Page 8 of Hidden

“What do you plan to do?” She adjusted her grip on her gun as they inched toward the door to the hallway.

He bared his teeth in a mocking grin. “Show Captain Teegar that he is not the only warrior worthy of respect.”

Lila’s stomach flipped. “Fighting isn’t a real plan. Not against the guard.”

“I’m not about to surrender.” Ademar’s jaw hardened as he picked up speed.

Still gripping his arm, Lila stumbled, let go, then fell in behind him. As soon as they were through the door, Lila moved to cover her brother’s right side.

“This will be dangerous,” he said. “You don’t need to come with me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she snapped back.

His smile was brief but grateful. They drifted silently down the staircase, Lila half a step behind Ademar.She pulled out her phone, thinking she’d send Sala a text just in case something went wrong. But, as in so many fae-occupied buildings, there wasn’t a single bar. Magic and tech didn’t mix. She put her phone away.

Ademar stopped halfway down the stairs, pressing his palm against the carved wainscoting to his left. A panel sprang open, revealing a cramped passageway. Ademar stepped through, signaling Lila to follow. The panel slid shut behind her, and the crystal globes set along the ceiling sprang to life with a soft glow.

“Escape route?” she whispered, gazing around her.

“Not exactly,” he replied, beckoning her onward.

Lila followed, thoughts swirling. Secret passages were nothing new, but she hadn’t expected them in a way station. This was supposed to be a refuge, not a place for spies. And how had Ademar known this was here? Only those closest to the king should know such secrets.

She glimpsed a half-open door that led to a tiny chamber off the passageway. A wooden desk sat before shelves filled with dismantled electronics. A pink quartz crystal, shaped like an obelisk, pulsed faintly on the desktop. Fae used that type of stone for relaying messages through magic. Unfortunately, modern technology interfered with magic as well as the reverse. Ademar was trying to resolve the conflict.

“Is that where you do your research?” she asked.

“Yes,” he replied with a distracted wave. “So far, I’ve managed to piggyback a simple spelled message on the cellular network.”

From that point forward, the ceiling sloped low enough that he had to stoop and narrow enough that they had to walk single file. That bothered Lila less than the intense aura of fresh magic that permeated the space. Someone had been casting strong spells nearby.

Lila’s urge to bolt for the open air welled up, almost irresistible. She shifted her grip on her gun, the familiar shape of it comforting. “Where does this corridor go?”

He didn’t answer. The passageway made a sharp right, then descended in a narrow flight of steps that ended at an ordinary-looking door. Ademar stopped, the cramped space forcing Lila to do the same. She could hear footfalls on the other side of the wall. Her brother had moved toward danger, not away from it.

“Ademar,” she whispered, a tidal wave of misgivings in that single word.

He glanced over his shoulder, his eyes unreadable in the soft glow of the crystals. “Trust me. There is only one way out of this where no one gets hurt.”

That failed to reassure her. Whatever was brewing between Lord Farras and Teegar, escalating the conflict seemed like a very bad idea.

With steady hands, Ademar rummaged in the pocket of his loose shirt, plucking something from inside the silky folds. At first, she didn’t see what it was, but once he held it up, she glimpsed a gauzy bundle.

Shock froze her in place. The object was no bigger than a walnut and shrouded with spiderweb and the glittering feathers of a moon moth’s wing. Its scent was pleasant, but her senses shuddered like the inside of a ringing bell. If this was the kind of charm someone was making inside this house, no wonder it vibrated with power.

“This is no way to prove your innocence,” she murmured, her thoughts clouding from so much magic leaking into the confined space.

“But this way you and I live long enough to make them listen,” he said, curling his fingers around the charm. “I won’t put my family in danger.”

He threw open the door, blocking Lila’s view with his tall frame. Someone shouted with surprise. Weapons hissed from scabbards. Despite herself, Lila took a step back into the passage.

“Good evening, gentlemen,” Ademar said with cool sarcasm.

“Surrender in the name of the king!” That was Teegar—Lila recognized the captain’s stentorian voice. “We found your sister’s vehicle on the roadside at the head of this valley. We know she’s here somewhere. Come quietly and we’ll spare her.”

Ademar gave a bark of laughter. “What a generous offer.”

He tossed the spell in one short, sharp motion. Lila ducked, covering her face before a bright flash of magic seared the air. Lilac afterimages danced along the back of her eyelids as sweet-smelling smoke all but gagged her. She held her breath, counting the beat of her pulse in a vain effort to guess when the worst of it would pass.

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