Page 119 of Unraveled
I step over hoses and wires. My eyes flit across the room, searching for something I can use as a distraction, and then Harper’s gaze fixes on me.
Time seems to slow as I wait for her to turn to Skylar and tell him I escaped. Without a word, she tilts her head toward a sliver of space nestled between the wall and a rounded column shrouded in darkness. But I don’t have time to move into the shelter of shadows because they’re loading Nera’s cage onto a dolly.
I grab a metal tube from a crate beside me and press my hand to the cool column, my cracked skin whitening over my knuckles. Their cruel laughter makes this all much worse...
My search for a distraction resumes until I find a brass box with square doors and a keyboard at the top. Liquid pumps through translucent tubes, feeding the main body of the pyramid.
It looks important . . . I should destroy it.
I creep closer, crouch nearby, and wait. The ticking gears bring an idea to the forefront of my mind. Steam hisses from the box and goes quiet in a one-minute cycle. Steady like a clock. If I time it right, I should be able to destroy whatever this is—I pat the box—without alerting anyone I’m here. If I stop the machine, it’ll draw everyone’s attention, and I can get Skylar away from Ash.
Sweat drips down my temple, and I tighten my hold around the tube. As I count down the minute until the machine makes noise again, enchantments I once studied flash in my mind.
. . . Twenty . . .
. . . Nineteen . . .
. . . Eighteen . . .
The veil’s energy shoots up to the sky, illuminating everything around us.
Some of the scientists look downright ill as they try to maneuver Nera’s cage over the mess of things scattered on the floor.
. . . Thirteen . . .
. . . Twelve . . .
. . . Eleven . . .
“We should get the princess out of the cage. There’s no way we’ll fit it through this narrow space...”
“Didn’t you learn a thing from what happened in the forest?” Skylar says. “The moment she isn’t surrounded by iron, she’ll wake up and kill you like she did to Maurice and Lio.”
That almost brings a smile to my face. Of course, Nera isn’t defenseless, even stuck in a trancelike state. She’s feisty and powerful.
. . . Five . . .
. . . Four . . .
I hold my breath and shove the tip of the tube into the seam of the elaborate panel, prying it open. Sparks fly, landing on my skin, but I ignore the burn as I push until metal screeches and I see the gears turning inside. I call for fire, and let it run wild in the chamber, melting the wire casings first before growing hot enough to melt the copper wires inside.
Flames burst from the hole, and black smoke billows out of the exhaust pipe jutting from the box. An alarm goes off somewhere, and I rush to the spot Harper showed me earlier. It’s a tight fit, but I manage.
The machine sputters and then stalls.
I wipe at my forehead and watch as Skylar and a few of his men turn to the pyramid. The veil flickers off and on.
“What’s happening?” Skylar screams and I hear the hurried steps of the few who are still following his orders, but more and more seem to back away, disappearing into the shadows themselves.
I press my body against the wall and hope the shadows hide me as someone runs by quite close. I have minutes before they realize someone tampered with it and it wasn’t a random explosion.
Seeing my chance, I jump at the only opportunity I may have. I’m by Ash’s side so fast, but he’s already shifting toward the cage’s door. He doesn’t look surprised to see me—nor does he say a word.
The unraveling spell comes to my mind easily. Something I’ve used on dozens of occasions, but for the first time, it doesn’t work.
I try again, and panic surges through me when nothing happens. Not a click.
I hear Skylar’s clear voice in the distance before a shot rings out and something buzzes over us. I jump in place and then slam the tube I used before into the lock with all my strength. Which isn’t much considering all the power I just used.
