Cahir carefully stepped over the stick and continued his walk past them. When he was a safe distance away, he picked up his speed, and Roya took off into the air, his illusion now gone. His apartment neared, and he ran up the twisted stairs, unlocked the door, andslammed it closed behind him. He took a deep breath. Sweat was dripping down his back as he paced in the doorway.
I need to find her. I need to find her. I need to find her.
His attention snagged at the portrait of Lord Mordred, and his anger exploded. He dug his fingers into it and dragged them down, ripping the painting into shreds. He grabbed the frame off the wall and threw it as hard as he could, smashing it against the table on the other side of the room. He walked into the bedroom and looked over Seda’s things as he paced next to her bed.
Sparkling light caught his eye. He walked closer and picked up Seda’s necklace from the dresser. Why wasn’t she wearing it? She rarely took it off. He placed the necklace into his pocket. He would find her. Fear raced up his spine when he thought about the dangers she might be in now, that someone could be hurting her.
He walked back out to the living room as the Corvids flew into the apartment from the broken window, landing on the floor. They quickly shifted and looked at Cahir.
“Does anyone know how they teleported?” Ferona asked as she took a step toward the kitchen.
“Mordred must have the stone you’re looking for,” Roya said, glancing from the shattered portrait to Cahir.
“The stone can do that?” Feich asked.
“I should have protected her from this and just taken her away like I wanted!” Cahir snarled, his body on the edge of shifting as his powers encircled him.
People rarely ever came back from the Camp, and Lord Mordred seemed to have a special interest in her. Twice now, he had singled her out and stared at her. What did he want from her? How did he know her?
Does he know she’s special?
The Corvids stood silent and stared at him. Cahir paced aroundthe living room, and the corner of a red piece of paper caught his eye. He bent down and pulled the paper out from under the couch.
“What’s that?” asked Roya.
Cahir silently read the paper and stared at the familiar image at the bottom.
“Our next step,” he answered.
Chapter 16
Seda
“It’s time to wake up…” said the familiar voice from her dreams.
Seda jolted awake to darkness, where distant screams and gurgling noises echoed around her. Her breath caught, and she felt a shiver run through her body. Where was she? A slow drip splashed onto her arm as the heavy smell of copper and iron filled the air. Her wrists felt heavy as she slowly stood on unsteady legs, reaching out her trembling hands to explore her surroundings, the sound of rattling chains clinking with her movements.
As the distant screaming grew louder, she backed away as far as she could, her head smashing into the wall behind her, and she slipped on something slick.
She curled her body into a tight ball, the only way she could think to shield herself.
Footsteps echoed as an orange glow lit up the area. Seda peeked out from under her arm and saw that she was trapped, chained in a dungeon deep within a long, dark hall lined with cells. A small, metal bed stained with old, dark blood sat beside her, with a bucket placed near the bars. The walls consisted of large stones stacked haphazardly.
Panic began to seize her throat, and her breathing became labored.
She quickly looked to the right and saw the source of the dripping next to her.
The lifeless body of a naked woman hung from the ceiling with a rope wrapped around her arms. Her body dripped blood from a thick cut across her abdomen.
Seda screamed and scrambled back, hitting the wall again. She looked down, seeing that her hands and clothing were covered with the woman’s blood.She cried out, frantically trying to wipe her hands on her shirt, wincing when it only smeared more onto her. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she struggled to breathe. She couldn’t believe what was happening. Where was she? How did she end up here?
“Looks like my albino-freak has finally woken up,” a voice drawled from the other side of the bars as the torch grew brighter with their approach. Alexi stood on the other side, his wrist tightly wrapped in cloth. He held a set of keys, jingling them in the air, and Seda saw his arms covered in deep scratches from the birds.
He wickedly smiled at Seda. “Didn’t think I would ever get to see you again. But here we are. So much for those good grades, huh? Welcome to the Camp.” He laughed manically and jiggled the keys harder.
Seda choked back a sob.
This isn’t happening.
