by Linsey Hall
“Come on,” Roarke said.
“Okay.” I removed my hand, weak from spending all my magic.
We waded down the river until we could find a place to climb out. Massive trees surrounded us. We were in the same large, dark forest where I’d woken from my stupor while being carried by the demon.
Out here, the air felt fresher. Like it wasn’t heavy with the evil that pervaded the fortress we’d just escaped from. But I remembered waking up while being carried through here initially. It’d felt evil then. Just went to show how relative things could be. This forest was still full of dark magic—just less than the creepy place we’d escaped.
“We need to find somewhere to recover,” I said. “I’m drained, and I lost my comms charm so I can’t call Cass to come get us.”
“I could use a break, too.” He looked around, taking in the tall trees and the tainted black mist that hung low on the ground. “If we could only find a graveyard or haunted place, I could make an Underpath.”
“Are you really up to it?” He still looked so beat up.
“You’re right. I may need to rest. Let’s try to find some place sheltered.”
We raced through the forest, trying to cover as much ground as possible but still keep the fortress in our sights. It went out of view occasionally, but I always knew where it was. I didn’t want to lose it now that we’d found it.
Night animals rustled as we ran, shrieks and howls making my hair stand on end. My legs were freezing from the water by the time we’d gone a couple miles, and I was desperate to find a place to hole up.
When we came upon a wide waterfall that fed a river, I pulled up short. It was about twenty feet tall and ten feet wide, a thick fall of water that pounded down on the rocks below. Dim moonlight glinted on the water.
“Is there a cave behind that waterfall?” I asked. There was a dark patch at the side.
“Possibly.”
“Let’s check it out.” I clambered over the rocks at the side of the waterfall, finding a gap between the water and the stone. I squeezed inside, finding a passageway. “Jackpot.”
Roarke followed me in, and we hurried down the passage, coming out in a cave the size of a small house. It even had a bit of rustic furniture.
“Does someone live here?” Roarke asked.
I explored, finding a hearth in the middle of the room, along with a couch, bed, and rustic kitchen. It’d all been handmade of wood, possibly from the forest, and looked like it’d been abandoned for years.
“I think whoever lived here has left,” I said.
“Didn’t like their neighbors.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me.” I glanced around. “This is a little too good to be true. I don’t know if we should stay here. We could be trapped.”
Roarke pointed to the back of the room. “I think that’s another exit.”
He went to it and disappeared. I followed. This path was narrower than the one we’d entered through, but it eventually spit us out into the forest.
“Two entrances. That’s good,” Roarke said.
“Yeah.” I shivered, my whole body now freezing, not just my legs. “If only we had some guard dogs to warn us if people were coming.”
“You’re friends with plenty of magical dogs,” Roarke said. “And I don’t think we can go much farther until you warm up and get your strength back.”
“Look that bad, do I?” My chattering teeth really punctuated the question.
“Just tired.”
“Yeah.” But he was right. I did have plenty of magical canine friends and just about no energy left. I called Pond Flower with my mind, praying she’d show up. There was nothing for a while, but finally, she appeared in front of me.
“Pond Flower!” I knelt and rubbed her ears. She gave me a sloppy kiss on the cheek. “Can you be our guard dog? Maybe get one of your friends to guard the other exit?”
She nodded and was about to disappear when I reached out a hand. “Hang on. Could you also tell Corin we’re here? And get some food from the kitchen at the FireSoul compound?”
My stomach growled as Pond Flower cocked her head. I could only hope she understood or could do either of those things.
“That’s a pretty handy talent,” Roarke said.
I shrugged. “Just lucky to have good friends, I guess.”
It took a few minutes, but Pond Flower returned with the black hellhound we’d met outside the FireSouls’ compound. Pond Flower had a big hunk of ham in her mouth, but no Corin. The big black hound had a loaf of crusty bread.
“One out of two ain’t bad,” I said. “And it was too much to hope she could transport Corin.”
Roarke reached for the hunk of ham, scratching Pond Flower’s ears when she gave it up easily. “You’re one of a kind, you know?”
Pond Flower’s tongue lolled out of her mouth.
I took the bread from the black dog and said, “Thank you for coming.”
I wished I knew its name, but Emile, the only true Anima Mage that I knew, would have to ask the dog for me.
The black dog nodded and set up guard at this exit. Pond Flower followed us back into the homey space, then headed toward the waterfall.
“I’ll start a fire,” Roarke said. He set to work at the small hearth, making use of the dry kindling and wood. He picked up a couple of little rocks and struck them together.
“You can make fire from rocks?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I hope so.”
I grinned, then set off to shake the dust from the blankets. I piled them on the couch by the fire, then scavenged a bucket from the rustic kitchen. It only took a moment to get water from the waterfall out front. I gave Pond Flower a scratch, then returned to the little room.
By the time I returned, Roarke had built the fire. He wore a blanket wrapped around his waist like a long towel, and his wet clothes were laid out by the fire to dry. The firelight flickered off his muscles, and my gaze roved over his chest.
“Genius plan.” My own wet clothes were cold and stiff. I set the bucket by the couch. “Turn around. I’m going to do the same.”
Roarke grinned, then turned. Quickly, I stripped out of my clothes and laid them out, then draped a blanket over my shoulders. My toes were like little bricks of ice, but the rest of me was starting to warm up.
I hurried to the couch, which was built of wood and upholstered in some kind of rough fabric. I curled up on the cushion, tucking my feet under me. The couch was stuffed with something lumpy, but it was mostly soft. I was beyond grateful for the bounty of this little abandoned cave.
Roarke was still turned around, so I said, “You can come join me.”
“Excellent.” He went to the table in the kitchen, retrieved the bread and ham the dogs had brought us, and took a seat next to me.
I piled some of the blankets on top of us and leaned into his heat. Immediately, exhaustion pulled at me, as if my body had been waiting for a single moment of relaxation. Then it struck.
I yawned hard. “I’m glad you’re here with me.”
“Me, too.” Roarke offered me the bread and ham.
I took the bread and bit in, not even caring about the fact that it had hellhound spit on it. We chowed down, so hungry that we didn’t take time to talk. When the food was polished off, we drank from the bucket.
I handed the thing off to Roarke and wiped my mouth, then collapsed back on the couch. We had so much to talk about, but my eyelids were so heavy.
Roarke sat back, and I curled up against him. His warmth soaked into me, the best thing I’d ever felt. I tried to open my mouth to ask one of my million questions. But nothing came out except a yawn. Roarke’s eyes were at half-mast, too.
His gaze dropped to my wrists. Concern wrinkled his brow.
“Your wrists. They’re burned, too,” he said. “You didn’t heal yourself with the potion.”
“I’m fine.” Though they hurt like hell. “I tasted the potion to make sure it wasn’t poison. It healed them a bit.”
> “You should have healed yourself first.”
“When have you ever healed yourself before me?” I tried to stifle my yawn, but failed.
“Del.” Something heavy laced his voice, but I couldn’t identify it.
“Del, what?”
He didn’t have an answer. I glanced up, my eyelids feeling like they weighed a million pounds. His eyes were closed, his breathing steady. The torture had taken its toll. Not to mention everything we’d gone through before and after.
I couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore and didn’t bother trying. The fire warmed me, we were safe—mostly—and I’d had a decent meal. There was no point in fighting sleep. Not when it was going to take me anyway.
But as I drifted off, I couldn’t help but think how good it felt to trust Roarke. Having him by my side felt right. And I felt lucky.
Chapter Twelve
When I woke, the fire had died. I was still curled up against Roarke, my muscles stiff, but I felt much stronger, so it was a win.
I had a desperate urge to pee, so I made my way to the back exit, finding the black hellhound still loyally guarding. The sun was rising over the dark trees. Though it should have made the forest feel more cheerful, it didn’t. Nothing could improve this place as long as the stink of evil hovered over it.
“Good morning.” I scratched the dog’s ears, then found a bush to use.
By the time I returned to the main room, Roarke was awake, dressed in his pants and boots, and pulling on his shirt.
“Feeling better?” I asked.
“Much.” His voice was strong, no longer exhausted or pained. “You?”
“Yeah. Turn around.”
He did, and I changed quickly into my dry clothes. They were stiff and dirty, but I couldn’t complain. I tugged on my shirt last, then said, “Okay, I’m good.”
Roarke turned and took a seat on the couch. “Come sit. We need to make a plan.”
I joined him, curling up at his side and absorbing his warmth. My mind immediately turned toward the fortress. “So, where the hell are we? Earth or the Underworld?”
“Earth,” Roarke said. “I’d feel it if this were the Underworld. But where on Earth, I have no idea.”
“It’s creepy. And I bet whoever lives in that damned fortress is even creepier.”
“They’re demons, though possibly not all of them. And they have contacts with demons in the Underworld, I think.”
“Not good.”
“No.” He frowned. “Whatever this is has been growing under my watch. It’s my responsibility.”
“And mine, if I’m the Guardian.”
He scrubbed a hand over his hair. “They think you’re something important, that’s for sure. They were questioning me about you.”
My stomach lurched. “That’s why they were torturing you?”
“Yes. Those cuffs knocked out my powers, and they dosed me with something strong for good measure. I don’t think they realized who I am or I’d be dead. They just knew that I was with you.”
“Did you learn anything from them?”
“No. They were asking all the questions. What do you think they want with you?”
I swallowed hard, not wanting to share what I’d remembered at my parents’ house.
But I’d decided to trust him, hadn’t I?
I took a deep breath and stepped off the cliff. “When we were at my parents’ place”—I couldn’t think of it as my own home—“I remembered a conversation with my parents. I’m supposed to be on the side of the demons in something called the great uprising.”
His arm tightened on my shoulders, then relaxed. “That’s why you’re called the Demise.”
“I would think so, yes.” I drew in a shuddery breath. “And I’m supposed to have a stronger, deadlier power than my parents. But I have no idea what it is. Maybe that’s one reason I’ve been so hesitant to take powers. My subconscious knows I’m supposed to do something bad.”
“You’ll only do something bad if you choose to. And I know you won’t.”
“I hope you’re right.” I squeezed his hand, but worry still clouded my mind. “Right now, we have one important goal. Save Draka.”
“We need to get out of here and get some backup.”
“Yeah. We can’t do this on our—”
A rustling noise sounded from the passageway on the waterfall side. I sat up.
Then footsteps. We leapt to our feet. My heart climbed into my throat as I prayed that something terrible hadn’t happened to Pond Flower. I called on my gift over ice, readying an icicle.
Shadowy forms appeared at the passage entrance a moment later. I was about to hurl my icy spear when I realized it was Cass. And Nix and Aidan. Pond Flower padded behind them.
“Guys!” I stowed the icicle. “How did you find us?”
“When you didn’t show up after a while, we used our dragon sense to find you.” Nix strolled toward me. “Took a little while, though. This place is remote.”
“Where are we?” I asked.
“Central Germany. In the mountains,” Aidan said.
My deirfiúr reached me, and I hugged them. “Thank you so much for coming.”
“Of course,” Nix said.
“So, what’s the deal? Why are you hiding out in a cave?” Cass asked.
I explained our abduction and the fortress and Draka’s egg. Their expressions grew more dire the longer I talked.
“So now we need to break in and steal the egg,” Nix said.
“Exactly,” I said. “But we need some supplies first. Cass, could you transport back to Magic’s Bend and bring back invisibility potions from Connor, food, and some fresh clothes? Oh, and a truth serum, if he has one.”
“Truth serum?” Cass asked.
“Yeah. Maybe I’ll get lucky and meet someone to interrogate. I want to know more about their plans.”
“Any idea who?” Aidan asked.
“I wish. But at this point, it pays to be prepared.”
Roarke reached for my hand and squeezed it.
“Yeah, agreed,” Cass said. “I’ll be back in a jiffy. Then we can talk about how we’re breaking into this fortress.”
The sun was high in the sky by the time we departed the cave, though it was still cold as the abominable snowman’s butt. Aidan had used his healing ability to take care of the worst of my wrist burns, and Cass had returned with everything I’d asked for. After changing and eating, I’d been ready to take on the world.
Which was good, because I didn’t have much choice.
Each of us had an invisibility potion in our pocket. We wanted them to last as long as possible, so we’d drink them as soon as we got through the castle walls.
As we crept through the forest, black mist twined around the tree trunks like a sentient being, bringing misery with it wherever it touched.
“This place is so creepy,” Nix murmured.
“Yeah,” I said. “Can’t get out of here soon enough.”
“I think it’s coming from the fortress,” Roarke said. “Feels similar to the way it did in there.”
He was right. The memory of the evil stink of the fortress made me shudder.
The fortress wall appeared through the trees a moment later. I stopped my friends and turned to them. “You guys wait here. I’m going to see if I can melt the metal gate. I’ll give the signal when I’m successful.”
I didn’t want everyone hanging out so close while I tried to get in. We’d just make a bigger, easier target.
Roarke accompanied me to the grate, but there was nothing I could do about that. No chance he’d leave my side.
We hurried to the edge of the wall and pressed our bodies against it. Fortunately, at the back of the castle, there weren’t any sentries. I crept along the stone till I reached the river, then leaned over and pressed my hand to the metal grate.
I called on my new power over metal, envisioning melting the iron. It flamed red in my mind, but nothing happened with the actual grate. I tried harder, fo
rcing my magic toward it. Sweat broke out on my brow.
“Not working,” I whispered.
“Protective spell,” Roarke said.
I sighed and pulled back. We’d been afraid of this. It’d been easy to escape because there weren’t any protective charms preventing that. The inhabitants would need the option to escape if there was a siege. But getting in? That was a lot harder.
We’d decided that Roarke wouldn’t try to break the charm because if he punched the iron grate, it’d be loud enough to alert the guards.
I pressed my fingertips to the charm at my neck. “Cass? Send Aidan.”
“On it.” Her voice echoed quietly.
A few minutes later, a small bird flew up and landed on the ground next to us. A sparrow. Golden light glowed from the bird and it transformed, taking the shape of a man. A moment later, Aidan stood in front of us.
“Protective charm?” he asked.
“Yep.”
He dug into his pocket and pulled out a small silver charm. A spell stripper. I’d seen him use it before. It was a nifty—and rare—piece of magic that could remove protective enchantments. It was damned hard to get your hands on one, but Aidan owned a security company so it was sort of in his line of work.
Aidan leaned over the river and ran the spell stripper around the edges of the grate.
I waited, breath held.
He leaned back and looked at me, brows drawn. “No good. The charm is too strong. Unlike anything I’ve ever seen.”
Though disappointed, I wasn’t surprised. This couldn’t be that easy.
“Plan C,” I said.
He nodded and shifted, transforming back into a sparrow and flying across the forest to our friends.
Nerves raced across my skin as I looked at Roarke. “Ready for this?”
He reached out and pulled me close, pressing a hard kiss to my lips.
I savored the contact, gripping him hard. Being close to him made this whole thing seem easier. More possible. The evil of the forest couldn’t break the little bubble of safety that formed when I was with him. Together, we could take on anything.
