Witch Ascendant (Blackwood Supernatural Prison Book 4) Page 2

  Just like with any major city, this one is full of apartment buildings and a few skyscrapers. There are bridges across the river, every couple of miles as far as I can see.

  "Why here?" I turn to Mitch.

  "It's one of the safe houses, or apartments, in the city."

  Of course, the task force really does have a place everywhere. I shouldn't be surprised anymore, but sometimes I am. I guess since I grew up in a small town, and we kept magic a secret, it's hard to imagine that it actually thrives all around the world. In secret, sure, but it thrives, nonetheless.

  "Where to now?" Mitch asks. I wish I had a better answer, but since we don't exactly know where the Blackwood compound is, we're going to have to go ‘boots on the ground’ with this one. At least Tom will try to give us more from his end.

  "I think the Egyptian Museum is our best bet," I say, and the bracelet flares up at my wrist. "Since we found the other relics hidden within preserved artifacts, it only makes sense to check there first."

  Mitch pulls out his phone and does a quick search in relation to where we are now.

  "It says we're actually pretty close." He shows me the map and I nod.

  We make it down to the ground level with no issues. Most people are either at work or school at this hour, which makes it easier to move around without causing suspicion at the apartment building.

  We head toward the metro station, which will take us directly to the Egyptian Museum. Tom gave us some Egyptian pounds, and we have no problem purchasing a ticket. I read that women traveling alone are encouraged to enter the middle train cars that are reserved for women only, but since I'm with Mitch, we don't head that way. We do receive a few looks, considering Mitch, even in his human form, is built like a bear.

  It doesn't take us long to get to the museum, which I'm thankful for. I'm restless. The need to do something is nearly overwhelming and spending an hour on the train would not help my nerves.

  As we reach the red building, my heart does a little flip. I don't even have to wonder what that's about. Eric would love this. His brain, his love for history and knowledge, would eat up this whole place. He probably has been here already, but it doesn't stop me from thinking how it would be if he was here now. I don't think his fascination would be diminished at all and that makes me smile.

  "Cordy?"

  "I'm good." I shake myself and throw a quick smile at Mitch. He watches me as if he's trying to see inside of my brain. I wonder just how transparent my face is.

  "He'll be okay, you know."

  Ah, apparently very transparent. My feelings for Eric have turned me into a softy. I'm going to need to work on that. Taking out Mitch's phone, I do a quick search about the museum as we walk in.

  "It says here this place has over 120,000 items. I have no idea where to start."

  The smart thing would be to use the bracelet, and she agrees with me the moment I think that. But I also don't want to alert anyone to our presence just yet. Using magic in a place like this is bound to send up some magical alarms. Most likely, we already alerted the local magic powers when we portaled in.

  "There are only two floors. Should we take a walk first?" Mitch asks. I nod.

  "Sounds good to me."

  I grab one of the pamphlets about the museum as we go through security. My knives are magically cloaked, so they don't set off any alarms. Thankfully. I wouldn't want to explain to the employees here why I must keep them on my person.

  "It says here that the ground floor is organized chronologically in clockwise fashion." I read out loud. "That's cool."

  "You're such a nerd."

  "And proud of it." I smirk. We start walking, my eyes scanning the large-scale collection of works in front of us. The smaller items are on the first floor, while all the bigger ones are on the ground floor. When nothing stands out to me, I know what must be done.

  "Mitch, it's time," I say. He doesn't have to ask what I mean. The bracelet has been waiting impatiently for me to stop pretending I don't need her help. I take a position at one corner of the atrium and do some breathing exercises to center myself. The place is busy, but not packed. It still makes me nervous opening up to magic in such a public way, but I know it needs to be done. I open my eyes and glance down at the pamphlet. Maybe if I look at the blueprint of the museum, the magic will be able to direct me better.

  But before I can do anything, my eyes land on some small print in one corner.

  "Mitch, look at this."

  Chapter 3

  We're sitting on a bench in one of the 42 rooms in the museum as Mitch does some research on his phone. Apparently, the Blackwoods donated heavily to the museum for many years. There's a plaque in their honor on one of the walls. In the very room we're sitting in.

  "It says here that Jacob Blackwood is on the board of trustees at the museum. He has been a longtime supporter of the historic arts and hosts fundraisers at his estate on the other side of the city."

  "That's where we need to go," I say, standing up and walking over to the plaque. It seems strange that as powerful as the Blackwood family is, I haven't heard of them outside of the prison. But everyone else seems to know all about them. I wonder how much I missed out on growing up the way I did. My parents have always been fantastic, and they made sure I learned about the world. But I can't help thinking, especially after everything that's happened, that they've kept more from me than I ever realized. I don't feel prepared for anything life is throwing at me. Wow, my brain is going in a hundred different directions. This is definitely not the time to have this mid-life crisis, so I need to get a grip on my thoughts before I spiral.

  I'm already spiraling about Eric. To be honest, coming to Egypt seemed like a long shot in finding him, but now that I know for a fact his family has a presence here, I'm hopeful. Well, I'm something more intense than hopeful, but I can't really put a word to it at the moment.

  Taking a deep breath, I turn to Mitch.

  "I need to see the compound."

  We both know that's our next move.

  "Do you think—"

  "I do. Please, can we just go?"

  The bracelet at my wrist flares up, as if in protest, but I'm not listening. The fact that Eric could be here, could be so close, is overwhelming all common sense.

  "Cordy—"

  "Mitch, let's go."

  He studies me for a long tense minute before he nods and gets up. We weave through the people filling up the museum now. When I look at the clock hanging over the exit doors, I realize it's right after three o'clock. Transportation is about to be a lot busier than before.

  "We need a car."

  "I can flag down a taxi."

  I nod and wait at the curb as Mitch goes to ask about cabs. I'm feeling too restless to do anything. I don't understand what's going on with me or why I'm suddenly so unbalanced. It's like I'm all over the place, and I need to center myself.

  The bracelet's magic is restless too, so she's not helping. Mitch returns a few moments later in a cab. We don't talk the whole way there, afraid the cabbie might understand some of what we're saying. But I can feel Mitch checking on me every now and then. My heartbeat is out of control, and my magic is at my fingertips. I have to physically restrain myself by curling and uncurling my hand in order to keep the flames from showing up. It's weird and unusual, and I don't know why it's happening.

  I close my eyes, working through my breathing exercises to calm myself down. This is something I picked up when I started hand to hand combat training, but I've been neglecting the practice lately. Centering breathing, being intentional about every inhale and exhale, can help even the most wired brain calm down. Focusing all of my nervous energy into the exercises, I count the number of breaths and the times in between.

  "Cordy, we're here."

  My eyes fly open, and I notice we've stopped. It got dark outside while we were driving. I didn't think I was meditating for that long, but apparently, I was. Mitch pays the driver as we get out. We're on the side of the road, and the cabbie gives us a weird look before pulling away. There is a large wall to my left, and as far as I can see, it doesn't end.

  "I assume this goes around the full compound," Mitch says, also studying the wall. It makes sense. There's more sand here than in the center of the city, and the air feels heavier somehow. "How do you want to proceed?"

  "We need to be careful. I can cloak us from prying eyes, but we still have to find a way to sneak in where there isn't much chance of us getting caught." We both know even if Blackwood isn't here, his place is likely still on lockdown. "There has to be a side entrance or something. They can't be moving everything through the front gates, right?"

  "They can. There isn't a rule for this, exactly."

  "Good point."

  All I want to do is scale the wall and see if Eric is on the other side of it somewhere.

  We move farther down the road, staying behind the palm trees that look like they've been planted as a second barrier between the world and whatever is behind those walls. They provide us with a better cover than just simply standing beside the wall.

  "You know, when I think of Egypt, I don't picture all this lush greenery and the modern-day structures," Mitch says. I glance over at him studying our surroundings. I have to agree.

  "It's because we're used to only seeing the pyramids."

  I look back over at the wall, and I know we have no other option. We have to scale it. If I can make Mitch invisible, he can climb the wall.

  "What are you thinking? I don't like that gleam in your eye."

  "You're learning," I reply, throwing him a grin. "I'm going to cloak you and then you're going to climb that."

  Mitch looks at the wall, then back at me.

  "I'll have to shift."

  "I thought you'
d say that."

  The cloaking spell is another one of those basic Protector spells I learned as an overachiever but never got to truly use because I never made it to training. Dad wanted me to make sure I was ahead of the class, and now I'm thankful. Much like the protection spell I cast when Eric and I were searching for the prison, this one uses the earth itself as an anchor.

  I take a seat against one of the palm trees and close my eyes. Magic is all about intention. Spell work has its time and place, but for someone working in the field, intuitive magic is much more useful. When I reach for mine, the bracelet's magic is there. She's still annoyed with me, and I send an apology her way. A genuine one. I don't mean to neglect her guidance. I think she knows that. It takes a full minute, but then her magic settles with mine, intertwining.

  Pushing my intention toward Mitch, I recreate the picture of protection and cloaking in my mind with him at the center. It takes maybe fifteen seconds, and then I open my eyes.

  "You're good to go."

  He doesn't question or hesitate. His bear is out before I can blink, and just like last time, I'm amazed at the sheer size of him. Mitch is already a tall man, but in bear form, he's a beast. Ha. My brain. I shake the thoughts away and watch as he runs across the street and is up and over the wall like it's nothing. I'm pretty sure he could've reached the top just by standing on his back legs.

  A part of me is surprised he went without questioning my magic, but then, he's been following my lead this whole time. Me, someone who was never going to be a leader. It wasn't my dream or on my to-do list. But he trusts me not to lead him astray, and I will my magic to protect him.

  I can't be losing anyone else right now.

  I have no idea how long I sit there in the shadows of the setting sun, watching the spot where Mitch went over. It's been quiet on the other side of the wall, and I can only picture the big guy trying to sneak around the compound. Okay, I know he can be stealthy. But it's still a fun picture in my head. I have to do something to keep myself from losing it.

  Although, let's be honest, I lost it a long time ago. The bracelet heats up as if she agrees, and I kind of wish I could glare at her.

  "Rude," I whisper, and she does it again.

  The connection I have with her is the most unsettling aspect of this whole thing.

  From the moment she chose me at the Hermitage, everything about magic has been unsettling. But not in the way it is when it comes to the actual relic. She's shown me things from her past, like a witch would if she was working a memory spell. I've walked through the village where the relics were created, watched as the maker talked to the relics like one would talk to a child. The relic's magic has coexisted alongside my own and made me more powerful than I ever imagined. And all of that is because my magic could handle it. I could handle it.

  Something my parents didn't bother telling me for all of my life. There's more to the fire that burns within my veins, and I wonder if I'll ever get all the answers I want. Right now, I'm just coexisting in this strange way with an ancient magic, even though I'm unbalanced and unlearned. This whole combination is explosive.

  A warmth fills my chest, and I glance down at the bracelet. The feeling of calmness makes its way through my veins, from my fingers to my toes. She's doing that. She's using her connection to me to calm me because my brain is spinning out of control. After everything, she's still choosing to take care of me. Right after I called her rude.

  "Thank you," I whisper now, feeling so much better than before. She hasn't done this trick in the past, so I wonder if something is amiss that I'm not aware of. Even when I was being tortured at the prison, the relic allowed me to handle my own battles. She always steps in when needed, but she also always asks.

  "What is it?" I ask, because even though I feel calm, I'm now more nervous than before. What a lovely and confusing combination. But it's not like she can audibly answer me. That doesn't matter anyway because a noise catches my attention. I look up just in time to see a rope being thrown over the side of the wall.

  Mitch.

  Jumping to my feet, I race across the road and grab onto the rope in no time at all. It holds tight, so I use it to walk myself up the wall and then I'm over it. I land and roll and then Mitch is there in his human form.

  "That was graceful."

  "I know, right?"

  I stand and dust off my jeans before giving our surroundings a quick study. This side of the wall is even greener than the other. Manicured lawns, shrubs, and palm trees. There's even a small pond in the middle. This is definitely not how I pictured Egypt.

  "What did you find?" I ask as Mitch motions me to follow him. We keep to the trees on the left, staying in the shadows. It's helpful that the sun has mostly set, and there are only lamps strategically placed around the garden area, not giant spotlights. This definitely looks like a garden.

  "There are guards on patrol, but not a large number of them. I don't think Blackwood is here. I haven't seen any signs pointing to it."

  I try not to show my disappointment. I don't want to ask about Eric, but I don't have to. Mitch is already there.

  "I haven't seen any indication of Eric either."

  Even knowing Mitch a short time, I can tell it hurts for him to admit that. He's worried about his friend too. I'm sure he would love to have some answers. Or simply see him face to face again and make sure he's okay. That's what I'd like for myself.

  "Well, if they're not here, it'll make things easier to sneak inside, right?" I ask, shrugging. Mitch shakes his head.

  "I figured we weren’t getting out of here without some adventure."

  "If you didn't want me to go inside, why did you send me a rope over the wall?"

  "Because there's no way you would've been okay just taking my word for it." He gives me a pointed look, and I nod. Because he's one hundred percent correct. I need to see the inside of the house for myself. Mostly, I want to see if we can find Blackwood's office. I'm very sure he has one. Men like him always do. He needs space for meetings where he can hold the upper hand and present an image of intimidation. He's not a rare breed. There are always men like him.

  "We need to find Blackwood's place of operation," I say before I get up from my crouch and keep moving toward the house. I've noticed three guards so far. I'm sure there are many more on the other side that I can't see from a distance. Families like the Blackwoods have to do whatever they can to protect their secrets.

  "How do you propose we get in there? There are guards at every exit."

  "Show me."

  Mitch leads me all the way to the house, which is a two-story mansion from the south. It looks like one of those plantations with tall pillars at the front and large windows taking up most of the walls. There are guards stationed at the front, at some of the windows, as well as leading to the back. There's no way we can sneak past them. The cloaking spell won’t last long enough for the both of us to sneak past everyone. It’s only supposed to turn people’s gazes away from the one cloaked. One or two guards, that’ll work. Not this many at the same time. We would need an invisibility spell, and I don’t have one of those in my back pocket. Those are super rare and require an extra powerful witch.

  "We need a distraction."

  Good plan, right? Except how do we create one without giving away our position? The only thing I can think of is starting a fire. But the guards would be able to see where the fire came from. Except if...a thought pops into my head as the bracelet heats up.

  Except if I use the earth itself as a conduit.

  "Okay, I'm going to try something," I whisper to Mitch. "It might not work, so be ready to run."

  He doesn't ask any questions, simply nods. I get to all fours, digging my hands into the dirt. I've done this for a protection spell, and I've done this for a cloaking spell. I can definitely do this for a distraction. Except of course, I have no idea what I'm doing. I'm going off instinct now. I'm not sure how smart it is, but it's all I've got.

  With my hands submerged in dirt, I close my eyes, breathing in and out a few times as I connect to the nature around me. Egypt is thirsty but thriving. I can feel it in me as I become familiar with the land through the connection. Because I feel it. The connection to the earth and to that primal part of me that makes me a witch. Our greatest power is drawn from the earth.