Page 31 of Beg the Night (Mystics of Ashora #1)

THIRTY-ONE

sinner

T he sky was purple, the sun just cresting the horizon as the three of us stalked through the forest. Mags put up a good fight, but eventually I convinced her to stay behind to watch Katherine. Though I didn’t tell her, I couldn’t focus if my baby sister was near. I didn’t need her mixed up in the chaos that was about to break loose.

We were half a mile from the dungeons, assuming Benedict’s map was correct. Katherine had healed him, but his power wasn’t fully recharged. He could teleport a short distance if he really needed to, but we all agreed it would be best for him to save it for the fight.

I had a feeling he would need it.

We spent all morning going over the plan again, but it didn’t make this any easier. It was truly three of us going up against an entire squadron of guards.

Mystic guards.

The sound of an engine sliced through the silence, and we darted into the trees and dropped to the ground without a word.

Breathe in. Breathe out. The truck came so close I was sure I would have to kill anyone inside it.

But rather than stopping, it idled past. Neither of the men in the cab even looked our way.

“That was close,” Benedict whispered as the engine noise faded.

Too close. But that meant the camp was nearby.

“Let’s go,” I ordered as I hauled myself up.

We jogged for another handful of minutes before voices and movement ahead had us checking the hand-drawn map.

“That’s it,” Benedict breathed. “Everyone ready?”

Athena nodded, jaw set. She was different today. More determined. More energetic. More alive.

Why did that terrify me?

“Ready.” I clenched and unclenched my fists. “We get in as fast as we can and bring as many of them as we can. Simple and easy.”

And then we were moving.

We crept forward slowly and soundlessly until familiar tents came into view.

That was the place they had kept me all those months. Locked underground like I didn’t exist. Up here, the two dozen or so soldiers walked around like what was happening was entirely normal, like this was simply another day of work for them.

Disgusting.

Athena stayed close behind me, thank fuck. My power was rattling the bars of its cage, desperate to escape me and protect her. I could feel the danger nearby like a prick on my neck. Yes, these soldiers were dangerous. They had weapons and far, far greater numbers.

But we were dangerous, too.

Benedict peered around a tree and held up a hand, signaling us to stop.

The two of us stepped behind another tree, making sure to keep him in sight, and waited.

Guard change. Right on time.

Lighthearted voices and laughter drifted on the wind, only angering my phantoms more. Like they deserved to laugh.

They didn’t deserve to even live.

Benedict was right. When the first wave of guards stepped away from the small door that led to the dungeon, that was our cue. The three of us moved seamlessly forward, barely a shadow. The guards were distracted chatting with one another, allowing us to slip by. Benedict propped the door open and ducked in, followed quickly by Athena.

I went last, reminding myself the whole way down the stairs that I was not a prisoner this time. This time, I was getting out.

We all were.

The door shut behind us, trapping us inside. There was truly no going back now.

“Quickly,” Benedict whispered. “We don’t have long before the guard?—”

Out of nowhere, an armed soldier appeared, and Benedict ran face-first into him.

My magic slipped from me in an instant, my shadows coiling around the guard’s neck and squeezing.

I didn’t apply enough pressure to kill him. Yet. Just enough to knock him out.

Benedict froze, his focus fixed on the body as it fell to the floor.

Athena pushed his back softly. “Go,” she whispered.

With a shake of his head, he strode forward once more. We ran into two more guards as we coiled through the underground hallways. I memorized every turn, burning the route into my memory. I knew Athena was doing the same.

“There.” Benedict stepped aside. At the end of the hallway was the massive, solid door that led to the dungeon.

My body buzzed at the sight. Beyond it was what we’d come for. The men we would set free before we got the fuck out of this place.

“We need the key.” Athena knelt next to the most recent incapacitated guard and fumbled with the ring at his belt.

There were at least a dozen.

She cursed beneath her breath as she ran to the door.

The pounding of my heartbeat sounded like footsteps stomping toward us. I kept my focus trained down the hall, sure I wouldn’t hear anyone who approached over the sound. Adrenaline pumped through my body. We only had seconds before more guards came down here for their shift.

We only had seconds to let the others free.

The first key didn’t fit. Neither did the second or the third.

But the fourth one clicked.

“Thank god,” she breathed in relief. It took a few minutes to undo each lock, and my nerves pulsed with each second.

“Let me.” I sidestepped her and pushed the massive steel door forward. It creaked and groaned, as if fighting against the pressure, but I didn’t stop until it was wide open.

And just like that, we were back in the dungeon we had spent so much time wishing we could escape.

I squinted in the darkness of the underground and stepped across the threshold. Behind me, Athena did the same.

From the back of the room, a laugh pierced the air. Carter. “Back so soon, lovebirds?”