Page 24 of The Rowan's Stone
He shrugs. “I’ve been texting with Meri for the last hour, but I’ve been here,” he says nonchalantly, as if he could care less whether I believe him or not. “What the hell is going on?”
I motion for him to give me his phone.
He hands it over reluctantly. “If you don’t have a damn good reason for being an asshole, I’m going to kick your ass. Prince or not,” he spits out.
Scanning through the texts, I see no interruption in the timeline. Certainly not the ten minutes needed to have a conversation with someone in the forest. I didn’t see anyone text during the rendezvous. Tossing the phone back to him, I explain what’s going on.
“Do you know of anyone who can draw and use the shadows like you do?” I query, foreboding making my stomach clench.
He stands and paces. “The only other demon with my ability was incarcerated a long time ago. Let me check on him.” Callyx shimmers out, riding the shadows in the same way the person in the forest did.
Texting instructions to my captain, I set our departure in motion. A few minutes later, Callyx returns, startling me with his soundless entrance.
Anger and confusion battle for supremacy. “He’s gone, and that’s not the worst of it. The prison is in an uproar. Several other nasty demons, caught by me or Vargas over the years, are also missing. These are the worst of the worst, demons with no code, no morals, and they thrive on killing. We need a plan, and we need Vargas.”
Grabbing my arm, he steps into the shadows, dragging me along with him. A swirl of darkness surrounds me, while slithering shapes slide across my body, then we step out a minute later. I run my hands down my face and arms and growl at Callyx.
“Easy, we needed to get here quietly without anyone noticing,” Callyx reminds me.
Insufferable bastard. I can’t believe he and Arden grew up together.
Vargas is standing with his sword out, staring at us. Callyx gives him a code word to reassure him, and he lowers the sword to the bed. Callyx proceeds to bring him up to speed on the situation including the missing inmates. I add the battle instructions I received from my father earlier tonight.
Furious, he curses, but it’s the worry on his face that makes me anxious. “Fucking fucker, betraying son of a bitch. Besides us and your father, the only other person who has access to that particular prison is Alain. It’s keyed specifically to him and only him. If the prisoners are out, it means Alain is behind this rebellion and we’re in deep shit. But why? He’s been your father’s best friend for thousands of years.”
Seeing a map on the table, I stride over and study it. “We need a plan. This is where we stand now with our enemies directly in front of us. Alain suggested I take my soldiers and come up behind the enemy to force them forward, but I have a better idea.” Using the same plan, I add in unexpected forces. “I’ll leave tonight, as if following orders, but I’ll only take a small force of my soldiers with me, not half like he expects. My captain will remain behind to make sure the rest of the men stay hidden until it’s time. He’ll also set out the dummies to fool Alain. I’ll pull together a larger army, but, Vargas, I’ll need your help to get them down to the Underworld. Callyx, I want you to go back to the prison, pick anyone you think is redeemable, and offer them clemency in exchange for their allegiance to my father. Let them know they will be up against their previous inmates.” Stopping, I survey the field of battle and lay out additional attack tactics. “What do you think?”
“I think your father’s been greatly underestimating you for centuries,” Vargas replies. “It might work. The element of surprise will be on our side, and with the additional forces, we should have even numbers. It’s a chance, and sometimes, that’s all you get.”
Callyx nods his head in agreement. “This might take a while. The prisoners are not too fond of me,” he admits, laughing at the danger. “Stop frowning, old man. I’ll be back.”
Vargas narrows his eyes. “Damn it, Callyx, don’t be an idiot. And be careful.”
Callyx salutes Vargas and shimmers out.
Smiling at Vargas, I give him last minute instructions. “If you need to get word to me, contact my captain. When we’re ready to enter, I’ll text you coordinates. If you have a few minutes to spare, take care of Alain’s servant and anyone else you think might be on their side. I assume he’ll have at least a few loyal guards with him, but the fewer traitors in this camp when it starts, the better.” I wait for his agreement and stride out. Time to pull my army together.
13
ARDEN
Determined to check on Astor and get an update on the search for the MacAllisters, I stop by the lab early in the morning. Unlike my first visit, it’s now a complete mess, with piles of paper scattered on every available surface. Astor’s sitting on a stool near the computer, his head on his arms, sound asleep.
Bending over, I lift a piece of paper from a pile and find meeting notes from a council meeting held over twelve hundred years ago. A council leader, named Agnes MacAllister, made a motion to store the archives, including all correspondence and council meeting notes, at Witchwood, to make them available to the entire coven. The motion was passed.
Thank you, Agnes.If she hadn’t, we wouldn’t be here today. It also tells me there was a MacAllister on the council, and she likely held a seventh seat. It still doesn’t prove my ancestry, but it’s a start.
I pick up the next piece of paper in the pile, but before I can read it, Astor jerks it out of my hands and places it back on the pile. “Wait, I haven’t read it yet,” I protest.
“If you start moving papers around, you’ll mess up my system,” he complains, running a hand through his hair. “What are you doing here? I told you I’d give you an update once everything was scanned into the computer. As you can see, I’m not even halfway done. I’d hate to see how much the archives contained before the fire. This lot exceeded even my expectations. They kept records of every single fucking detail.”
“This is a system?” I tease him, trying to lighten his dark mood. “How much is left to scan? Do you want some help? I’ve got twenty minutes before I need to meet Fallon.” I raise up to give him a kiss, but he pulls away.
“It’s fine. I’ve got everything covered,” he mumbles, shuffling the papers into a precise pile. “Go to training and let everyone else take care of the details.”
Narrowing my eyes, I tackle him head-on. “Is there a reason you don’t want me to kiss you? What’s going on, Astor? I’m happy to help. You were the one who volunteered to take the lead, but I can take it back.” Anger bubbles up, but I push it down.
“Did I? I thought you corralled me into this project. I guess I did agree, though,” he concedes, a resentful tone in his voice. He walks away to shuffle another stack of papers, his gaze fixed on the pile in front of him, before he continues, “Maybe it’s best if we take a step back. You have a lot on your plate, learning new powers, trying to find your father, and helping the witches. And we’re two very different people. I want the occasional romp, and you want…something else. And now because of you, I’m busy working on this project instead of my own experiments…”
