Witch Unchained (Blackwood Supernatural Prison Book 2) Read online

  More of the minions spill out from the building behind us. Eric turns us toward the woods, but I tug him to a stop.

  "We have to go." Now he's the one trying to get me out of here.

  "There's something here."

  I spin in a circle, trying to pinpoint what's drawing me toward it when my eyes zero in on the fountain and Samson's hands on the lion's jaw.

  “Eri—"

  I don't have to explain. He feels the change in me, the urgency. His eyes move to follow mine, realizing what I'm looking at.

  "We'll have to come back," he says, pulling on my arm gently. "We don't have a choice. And we can't draw attention to it."

  He's right, of course. But the magic inside of me and the relic on my wrist have different ideas. They're calling to each other. Whatever is in there, it's calling to me like it knows my name.

  "Let's go!" Eric grabs my hand just as a few minions spill down the stairs, racing toward us. Having no other choice, I let Eric pull me behind him.

  We enter the west gardens at a full run, and people jump out of our way. The others are right on our heels, and it takes some maneuvering to finally put some distance between us. The thick trees and the woven design of the garden work in our favor.

  "What do we do now?" I ask, a bit out of breath from all the running. At least we have the grandeur of this place to thank for all the areas we can hide. Kelsey has a lot of minions, it seems.

  "We have to let Tom and the others know she's here."

  "Don't you think they might already know?"

  "He would've felt the shift in magic, but he might've thought it was us."

  For some reason, I don't think Tom would make such assumptions, but I don't argue. I'm eager to get back to the fountain and see if it actually holds anything. I'm also eager to fight. If Eric didn't pull me out of there, I wouldn't have left. Maybe it's crazy, but I want to know if I can take her. Even with all the evil powers on her side.

  "Can you call them?" I ask, suddenly remembering Eric's cell phone. Mitch handed him one when we got on the hydrofoil.

  "I would, if it wasn't dead." He pulls it out, the screen completely black. He pushes and holds the restart button and nothing. "I think the magic took it out."

  "Great. Just great."

  The pull I felt toward the fountain hasn't diminished. My whole being is begging for me to head back there. It's taking too much self-control to stay put.

  "What is it?" Eric asks, because of course he can tell something is up with me. I'm getting a little tired of him picking up on my nonverbal cues so much. Sometimes it's helpful. Mostly it's annoying. But I decide to tell him anyway because I kind of need to.

  "It's difficult to stay here. The magic... it's pulling me toward the palace. Toward the fountain."

  "You think the next piece is there."

  "I'd be surprised if it wasn't."

  Eric is quiet for a moment, his eyes scanning our surroundings. Just like he can pick up on my cues, I can see the wheels turning in his mind.

  "Why didn't you feel the pull when we first arrived?"

  That's not the question I'm expecting, and it makes me pause. Why didn't I? We walked right past the fountain. We were right there. And yet. The bracelet tingles on my wrist, and I glance down to stare at it.

  "Maybe because I didn't use my magic? That's what these relics seem to be answering to, right? So maybe I have to use it to find them."

  "That makes sense."

  As much sense as any of this, I suppose. But it's the only thing I can come up with.

  There's a bit of movement and voices begin to rise. Eric grabs my wrist and pulls me farther away. Coming out of the trees, we try to blend in with the crowd. There's a group of kids surrounding a shallow fountain. From what I can tell, they're making wishes.

  Eric slows down immediately, drawing less attention to himself. I stop beside him. when he takes my hand, I almost jump. Glancing at him from the corner of my eye, I try to gauge his emotions, but his eyes are firmly on our surroundings. Meanwhile, my heart is pounding so loudly in my ears that I'm sure people on the other side of the courtyard can hear it.

  There's no going around it, my hand fits perfectly into his. I'm feeling some kind of a way, and I'm not sure what to do about it. The tingles originate with every move of his skin against mine. It's getting more difficult to keep my focus on our predicament. When he clears his throat ever so slightly, I realize he's just as affected as me. He's just hiding it better.

  We move through the crowd as one, weaving in and out of the parents and grandparents taking pictures of their kids by the water. The whole normalcy of the situation brings a pang of awareness into my chest. My life used to be that normal. Now I'm on the run from the king's minions while I'm looking for ancient magical artifacts. Things really didn't turn out how I planned them.

  "I think it'll be best to stay in the crowd."

  "You don't think they'll attack? They did at the Winter Palace."

  "True. But I have a feeling the king doesn't want to show his hand just yet. If he keeps attacking bystanders, the whole of the council will descend on him. I don't think he'll want that before he's ready."

  "What about back there?" I nod in the direction of the Summer Palace, considering they just blew the door off its hinges.

  "There weren't that many people there, so a cloaking spell would be effective."

  I narrow my eyes. "You really have an answer for everything."

  "I've been at this a long time. The king has to be smart, or he's done before he gets started."

  That makes me pause. Because the council can descend on him. Or at least enough of his goons that they may be able to find him. It makes no sense that they don't.

  "Why won't they just do that? The Council, I mean."

  Eric looks off into the distance, as if he's mulling over the question.

  "Personally, I think it's a strategy move. They don't know what the king is planning. If they attack now, without having more information, they might set off a nuclear chain of events. No one wants a war."

  "I thought we were already in the middle of one."

  At that, Eric finally looks at me. There's wisdom in his eyes. The weight of the world he carries shines through as well before he puts the mask back on. He's only letting me see little parts of himself, but the more I see, the more I want to see. He's still holding my hand, so I squeeze it ever so gently. The tiny curl of his lips settles my heart. We continue moving without a word.

  Because there's really nothing he can say to my statement. We are in the middle of a war. That's a fact.

  Chapter 8

  It's another half an hour of us wandering aimlessly around the gardens before Eric loosens some of the grip he has on my hand. We haven't come across anyone else, and with his senses attuned, he's not feeling any danger. I've been reaching out with my magic as well, only in small bursts lest I attract unwanted attention, but there's nothing. As suddenly as Kelsey appeared, she seems to have gone.

  "Let's see if we can meet Tom and everyone else at the Monplaisir Palace."

  Confused, I let him guide me back toward the water. We head away from the Summer Palace and the pull of magic. We pass a few families. Even though the feeling of danger has dissipated, we're both on high alert.

  "What is this other palace?" I finally ask because I'm curious and I need to break the silence.

  "It's a smaller compound built by the tzar. He used it to store a lot of his paintings and get away from everything."

  "I thought that's what the Summer Palace was for."

  "This was more of his special place. There are many buildings on the grounds. It has a church, a few pavilions, an aviary, and a greenhouse. You can spend days exploring and not experience every corner."

  There's that tone of his again, the historian speaking about something he loves. It really makes me wonder what kind of man Eric would be if he didn't have to be a soldier. But once again, that's pointless. And disappointing. I have to stop thinki
ng of what could've been and start focusing on the issues at hand.

  Because there are plenty.

  When we finally reach the water, I'm surprised at what Eric called a palace. The area is a large square with a miniature garden and fountains in the middle. The building spreads out on the perimeter of the square like a continuous wall. There are tourists wandering around, taking photos. It doesn't take long for us to spot Mitch. He stands a head taller than most. When we break through the crowd, I see Tom and Letty are beside him.

  "You guys okay?" Letty asks, rushing up to us as soon as she sees us.

  "We're fine. But she's here. Or she was half an hour ago."

  "We felt it," Tom comments, coming up and giving Eric and I a quick study. "We were on our way to you when the danger stopped."

  "We got out of there as soon as we could. We didn't want to cause any harm to innocent lives, even though Kelsey was ready to do just that."

  "They used a cloaking spell," Tom comments, nodding at Eric's explanation. "The Council felt it as well."

  "Glad they're good for something," I mumble, forgetting that I'm around people who can hear me. Letty looks shocked, so I decide to own up to it. "What? It's not like they've been doing much of anything, expect for monitoring the action. Am I wrong?"

  "No." Tom surprises me by answering. "You're not wrong. But they have to take a lot into consideration when they do act. It's not so simple."

  "It shouldn't be a three-week-long trial for them to decide to save lives."

  Even I'm surprised by the anger in my words, but no one contradicts me. Because they really can't. The Council operates by committee while everyone else pays the price. Yes, my whole life I wanted to serve the Council and be one of the Protectors. But now, they make me angrier with their inaction than anything else. Maybe this will help me stop wishing for the yesterdays.

  "In other news…" I decide to continue before I get myself in more trouble. "I think we have a lead."

  That perks everyone right up. Eric moves closer beside me, a wall of reassurance at my side.

  "It's possibly around the big fountains, the Grand Cascade?" I look at Eric for verification and he nods. "I need to get back to it."

  "It's too dangerous. What if she's still there?" Mitch speaks up for the first time. Good point, but I don't see a choice here.

  "That's why I think Letty should go with Cordelia," Eric says. I glance up at him in confusion. He's typically all about staying by my side. "That way she can get you out of there if anything happens."

  It makes sense, but for some reason, I don't like it. I really need to pick a lane at this point. I'm all over the place.

  "What are we waiting for?" Letty says, eager to move.

  "Dark." Tom stops her before she can drag me back up the stairs. "We can't put anyone else in danger. We'll wait till they close the place down for the night and then set up a perimeter with Letty and Cordelia at the center. We have to be smart about this."

  For some reason, that last part feels directed specifically at me. I've been smart about this. More so, I've been listening to everything Tom says like he's my direct superior. Even though I'm getting more annoyed by every minute. Maybe I'm just restless, or maybe it's the relic on my wrist that is making me so. Because she wants to be at that fountain right now. And it's taking a bit of my self-control not to act out on that desire.

  Tom keeps us at the palace with some minuscule cloaking magic. Just like the Council can read large bursts of power, the king can clearly mimic that particular trick. Everyone has to be careful about how much magic they use and when they use it or else we’ll become walking beacons. I've never really thought much about that, but it's very Big Brother. That was one of the few books I enjoyed in prison. Maybe because it fueled my need for rebellion.

  "Are you ready?" Tom asks once night has fallen. The gardens feel creepy and foreboding as the shadows dance between the trees. Even though I know the tourists are gone and the security guards are patrolling areas away from where we are, I still feel like someone could pop out at us at any moment.

  "Do we walk or portal?" I ask because walking would take a while. The lower gardens are massive, and we're pretty far from the Summer Palace.

  "Walk. We need to be there to watch your back."

  I narrow my eyes but don't comment. The five of us set out toward the Grand Cascade, staying quiet. Not even ten minutes into our walk, Eric turns. He gives me a long intense look before rushing into the trees. I move to follow, but Mitch's hand lands on my arm, stopping me mid-stride. The next moment, a gorgeous wolf emerges from the trees, and with a quick look at us, takes off toward the palace.

  Even though I've seen Eric's wolf before, he still looks magnificent. I never asked him about his shift, but I guess that's all good now since he had no issues.

  "What is he doing?"

  "It'll be easier for him to sense any potential danger," Mitch replies, staring in the direction Eric took off.

  "What about you?"

  "I'll shift when we get there."

  It takes us close to thirty minutes before we finally reach the spot where we separate. Tom and Mitch walk in opposite directions, and Letty and I make our way toward the fountains. When we're finally beside the water, I do a quick scan of the area. Nothing seems amiss. The water is off for the night, making the whole place feel more eerie. The steps and the floor area gleam in the moonlight, the white even brighter next to the black. I didn't realize it looks like a chess board until right now.

  I stop at the railing, looking down at the center fountain. The pull is still there, but it's smaller now. Glancing down at the bracelet, I reach for it, running my fingers over it.

  "Do your thing," I whisper before I close my eyes and reach for the power. It comes even quicker than before, as if we're more connected now. She's happy to help, happy to see whatever I'm about to find.

  "What is it?" Letty asks when I open my eyes.

  "I have to be there." I point at Samson and Letty nods. She waves her hand, murmuring something I can't hear, and a ripple opens up in the space in front of me. Walking to it quickly, I step in and step out on the small island. The area is smaller than I thought, so I grip the statue for balance.

  The moment my hands connect with the gold, the magic inside me goes haywire. I gasp, trying to hold it at bay. It's not only the relic, it's my personal magic connecting to the excitement. I run my hands over the fountain, looking to pinpoint exactly where something could be hidden, but I don't feel anything specific.

  "Come on, you have to help me out," I say, once again talking to the relic. It's quiet for a moment before there's a tingle under my fingertips. I follow the tug with my hand, stopping over the heart of the lion. The magic is happier the moment my hand lands there, but I still don't see anything.

  "Okay, here goes nothing," I say out loud, knowing there's only one option left. Taking my time to be careful, I step up onto the statue’s feet, so I can look down directly into the lion's mouth. I'm thankful we're here at night because otherwise I'd be getting a face full of water right now.

  As it is, I can't see anything. It's too dark.

  Resigned, I place my arm inside the mouth, reaching down, down, down. I'm half in the mouth, my legs hanging up in the air, as I move my arm around. I don't even know what I'm looking for. The frustration rises up in me, and I do the only thing I can. I call on my magic, the fire burning up my arm.

  The moment I do, something attaches itself to me. I yelp in surprise.

  "Cordy?" Letty calls out as I drop down to my feet and pull out of the lion's mouth. My magic settles. When the fire is gone, there is a necklace wrapped around my arm. I untangle it, raising it so I can get a better look. It glimmers in the moonlight, just as beautiful as the bracelet around my wrist. The chain is thinner, but it’s still a braid of silver and gold. There's a place at the bottom where a pendant would hang, the small clasp still attached.

  Looking up, I grin at Letty. I watch as she waves her arm. The r
ipple appears beside me, and I step through to land next to her. Before I can say a word, I feel a tingle at the back of my neck. Thrusting the necklace at Letty, I say, "You have to go. Now."

  She doesn't hesitate to question me, her eyes full of alarm. She creates an opening and disappears through it as I turn to scan the area. Instead of standing in one spot, I make my way up the stairs, passing the quiet fountains as I try to see through the darkness. Once I reach the top of the cascade, I do a full three-sixty, but still, there's nothing. I have no idea what alerted me to danger, but it hasn't gone away.

  Then, as if my thoughts have conjured her up, Kelsey steps out of the shadows.

  "Hello, bestie."

  Chapter 9

  "Don't you travel with a bunch of minions now?" I ask as Kelsey makes her way toward me. The Summer Palace is to our left, a hum of power reaching toward me from within. The Grand Cascade opens up to our right. With us standing over the black and white flooring, we couldn't be more symbolic of pieces on a chess board.

  "I could say the same about you. Where's your entourage?"

  "Not far."

  She smirks at that but doesn't seem concerned. This feels different than before, she's more relaxed. It might be because she doesn't have to put on a show in front of all her people, or maybe I'm just reading into things. Maybe I'm just looking for a glimpse of my old friend.

  I'm also trying to ignore whatever weird pull I'm feeling from the Summer Palace. Maybe it's the aftermath of finding the necklace, but I can't let Kelsey see. I need to stay focused.

  "You look good, Cord. Strong." Kelsey cocks her head to the side as she studies me. I try not to let her words get to me, but old habits die hard. I still value her opinion way too much.

  "You look like a ghost."

  "Har, har." She shakes her head, but I'm not really joking. Close up, I can see how pale she is, how much weight she has lost. She doesn't look healthy, yet there's fire in her eyes. It's a strange combination. Even though she looks unhealthy... she also looks elated somehow.