To Hell and Back (Hellcat Series Book 4)

by Sharon Hannaford

  “Thanks,” she yelled over the noise of the battle, cringing when she remembered the commlink, reminding herself she didn’t need to shout. “Now get going. Benedict is heading downstairs.” She pointed with Nex towards two open metal doors. “I’ll join you as soon as I know which way this is going.”

  Julius rammed his fist into the face of another Vampire as it flew towards him, fangs bared. The male crumpled to the floor, the right side of his face caved in and bloody.

  “Watch your back,” he told her from between gritted teeth as he began to wade through bodies in the direction she’d indicated. Fergus appeared on her other side, his gleeful warrior’s face alight with battle fury.

  “Let’s dance, lass,” he called. With a fierce grin she manoeuvred her back towards his, and together they faced the throng of attackers.

  It was a sea of attackers, a never-ending tide. Gabi’s sword arm was tiring, the muscles burning in protest at the prolonged abuse. She had a cut above one eye, which kept blocking her vision, and more bruises than she cared to think about, but the protective clothing had stopped the worst of the damage from Werewolf claws and teeth and even deflected a number of knife lacerations. She didn’t think it would stop a direct stab, though, so she couldn’t get complacent. She used a leather-clad forearm to smear blood across her face when it threatened to drip into her eye yet again and wondered how much longer they could hold on without resorting to killing the attackers. She couldn’t feel anything from Julius, and that was worrying her more than anything else. She desperately wanted to get to his side, find out what was happening with the Dark Ones. If Athena hadn’t broken the spell by the time the silver-filled darts arrived, Gabi decided they would be used on the most aggressive of the Weres. They were simply recovering too fast for the flagging defenders to keep up.

  “It’s done.” Athena’s voice echoed in her head just as the Vampire Gabi was sparring with stumbled, almost impaling himself on Gabi’s spare dagger. She jerked the knife back, sparing a glance to the outer door of the warehouse, where Alexander stood protecting Athena as she worked. The Magus swayed slightly, and Alexander reached back to grab her as he kicked a dazed-looking Werewolf in the head.

  “They’ve stopped.” Kyle was breathing hard as he spoke. “They’re confused, but mostly not attacking.”

  As Gabi dropped her aching sword arm and looked around, lights suddenly flicked on above them, flooding the scene. Her team were all still standing, most bloodied to some degree, but each had limbs and heads intact, so that was something. The floor was littered with bodies, some in human form, some big shaggy piles of fur. Those still conscious were looking around in confusion, some staring at the weapons in their hands like they’d never seen them before. A few began backing away from the invaders, hands up in surrender.

  “The silver darts are here,” Trish said. “Do you still need them?”

  “I don’t think so,” Gabi replied, “but I’ll send someone for them anyway. I’d rather have them available. Just because this lot were fighting unwillingly doesn’t mean there aren’t others fighting by choice.”

  “I’ll go,” Derek’s voice came over the commlink. Gabi could see him on the far side of the floor, near one of the emergency exits.

  “Fine,” Gabi agreed. “Fergus, Kyle, Athena, you’re with me. Alexander, you’re not supposed to be in here.”

  He merely grinned a cocky smile in her direction. He was no longer supporting Athena. She seemed to have regained her equilibrium.

  “Well, if you’re here, you may as well make yourself useful and oversee the clear up here. Don’t be complacent with this lot,” she warned.

  “I’ve got this, Hellcat,” Alexander assured her, with a strange emphasis to his words.

  Gabi didn’t have time to work out what he meant, and hoped he could be trusted to do the smart thing; at least Patrick was here too. Gabi gave instructions to Trish to cut her group’s commlink feed from the rest and just to keep a link open to the van; Trish could relay any vital information to them, and they wouldn’t be disturbed by the ongoing chatter of clean-up. Kyle came jogging through a door to the left of Gabi as she divested herself of the flame-thrower and picked up a MacBow off the floor. She tossed it to Kyle and found a replacement MacDart for herself; then the small group started for the door Benedict and Julius had disappeared through an eon earlier.

  Beyond the metal doors ran a narrow corridor to a flight of stairs heading downward. The way was pitch dark and the air stifling despite the open doors. A soft yellow light filled the corridor, chasing back the dark. It emanated from a smooth, pale crystal the size and shape of a quail’s egg cupped in Athena’s palm.

  “Neat trick,” Gabi commented approvingly as they approached the stairway. “Kyle, can you follow their trail?” Gabi asked. Her friend paused on the top step and inhaled, closing his eyes and opening his mouth as though tasting the air.

  “I’ve got the scent. Unless there are major air currents or a flood down there, I should be able to follow it,” he confirmed.

  “Good, lead the way,” Gabi said, moving behind him and indicating for Athena to follow her. Fergus automatically fell into line as rearguard. She had a vague sense of which direction Julius was in, but not exactly how to get to him. By the complete lack of communication from either Vampire Magus, Gabi was going on the theory that either they’d turned off their commlinks or they were both unconscious. As she could still sense Julius, the latter was unlikely, so she figured they didn’t want external interference. She wished that her Vamp sense extended to Magi. Not knowing what they were about to walk in on was worrying. She adjusted her grip on Nex, ready for anything.

  At the base of the staircase was a small room with rough, unpainted walls and a bare concrete floor. The ceiling wasn’t visible in the pale light thrown by Athena’s Mage-light. All four walls looked solid. The only doorway was the one they’d just come through. They all looked around, confused.

  “Wolf?” Gabi made the name a question.

  Kyle was running his hands over the far wall. “They were definitely in here, and their scent leads to this wall,” he said, beginning to rap on the wall with his knuckles.

  “You think there’s some kind of secret doorway?” Gabi asked.

  “Has to be,” Kyle said, but sounded like he was trying to convince himself.

  “Hold on,” Athena said, brushing past Gabi, holding the glowing crystal closer to the wall. She closed her eyes in concentration, and Gabi only barely resisted tapping her foot impatiently. “There’s something…” Athena broke off, putting her hands out but not quite touching the wall. “There’s a strong ward here. It’s complicated. I’m not even sure what it’s supposed to do.”

  “Can you break it?” Kyle asked her.

  “It’s going to take me a little while,” she replied. “That compulsion spell took a lot of unravelling. I’m not at my peak.”

  “We have to get to them,” Gabi said. “There’s no telling what’s going on behind there. It’s two against five.” She wondered if it was the ward keeping her from sensing Julius properly or if he was unconscious. There was only one thing she was certain of right then, that he wasn’t dead. Yet.

  Athena drew a deep breath and nodded, but even in the faint light it was obvious that she was an unhealthy shade of exhausted. A movement behind them had Gabi and Fergus whirling, swords ready, but they relaxed in sync when Alexander appeared at the bottom of the staircase.

  “What are you doing down here?” Gabi growled at him. “You’re supposed to be upstairs.”

  “They’ve all surrendered,” Alexander said with a shrug. “There’s not much else to do. Patrick has taken charge of trying to figure out where they all came from. Why are we in an empty room?”

  Gabi scowled. “There’s a ward in here. We suspect it’s concealing the doorway to wherever Julius and Benedict have gone,” she told him. “Athena is going to try to break it so we can go after them. You can just go back upstairs and help Patrick.” S
he pointed an imperious finger towards the stairs.

  “Athena’s exhausted,” he pointed out, looking at the woman in question with a worried frown on his face. “She’s barely upright.”

  “I know,” Gabi ground out, “but we don’t have much choice in the matter.”

  “Can’t we call in another Magus to help?” Alexander suggested.

  “I’m the only one strong enough and with the right magic to do this,” Athena cut in tersely. “I’ll be fine. Just give me a moment to centre myself.”

  Alexander chewed the inside of his lip and frowned deeply. As far as Gabi could tell, he was having some kind of unsettling internal debate; either that or he was constipated.

  “What, Lex?” Gabi demanded. “If you’ve got a better idea, spit it out.” Every moment of delay was eating at her, her internal voice demanding action.

  His gaze flicked from Athena to her and back again. Finally he came to some kind of decision.

  “The Dark Magi are stronger because they use Blood Magic, right?” he said.

  Gabi nodded, resisting the urge to shake him until his fangs rattled.

  “What if…” He paused, and Gabi knew by his reticence that his suggestion was going to throw the shit at the fan. “What if Athena took blood from me? Wouldn’t it make her stronger? And if I was giving it willingly, would it still be Dark Magic?”

  The silence in the small room was absolute for a full three heartbeats; then all eyes turned to Athena. She was staring at him with her mouth just the tiniest bit open. Gabi could see the instant denial in her expression, but she’d caught herself before she spoke the words, turning the idea over in her mind. Probably because it came from Alexander; Gabi was sure she wouldn’t have given it the same consideration if it’d been anyone else.

  “Ah, it’s…I don’t think it’s a good idea,” she finally said. “I don’t know if it would stain my magic somehow, make me Dark. We haven’t exactly been taught about this stuff. And…and I’m not sure if I could…” She drifted into silence.

  Gabi could relate to that thought. It had taken months for her to come to terms with taking Julius’s blood, and it still made her uncomfortable if she gave it too much thought.

  “I don’t think you should make that kind of decision in this kind of circumstance,” Kyle said. “It needs careful consideration and input from someone knowledgeable.”

  “Julius and Benedict both do magic under the influence of Vampire blood,” Gabi put in as neutrally as she could. She didn’t want to put Athena on the spot and have her regret the decision later, blaming Gabi for pushing her to the wrong choice, but she also wanted to open Athena’s eyes to the possibilities. After all, she, and most of the Magi race, had been living under false teachings for centuries. Perhaps it was time to remove the blinkers. “Does that make them intrinsically Dark?”

  Athena was the one chewing her lip now. Gabi could hear nothing coming from behind the wall, nor could she sense anything from Julius, but an increasingly intense sense of urgency filled her. Something was going on behind there, and they needed to get through. Fast.

  “I’ll do it,” Athena said, her expression composed, but a slight tremor ran through her body.

  “Don’t do this if you’re not sure,” Gabi warned her. “I won’t allow you to blame anyone here for your decision if you regret it later.”

  Athena drew in a breath, and the familiar haughty mask fell across her pretty features. “I take full responsibility for anything I do and every decision I make. I do not blame others for my actions.” Her voice was stronger, resolute. She turned to Alexander. “How do we do this?”

  CHAPTER 18

  Gabi, Kyle and Fergus retreated back up the stairway, stopping about halfway up to give Athena and Alexander some privacy. Gabi could barely contain her impatience, and her anxiety was intense enough to be almost tangible in the small space.

  “Breathe, Hellcat,” Kyle said. “We’ll get to them.”

  “This better work, or I’m going to use Alexander as a battering ram to get through that wall,” she grumbled.

  “I heard that.” Alexander’s voice floated up the stairs to them.

  “Good,” Gabi muttered.

  “You can come back down. Athena’s working on the ward,” he called.

  As they re-entered the bare room, nobody spoke, but Athena was certainly looking less haggard, and the light thrown from the crystal was several watts brighter than it had been before. Her eyes were closed, and she was rubbing the dark stones of her bracelet as her lips moved in a silent litany.

  Gabi paced the few feet of space from one wall to the other. The men formed a loose line between her and Athena; either keeping her pacing from bothering the Magus or keeping her from trying to hurry the process along with the help of Nex, Gabi wasn’t sure which. With a low frustrated growl, she shoved Nex back into her sheath and drew a smaller dagger from one of her thigh sheaths. When she got to the far wall this time, she dug the tip of the dagger into the smooth surface of the wall, trying to chip a piece free. The blade made almost no impression on the wall, leaving nothing more than a faint scratch, as though the wall was made of granite instead of brick and plaster.

  “Stop that,” Athena snapped, and Gabi glanced at her in surprise. The blonde woman had her eyes open and was frowning at her. Before Gabi could decide whether to be pissed with her, Athena cocked her head, her expression changing to one of bemusement. “Actually, do it again,” she ordered, an edge of excitement in her tone, “but use the other blade, the magically enhanced one.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Gabi said sarcastically, but she pulled Nex out and put the blade to the wall. Instead of meeting rock-hard resistance, Nex slid through the wall as though it were made of children’s play dough. Before Gabi could react to the bizarre change, Nex was sucked from her hand and disappeared.

  “What?” Gabi squawked, lunging forward, but being brought up short by the solidity of the wall once again.

  “Holy Lord and Lady,” Athena breathed. “It’s a magic trap.”

  “What do you mean? Where’s my sword?” Gabi demanded.

  Athena focused on her. “A magic trap,” she repeated. “Anything touched by or intrinsically magic will pass through. Or more likely be sucked in. Anything not magic can’t pass; it’s impenetrable.”

  “So if you’d touched it earlier, you would’ve been sucked inside like Gabi’s sword?” Alexander asked.

  Athena nodded. “Luckily it’s in our training not to touch something warded until we’re sure it’s safe.”

  Gabi was staring at the wall, her eyes narrowed as though she could glare it into submission. “So its purpose for being here is to allow Magi through but to keep the rest of us at bay?” she checked.

  “Yes,” Athena confirmed. “I’ve only ever heard about them. I’ve never actually come across one before. You can keep non-Magi out of somewhere with a much less powerful ward. This one has more to it. Once the Magus or magical object has passed through, it’s trapped on the other side; it can’t come back through the ward.”

  Gabi broke out in curses, loud, florid, sailoresque curses.

  “Now that I know what it is, I have a better chance of unravelling it,” Athena said over Gabi’s ranting. “I’m going to try again.”

  “Easy, lass.” Fergus put one hand on Gabi’s shoulder. He must’ve felt a little safer now that she’d lost Nex, but she probably wouldn’t have cut him anyway. She’d always had a soft spot for the Scotsman, and their friendship had been strengthened tenfold since she’d included him on her recent assassination mission inside the walls of the Princep Court, to take out no one less than one of the Princeps. She’d left Julius out of the loop so that he had the genuine excuse of deniability and couldn’t be held accountable for her actions. The Vampire she’d wanted dead had been a paedophile of the worst kind, and without even knowing Fergus’s history, she’d known that he detested the Princep even more than she did. In the end only the two of them and Kyle had been a part of the
insane strike, and by some miracle they’d pulled it off. The experience had forged an unbreakable camaraderie between them.

  She allowed the sentiment of the cool hand to seep into her and ease her anxiety. She breathed deeply, giving Fergus a little nod.

  “I’ve nearly got it,” Athena said. “Be ready.”

  When the ward fell, the wall in front of them simply disappeared. Athena stumbled sideways, as though a sharp gust of wind had struck her, and Alexander made a grab for her, jerking on her elbow to keep her upright.

  In front of them was a huge, open cavern, red-brown rock carved by Mother Nature’s own hand. Everywhere water dribbled over crystalline structures and down into crevices or small pools. The ceiling was low, enough that Fergus and Kyle would have to duck in places, but the true extent of the cave could only be guessed at in the light from Athena’s crystal. Gabi’s sense of Julius was suddenly strong and clear, and he was in combat mode. Battling against something that took every ounce of his concentration.

  “Come on,” she ordered, stopping only long enough to scoop Nex up from the sandy floor. She didn’t need Kyle’s Werewolf nose this time; she knew exactly which direction Julius was in. She took off in a trot, the others close behind her. They dodged stalagmites and stagnant pools, following a generally downward slope, Gabi following the pull of Julius’s presence through the underground maze. She came up short at an abrupt narrowing of the cavern, a dark, yawning mouth of a tunnel. Gabi peered inside; it was more of a chimney than a tunnel, narrowing before falling straight downward for about ten feet into a large flat pool of water.

  “We’re going to get wet,” she warned, stowing Nex and sitting at the edge of the chute.