by Linsey Hall
“Tonight, if possible,” I added. “I know it’s a tall order, but he wasn’t a bad guy. I don’t want him to lose his job.”
She smiled. “I like a challenge. I’ll see what I can do. The Protectorate has some contacts.”
“You’re the best.” I really needed to get to know her better. Maybe I was high on the victory of finding the flower and everything was sappy, but I was loving this place right now.
Finally, things felt really possible. Rowan was alive, and I had the antidote to the curse that bound her to Cocidius and stole her mind.
“Let’s get this potion made,” Ana said.
“I thought that Mordaca said you could make it yourself?” Cade said. “Just mix with water and boil?”
Ana laughed. “Sure, if I trusted myself. Or her.” She nodded toward me.
I grinned. “Let’s get an expert to do it. The potion may only require water, but I’m not taking any risks.”
We knocked on the door to Hedy’s tower. I’d never noticed before, but the door was a beautiful thing, featuring a tree carved out of golden wood.
“Coming!” Hedy’s voice sounded from the mullioned glass window above.
Footsteps thudded on the stairs inside—I really needed to learn how to turn off Heimdall’s power—and the door swung open a moment later.
“Did you get it?” Hedy’s eyes were bright and her lavender hair messy. Her silver robe was as slick as melted metal.
“I did.”
Her lips split into a smile. “Come in, come in. I’ll call Jude to get an update on the others.”
I prayed they’d found Chernobog’s realm. With the cure and directions to both of the other gods’ realms, we were almost there.
We followed Hedy inside as she placed a quick call. I dug the flower out of my pocket and put it on her worktable. A warm orange lamp glowed from the middle of the ceiling, illuminating the cluttered space that was filled with the tools of Hedy’s magic.
She lowered her phone and turned. “Jude says Ali and Haris think they are close. Cass is helping them. They’ll be back in the morning, hopefully.”
“Perfect.” I pointed to the potion. “Can you make that into the cure for Rowan? Mordaca said to just mix it with water and boil.”
Hedy nodded. “I spoke to her about it. It will only take a moment.”
She got to work, and we watched silently.
Ana leaned her shoulder against mine. “It’s finally happening.”
“I know.” Tears pricked my eyes, and I squeezed Ana’s hand. “We still have to find her. But we’re so close.”
“Just two realms to check.”
“If only we could just freaking ask her where she was.” I’d never been a fan of cell phones—not much use for them in our old life—but now, I’d kill to be able to ring her up and say, “Hey, where you at? I’ll come get you.”
Sure, it’d take an army and a lot of offensive magic to get her, but we had that. All we needed was a place.
Hedy turned to us, brows drawn. “Ask her where she is?”
“Yeah.”
She nodded, the wheels clearly turning in her head. “Do you still have any of her hair?”
I glanced at Ana, startled, then back at Hedy. “Yeah, we do.”
“I might be able to help. There’s a spell that uses a mirror and something from the person you want to contact. You’ll have one shot.”
“Anything.” My heart leapt.
“We’ll have to be careful, though,” Ana said. “She goes in and out of the enchantment. If we get her at the wrong time, she might alert Cocidius or the other gods that we’re coming for her.”
“Could we just spy on her?” I asked. “Never let her know we’re looking?”
Cade smiled at me. “That could work well.”
“Yes,” Hedy said. “If you’re silent, and in a dark place, she may not even notice you are watching. But the mirror will only work once.”
“We’ll take what we can get. Thank you.”
“Of course. You’re one of us.” She handed me the completed vial of antidote. It was ruby red with swirls of purple. “One dose. She must drink. And get me the last strands of her hair. Along with some of your own.”
I took the vial with a grateful nod, then yanked out a few long hairs and handed them over. Ana did the same. “I’ll get you the rest of Rowan’s hairs. They’re in my room.”
“I’ll have the mirror done for you by early tomorrow morning,” Hedy said. “You can pick it up before you go after Rowan. Hopefully Ali and Haris will have had luck with Cass.”
I freaking hoped so. It was the last piece of the puzzle, and we really needed it to fall into place.
11
Cade and I walked out of Hedy’s place with Ana. She sprinted off toward the castle, determined to get Hedy the key ingredient for the mirror, but Cade and I lingered.
“I need to head back to my place soon,” he said. “But I’ll be here early in the morning. As soon as Ali and Haris give us what they know, we’ll set off. We’ll find Rowan, Bree. I promise.”
I squeezed him tight, leaning my head against his chest. “Thank you for being by my side through all this.”
We’d just kind of fallen into a natural rhythm, the two of us, doing what we did best. Kicking ass, mostly. And I liked it.
I leaned back. “I think I’m starting to like you.”
“Just starting?” His lips kicked up at the corner, a devastatingly sexy grin that made my head spin.
“Maybe it started a little while ago. But now I’m positive. I definitely like you.”
“So you’d say yes to a date when this is all over? A real one?”
“Something that’s not running for our lives or drinking beer at the Whisky and Warlock?”
“I was thinking more along the lines of long walks on the beach, riding a tandem bike, gazing at the sunset.…” He had the tone of one of those old dating shows.
I laughed.
He shook his head. “I quite like the Whisky and Warlock, but no. I was thinking of something that would put you back into Caro’s dress.”
“So that you can take me out of it?” I grinned cheekily.
“I make no assumptions.” He sounded like an angel. Totally pure. And maybe a little full of it.
“I’d like that. A lot.” I leaned up and kissed him, falling briefly into the magical sensation of his lips against mine.
A blast of warmth hit my cheek, and I jerked back. Mayhem was floating nearby, a ham in her mouth.
“Party pooper,” I said.
She flew in a loop-de-loop, then farted a poof of fire.
I laughed and looked at Cade. “That’s my cue. I need to rest up. Can’t be low on power tomorrow.”
“No. We have important work to do.”
Did we ever.
The next morning, I woke with the dawn, throwing on clothes and zipping the antidote into the pocket of my jacket.
Mayhem and Chaos were conked out on my couch, but Ruckus was nowhere to be seen. Off causing mischief, no doubt. But I definitely didn’t have time to worry about it.
I hurried out of my tower apartment and into the hall, meeting Ana as she left her own door.
“Hey. Did you get the mirror?” I asked.
“Yep. I snuck down there before dawn to get it.”
“Perfect. I hope it works.”
“Same.”
We rushed through the hall and down to the main foyer, heading to the kitchen to grab a quick breakfast before meeting with everyone in the round room.
We had just stepped back into the foyer, our bellies full, when the front door of the castle burst open. Ali, Haris, and Cass spilled in, their hair windblown and cheeks red. Caro followed behind. Her silver eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Did you find it?” I asked.
“We did,” Ali said.
“With some help.” Cass stepped aside.
A tall, slender man entered behind her. He glowed a pale golden color, his sim
ple trousers and shirt looking like they were spun from watery sunlight.
The magic that flowed from him made me gasp. The strength of it made me stumble briefly. Was he a god? It felt like a warm summer day, and smelled of fresh grass and cool water.
“I am Belobog.” His voice had the hum of a breeze.
“Slavic god of sunshine and life,” Cass said.
With magic that felt like this, he had to be a good guy, then. I smiled. “Nice to meet you.”
“I’ve come to assist you with Chernobog.” Besides having a nice voice, he spoke in a stilted style that was somewhat strange. Probably didn’t get out much.
“Thank you,” Ana said. “We’ll take all the help we can get.”
“Let’s go to the round room,” I said. “The others are waiting.”
“Are you hungry?” Ana asked. “You’ve been gone all night.”
Dang. Points to Ana for being good.
“Actually, we’re great!” Haris said. “Belobog gave us a little burst of his light, and I’m totally refreshed.”
I raised a brow. These guys could always eat something, so Belobog’s power had to be something.
“Good. Let’s go.” I turned and led the group toward the round room, falling back to thank Cass. “I really appreciate you working nonstop to find my sister.”
“Of course.” She tucked her red hair behind her ear. “You helped us a lot, years ago. We’re just sorry we couldn’t find her sooner. But having so many people tracking them has made it easier. It’s hard for a god to hide his magic.”
“So you really found the entrance to Chernobog’s realm?”
“According to Belobog, yes. But it will take some effort to get to.”
When we were this close to saving Rowan, there was no amount of effort that would keep me from her.
Everyone gathered around the big table in the round room, joining Jude and Hedy. We fell right into discussion, Belobog leading the way.
Stilted speech or no, he was comfortable with his godly power. “Your friend here found me while they were searching for Chernobog’s lair in Germany. Near the Baltic. He has been a plague on the region, one that I have been unable to fight.”
“We’ll help you,” Cade said.
Belobog inclined his head. “Thank you. That is what your friends said. If you can get rid of Chernobog, it will do the world much good.”
“What’s he doing that is such a scourge?” I asked.
“I am light, and Chernobog is darkness. I am life, and he is death. Illness. Once, we were in harmony. Each with power, neither good nor bad. One required for the other.” He shook his head. “But long ago, he fell into alliance with the Rebel Gods. He wanted more than his half of the day. More than his half of existence. They’ve given it to him. And as a result, his dark realm has spilled out onto the earth, polluting a small section of the coast in northern Germany.”
“It’s a flipping nightmare, all right.” Ali leaned back in his chair, dark eyes and hair gleaming. He was wearing another soccer jersey—or football, as he insisted on calling it. He didn’t seem to have an alliance to any team, just the style.
“Dark, depressing. Dangerous,” Haris said.
“We didn’t go all the way through,” Cass said. “It was too far. Miles. But I know that the entrance to Chernobog’s lair is within the polluted area. By the coast. I could feel it.”
“How many miles?” I asked Belobog. I just couldn’t wait any longer, to be honest.
“Twenty miles, perhaps a bit more. It’s been a long time since I’ve made it out to the sea. His magic has polluted it for far too long, making travel difficult.”
I looked at Ana, brow raised. She nodded.
“We could bring the buggy, drive across. That is, if Rowan is in Chernobog’s realm instead of Eris’s.”
“Let’s hope she’s in Eris’s realm, then,” Ana said. “Because Despotiko was just an empty island. Not difficult to access at all.”
“If we’ve been briefed on all details and are prepared, you could consult your mirror now,” Jude said.
I couldn’t help but appreciate how good a teacher she was. Yes, we were in the middle of the most important fight of my life. Saving my sister was everything, and success was paramount.
But I was also still in training here at the Academy. This had become part of it, an advanced fast lane brought on by circumstance. And Jude helped guide me, but never took control.
I smiled at her and nodded, then looked around the table, waiting for anyone to pipe up with more info. No one did.
“Guess we’re ready to look.” I drew in a ragged breath as Ana pulled the mirror from her bag.
She stood, and flicked off the lights. “I’m standing near the door. I’ll hold out the mirror and ask to see Rowan. Everyone stay quiet. Look for details in the image to figure out where she is. We won’t speak to her in case she’s currently in one of her bad spells.”
Everyone stayed dead silent, and Ana counted down to zero.
The mirror flared to life. It was roughly the size of a dinner plate, and glowed with orange light. I squinted.
There was flame. From a torch.
It illuminated Rowan, who sat in a large window seat, seeming high in a tower. My heart pounded against my ribs, and I prayed she couldn’t hear. We didn’t need her alerting the guards and going somewhere else.
I studied the area around her. There were heavy stone walls, black with grime. But they were shiny. Black ice? Outside of the window, snow fell, though the land beyond was bare. Wind whipped the white flakes through the air.
The image went dark.
There was silence.
Finally, Hedy spoke. “I think that’s it. The connection is broken.”
Ana flipped on the light and joined us.
“It was Chernobog’s realm,” Belobog said. “Ice and dark. Just like him.”
“I have to agree,” Cass said. “Highly unlikely that it’s snowing in Eris’s Greek realm.”
Dang.
“She’s in his castle,” Belobog said. “It won’t be hard to find, but entering will be difficult. Stealth is a must.”
“Then we know where we are going.” I stood. “I understand if this is too dangerous for volunteers—”
Ali laughed. Haris joined him.
I smiled at them. “All right, then. We’ll meet at the buggy on the front lawn in fifteen minutes. I’m going to need to find Emily to see if she’ll transport us all.”
“Wear black,” Cade said. “We’ll try to blend in.”
The group stood, and we scattered.
Cass joined me in the hall. “Would you like me to call Nix and Del to come help? They’ll be here in a heartbeat.”
Warmth filled my chest, and I shot her a grateful look before turning my gaze to Ana. “The buggy is at max capacity, isn’t it?”
Ana nodded. “Between all of us, yes.”
“But I can fit, right?” Cass said.
I nodded. “Thank you.”
“Of course. And Belobog is right. Stealth is often everything.”
Our team was strong enough to win this. As long as we could get inside the castle walls before they whisked Rowan away, we would save her.
Fifteen minutes later, after dressing entirely in black winter clothes and finding Emily to transport us, I met the group on the front lawn.
Ana had been in charge of picking up the buggy from the stables, and she sat behind the wheel with Caro and Ali next to her. Haris, Cass, and Cade sat in the back. Belobog stood on the front platform, glowing golden and looking quite pleased with his position up front. While Cass could transport a lot of people, only Emily was strong enough to transport a whole car.
Emily and I joined them, climbing onto the back platform. Jude stood off to the side, along with Hedy.
Her stern gaze turned to me. “Be safe. If something goes wrong, use your comms charms for backup.”
“Thank you.” I wanted to hug her, but resisted, and turned toward Emily. �
��Ready whenever you are.”
“I’ll join Belobog. He can lead me there.” Emily climbed over the back seats, seeming to intentionally step on Ali—no idea what was going on there—and joined Belobog on the front. She reached for his hand, and he seemed to know the drill, gripping hers quickly. She turned to us. “Hold on to your seats. This is going to be a bumpy ride.”
I smiled and gripped the front railing, crouching low. The ether sucked us in, sending my stomach pitching, then spat us out into a dimly lit field. The weak sun tried to shine through the heavy black fog, but was doing a poor job of it.
Dark magic welled, turning my stomach sour.
“Ugh,” Haris said. “Worse than I remember.”
Belobog shuddered and climbed off the buggy. “This is where I must leave you. I can go no farther toward his realm, or his darkness would snuff out my light.” He pointed directly ahead. “Go northwest. By the pinnacle of rock, there is a hole in the sea. That will take you to Chernobog’s realm.”
“Will it take us back out again?” Haris asked.
Good question.
“It will. Be safe on your journey. If you can kill Chernobog, you will clear this land and the people may return. The local covens are holding the dark magic back from spreading, but they are losing strength.”
“Good motivation,” Cade murmured.
That it was.
Emily climbed down and turned to us. “I’ll hang with Belobog. When you need a lift back, call me. I’ll be ready.”
“Thanks, Emily.” She wasn’t a fighter, so I appreciated her coming this far into danger.
“Anytime. You’re one of us.”
People kept saying that. And it was corny, but I didn’t care. In fact, I freaking loved it.
Ana revved the engine, and took off, leaving them behind. I waved, then turned to put my face into the wind.
The field quickly gave way to a forest where the trees were gnarled and bent. They weren’t dead, though, just covered with a strange, inky dust.
“This is why the world needs balance.” Cass shuddered hard.
The buggy bounced over roots and wove around trees, making quick time through the dark forest. But the ugly energy of the place made me shiver. The closer we got to the coast, the stronger it felt.
