Page 41 of Whispers of the Magical Forest

"We need to move," Thanos said, already heading toward the source. He was right. The corrupted power was building, and somewhere ahead, our friend was being used to power a ritual that could destroy everything we knew. We couldn't take our time to avoid being captured in the process.

CHAPTER 15

FIONA

The vile magic tore through the tunnels like a hunter as we followed Aislinn's screams. Each pulse of corrupted power made the wound in my side burn hotter. It was like someone had shoved a hot poker into my flesh and kept twisting it deeper. I was beyond wanting to throw up and pass out. All I knew was pain. It had evolved beyond mere physical sensation. Now it made me feel like I was being hollowed out from the inside.

"You okay?" Violet asked as she steadied me after a particularly vicious surge. Her witch fire cast dancing shadows on the limestone walls. "You're looking a bit peaky."

"I'm brilliant," I managed through gritted teeth. "Nothing like having evil magic try to eat you from the inside out to really make you appreciate life's little moments. Though I have to say, the corruption's got style. Purple's a bold choice for evil magic. Very avant-garde. And I do love it when someone underestimates me. I have no doubt he expected me to cave by now and get captured by his people."

"Only you would critique the aesthetic choices of dark magic while it's trying to kill you," Violet muttered, but herworried frown eased slightly. "This arsehole is just another in a long line of those who assumed we were weak because we're middle-aged women. It's one of the perks of being our age."

Gadross moved closer, his eyes narrowing as he studied the corruption seeping from my wound. "The magical signature is unlike anything in the Department's records. It's actively evolving."

Bas's hand tightened on my waist. Through our mate bond, I could feel his fury at seeing me in pain. It warred with the need to stay focused on our mission. He didn't even have to put effort into pushing back against the corruption trying to seep through my wound. His Fae magic worked at it automatically. Unfortunately, it was like trying to hold back the Thames with a paper towel.

"The corruption's spreading faster," he observed grimly. "It's responding to something in this complex. I will not lose you to this."

"No one is losing anyone. This guy might have stalked us, but he has no idea who we are or what we are capable of. He's relying on all the evil brewing down here," I replied. "I swear this place makes the London Underground feel welcoming. At least there, you just have to worry about drunk tourists and that weird smell no one can identify."

The tunnels opened into what had once been a natural cavern. Now, it was something else entirely. It was no surprise to find runes carved into the limestone walls. Each symbol looked like it had been etched with acid. Although, knowing the guy behind this, it was done with pain rather than proper tools. The sound of water dripping somewhere in the darkness was distracting. Each drop hit the stone with an echoing finality, making my skin crawl.

I opened my magical powers and looked around. Therewere patterns that had my stomach trying to crawl up my throat.

"Holy mother of magic," I breathed as I traced the flows with growing horror. "The magic they used to connect every victim over the years to this tunnel system is complex and wasn't done by one person. How they managed to seamlessly continue the work despite the change in power signatures is beyond comprehension."

"It's like aging wine," Violet added. "The ritual was started centuries ago. The current leader didn't start anything new. He's using the metaphorical barrel loaded all those years ago. Yeah, they're using souls instead of grapes, but the process still applies. The new person is continuing work already set into motion."

"The magical architecture spans generations," Gadross said, his scholarly nature emerging despite the horror. "Each leader adding their own signature while maintaining the original framework."

"That's disgusting," Thanos commented, his eyes darkened like storm clouds. "Even the Underworld has standards."

I nodded, fighting back nausea as I followed the corrupted energy paths. "That makes this a giant magical distillery from hell."

"The pack must have been providing test subjects for years," Argies growled. His dragon fire made the air shimmer with heat. "That's why so many supernaturals have gone missing in this region."

"This is interesting," Bas said grimly. He gestured to a chamber branching off from the main cavern. "I never would have expected something like this down here."

The room he indicated was small but packed with texts that practically radiated ancient power. Scrolls and grimoires lined shelves that were carved directly into the stone. Many of them writhed as if the knowledge theycontained was trying to escape. You could feel the centuries of accumulated magical energy.

"A hidden library," Thanos observed as he examined the titles. His expression darkened. "These texts are about the First Ones."

"These volumes," Gadross breathed, his eyes wide as he scanned the ancient tomes. "Some of these were thought lost centuries ago. The Department's archives have only fragments of this knowledge."

"That's the hundredth time we've heard reference to them. I'm not certain I understand who they are," I admitted. The corruption surged, making me grab Bas's arm to stay upright.

"Not who," Violet corrected as she carefully opened one of the less aggressive-looking tomes. The pages crackled with age and residual power. "What. According to this, they existed before magic was ordered into different disciplines. Before the barriers between realms were established."

I moved closer. I had to ignore how the corruption tried to drag at my steps. The text she'd found was written in a language I didn't understand. I thought I understood what they meant. "They want to unmake the barriers," I said unnecessarily. We all knew what the end goal was. "Why would they want to return all magic to its raw, chaotic state?"

"Ignorance? Because he was raised to continue his family's work? The price would be the complete destruction of our current magical system," Bas added. His aristocratic features were tight with rage. "Everything we know about how magic works would be undone. The very foundations of power would collapse."

"And let me guess," I said as I skimmed another passage, "that would be bad for basically everyone except these First Ones and their cultist fan club?"

"Catastrophically bad," Thanos confirmed. He'd foundanother text and was reading rapidly. "The winter solstice is less than twenty-four hours away. The alignment will weaken the barriers enough for them to push through."

"Using the vessel network as an anchor," I finished. "He's going to step up his attempt to grab us. Our hybrid nature and bond naturally allow us to bridge different types of magic. We're the perfect conduit."

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