Page 53 of Beneath the Earth (Seven Wardens 3)

She frowned, hating he was right.

"What do I need to do?"

"I was hoping you knew that. You made the disk we travelled down to the sea on, right?"

"I suppose." Macey pondered what to do. On the one hand, she had Air magic within her. On the other, she had absolutely no idea what to do with that magic or how to wield it. Every time she'd used it so far, it had been about using it or dying. And apparently the Air Warden came with some kind of self-preservation mode installed. Admittedly, that was pretty helpful.

She clasped her hands together and concentrated on calling out to the other Warden.

Talia? I need your help.

She didn't get an answer. She hadn't really expected to.

Dismissing her first plan, she had to think fast. This had to work. One of her men was in danger, if Air wasn't going to work, then she'd find a different way.

Clasping her hands together, she focused on her water magic, calling it to the surface and picturing a geyser. She'd never made one appear before, but if she could create a whirlpool, then a spurt of water into the air should be nothing. She didn't even have to worry too much about making things wet. The selkies were water creatures anyway and Flint was far enough away not to even get hit.

Water shot up from beneath her, catapulting her into the air. All she had to do now was get off at the right point. Well, and hope there wasn't anyone about to watch the geyser and come investigate the cause. If they did, she just had to hope Jared would turn on his incubus charm and they'd forget what they were looking for. It was probably a good thing he'd have been able to snack on the residual sexual energy she'd created with Flint and Cam.

When the water was about the same height as the roof, she leapt off it, landing lithely on the roof and somehow managing to avoid falling.

A quick climb took her to the chimney pot, which was mercifully a large one and big enough to fit a small person down.

Trying not to think about it, Macey threw herself through the chimney and landed on the floor with a slight crash and jarring her ankle. There wasn't enough pain for it to be broken and she doubted it'd even be a sprain. But it would probably ache in the morning. Still worth it if it meant she could save one of her men.

Limping slightly, she looked around the surprisingly small hut. It wasn't unlike the one Rónán had taken her to, with a sleep section separated by a screen.

"If I was a power grabbing bitch, where would I keep the skin of the man I wanted to love me," Macey asked herself, realising just how crazy she sounded. No one would believe her situation if she told them, it just kept getting weirder by the second.

Closing her eyes, she listened to her gut and crept around behind the sleep screen. If it was her and she wanted someone to love her who didn't already, she'd keep the skin as close to her as possible. And if that wasn't actually on her person...

Her eyes fell to Cara's pillow and she snatched it up. Despite having an inkling it was there, Macey was surprised to actually spot the pendent lying under where the pillow had been.

She picked it up carefully and turned it over in her hands. It was smaller than she'd expected and smoother. There also didn't seem to be much power coming from it, which surprised her. She'd have thought it'd contain at least a little bit of it since it allowed the selkies to shift, but maybe it was because she couldn't use it herself that she couldn't sense it.

She dropped the pillow back into place, hoping that Cara wasn't the kind who checked on it every hour or so. If she did, then they didn't have long to get away. Turning, she looked for an escape route but found none. It was either back up the chimney or out of the front door. Somehow, the latter option seemed the safest. If she created a geyser in here and left it flooded, it'd be a dead giveaway that there was something up.

She crept forward, reaching the front door a little sooner than she would have liked. Peering through it, she spotted Rónán and Cara talking, with the former appearing more and more agitated by the moment. Even so, she couldn't tell what they were saying. Probably because they seemed to be talking in selkie language rather than in English.

Cara's back was to her. As long as she was quiet, she could get out of the house without raising any suspicions. Maybe.

Deciding there was no time like the present, she slipped through the door and hugged the side of the hut. She needed to get back to Jared and then approach Rónán from a different angle. That way, she could avoid at least a little suspicion.

She was too busy paying attention to the selkies that she ran straight into Jared's chest as she rounded the side of the hut.

"Oomf." The sound escaping from Jared sounded almost painful, though she doubted he was really hurt. It would take more than someone of her tiny frame to make a dent in Jared.

"We need to hurry," she whispered.

"You got it?" he replied.

She nodded rather than saying anything.

Holding out her hand, she was relieved when he took it.

The two of them began a leisurely stroll towards where the selkies were standing. They didn't have very far to go, but hopefully it'd be enough to look convincing.

"Rónán!" Macey called.

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