Page 28 of Forged In Magic

Holding his breath, he waited for the other shoe to drop. Then barked out a laugh as he realized what he’d been thinking. No shoes, but he and Kate had dropped. A long fucking way.

They were laying on a hard floor, but wherever they were was as pitch black as the abyss they had fallen through. The space had warmed up some, but it still didn’t feel a hell of a lot warmer than the fifty degrees it had been outside in Blue Mountain that morning.

Isaac closed his eyes to stop the strain from trying to see into the darkness and continued to hold onto Kate. He breathed in her scent as they lay still, the familiar smell calming him. Running his hands along her back and soaking in her reassuring essence through his palms, her heart beating against his chest, helped his own heartbeat slow.

After a few minutes of complete silence, he stuck out one hand and pulled on his magic. A small ball of light glowed in his palm. Laughter bubbled out of him at the relief that his magic worked.

Picturing Jack in his mind, Isaac reached out telepathically.

Jack?

After several tries and no response, Isaac reached out to Meredith. Same result—nothing.

Since his magic worked, even if he couldn’t reach anyone, there was a chance he might be able to flash out of the room. The big question was whether or not he would be able to get back into it. Or if he could even figure out where the room was after he flashed. He decided he couldn’t risk it and wouldn’t flash until Kate was awake.

Laying the light ball on the floor, he used one hand, with a little help from his magic, to push into a sitting position. Cradling Kate in his lap with one arm around her back and her head against his shoulder, he picked up the light.

Slowly, he moved his palm in an arc, checking out their surroundings. The space seemed small and empty. When he sent his magic out into the room, he didn’t sense anything living and figured they were safe.

Moving Kate carefully, he laid her on the floor and conjured a pillow and blanket because of the chill in the air. When she was as comfortable as he could make her, he stood with the light in his hand.

After pacing the distance in the room he guessed it to be ten-by-ten feet. He could touch the ceiling without straightening out his arm, making it less than six and a half feet high.

Both the walls and the ceiling felt like plaster or drywall. They were smooth and cool to the touch.

Using his ball of light, he explored each corner of the room as well as the seams along the floor and ceiling. He couldn’t find a single crack in the entire space, nor a door or window.

They were in a box.

But there was air. He couldn’t find the source, but he could feel a light current, bringing the chill with it. The cold he could handle because it meant they wouldn’t suffocate.

With nothing left to check, he conjured two lanterns and set them on the floor, one at each end of a wall. Next, he conjured a large mattress and some more blankets, as well as some bottles of water.

He knelt beside Kate and gently ran his hand over her cheek. Her skin was a bit cool to the touch, but he figured the temperature of the room could account for that. “Kate? Kate, can you hear me? Wake up, baby, I need to see your beautiful brown eyes.”

She didn’t even stir, and Isaac pushed down his panic. As long as he continued to feel her essence and her breathing seemed fine, he would stay calm. “It’s okay, baby. You sleep as long as you want,” he whispered.

Picking her up, he cradled her in his arms and carried her over to the bed. Positioning her head on a pillow, he laid down next to her, his chest against her back, and pulled her in close.

Now that they were safe, at least temporarily, Isaac rehashed what had happened in his shop. He didn’t know if the explosions they’d heard from the other buildings were only distractions or if they had a bigger purpose.

If anyone had been pushed to choose between the options Kate told them about from the restaurant, he hoped that all chose the zombie route. At least that way they would still be alive. Isaac couldn’t see how they could possibly reverse the mind control, but somehow, Jack and the rest of the council would find a way.

Staying positive, he looked on the bright side—at least he and Kate had escaped the zombie-fication. Only time would tell if they were better off being locked in a box.

As to why they were in a box, only Maverick knew the answer to that. He’d said he wanted to kill Kate, and then said that he would add a twist. Isaac figured the box was the twist and he hoped it wasn’t a slow death from captivity.

If that was the case, it didn’t make much sense. Isaac had never met Maverick before today, but he’d heard plenty of stories about him. Sending Kate to die in a box all alone wouldn’t serve a purpose. He wouldn’t get to see Kate suffer and wouldn’t even be able to taunt her about approaching death or use it as leverage for something else he could want.

Isaac shuddered at the thought of either one and pulled Kate more snuggly against him, more for his own reassurance than hers.

Pushing the thoughts to the side, Isaac focused on his next steps.

He would wait for Kate to wake up. Then they would try to flash out of there. If that didn’t work, they would wait for someone to find them.

Ben and Sam had seen what happened; they would know to start a search. Isaac had faith in his friends. They would find them.

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