Page 76 of Called By Fate

“Oh, fuck. We have to get everyone out of here! Your damn uncle and those Elders have gone off the deep end. They’re taking people out in groups and none of them are returning,” she says with a shiver. “I heard one of the guards say they’re building an army when they brought in my tray of food this morning and told me which group I’d be called with.”

Unease slithers down my spine. “You’re right. We need to get these people out of here.” I turn. “Elian, did you hear that?” I ask.

“Yeah, we need to get word to the guys and Matilda to expect more people. We weren’t counting on finding them all at this exact moment, though it seems like it’s a good thing we did.”

Reed, can you hear me?I ask mentally, reaching out to him through the bond.

Loud and clear, Love. What’s happening?he responds.

We found Ash and the people Bedi mentioned. We need to get word to Matilda to expect to portal out way more people than our original plan,I tell him.

I’ll figure out a way to get word to her. Maybe Dante can send a fire message,he says,quickly working through the options.We also found another Night Weaver who can make small portals, so we’ll get him and Nick involved.

Sounds good. Thanks, Red.

You got it, Love. I love you. Stay safe,he responds and cuts off the mental connection.

“Okay, the guys know,” I tell them and turn to Ash. “Do you know how many guards are normally down here?”

She shakes her head. “No, all I know is two deliver meals to me every day and there’s usually another two behind them handing out food on the other side.”

At least they feed them,I think, but I don’t voice that thought aloud. That begs the question though, whyarethey feeding them?

You only feed prisoners if you want to keep them alive.

“At least four then,” Elian notes, looking around. “Sadie has dispatched three which means there could still be a fourth.”

“Or more,” Niall adds.

“Yeah, we need to proceed with caution,” I respond. “Let’s start opening these cells and getting these people out of here. Ash, do you think you can keep an eye out for us?”

“You got it, babe,” Ash says and moves to watch our backs while Elian, Niall, Malachi and I start letting people out of their cells.

Most of them are extremely grateful once they figure out we’re not here to harm them, a few of them are still quite fearful of us, but calmed down when they found out who I am. Apparently, word has spread, even to them.

From what I can tell there’s a mix of shifters, Night Weavers, and even a few Light Weavers. Which is strange, as I thought the Elders wanted them all dead. I don’t have time to question their motives right now, though. We need to get these people out of here and get the hell out of dodge before the Elders figure out what’s going on.

When the last of them are out of their cells, I motion to head up the stairs. Niall and Malachi take Ash and lead the group while Elian and I bring up the rear, herding the fifty or so shifters and Weavers outside.

Before we make it to the stairs, a bright blue light begins to glow under the door to the left of the dead-end hallway and captures my attention. I feel a tug in my chest and my intuition comes alive with a burning curiosity that I don’t understand where it’s coming from but doesn’t matter. Something is urging me to find out what’s behind that door. Like a mosquito to a blue light trap, I’m powerless to resist.

“Sadie, where the hell are you going?” Elian hisses, confused when I take off in that direction like my ass is on fire.

“The door,” I whisper, feeling like one of those stupid heroines in scary movies who die because of their curiosity as my feet carry me over to it. The door itself is nothing special, but the power emanating from behind it is… something else entirely. Yet it feels familiar somehow.

What the hell are they hiding?

Let’s find out.

As soon as my fingers touch the doorknob, it shocks the piss out of me and I gasp, but I don’t let go. Instead, I push my power into it, telling it to fuck off mentally. It takes more juice than I’d like to admit before I’m able to twist and fling it open.

The first sight to greet me is a guard, who looks surprised as fuck as he drops his sandwich on the ground in shock. I don’t spare him another thought, letting my magic handle his fate as I stare at the bright blue swirling glass case in the middle filled with souls.

Oh, shit.

We were so wrong about what is going on.

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