Page 19 of Ignited Spirits (Haunted Magic #3)

IZZY

I have to swallow down the squeak of surprise that tries to make its way out of my mouth because that is so not what I expected to happen.

Chancing a guilty glance behind me, I see Rhys looking between where the guard was and me in horror.

“Oops?” It comes out more as a question that a statement, though.

Rhys blinks at me before shaking his head. “I said I wanted to minimize bloodshed. I didn’t think you’d take that as you need to vaporize anyone we come in contact with.”

“It was an accident,” I say with a shrug.

“Accidentally obliterating someone? That’s new but about in line for what I expect with you, Iz.” Aiden tries to keep the amusement off his face, but he can’t keep it out of his voice.

I narrow my eyes at him for finding this whole thing funny before spinning on my heel and marching down the sterile-white hallway. White floor tiles, faded white cement blocks, and harsh white fluorescent lights give the place a hopeless feeling, which is perfect for a prison.

Bishop catches up to me in a few steps. “Do you know where you’re going?”

“No clue. It can’t be that hard to figure out, St. James.”

I mean, how big can the prison be, honestly?

Massive, apparently.

“The prison extends twenty stories underground, and the maximum security levels are the lower two,” Bishop informs me.

I pause in my tracks to look at him in disbelief. “Please tell me there are elevators.”

Aiden gives me a shit-eating grin. “Nope. We have to hoof it down twenty flights of stairs to find Dad.”

Letting out a soft groan at how sore my poor legs are going to be tomorrow, I close my eyes to gather the mental energy for this endeavor. I thought this was going to be a test of my magical capabilities, not my physical stamina. The universe must’ve decided on why not both just to torment me.

“It sounds almost as bad as Tartarus,” Levi rumbles, his deep voice seeming to echo off the walls, even though he tries to keep his volume down.

I open my eyes at his voice. “Mages take their security seriously, none more so than the council. I’m honestly not surprised by how large the prison is, but it certainly makes this whole thing harder.”

“I think that’s the point,” Luca supplies helpfully.

I give him a droll look. “I’m starting to get that. So, which way to the stairs?”

Rhys shoves a hand through his hair, making it even more disheveled as he looks around the bland hallway. “No clue. The council doesn’t release any blueprints of their prison, so we’re flying blind right now.”

“Then I guess we just pick a direction at random.” Looking around, I decide that the stairs are probably farther away from the door. Nodding to myself, I start walking that way down the seemingly never-ending corridor with a million hallways that branch off.

We’ve been walking for a few minutes when three guards sprint out from another corner. They do a double-take when they spot our not-so-merry bunch and skid to a stop.

I throw up a shield to fend off any of their magical attacks. I’d rather not turn anyone else to dust right now, so I let the others get rid of them.

Levi sends his smoky black magic toward them, encasing the one on the right completely. After a brief struggle, the man drops to the ground, lifeless, before Levi’s magic fades away.

Rhys slings a classic attack spell at the middle guy, who tries to get up a shield. Unfortunately for him, Rhys’s magic is much stronger than his. It tears through his shield like it’s tissue paper. When it hits him, the goon convulses and drops to the ground.

Bishop deals with the last one by strangling him with his magic. It’s a little gruesome, watching the guy turn purple as he claws at his throat. His struggles are useless, though. Bishop’s magic is too strong, and the guard passes out within thirty seconds.

“I feel like vaporizing them would’ve been kinder,” I whisper when the corridor falls silent once more.

Archer slings an arm around me and surveys the downed mages with disinterest. “It probably would be. But we need you to keep charged up, sunshine. You’re our secret weapon.”

I shrug but don’t argue with him as I let the defensive shield drop from around us. “What are we going to do with their bodies? They’ll know we’re here if we leave guards lying around everywhere.”

“Let me see if I can find a closet to stash them in,” Rhys says before jogging down one of the branching off hallways.

I hold my breath, hoping he doesn’t run into any more guards on his own.

He returns a minute later. “Found one. Luca, Archer, and Cain, can you each pick up one of them and follow me?”

I let out a little huff that Rhys didn’t ask me, but I know my wolves are the logical choice. They’re physically a lot stronger than me, Bishop, or my brothers, thanks to their shifter genes. The cleanup takes less than a minute, and we’re back on the move once again.

We surprisingly don’t run into anyone else for the entire five-minute trek to the end of the main hallway.

I have the urge to kick the plain wall when the corridor doesn’t lead to a set of stairs, an elevator, or a Your Dad Is This Way sign. Instead, it’s a dead end.

“Which way now?” I shove both hands through my blonde hair in frustration, feeling like we’re going to be wandering this maze forever.

“Why don’t we just ask?” Cain suggests.

I turn to look at him and open and close my mouth a few times, trying to figure out what to say to my adorably sweet mate who thinks simply asking will get us what we need. “I doubt asking nicely would make the guards tell intruders where to go, quiet boy.”

“Who said anything about asking nicely?” Cain gives me a smile that would be bone-chilling if I didn’t know him so well. He looks every inch the predator he’s supposed to be. And there’s something seriously wrong with me because it’s kind of hot.

Aiden chuckles, breaking me out of my awkward thoughts. “I like your style, wolf.”

Rolling my eyes at myself, I look around at our ragtag bunch. “Anyone know where to find a guard?”

“Nope.” Archer shrugs before turning around and going down the first branching corridor he finds. I hustle to keep up with him. “We just gotta go up and down the hallways until we find one.”

Because I don’t have any other ideas, I keep my mouth shut as we prowl the passage, actively looking for some trouble to get into.

It takes a surprisingly long time to find anyone, and I start to wonder where all the guards are.

Surely this isn’t all the manpower the council spends on their personal prison, right? Here’s hoping they’re just overconfident, and the rest of the plan is as easy as this has been. Knowing my luck, though, that’s a pipe dream.

When we finally stumble across a council goon, Levi is on him in a flash.

He moves faster than I can track and has his hand around the guy’s mouth before the man can even think to scream.

The dude thrashes around, but he’s no match against Levi’s much bigger frame.

Levi drags him with us until we find a conveniently empty room to duck into.

The walls, floor tiles, and drop ceiling are all the same white as outside.

The room is filled with stacked tables and chairs that make it feel cramped and cluttered.

With the cobwebs in the corners and covering the furniture, this room doesn’t look like it’s been used in a while, which is perfect for what we need.

Once the door is shut behind us, Rhys throws up a silencing dome.

While we should probably be wary of using magic in the council HQ, with their penchant for traps, that ship has sailed. Here’s hoping we don’t trip any alarms, though.

Levi lets his black magic trickle out and coat the guard from the shoulders down. When he’s sure the guy is secure, he steps back.

The council goon glares at all of us until his gaze lands on me. “You,” he hisses, a sneer twisting his bland face.

With buzzed brown hair, medium brown eyes, and a neither rounded nor squared face, the guard is the definition of being average looking. There’s nothing about him that would make him easy to pick out in a crowd.

“Me,” I say back, mimicking his tone before turning to the guys. “Guess it’s safe to say the council has passed around pictures of me.”

“Yep,” Rhys confirms. “Everyone in Hawthorne Grove knows your face and knows you’re wanted.”

“Fantastic,” I mutter.

“You’ll never make it out of here alive,” the guard snarls. Since he doesn’t have a name tag, I’m just going to call him Steve.

I can’t help the eye roll. “Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it all before. Unfortunately for you and the council, you are far from the biggest or baddest thing I have to deal with. How ’bout you save us both some time and just tell me where the fuck I can find my dad. It’s a win-win.”

“I don’t think you know what a win-win is,” Aiden comments.

Turning to him, I raise my eyebrows. “Yeah, I do. We find Dad faster and with less effort. Two wins make it a win-win.”

Aiden laughs and shakes his head but doesn’t say anything.

“I won’t tell a magicless traitor and wolf slut like you anything,” Steve spits out. “I’d rather die first.”

Well, that’s a new one. I’ve been called many things, but a wolf slut isn’t something I’ve heard before. I’ll give him props for being creative.

At his insult, Cain’s deep, eerie growl vibrates through the room.

“That can be arranged,” Cain tells him. He stalks over to the guard and shoves his hand through Levi’s magic.

I wonder what he’s doing when I hear an audible snap, and Steve howls in pain.

Three more snaps follow, and Steve screams before it dies down to a pathetic whimper.

Getting in Steve’s face, Cain calmly says, “Ever disrespect my mate again, and I will break much more than your fingers. Understood?”

“Yes,” Steve whispers through the pain.

Cain nods and walks back to stand next to me. He pulls me against his side and glares at Steve. “Let’s try this again. Where is Isabel’s father?”