Page 111 of Unraveled
They cause pain.
Wind hums through crevices in the heavy wooden doors that line the tunnels, and I glance at Naheli, who remains by my side. She’s regained some of her height as she leads me with purpose.
Then her body flickers, like it did back in the castle. Right before she disappeared.
“Are you going to leave?” I breathe out.
She tilts her head, and her four amber eyes pin me down. Her muzzle wrinkles as she peels her lips away from her long canines. It would be scary, except I hear a hissing sound thatforms the essence of words. It leaves her mouth like an icy caress.
“Save him.”
And she disappears into thin air, right in front of my eyes. Her magic leaves this place, and I feel it’s directly tied to whatever’s happening to Ash.
I don’t allow myself to descend into a whirl of panic. Instead, I let those words guide me as I repeat them, again and again.
Save him.
Empty cages are spread around a wide, circular chamber with low ceilings.
A familiar voice drifts from an open door at the far end of the room. Skylar’s tone has taken on a taunting drawl, but I can’t understand what he’s saying from this distance.
I unsheathe one of my daggers and keep a mental handle on the power I repress. Using too much would expedite the curse taking my body, but I can’t think of how else I’ll be able to get Ash out of here. I cross the empty space, passing iron bars and runes carved into the walls.
Through the door, the stench is suffocating. Magic blending with sweat, blood, and something rotten that lingers in the air. The room is dimly lit, which works in my favor as I rush behind tall wooden crates, peering into the crowd that gathers around him.
My heart plummets when I see Ash’s black wings folded at strange angles inside a cage that’s too small for a man of his size. Golden blood and tears stain his face, dripping down into the darkness of his feathered neck. His hands aren’t talons like when he took me during the last blood moon. Instead, they remain their regular shape, except for the black fingernails that mirror the appearance of my hand.
He leans against the back wall, resting both arms on his bent knees, taking deep breaths, and ignoring the group’s taunts.
“Did we capture the right beast?” a scientist asks, dragging the barrel of his gun over the bars. I watch as Ash winces at the noise, and I remember how sensitive he was to my screams the night we met. “Why isn’t he more... beastly?”
“Who cares,” Skylar drawls as if bored, leaning against the rock wall with one leg crossed over the other. “He’s the same beast. Once we harness his energy, the veil will have power for a long time.”
Anger boils inside me, and I glance over my shoulder to make sure no one’s sneaking close. I try to form a plan to get him out. No one has noticed me yet, but there are too many of them for me to take care of on my own. I’m decent with weapons, but my magic without an amulet is too unruly to rely on. Back in the forest, I blacked out and turned a man to stone.
I can see at least four scientists wearing their regular outfits, holding guns in their hands.
Perhaps I can hide here and wait for them to leave? I search around, trying to find Nera in a nearby cell—or cage. But she isn’t anywhere. Worry pricks in the back of my mind. Is she already in the machine? Power vibrates under my skin, and my fingertips grow warm as I lose control. The curse takes another inch of me, and the skin of my chest turns dry and taut.
I close my eyes to settle my breathing, and I see it, that angry demonic face inside me. Waiting for me to use a spell, so it can take more.
“Honestly, he doesn’t look feral to me. I hardly think he’s a danger to us.” A female voice breaks through the chatter of males, and I open my eyes wide and peer around the corner to find Harper sitting behind a bulky table.
She blends with the shadows, and all noise fades away when she stands on shaky legs, looking as unsure as she did the night I saw her last in the library. “I don’t think this is right...”
A knot lodges in my throat as I remember how Harper questioned the scientists that night, and how mad it made me. She called their attempts weak. I couldn’t agree more, even as I worry about her being here. Why is Harper in this cave prison? Did she know about this all along?
“At least the hybrid is smart...” Ash says. He looks and sounds tired. Iron shackles wrap around his bloodied wrists, and his clothes are torn in many places. Roses grow from the corner of the room behind Harper’s desk, and their blooms are all black. At some point, Ash regained enough energy to call the roses, which could be the reason Naheli came back.
The hybrid. Singular. Could it mean the scientists around us have no magic, just guns?
“I should’ve expected the librarian’s stomach to be too weak for her to do what’s needed for the greater good.” Skylar’s lips peel back as he throws a glare at Harper, whose eyes round with fear. “Do I have to remind you how important it is to protect our city fromhim, after he almost destroyed the veil last time?”
Harper shakes her head, sucking her lips between her teeth. “No, I understand.”
“It’s why you’re here, isn’t it? To be punished for allowing Irene’s sister out of the library during the last blood moon, which got her killed?”
Whatever color remained in Harper’s face drains away. She clears her throat and speaks after the snorts of multiple men die off. “Yes, I know why I was called here.”
