Chapter 26
Chapter
Twenty-Six
We stomped on uneven gravel and dirt and dashed across the large, hollow hall, almost reaching the narrow tunnel where we would have to crawl back to the forest. But when the earth beneath my boots suddenly trembled, my heart dropped at the familiar sensation.
Not again. My steps faltered, stumbling back.
Lucy jogged past me, barely staying on her feet, and my eyes widened. Did she think she could outrun the rockslide?
“Lucy, stop,” I shouted, pushing my body to sprint after her.
I reached for her shoulder as the large stones at our sides dislodged and flew toward Lucy and me. At the last moment, I grabbed Lucy by her shirt and yanked her toward me, both of us falling to the ground.
The boulders slid across our pathway, filling up the space to the ceiling.
Closing my eyes, I placed my hand over my mouth and nose in a futile attempt to prevent the dust from getting into my lungs.
As the chaos of loud thumping noises echoed in the cave, I coughed until the dust settled and silence stretched around me.
Opening my eyes, I tried to lift my body. The skin on my elbows and knees stretched painfully, and I winced.
“Thank you, Breanna,” Lucy said. Standing, she reached for me to pull me up. “Victoria trapped us. Her men sure work quickly.”
I dusted off my ripped jeans and shirt, coughing again. “There’s got to be a way out.”
“How were they able to destroy the stones so fast?” Lucy asked.
“Perhaps the vampires used explosives to create the rock avalanche, or they could be only using their supernatural abilities by identifying natural triggers like water seepage or spots with vibrations that could lead to a rockfall,” I said, shrugging.
Not that it mattered how they were able to trap us here. All I could think of now was how to get us out of this sticky situation without leaving behind the rest of our people, who were vulnerable in the castle and the forest.
Scanning the rock wall before me, I looked for openings and cracks we could fit through. These boulders were more slippery, wetter, and rounder than those deeper into the tunnels, and even supernatural hands would have difficulty grabbing and holding on to them.
“Jason,” Lucy ordered, nodding toward the pile of rocks.
One of her people stepped forward, and after placing one leg on the lowest rock, attempted to climb up.
“Up there, Breanna.” Lucy pointed to a corner where a rock and the stony ceiling created a big enough hole for a large man to fit through.
But getting up there would be a challenge, and even Jason struggled to figure out where to put his hands and feet on the slippery surfaces. He balanced on a rock without holding on to anything and attempted to jump to the next stone.
The vampire’s leg slipped on the slick, moss-covered stone, and he flew off the rock to the ground. The landing looked painful, making me wince. The vampire grunted as he attempted to stand, but his ankle looked twisted in an awkward way.
“Is he going to be okay?” I asked, and Lucy gave me a “duh” look.
I sighed. Right. Supernaturals would heal fast. With no wolf to heal me, if I fell from the same rock, then… I swallowed the dryness in my throat.
“He will be, but we still have a problem,” she said. “How do we get out of here?”
Two other vampires rushed to Jason and supported him. He had difficulty stepping on his injured leg.
“We can’t have more of your men risk injuries. We need everyone healthy for when we enter the castle,” I said, scanning the rock avalanche again.
Lucy sighed next to me. “There’s always collateral damage during war.”
“Every life is important. I’m not risking their lives to just try to get to the top of the rocks.”
Dad had lost so many men when he led the werewolves in a war against the vampire Queen thirty years ago. His risk of failure had been high, and he hadn’t fully thought through his plan.
I patted the crystal in my leather sachet on my waist. With it, I increased the chances of the werewolves and our allies staying alive. We had to be on the other side as soon as possible for the crystal to protect everyone from the compulsion power.
Tilting my head back, I stared at the opening at the top—the only one allowing us to pass through.
“I have an idea,” I said, moving to the bottom rock where Jason had started his climb.
“Why do I feel like I wouldn’t like your idea?” Lucy said from behind me and then sighed. “We can’t risk your life. You’re the Queen. No Queen, no war, get it?”
I understood her fear of losing the person who led the war, but a life was a life—mine was worth as much as anyone else’s.
And my idea would work.
It had to. Otherwise, I would fall flat on my back and head, and from such heights, I wouldn’t survive the fall as a human. A wolf spirit would have come in handy at this point.
“Trust me, Lucy,” I said, imagining her pouty face and crossed arms. “Stand back.”
Willing my bracelet, I felt the magic come alive, simmering underneath my skin.
The jewelry extended into a golden rope, and I grasped it tightly at one end.
After swinging it over my head like a lasso, I threw it toward the top boulder, willing it to wrap around the slick surface.
I failed. Mentally praying, I attempted two more times.
“If your whip slips off, you’ll fall,” Lucy said.
My shoulder muscles burned at the exertion. “That’s the only way to get leverage to climb up,” I said, sending her a glance. “The magic of the witch whip won’t fail me, Lucy. Trust me.”
My mom had sent me the witch weapon for a reason, and now was the perfect time to use it to my advantage. I tugged on the golden rope hard, and the knot formed by the bracelet’s magic around the boulder tightened.
I started my ascent on the slippery rocks, putting one foot in front of the other while I held the golden rope with a death grip. My ascent to the top took forever. My muscles quivered as I reached the highest rock, breathless.
At the top, I crouched, glancing over my shoulder at the vampires.
“Lucy,” I said, letting go of the rope and tossing it behind me. I still had my hand on the golden rope to command my weapon. “One at a time.”
Lucy’s climb looked much more graceful than mine, using her supernatural strength and speed.
Jumping from one rock to the other while holding the golden rope appeared much easier than when Jason had attempted it without assistance.
One vampire guard crouched next to Jason, sitting on the damp floor.
When Lucy reached me, she smiled. “One of the men will stay behind with Jason.”
“We’ll have to alternate,” I said, looking at the descent to the ground on the other side. “I’ll pull the rope to climb down, then you grab it and toss it to the next person to climb up.”
Grinning, she nodded.
Going down the stones on the other side of the avalanche felt easier. All vampires passed through the opening at the top and met me on the other side. The last man handed me the magic rope, giving me a slight bow.
I willed the rope to untighten and pulled it back to me. The glimmering whip retracted and snaked around my forearm, shrinking into a piece of shiny jewelry once again.
The colder temperature on this side of the rockslide brushed over the skin where my long-sleeved shirt had ripped. I examined the bloody scrape—it ached, but I could handle it.
Turning to face my allies, I halted. The vampires had formed a line before me, staring at me with unblinking crimson eyes. A cold chill ran down my spine. My bloody elbows and knees must have triggered their vampire thirst.
Lucy’s eyes flashed crimson, too, and a pinch of worry stabbed my chest. Alpha Leo couldn’t have been correct.
As she stepped forward, I took a step back. She halted and tilted her head to the side.
“Breanna,” she said on a heavy sigh, “your reaction is understandable, as our species haven’t exactly gotten along for centuries. But we won’t hurt you. Actually, we wanted to thank you for not leaving us behind.”
As she did a slight bow, the rest of her people followed suit. When they straightened up, the vampires started walking toward the exit while Lucy came closer to me.
“We can’t deny that you smell delicious,” she said, grinning, “but our thirst is overridden by our common purpose.”
“Mmm…yes, that’s reassuring,” I said, but exhaled loudly, refocusing on my mission.
As we fell behind the rest of the group, I walked next to Lucy, my body relaxing.
“It’s difficult to override years of brainwashing and training to fight your kind,” I said, “but I’m glad you’re next to me, Lucy.”
Her smile looked genuine, warming my chest. It would be easier to face the vicious vampire Queen with Lucy by my side.
I knew we were close to the exit by the significant temperature change. We reached the narrow tunnel, surrounded by soil, and stepped out of the burrow one by one.
“We’ve lost enough time,” I said, jogging across the forest and up the steep hill.
I crossed my fingers that Victoria hadn’t started compelling my people into dying while I was away. Everyone else followed my tracks until we reached the place where the drawbridge should have been lowered by now.
Adrian and the other hunters walked out of the shadows. The moonlight shone over his rugged face and wary eyes.
“We’ve waited for a while,” he said breathlessly. “We assumed by the howls and screams coming from the inside the castle that some of you made it. But why are you here?”
“There was a trap. Two, actually,” I said.
Painful screams filled the cold air, and the clangs of swords and daggers echoed in the silent night.
My heart raced.
“They need help,” Adrian said in a low voice, and I sucked in a sharp breath, the coldness prickling my lungs.
Our delay had allowed the enemy to gain the upper hand. The werewolves, including Hayden, had arrived inside the castle walls, and now vampires would kill them one by one if we didn’t help them.
“The drawbridge isn’t lowered,” I said. “Hayden must be busy fighting vampires…”
In a matter of minutes, Hayden would be the last one standing…until the vampires also killed him. He was strong but not invincible. That was the thing about war—no one is a winner. Innocent people would suffer on both sides. Lives would be torn apart. Families separated. Homes destroyed.
I darted my gaze around, scanning the faces of my allies. Anticipation and desperation emitted from their eyes as they fidgeted or paced around the trees.
“I’ll lower the bridge,” I said, and several pairs of eyes snapped my way.
I would need a miracle, but I was determined to try. If the dark witch could cast spells to create tornadoes, I could do so with my witch bracelet—my witch weapon that made up for my lack of knowing any spells.
I stepped closer to the dark, muddy waters of the moat.
“Wind,” I commanded, willing the bracelet to transform.
The jewelry unwrapped from my forearm and extended into the shimmering whip. I twirled it above my head like a lasso and then in front of me, the golden material twisting so fast that it created a continuous golden circle.
A vortex of heavy wind around the glimmering gold mesmerized me—my version of a tornado that would carry me to the other side of the castle walls.
My pulse racing at the amazing sight of the swirling, heavy wind, I stepped inside the storm—small in size but enough to transport me over the tall fortress.
By the Gods, I should have tried this to begin with. I needed to start trusting myself more.
My hair flew in all directions, and my body couldn’t stop shivering from the cold wind engulfing me. Dropping my hands to my sides, I grasped the whip tighter and took a deep breath. The magic of the wind extended from me, lifting me off the ground and carrying me over the freezing moat.
Glancing back at the stunned faces of Adrian and Lucy, I tried to shout for them to be ready, but the whoosh of the swirling air drowned out my voice.
The need to help them and help him carried me over the dangerous but calm waters. I stayed unmoving, giving in to the magic, although my body felt as if I were tipsy. Dizziness washed over me. The world spun slightly as the wind elevated me over the stones and then descended toward the ground.
“Now lower me,” I muttered, my body swaying. “Slower.”
The vortex of wind slowed, but my body felt out of balance. No one had taught me the landing part, so I braced for impact with the ground. When the air stopped spinning around me and cleared, I realized my mistake—I was still several feet above ground.
I fell with a heavy thud, muffled by the battle sounds around me. Landing on my side, I added more bruises to my hip and shoulder. For a moment, the air in my lungs funneled out, and my chest burned as I scanned my surroundings.
I had made it to the other side of the castle walls.
I finally spotted Hayden, circled by five vampires.
His bare chest, covered in blood, heaved as he threw his arms and legs toward the enemy.
He must have managed to find pants, and I didn’t want to think about the clothes belonging to a fallen vampire or werewolf.
He was barefoot, just like most of the werewolves who’d shifted in the tunnel and were not engaged in a battle for their lives.
Hayden and his attackers were only several feet from a massive lever at the drawbridge. Knowing Hayden would keep himself alive, my priority involved pulling down the lever.
Standing, I was about to dash to the heavy iron chains at the drawbridge, when movement caught my eye. A vampire from the other side of the courtyard sprinted, crimson eyes aimed at me.
I dashed toward the drawbridge, only a short distance away. I would fight the vampire after I opened the bridge for my allies.
Placing both hands around the rusty iron handle, I pulled…and pulled again, but nothing happened. If I had my wolf spirit, I could have called on extra strength, but now I had to rely on my human hands. I stared at them and sent up a mental prayer.
Please give me strength.
I used the force of my legs to pull the metal harder, but nothing happened. Ugh.
Goose bumps rose at the back of my neck, signaling that the vampire was almost behind me.
Holding my breath, I tried again, pressing the lever down as hard as possible.
It didn’t even move an inch.
No.