Page 20

Chapter 20

Argos

T he thundersnow is gone by sunrise, and we are up and headed to Rustion’s to retrieve the stolen items before the thieves accidentally blow the town sky-high.

The sun lights the town in shades of gold and touches the ends of Tully’s red braid, turning it to flame. She’s wearing the lava stone jewelry I crafted for her out of odds and ends during the night. I doused each piece with the dill oil so she’s fully protected if the stones or the mirror attempt to drain her power.

“Do we need backup at all?” I ask as we rush through the empty square. The town is still asleep and the air has a bite to it.

“I’m a witch. I don’t need backup.”

“Got it.”

“I assume you know how to fight?” she asks.

I frown. “Why do you assume that?”

“Because you were very good on that dance floor and not too shabby in bed.”

“Not too shabby? I seem to remember someone screaming my name not once but twice.”

She glares at me and I give her a wink.

“I still might have to murder you,” she says.

“Because I’m an arrogant, magical upstart?”

“Correct.”

“I will try to enjoy every moment then just in case it’s my last.”

She lets out a reluctant chuckle at that.

When we arrive at Rustion’s manor, the gatehouse is dark and quiet.

I eye the black windows above the portcullis. “What now?”

Tully whips out her wand and flicks it at the metal bars. The portcullis rises halfway and we run through as a guard shouts at us.

“It’ll take too long to explain,” she says over her shoulder. “We just need to get to that underground room before the thieves have a chance to move the artifacts.”

I nod and run down a winding set of stairs inside the open half-wall of the gatehouse. We go down and down and down, and soon Tully is using her wand like a torch.

“That doesn’t take too much of your energy, does it?” I ask, panting.

“Not at all.”

Her circle of light falls onto a door at the bottom of the stairs. A lock hangs from the latch handle.

“Allow me to deal with this one, so you can keep your power ready for whatever might await us on the other side, all right?” I ask.

“You just want to show off.”

“A little.”

I back up and then run at the door. I ram my shoulder into the heavy wood and the hinges snap and come free. I shove the broken door aside, and Tully enters. I’m on her heels as she rushes down a corridor with her circle of magical light to lead the way.

A large storage room packed with barrels and crates sits at the end of the corridor. Shouts rise behind us. The guards will be here soon.

In the center of the room, a small table holds all three artifacts.

Tully eyes the dark corners of the room and I raise my head to sniff the air. I don’t have the sense of smell that some Veil creatures do, but I can usually pick up something.

I hear a shuffle. A body hits my side. I grunt and turn, swinging a fist blindly in the near dark.

A wave of fatigue sweeps over my body. It’s like weights have been lashed to every one of my limbs, to my eyelids, to my back. I drop to my knees, then I begin dreaming.

Tully’s voice, tight and angry, flows above me. Hands are pulling me up. I’m trying to help them, trying to walk on my own.

Then there is light.

I squeeze my eyes shut against it because all I want is darkness and sleep. I blink. Colors blur. I can smell Tully all around me. I think I’m in her house. My eyes shut and I give in to the dark.