“There are no side passages,” Arthur growled. “It’s like we’ve been deliberately led into a trap!”
“I swear I didn’t know—” Aline whimpered.
“Meorwww!” Obelix cried. A clawed hand swiped across my arm, raising three stinging cuts.Great. Thanks, cat.
Arthur kicked the brick wall. Fire flared from his hand, bouncing against the brick and flying toward us. Maeve screamed and dropped to her knees. I grabbed Rowan and yanked him down. Flynn bent over Maeve and slammed a jet of water into the fireball. Cold water splashed over my face as thewater hit the wall and sprayed us. The fireball sizzled and went out.
“Bloody hell, Arthur!” I cried. “Do that again and you’ll burn up all the oxygen in here, and then we’re all goners.”
“We’re goners any way you bloody look at it,” Blake muttered from in front of Aline. “We never should have trusted her.”
“Let’s not fight,” Rowan said. His voice sounded calm, steady. But the hand that gripped mine trembled. “What are we going to do?”
“We’ve only got one choice,” I said, with more bravado than I felt. “We’ve got to go back out there.”
“That’s a stupid idea,” Flynn said. “The pitchfork mafia are out there, remember? Why don’t we just hide in here? It’s cosy and unless you count Arthur, no one is trying to kill us.”
As much as I wanted to agree with him, I shook my head. “Arthur has a very good point – I’m not liking being trapped in here. I think we stand a better chance if we get out of this tunnel and hide in the castle. We’re just dealing with the villagers, so we may be able to scare them off with our magic.”
“I agree,” Maeve said. Even in the dark, I could see her skin was pale, her expression shocked and terrified. I wanted to hold her and calm her, but no way could I push past the other guys in the narrow tunnel. Flynn had an arm around her, streadying her, and she took strength from his touch, drawing herself up to her full height. “I never liked the idea of leaving Briarwood, anyway. This is our castle. We can’t let them hurt it.”
“I want to fight. Get me the fuck out of here,” Arthur growled.
I raised my fireball so I could see the others’ faces. Rowan gave a small nod, his eyes wide. In his arm, Obelix let out a “meorrw”, as if agreeing. Blake was already turning to head back.
We all shuffled around, and Arthur made Maeve another fireball. Blake passed me his and I led the way back to the tunnelentrance. The tiny ball burned bright against my skin, it’s heat doing nothing to thaw the chill that had settled in my bones.
As soon as my hands pressed against the secret door, I dropped the fireball, snuffing it out from my boot as I reached for the dagger in my sock. Rowan’s breath fluttered across my shoulder, giving me the strength to face the unknown. I held the dagger to my cheek and shoved the door open, half expecting Daigh’s grinning face to greet me on the other side.
Instead, I stepped into a dark room. The noise overhead suggested they hadn't broken through the portcullis. I beckoned the others out of the tunnel, and Maeve shut the door. She moved beside me, her hand searching for mine. On the other side of me, Rowan whimpered, probably because Obelix clawed him. Bloody cat. My arm still stung.
Arthur climbed the stairs, a fireball swirling in his hand. He lifted the lid of the cellar a crack and peered out. I held my breath. A few moments later, he set the lid back down and leaned toward me and Maeve.
“There’s no one out there, and I can’t hear anything from inside the castle,” he said. “They haven’t made it inside yet, but it can’t be long now.”
“How do we know for sure?” I whispered.
“We go up there and see.” Arthur tapped my shoulder. “You and Blake will go first. If anyone is hiding out there to ambush us, you take them down. Don’t kill them – just take them out of the fight.”
I nodded. That made sense. Blake and I had the most control over our powers. I could remove just enough air to make someone unconscious without killing them, and Blake could do that creepy showing them their nightmares thing that had once left Flynn in a bit of a state.
“Everyone else, once Corbin and Blake give us the signal, make a run for the secret staircase,” Arthur growled. “Get up tothe first storey. Move onto the walkway, but stay low, so they can’t see you. We’ll launch our attack down on the courtyard. If at all possible, we need to stop them from entering the castle.”
“I’m going first, too,” Maeve said, trying to push her way toward us.
“No.” Arthur and I said in unison.
“This is no time for your chivalry. Blake and I can do more damage with the ‘creepy dream’ thing if we work together.” Maeve held up her hand, which was entwined with Blake’s. “I’m not letting go, and that’s final.”
No, no, no, no, no.I hated it. Maeve shouldn’t be putting herself in the line of danger like that. But that fiery look in her eyes told me she’d just follow us anyway.Impossible woman.
Incredible woman, more like.
I sighed. “Let’s go.”
I shoved past Arthur and grabbed the handle for the cellar door, lifting it up a crack so I could see into the kitchen. We’d turned all the lights off when we secured the castle, but the moon – less than a week until full – shone brightly through the window, casting a pale glow over the space. I couldn’t see anything move.
Fear rose through my chest, but I pushed it back. I threw open the cellar door and leapt forward, holding my palm out in front of me like a weapon, the dagger in my other hand. The cellar door clattered on the flagstones, the sound like thatCRACKof a rifle shot. Maeve yelped.
