “No, there aren’t that many spells,” Dorian said. “I’d say about a tenth of these are grimoires while the rest are various books on the history of magic and supernatural creatures. If there’s something you need to know about werewolves, for example, you could find it here.”

  “This would have really come in handy when we were dealing with that whole Nathan situation last month.”

  “True, but they don’t let anyone in here who isn’t part of the Blood Coven, and even then, onl
y council members can have a key.” Ben shrugged. “We’ve tried for years to get access to this place, but they’ve refused. Something about keeping valuable information out of harm’s reach. There’s information in these pages that could prove problematic if they got into the wrong hands, which of course, came up against considerable resistance in the Bone Coven. The Magister felt as if they were insinuating that bone mages were the wrong hands. It’s been a cause of tension for awhile now.”

  I shook my head, my gaze finally drawn away from the towering shelves. “The politics of the covens never cease to amaze me, and not in a good way.”

  “Watch out,” Dorian said, his lips quirking. “Or Ben might assume you’re starting to think like a rebel.”

  “Is that such a bad thing?” I asked, shrugging as I turned to face him. “I mean, sure, I don’t want to go around launching attacks and kidnapping people, but some of their motivations make sense.”

  “I understand where you’re coming from, Zoe. I really do. Just don’t let the Magister here you say that.”

  “At this point, I’m not sure it would make matters much worse,” I mumbled.

  “Enough about that. Let’s get to work. The grimoires appear to be clustered here in this section. Let’s each take a row.” Dorian pulled a book from the shelf and tossed it my way. “You know what we’re looking for. It should be directly next to the rune that creates the wall. Don’t worry about the translation. I’ll take care of that.”

  And with that, the three of us got to work. Moments passed by in agonizing slow motion. Every creak on the floorboards outside the room made us pause, certain that capture was just around the corner. Eyes swimming, I flipped through the next book, barely comprehending the runes I saw. They were all starting to run together now, becoming meaningless blurs that made absolutely zero sense.

  Until a familiar shape fell into view.