Page 15 of Mardi Gras Murders & Midnight Masquerades
"Stay close," Noah warned, though none of us needed the reminder. We huddled together, and each added to Dre’s protection bubble.
The floor was inlaid with what looked like black opals. Like everything else in the place, each one pulsed with its own inner light. They formed pathways that converged on a massive altar carved from a single piece of obsidian. The stone seemed to drink in our witch fire, creating patches of absolute darkness in the process.
"This is a focal point," Dre breathed. Her voice echoed strangely in the chamber. "Like a lens for magical energy."
"The energy signature is similar to what we felt at the plantation," Kota observed as she conjured the brightest lantern ever made using her ability to manifest.
"Look at these markings," I said, being careful to keep my fingers above the altar's surface. The symbols matched the ones from Mary Alice's grimoire. Seeing them in their original context revealed new layers of meaning. "These are collection points. Each one represents where they harvested power from a supernatural death. They're storing the energy here, and channeling it through these pathways."
"Like a magical battery," Phi murmured. Her phone flashed as she documented the symbols. "Each death adds to the charge."
"And the parade routes," Lia breathed, "are conduits. Designed to direct all that harvested energy to..." She glanced at the mask on the altar with a grimace.
"To whatever's been down here all this time," I finished. "They're weaponizingeach death."
"And these dates," Phi murmured as she photographed the base of the altar. "Match the artifact theft and murders."
Noah’s eyes narrowed, and he crouched down. "The last date carved around the base is..." He paused as a growl rumbled in his chest. "The night of the masquerade."
But it was what lay on the altar that made our blood run cold. It was a mask that felt ancient and powerful. It radiated the same hungry darkness we'd felt at the plantation. This wasn't just another carnival mask. I’d bet my bottom dollar this was what the Society had been searching for. This was what they'd killed for. So, why let us find it?
"Do we take it with us?” I asked into the darkness.
“We can’t leave it here,” Lia reasoned as she picked it up. That was when the ground bucked like a wild bronco, nearly putting us on our asses.
“Oh, shit. What did you do this time?” Dre asked.
CHAPTER 6
Dakota
The moment Lia lifted that mask, my dragon surged forward with such force I nearly shifted right there in the chamber. It took everything I had to keep her from emerging. The last thing we needed as ice flooded my veins was for me to collapse the chamber on us. Nausea replaced the urge to shift as void magic erupted around us.
My gaze skipped around, looking for the assholes to make an appearance. Instead of an incursion, the altar began to dissolve into nothingness. The magic felt wrong on a primal level. It was like someone had reached inside and twisted all the natural energies into a toxic ball.
That did nothing to help me calm my dragon. Her awareness expanded and she sensed something spreading through the chamber like poison. The void magic wasn't just cold. It was actively consuming the natural energy around us, leaving behind patches of absolute nothingness. That shit was going to eat us all if we didn’t get out of there.
"Dea, move!" I yanked my sister backward just as the void expanded where she'd been standing. The icy sensation intensified, making my scales ripple beneath my skin. Mydragon roared inside me, demanding release. The need to shift was almost overwhelming, but I forced it back. These tunnels were too confined for a full transformation. Even with my ability to manifest a smaller form, it might be too tight. "Everyone out! Now!" Not to mention, I might need opposable thumbs to get through this.
"The altar's collapsing into itself," Phi called out. Her witch fire illuminated the dissolving stone. "It's like it's being pulled into another dimension!" Her flames flickered and dimmed as the void magic spread, consuming them.
Dre's power crackled through the air as she reinforced the protection bubble around us. The familiar warmth of her magic fought against the bone-deep cold of the void. "Did anyone else feel that surge? The energy signatures just went completely sideways."
"Hard to miss," Dani muttered as she pressed closer to Noah. "The magical signatures are chaotic...” She paused and contemplated, making me push her into moving faster. Shaking her head, she shot me a smile. “They're deliberately being scrambled. They’re trying to mask what they're doing. They don’t want us to be able to track them."
“I think they’re trying to kill us,” I countered.
The void magic made my senses go haywire. Everything felt simultaneously too sharp and weirdly muted. The ancient stone carried echoes of countless rituals and each layer of power was more twisted than the last. My protective instincts kicked into overdrive as I sensed the danger to my sisters.
"We can analyze the magical signatures after we get out of here," I managed through gritted teeth. My voice was rougher as my dragon pushed closer to the surface. The creature's presence gave me enhanced vision in the darkness, which was a plus. Or not. It also allowed me to see disturbing stains on the surrounding stone. "Something tells me wedon't want to be around when whatever's happening finishes."
Lucas's eyes glowed amber in the darkness as he scanned our surroundings. We’d made it out of the chamber and back into the tunnel system. I tried to keep track of which turns we took so we didn’t get lost, but Lucas’s next words made my eyes go wide. "There are multiple hostiles approaching from the northwest tunnel. We aren’t going to be able to avoid them." He shared a look with Noah that made my stomach drop. "And the void spaces are expanding. I believe they are using them to move through the walls."
"Fucking hell. We need to move faster," Noah urged as he took point with Lucas. Their enhanced senses swept the tunnels ahead as we rushed toward what we hoped was an exit. "The energy down here is shifting. Whatever's happening, it's accelerating."
The oily residue of corrupted magic coated my supernatural awareness like tar. I could distinguish at least six distinct magical signatures woven together. Some felt ancient enough to make me wonder how long they’d really been at this. While others carried the sharp tang of fresh power. My dragon clawed at my control. Ever since I was on death’s door, I had a harder time keeping her contained. And right now, she was desperate to burn the entire tunnel system to the ground.
"The void magic is spreading faster than we can move," Phi warned. Her green witch fire cast dancing shadows on the tunnel walls. Each flicker revealed more of the spell eating through the stone. "It's consuming everything it touches. Shit. The structural integrity of these tunnels won't hold much longer."
