Evie opened the bag and threw the flower into the air. We all watched as the sentry collapsed into a deep sleep.
Unfortunately, so did our driver.
“Well, shit,” Evie muttered. “I forgot about him.”
Vas sighed, lifted the guy out of his seat and dumped him in the back. Then he picked up the reins.
“Wait,” Evie said. “I need to break the ward, or it will trap us. Mere, can you help so I’ve got more power for later?”
I nodded, and we both raised our hands. My hand shook as I shoved my dwindling power into the ward, and Vas’s expression darkened as he watched me.
“You need more rest,” he growled as the ward popped.
“Let’s go,” Evie panted. She’d done all the heavy lifting. “They know we’re here.”
Vas urged the horse until it picked up speed, and Evie had the next flower out and ready for the sentry. I used my telekinesis to float it toward him before we arrived, and he collapsed in front of us.
“That’s cool,” Evie told me. “But you look wiped. Save your magic.”
We approached the house, and I was zero percent surprised by the sheer size of it. “Who could possibly need this much space?” I muttered.
Evie shot me an amused look. “The brothers are away right now, but they’re in this realm, so you bet your ass they’re already on the way. We need to make this quick.”
The guards streaming toward us indicated it was unlikely this would be a speedy process. A green net shot toward us, and I ducked, but Vas had already lit it up with his demon fire. The scent of burning greenery filled the air.
Several fae gaped. Several more fled. Something told me Vas shouldn’t have been able to do that. He climbed out of the cart and held out his hand for me. I took it, and they fired another net—this one smaller and thinner.
Vas took out the backup net, although his face lost a little color. This was costing him.
More guards scattered. The brothers obviously didn’t inspire much loyalty. A few fae shot arrows at us, and Evie used her power to turn them back on the archers.
They ducked, several of them dropping as they were hit.
“Poison.” Evie wrinkled her nose. “Rude.”
Vas held up his hand, and every fae in the vicinity stared at his demon fire. “You’ve seen what I can do,” he growled. “Leave, or die.”
They left. We stalked into the house. A butler stood in the entrance, wringing his hands.
“Where’s Ilayda?” I asked.
The light fae jerked his head toward the right. “Down that hall, up three flights of stairs, then take the first left. It’s the second door on the right.”
Vas slammed his fist into the butler’s face, knocking him out. Then we all sprinted toward Ilayda’s room.
Several guards were on the door, but they turned to ash as Vas approached. I couldn’t blame him. These were the guards who’d been directly responsible for keeping a pregnant woman locked up.
He slammed his hand into the door, revealing a pale-faced Ilayda, chained to a bed.
“Please,” she gasped out, her hands curved around her swollen belly. “Don’t hurt me.”
“We’re here to rescue you,” I managed to get out as we sprinted to the bed. I glanced at Vas. “What do we do about the chains?”
“They’re not Naud chains. I can snap them. Stand back.”
Ilayda watched, wide-eyed and shaking, as Vas used his hands to break the chains apart. Then we helped her to her feet.
“Can you run?”
