Page 16 of Mardi Gras Murders & Midnight Masquerades
I watched cracks spread through the ancient masonry. Void energy seeped through like black mercury. The magical deterioration was accelerating and threateningto bring the whole network down around us. “Why would they do this to their precious system? They’ve kept something hidden down here for at least a hundred years, if not more. It makes no sense.”
Dre grabbed me and pulled me away from a black spot. “They want us impressed and frightened. We are more likely to either want to be part of their group. Or scared into joining. Honestly, I’m not sure this is real. My gut tells me this destruction is an illusion.”
Lia scoffed and shot Dre an incredulous look. “Now I know you’ve lost your mind. The way the altar and mask vanished was pretty freaking real.” It certainly felt real. But that didn’t mean it was.
“Doesn’t matter, either way. We can’t risk thinking it’s fake,” I retorted.
"Left at the next junction," Noah called back, interrupting our conversation. "Be on alert. The tunnels smell different." His wolf senses picked up what my dragon had already noticed. The air was becoming thicker and heavier with each passing moment.
Darkness was writhing along the walls like living shadows down the next tunnel. "Stop!" I threw out my arm, halting our group. "Look at the floor."
Dani crouched down, careful not to touch the stone. "These weren't here before. Or maybe we’re in a different section. If I remember the books we’ve looked through, these are some kind of binding sigils."
"Worse,” Phi said with a grimace. "They're soul traps. This whole section is rigged with them."
"Can we safely burn them away?" Dre asked as her pink flames danced across her hands.
"Not without potentially triggering them," Phi replied as we studied the intricate pattern. The sigils were interconnected to form a complex web of dark energy. "They'relinked together. If we disrupt one, we could set off the entire networ..."
A hollow laugh echoed through the passage, cutting her off. Robed figures emerged from the shadows. Their ceremonial garments were adorned with the same symbols. The leader's mask was a thrift store version of the one we'd found on the altar. Its surface absorbed what little light remained in the tunnel.
The air grew heavy with malevolent power as more Society members stepped out of void spaces around us. Their masks gleamed with an unholy light that made my dragon surge closer to the surface. Scales rippling across my skin in response to the threat. I made sure to gain control so I didn’t explode into my massive form and kill us all.
"The Six Twisted Sisters," the leader intoned in a voice distorted by dark magic. "Your power will serve a greater purpose."
"Like hell it will," Dre barked.
I allowed for a partial transformation. Normally, that meant my hands turned into talons. This time, scales erupted along my arms. The first Society member who lunged at us learned exactly how strong a half-shifted dragon could be. I caught him mid-leap and threw him into three of his companions. I made sure to rake a talon across his middle and open his stomach. The sound they made when their friend hit them was deeply satisfying.
The tunnel erupted into chaos then. Dre's telekinesis slammed two attackers into the ceiling while Dani threw a spell that sent another screaming. Phi and Lia tag-teamed a group trying to flank us. Their combined magic created a barrier of pure force.
I tracked multiple threats, cataloging each enemy's position and power signature while I had a moment to determine where I could do the most damage. The Societymembers moved with unnatural grace. Unfortunately, they also slid through shadows as if they were made of darkness themselves. Their magic left trails of void. I doubt they realized that tactic revealed their planned attack patterns.
Lucas and Noah moved in perfect sync. Their wolf forms were massive in the confined space. They tackled Society members and created openings for us to advance. They were relentless as they drove them back. The wolves' natural magic created brief disruptions in whatever process they were using to create the void spots. That gave us precious seconds to counter-attack.
I hurled a blast of witch fire at an approaching figure. The flames did something unexpected. Instead of burning, they revealed hidden sigils painted along the walls. They were more of the intricate containment matrix that stretched as far as I could see.
"We're in a cage," I realized as I dodged a bolt of dark magic that left a crater in the wall behind me. "These tunnels were designed to trap supernatural creatures. The whole network is one giant containment spell. And whatever they were feeding is no longer down here."
"Why am I not surprised?" Dre called out. Her power surged outward, making the very stones creak. The force of her telekinesis sent ripples through the enemy rank and temporarily disrupted the flow of their power.
More Society members emerged to fill in the gaps. I was going to have nightmares forever about these damn masks. One launched a sphere of pure darkness at Dea, but I intercepted it with a shield spell. It wasn’t my finest work, but the two energies collided in a shower of sparks that kept Dea from being hurt.
The tunnel walls trembled as our magic clashed with the Society's dark power. Each burst of energy revealed more of the complex trap we'd walked into. Every instinct in mescreamed to grab my sisters and burn away the corruption threatening to consume us. Good thing I didn’t always listen to them because that would kill us along with those assholes.
"The whole place is warded," Phi shouted. "We could be trapped. Every surface is covered in binding spells!" Her flames danced across ancient carvings that writhed with dark purpose.
Dani touched the wall nearest her and immediately recoiled. "Every time they brought someone down here, they added another layer of them. The pain and fear is all trapped in the stone and making them stronger."
Another wave of Society members emerged from the shadows with their robes billowing around their feet. I intercepted three attackers before they could reach Lia. My claws tore through cloth and flesh like they were paper. A cry left my throat when a robed figure appeared behind Lia. He was reaching for the mask she still clutched. I spun and caught him with a boot. I even added a spell to give my kick some oomph. I launched him back into the darkness.
"We need to get out of here before they completely surround us!" I called out.
"The exit's blocked," Lucas growled after he shifted back. More Society members had filled the tunnel ahead. "They're herding us deeper."
"Not happening," I snarled. "Dre, can you create a shield around us? I'm about to make things very hot in here."
Dre's power wrapped around our group like a protective bubble just as I released a concentrated stream of dragon fire at the tunnel ceiling. The flames revealed hundreds more sigils, all pulsing with dark energy. I didn’t focus on that, though. I concentrated on how my flames began to crack the ancient stone.
