A smirk crossed my lips. “Show off.”
“Want to join me?”
I glanced at Horace and Lark, who were already wielding their magic against the beast, and then eyed the cave walls. “One of us needs to figure out how to get out of here.” The creature roared again, wiping the smirk from my face. I imagined those teeth ripping through Leo, shredding him, claws sinking into his skin.
Before I could stop him, he nodded, gave me a quick, “Be careful,” and took off after the beast to join Horace and Lark in the fight.
They were a sight to behold. I’d never seen the Sentinels in action, but I could tell they’d been about more than espionage and secret meetings over the years. The three of them moved in synchrony. Horace distracted the enemy with illusions and slashes of his sword while Lark manipulated her shadows into weapons, dangerous spears of darkness that pierced through the thick, golden hide, then disappeared to reform. Even from the wall, I could see Leo’s lips moving with silent spells. Force fields emerged before his companions right as the creature pounced.
The air was saturated with shadows and firelight, the cloying scent of magic and the sting of its power pressing into my chest.
I shook away the mixture of dread and awe, sharpening my focus on finding an exit. Working my way down the edges of the cave as fast as I could, I ran my fingers along the bottom and then up, tracing every dip and crevice I saw. Hoping for any sign of a hidden doorway or hollow wall. Some sort of enchantment or magical trap that would trigger an opening.
Anything.
Lark cried out, and I swung my head around to see the beast’s jaws clenched around the long antler in her hand, almost tearing her arm off. She let go and the creature jerked the weapon with so much force that it went flying at the wall to its left side.
I expected the antler to clatter against rock.
Instead, it disappeared.
The other three were too distracted to notice, but something tugged at my mind. The creature wasn’t moving. It stayed in place, fighting Lark, Horace, and Leo while keeping within a few paces of its position, right beside the spot the antler flew through. Almost as if it was guarding something.
I had to get closer.
Reaching into the lining of my tights for Salome’s tin of herbs, I hastily flipped open the lid and dug around the familiar petals and roots and leaves. A shaky exhale left my lips when I spotted what I needed. Hellebore and amaranth. An invisibility charm.
I pinched the two together and placed them on my tongue. “Vellus,” I whispered. My chest tightened with the spell. When the pressure released, I crept forward into the fray.
At first, it was alarmingly easy. Neither the creature nor my friends were aware of my presence, which allowed me to move across the cave quickly and quietly. I stayed low to the ground and out of sight behind the beast’s back.
Until it took a blow to the neck and reared upward, its tail swiping through the air.
It hit me with the strength of a wooden rod, knocking thebreath from my lungs as I soared into the wall behind me. My spine hit the rock first, then my head, and my spell broke.
White spots danced in my vision. I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t see with the pain shooting down every nerve in my body. I slumped to the ground and gripped my head in my hands, trying to stop the hammering in my temples.
The beast must have felt me, for he suddenly turned and sniffed the air. Its round, black eyes locked on me. I cursed, wincing as I got back to my feet.
I caught Leo’s eye and shouted his name. “Draw it away from the wall!” I cried, gesturing at the wall to the creature’s left. My head was still foggy and pounding, but I could heal myself later. Ihadto get us out of here.
Leo instantly obeyed. Working as one, he, Lark, and Horace got the beast’s attention. Lark’s shadow whips latched onto its snout and pulled. With an angry snarl, it faced them again, leaving me a clear path to the wall.
I struggled toward it and staggered as I knelt to pick up a large stone. Drawing near, I threw the rock at the same wall, holding my breath when it sailed through the air…
And vanished.
A smile broke across my tired face.
“It’s this way!” I shouted to the others. “Through the wall! You need to keep it away long enough to get over here.”
“Through thewall?” Leo asked, his hands raised, prepared to cast another spell.
“I’ll hold it off,” Horace grunted. “You two—go.”
He didn’t leave Leo or Lark any time to protest. Faster than I thought possible for the burly guard, he sprinted away from the others, the creature’s eyes following him and whatever illusion he was no doubt creating. It let out a thunderous howl, its paws clawing at something I couldn’t see.
Leo rushed to my side. “What did you find?”
