Chapter 23
Chapter twenty-three
Bridget reflexively reached for Nylah’s hand. The moment small fingers met hers, she relaxed a bit, despite the harrowing blackness surrounding her. Silence pressed in from all sides. The usual low hum of palace life had vanished, replaced by something far more unsettling.
“What the hell is this?” Deckard’s voice cut through the dark.
Bridget heard Cade scoff nearby. “The power went out.”
A knife slammed hard against the table.
“I understand the electricity is off,” Deckard snapped. “I want to know why.”
At the head of the table, two glowing eyes flickered to life.
Deckard muttered something under his breath as a faint shimmer of blue lit his face.
Magic, no doubt, as he whispered a message to someone across the palace.
At least the light emanating from his face allowed Bridget to vaguely see the profile of her sister’s contemplative one.
“Maybe eating in a windowless room wasn’t such a good idea,” Nylah said. “Too bad I left my lighter in my room.”
Bridget balked. “Who gave you a lighter?”
It had to be Archer. Asking for forgiveness and not permission was his specialty. Just like the time he’d let Nylah drink a Red Bull after dinner.
A shriek penetrated Bridget’s ears. Goosebumps erupted over skin as it echoed throughout the palace, reaching their location in faint, haunting waves. Her chest twisted. The noise was familiar and tensed her muscles. A prick shot through her forehead.
Is it just me, or did that sound like the Wraith? Cade asked.
It’s not just you.
She felt his grimace. I was hoping I was wrong. It shouldn’t be possible. Not with the protection spell.
“What was that?” Cassia asked, her voice a nervous whisper.
A frustrated hum reverberated from Deckard’s chest. “Whatever it is, it will be dead soon enough.”
I think we need to stop doubting Quinn and what she can do with the Bloodstone. She must have found a loophole, Bridget told Cade.
Before he could respond, Deckard shoved back his velvet chair with a scrape of wood against stone.
At the same time, the dining room doors burst open.
Torchlight from the hall spilled in, finally illuminating the room in flickering orange.
A guard dressed in black stepped inside, gave a curt bow, then snapped to attention.
“It seems to be only the palace affected by the blackout. One of the lieutenants found the solar powered generator in the east wing blown to bits. The rest of the city still has power. We should move you to a more secure location while we work on fixing the issue.”
“You want me to hide in my own palace?” Deckard sneered. The dagger at his hip shimmered as he yanked it from its sheath, its edge catching the firelight. “I don’t think so. If that beast from the wall has made it inside, then I want to deal with it myself.”
Cade stood, matching his father’s glare. “You didn’t fight the Wraith at the wall. I did. You’re going to need more than a rune. Fire was the only thing that seemed to deter it until the protection spell returned.”
Deckard scoffed. “This dagger can still cut off a head. I’ve never seen anything survive that, not even a Shaman.” He turned to the guard and snapped his fingers. “We’ll take the east side. My son will take the west. Let’s see which one of us gets to it first.”
Another unearthly wail rippled through the walls.
It was closer this time. Everyone stilled.
Bridget’s heart thundered. Still connected to Cade, she sensed his annoyed trepidation.
A hint of plan echoed down the bond. Another windowless room.
A tunnel. A fireball by Stellan. Power began to glow under his skin.
Stellan and Marin are going to meet us on the first floor.
Before Bridget could argue, his presence disappeared with a sharp pop. Blood dripped down her nose. She felt Nylah’s gaze burning a hole through her skin as she quickly wiped it away with the sleeve of her dress.
“Can you not do that while she’s wearing my dress?” Cassia snarled to Cade. “That blood will be impossible to get off.”
Nylah pulled on Bridget’s hand. “We stick together this time. I know you two just had a secret conversation.”
Lips turned up slightly, Cade ruffled the top of her tight curls. Despite the knot constricting her throat, Bridget said, “I promised you that wouldn’t happen again.”
And she’d basically made the same unspoken promise to Delphine. Nylah was her responsibility. No matter how much she wanted to help, she wouldn’t abandon her again.
Deckard rolled his eyes, a dark scowl settling on his face as he paused at the doorway. Out of the corner of his eye, he appraised the guard. “What’s your name?”
“Barrett,” the guard stammered.
Deckard’s lip curled. “Barrett, give my son your sword.”
The king stormed into the hallway. The guard’s cheeks reddened as a series of strangled noises escaped his throat. After a moment, Cade flicked his wrist. The sword attached at Barrett’s side flew to his hand. He caught it midair.
“I don’t need this, but it’s better for you if he thinks you listened,” Cade said coolly. “You better hurry before you lose him and the Wraith finds you first.”
Barrett swallowed hard, nodded without a word, and hurried after Deckard. Once their footsteps faded down the hall, Cade turned and pressed the sword into Bridget’s hand. Then he scooped up Nylah, placing her carefully on the closet chair.
“Hop on, we’ll be able to move faster if I carry you,” he said. “Cass, grab one of the torches from the hallway and make sure it doesn’t go out.”
Nylah jumped on his back and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Bridget's knuckles turned white as she gripped the sword’s handle.
It felt heavy and foreign in her hand. And too similar to the one in the vision.
As it swished in the air, the whistling made her stomach churn.
She suddenly wanted nothing more than to throw it out the window.
“I’m much better with a dagger, you know.
Besides, I can hardly move in this dress. This won’t do me any good.”
Bridget tried to give it to Cassia. The blonde traitorously held up her hands.
“You need it more than me. While my magic is a little erratic at the moment, it’s more than you have.”
“Just hold on to it. Please,” Cade said, eyes softening. “Cass has a point. You need to have something and that dress leaves little to the imagination. I know you don’t have any daggers on you.”
Heat traveled up Bridget’s neck as she reluctantly nodded. The moment they arrived at the tunnel she’d seen in Cade’s head, she was dropping the damned thing.
Silence wrapped around them as they stepped into the dim hallway.
Shadows flickered along the walls, making the paintings seem almost alive.
Cassia pulled a torch from the wall, the metallic click of its release echoing far louder than it should have.
Nylah pressed a finger to her lips, silently shushing her, and Cassia shot her a sharp glare.
Following Cade toward the main stairwell, Bridget cast a glance over her shoulder at the empty corridor behind them. Her heart pounded loudly in her ears.
“How do you think it got in?” Bridget whispered. “Quinn has to be with it, right?”
Her fingers nervously tugged at the soft green leaves of the fichus tree planted in the center of the double staircase, half-expecting Quinn to leap out from behind it.
“Now I normally don’t mind being alone in a dark room with a man, but the shrieking killed the mood.”
Heart leaping to her throat, Bridget whirled around and snapped the sword upward. Metal clinked as Finn blocked the weapon with his own before it reached Archer’s neck. Adrenaline buzzed through Bridget’s veins as she let out a frustrated huff and hit the Warlock on the arm.
“Why did you sneak up on us like that?”
“Why did you jump behind a plant?” Archer countered, brow raised. “Your boyfriend summoned us. Again, can we try a note next time?”
“Because that would be such a great use of our time,” Cade replied scathingly.
“I can’t pinpoint the Wraith’s location,” Finn said. “Every time it wails, it sounds like it’s coming from a different direction.”
“Fantastic,” Cassia grumbled. Her anxious gaze darted to the dark space behind Finn and Archer. “Where’s Castor?”
Finn glanced at Cade before he answered. “Once we heard the Wraith, he and Delphine went to help secure the servants quarters and get them out. And no surprise to anyone, Alexia followed.”
Cassia nodded, face transforming into steel. Bridget lowered her gaze when she noticed the subtle bob of her throat. She didn’t envy the unsurety of not knowing how the person you cared about felt.
Archer tossed a small metal item to Nylah. “Here you go, kid.”
Bridget narrowed her eyes at the lighter in her sister’s hands. “I knew it was you.”
“There’s a safe room on the bottom floor. It leads to a tunnel,” Cade said, propping Nylah up higher on his back. “I’ll get you all there and then help Stellan deal with the Wraith once and for all.”
Bridget tried to catch Cade’s gaze, but he wouldn’t meet her eyes.
So staying with her and Nylah obviously wasn’t part of the plan.
Dread spiked through her chest at the thought of having to transverse the tunnel out of the palace without him.
Especially if fire was involved. There was no guarantee they could control it if it started to spread.
Luckily, Finn voiced her thoughts. “So he has a plan? If we use as much fire as you did last time, you’re going to burn the palace down.”
“An idea of one, apparently,” Cade said, leading them down the stairs. “I haven’t decided if it’s a good one or not.”
Bridget stared at the back of his head and willed him to connect to her mind. She could tell he felt her gaze by the tense set of his shoulders. Before she gave in and poked him, his presence pinched her temple.
If you stare any harder, I’m going to catch on fire before we even find the Wraith.