Chapter 12 #4
“What about additional magic?” I asked. “Anything around windows or sliding doors?”
Not that I can see, though the minute you raise a spell to open either, they will sense it.
“Yes, which is why we won’t be raising a spell,” René said.
I glanced at him. “I’m presuming that means you’re proficient at breaking and entering?”
“Spell work wasn’t the only skill I learned from my father.”
“You obviously had an interesting childhood.”
“You have no idea.” He motioned to the fence. “You want a boost up and over?”
“Please.”
He immediately crouched and cupped his hands.
I stepped into them, and he thrust upward, boosting me toward the top of the fence.
I grabbed it, swung my legs over, then dropped down to the other side, my fingers sweeping the ground as I regained balance.
The rear yard was as shadowed as the front, but it was at least clear of trees.
The fenced pool area lay to the right, along with a small building I presumed was a changing room and/or bathroom, while well-manicured grass covered the rest of it.
The wall of magic lay three feet away and was roughly six feet high—just the right height to catch intruders and low-flying birds.
“All clear,” I said softly.
René immediately appeared, climbing over the fence with far more grace than me. I pointed to the shadows haunting the side fence. “If Atticus can cause chaos over near the pool, we can keep to the left and hopefully remain unnoticed.”
“We’ll still have to move fast,” René said. “It’s not like we can shield our presence without warning them.”
Atticus reappeared next to my feet. Remember to keep low in the process.
I have done this before, Atticus.
Yes, but this is the first time it truly matters.
Because it was the first time someone I cared about was in harm’s way. I sucked in a breath and tried not to think about what could be happening in there.
“Let’s get this done,” I said softly, and followed the fence line down to the left corner, stopping close enough to the barrier that its magic stung my skin. It might be a relatively simple spell, but there was a foulness embedded within it.
René stopped beside me. I glanced back at Atticus and said, Ready?
Indeed.
Then feel free to cause your chaos.
The moment he leapt into the swirling threads, René and I dropped to hands and knees and scrambled toward the house.
The magic was a foul weight that hummed above us, lit by multiple flashes of green that was Atticus running and leaping in and out of the threads.
Shouts came from inside the house and doors slammed; I increased my pace, my gaze on the house and the windows facing us.
They were curtained and they didn’t move, but footsteps were echoing on the other side of the house now, drawing closer.
We had seconds, if that, to get out of sight.
We made it past the veil of magic, thrust upright, and ran hard through the drizzle to the side of the house. Just as we reached the corner, a figure appeared on the opposite side.
It was the big man who’d attacked me at the apartment, though he looked frailer now than he had then and his hair was streaked with gray.
Guilt briefly swirled, then died. While both were a result of my draining his life force, I had no doubt he and his fucking partner would likely have fed me to their demon.
“Hey,” he shouted, his tone harsh and annoyed, “get out of here, you annoying fucking creature.”
Atticus not only ignored him but increased his speed, ensuring the fluorescent flashes of green and no doubt the internal alarms were almost continuous. The absolute delight running through his thoughts had a smile tugging at my lips, though I couldn’t help but send a reminder to be careful.
His response was a catty, Always am.
I ducked past a window, even though its curtains were drawn, and continued on down the side of the house, heading toward a covered side entrance. More shouting rose from the other side of the house, then magic surged; a spell net, one designed to not only snare but throw.
Atticus didn’t counter it; instead, he simply disappeared—something I knew from the sudden absence of his thoughts in mine.
“You want to work your magic on that door?” I asked.
René stepped past me, produced a small leather pouch from inside his jacket pocket, and then plucked a metal lockpick free and bent to examine the lock. A few seconds later, he had the door open.
We’d barely stepped inside when, from the deeper recesses of the house, came a thick wave of magic.
My breath caught in my throat, and fear surged.
I knew that spell; I’d felt the remnants of it in the apartment when I’d found Francesca’s and Marnee’s bodies.
Someone within the house was summoning the heart-consuming demon.
A heartbeat later, the screaming began.
Ginny. It was Ginny.
I darted forward, but René caught my arm, hauling me to a stop. “Wait, it could—”
“Be a trap,” I finished for him. “And I don’t care. Those fucking demons are not going to consume my friend.”
“And if you want to save her, then we need to think and react rationally, not emotionally.”
I sucked in a breath, knowing he was right even if I didn’t want to admit it, and motioned him forward.
The screaming had cut off, but the magic continued to build, becoming a thick layer of evil that made it difficult to breathe.
My heart was racing so damn hard it felt ready to tear out of my chest. I eased past the washing machines and cast a repelling spell, letting it swirl lightly around my fingertips.
It was dangerous, but against the greater wash of magic coming from within the house, it was little more than a whisper lost to the might of a storm.
But it was a whisper that would at least protect me.
The laundry door was open, but the hall beyond was filled with unnatural shadows. The spell was being raised from somewhere to the right, but its echoes and Ginny’s scream had come from the left. The caster and whatever spell he was casting were in two different locations. We’d have to split up.
René touched my arm and then motioned me to the left. I nodded. While I had no idea what spell was being cast, I knew for a fact I simply didn’t have the magical know-how to deal with the caster, and I certainly didn’t have the time to dissect and nullify his or her spell.
I padded silently forward, keeping my back to the wall.
There were three doors leading off the hall, two on the left, one on the right, before it opened up into what looked to be a recreational room.
Two of the doors were locked; the third opened into a large room that contained several mattresses and a couple of rolled-up sleeping bags.
There was no sign that either had been used recently.
I continued on. From up ahead came the caress of magic and the stomp of heavy boots.
I doubted it was Lanie moving around; aside from the fact she didn’t seem to be the work boot wearing type, whoever paced up ahead stepped heavily.
I suspected it was either Luke or the second man who’d been at the apartment.
I drew a knife, the threads of my leash weaving lightly around my fingers. I hoped like hell I didn’t have to use the blade, even as instinct whispered that was false hope.
The echo of magic coming from up ahead abruptly surged; a heartbeat later, there was a soft, somewhat muffled whimper.
Ginny again.
The desire to get in there and rescue her was so damn strong that my pace briefly increased. I forced myself to slow again and crossed over to the other side of the hall to scan the left side of the room.
No magic, no sign of anyone else, and no gentle pulse of life running through the air.
Everything lay to the right. Ginny, the heavy-footed man, and the growing intensity of whatever spell was being crafted. It was tempting, so damn tempting, to rush out there, but until I had a good grasp of the situation, doing so could just make things worse.
After a quick look at the hall behind me to ensure nothing and nobody was trying to sneak up, I carefully placed my bag down, then dropped to my belly and dragged the black jacket’s hood up to cover my vibrant hair.
Then, as prepared as I could be, I crawled forward the last few inches and peered cautiously out.
Ginny was naked, bound, and lying within a circle within a triangle of black spell stones.
The air above her pulsed and writhed, framing claws that were becoming more solid with every beat of magic.
Pacing the boundary of the circle was the second man from the apartment.
Magic trailed lightly after him, and while I wasn’t entirely sure what sort of spell it was, it did have the markers of some sort of shield.
Perhaps he was protecting himself from a certain scarlet-haired energy thief....
There was no sign of Luke or Lanie. In some respects, that was good, because it at least meant I only had one powerful witch to deal with.
Conversely, it also meant René had two.
I wriggled back, then rose and took a deep breath to calm the instinctive rise of fear. It didn’t help. It never did. But then, fear was also a great speed booster....
I bolted into the main room and unleashed the repelling spell at the big man.
It hit him just as he turned to face me and swept him off his feet, shoving him back through the nearest window.
As glass shattered and he disappeared out into the silver gloom, his magic surged.
I instinctively slashed at the incoming spell with the blade; light flared down its fuller as it sliced through the magic, and broken threads rained to the floor either side of me.