Page 77 of Faeheart
“Now,” Elias’s father commanded. “Activate the binding protocols.”
One of the fae nobles stepped forward, pressing her hands against the cube’s surface. The moment she made contact, the artifact pulsed with such intensity that I had to squeeze my eyes shut against the glare.
When I opened them again, tendrils of crimson energy were snaking out from the cube, searching the mansion like hungry serpents. They passed right through our illusions, seeking living magical signatures to ensnare.
“They’re scanning for us,” Atlas growled, his werewolf instincts screaming danger.
“Hold still,” Elias whispered urgently. “Don’t move, don’t breathe, don’t even think too loudly.”
But it was too late. One of the energy tendrils paused directly below our hiding spot, its crimson glow intensifying as it locked onto our position. The cube’s spinning accelerated, and several of the hooded figures turned their attention upward.
“Found them,” my mother said with satisfaction, her emerald eyes finding mine through the foliage. “Hello, darling son. Did you really think you could hide from your own mother?”
I felt my blood run cold as my mother’s emerald eyes locked with mine. She’d always been able to see through my illusions, even as a child. No matter how elaborate my magical pranks, she’d find me hiding behind them.
“Wild,” Elias whispered urgently, his magic flickering to life despite his attempts to suppress it. “Don’t react. It’s what they want.”
But it was too late. The crimson tendrils from the cube shot upward, tearing through Caden’s carefully crafted foliage like it was paper. The plants withered on contact, turning black and crumbling to ash.
“Run!” Atlas roared, shoving us toward the back of the gallery as the first tendril lashed toward us.
We scattered, abandoning stealth for speed as the crimson energy pursued us. Elias grabbed my hand, pulling me toward a hidden door behind a tapestry. Through our bond, I could feel his desperate plan forming: split up, divide their attention, make them work for each capture.
“The trap,” I gasped as we ran. “Elias, the wards?—”
“Not yet,” he hissed, yanking me through the doorway into a narrow service corridor. “We need them to split up and follow us first. The mansion’ll have a better chance then.”
Behind us, I heard Caden cry out in pain, the sound echoing through our tetrad bond like a physical blow. Through our connection, I felt something cold and wrong trying to separate him from us, like fingers prying at the edges of our shared consciousness.
“They’ve got Caden,” I panted, terror gripping my heart as we sprinted down the corridor.
“Keep moving,” Elias commanded, his magic beginning to pulse around his hands. “Atlas will take care of him. Trust the plan.”
The mansion’s corridors twisted around us, responding subtly to Elias’s magic despite the apparent deactivation of the wards. Doors appeared where none had been before, hallways stretched impossibly long, and staircases spiraled in disorienting patterns.
“Where are we going?” I asked, struggling to keep up with Elias’s determined pace.
“The heart of the mansion,” he replied, his voice tight with concentration. “If we can reach the library, we can hide there while the house picks them off one by one.”
A shout echoed from behind us, followed by the sound of running footsteps. Through the bond, I felt Atlas’s fierce protective rage as he fought to free Caden. Their emotions were distant now, muffled by whatever the cube was doing to our connection.
“My son,” called my mother’s voice, eerily close despite the distance we’d covered. “Why make this more difficult than it needs to be? The Cube of Binding will take your soul, regardless. The only question is how much pain you’ll suffer first.”
“Charming woman, your mother,” Elias muttered as we rounded another corner.
“About as charming as your father,” I retorted.
Elias grinned despite the situation. “Who knew we had so much in common?”
Through the bond, I felt Caden finally break free, Atlas’s protective magic surrounding him as they ran deeper into the mansion.
Relief flooded through me as I felt our bond strengthen again, Atlas and Caden’s presence returning to full clarity. They were alive, unhurt, and moving toward the east wing, where the morning room would provide multiple escape routes.
“This way,” Elias said, pulling me down a spiral staircase that definitely hadn’t existed when we first arrived at the mansion. The stones beneath our feet pulsed with subtle magic, guiding us deeper into the house’s hidden passages.
Behind us, I could hear the Purity Front spreading out, their footsteps echoing through different corridors as they searched. Perfect. The more they dispersed, the easier it would be for the mansion to isolate and eliminate them.
“The library’s just ahead,” Elias whispered, pausing at a heavy oak door carved with protective runes. “Once we’re inside, I can activate the trap.”
