“Scared?” Drake taunted.
“You wish.”
Fane ignored their banter. If it helped them keep calm and focus, then they could go at it all they wanted. “Group yourselves up and divide the races among each squad as evenly as possible. It will take all of our power working together to keep us safe.” They immediately moved to do as he commanded.
Peri, Lucian, Thalion, and Synica, the djinn elder, joined him. Fane glanced around quickly. When he saw everyone had organized themselves, he started forward. He marched straight ahead to the center tunnel.
Peri hurried in front of him, but he didn’t take offense. She had the power to put a protection spell around them. He’d be foolish not to utilize his people’s abilities because of pride.
The glow from Peri’s hands lit the tunnel in front of them, giving them about ten feet of visibility. She sent out more balls of light, illuminating the darkness farther down. Fane saw nothing but the rocky passage ahead. So far, the tunnels were quiet, but Fane felt Alston would suddenly appear at any second and say, “Boo.” Probably because it’s what he imagined Peri would do.
As they continued forward, the tunnel branched, and then side passages and other alcoves began appearing.
“Adam was right.” Peri’s head swiveled from side to side. “This won’t be difficult or dangerous at all. In fact, it’s getting easier by the second.”
“That’s sarcasm, right?”
Peri glanced at Synica, the djinn elder. Fane could tell that she wanted to say something snarky. “Yes. That is sarcasm.”
The high fae’s self-control impressed Fane. Usually, she wouldn’t have passed up an opportunity to give someone a hard time, especially one that was ignorant of human vernacular.
They passed several more tunnels before Fane finally stopped and sighed. “We’re just going to have to bite the bullet and go down one of these.” He motioned around to the other openings. Then he took a deep breath through his nose to see if there was a scent that would give him some sort of clue. Fane turned his head, leaning first to his left and then to his right. He took a step forward and took another breath. His wolf’s attention snapped to the tunnel right beside him.The smell of fae magic is strong down that way,his wolf told him. Fane nodded. “This way. My wolf has picked up on something.”
Peri stepped forward and led them into the dark. She put out more balls of light, revealing a long corridor. The deeper in they moved, the stronger the smell of magic became.
“I can feel it. It’s definitely Alston.” Peri picked up the pace until they were jogging. The tunnel was narrow, forcing them to march single file. Doing so made Fane uneasy. He didn’t want to be in such a vulnerable position if they were attacked.
A few paces later, cool air hit Fane’s face. Peri held up a hand, and they came to a halt. She sent a ball of light ahead, and Fane could see the tunnel opened up into a large, circular room. They inched forward, cautious of an ambush. In the center of the room, Fane turned in a quick circle. The others fanned out and did the same. It looked to be sleeping quarters. There was a bed on one side of the circle and next to it a bedside table. A wardrobe rested several feet from them, and around the room were bookshelves that appeared carved into the walls. The ceiling was at least twelve feet tall, and the shelves ran almost to the top.
“Don’t—” Peri began. At the same time, Thalion stepped up to the bookshelves and reached out, running his fingers along the spines. A bright flash of light filled the room, momentarily blinding them. When it faded, nothing seemed out of place, but when Fane tried to move, he found his feet seemed to be fused to the floor.
“—touch anything.” Peri glared at the elf prince.
Thalion grimaced. “That would be my fault.”
Peri rolled her eyes. “Thank you for that illuminating confession.” She looked at each of them until her eyes landed back on Fane. “I can’t move my legs, and my magic is bound. Even though my arms and hands are free, I’m useless.”
Fane nodded. “Same. I can’t even get my wolf to phase. He’s pissed.” Fane looked over at the djinn. “What about you?”
Synica’s face pinched up as her shoulders lifted. She grunted and then shook her head. “I can’t move either. Just my upper half, and my power is out of my reach.”
Peri huffed. “A nulling spell.”
“If he’s setting traps even in his own quarters,” Lucian said, “then Alston apparently doesn’t trust anyone.”
“He knew he had traitors in the last Order compound, so he’s probably a bit more cautious,” Peri pointed out.
“What now?” Thalion asked.
“I’ll see if I can reach out through the pack bonds.” Fane closed his eyes and searched for the cords that connected him to Decebel and Costin. He could see them and feel their connection. Fane tried to send them a message, but it bounced back. It felt to Fane like his thoughts were hitting a wall, and he couldn’t push past it. He growled in frustration. “I can’t get through. How the hell has he disrupted my pack bond?”
Peri blew out a breath. “Can you talk to Jacque?”
Fane’s stomach clenched. He quickly tried to speak to his mate through their bond, but the same thing happened. The words just came flying back at him. “Dammit!” He snarled.
“Looks like we’re going to have to wait and see if someone in our group finds us.” Lucian glanced at the tunnel entrance they’d come through moments ago.
“Fane,” Peri said, her voice full of urgency, “you told the djinn to bring the mountain down. When you gave that order, did you really think this”—she motioned to their group—“was a possibility?”
