Page 6 of Wicked Ends

Rose

Hours pass. At least, it feels like hours. Maybe time moves differently when you’re locked in a room in magical solitary confinement. Either way, I’m tired, and if I had a spoon, I’d dig my way out through the floor, Escape from Alcatraz-style.

Instead, I try to think about what’s happening beyond my office slash holding cell. Did Lucien and Soren find Ash somewhere? Maybe he’s dead. But something tells me I’d feel it through the mark. I’d know.

At some point, impossibly, I fall asleep sitting in one of the chairs, my head on the table. I dream about vending machines and escape tunnels behind the chips and candy bars, and when I wake up, my neck is killing me. I flex my fingers, hearing the faint pop of joints. I’m stiff, sore, and I really, really need to pee.

And then finally the lock clicks.

Every nerve is an alert as I prepare to face Helena, ready to gloat. But it’s not her.

Three of her witches enter, and they look pissed off to be here. Maybe Helena’s making them work overtime. Or maybe they just really hate me. Either way, I’m not getting a warm welcome.

The one in front glares at me. “Get up.”

I push slowly to my feet. “Aw, were you missing me?”

She doesn’t answer, just grabs my arm and yanks me forward. The other two witches close in on either side, not quite touching but ready to drag me if I resist.

And yeah, I considered resisting. But with my magic on lockdown and the odds most assuredlynotever in my favor, I decide to save my energy for something that doesn’t end with me unconscious and drooling on the carpet.

We march out into the hallway, my personal goon squad keeping a death grip on my elbows.

All I can hear is the squeak of the soles of my boots on the polished floor, and we’re halfway down the corridor before anyone says anything.

It’s the witch on my right, a tall, mean-faced woman with a scar on her cheek that makes her look extra murdery, who finally breaks. She leans in, her tone gleeful. “Ash is in the dungeon. He won’t be helping you now.”

I almost laugh. There really is a dungeon. Wow, all the amenities. Serpentine Academy really is the place with everything.

We round a corner, headed for the main building.

“Where are you taking me?” I ask. But I don’t need them to answer. I know. My stomach drops.

“The Great Hall,” the witch in front snaps. “Helena’s waiting.”

“For what?” I push, stalling for time. Not that I have a plan.

She doesn’t bother to answer. Instead, the witch with the scar leans in again, her breath hot at my ear. “You should worry more about yourself, Rose. Because your boyfriends aren’t coming to save you, either.”

I stumble a little. “What did you do to them?”

She laughs. “Helena tossed them in a cell. Locked up tight.”

My heart crumples.

Lucien and Soren. Trapped. Maybe hurt.

I clench my fists. “They’re not so easy to break. You should remember that.”

The witch shrugs. “They all think they’re special. Until they’re not.”

We keep moving, down the stairs, through the halls. Every step makes it more real. Ash, out of commission. Lucien and Soren, locked up and probably pissed. Me, about to star in a show I have absolutely no desire to be a part of.

I keep my head up because I refuse to give these witches the satisfaction. If I’m going down, I’ll do it loud and annoying.

The walk is endless. Every hallway is empty, not a witch or familiar to be seen. Or maybe Helena cleared it out so there wouldn’t be any witnesses if things got messy.

As we approach the Great Hall, I see that the huge, heavy doors are already open, light spilling out onto the stone floor from thecandles lit inside. The three witches tighten their grip, like I’m about to bolt.