He held his hand over it and muttered three words that I, of course, didn't know. The lines glowed for a second and disappeared.
“Aw, I wanted the tattoo.”
Elias and Anthony finished paying the cab drivers and joined us.
“Should I bring my coven here?” Leo asked.
“No,” I said. “I may be able to handle this myself.”
“I doubt that,” Ross interjected. “He'll be expecting you.”
“He expected me when he kidnapped me and underestimated me.”
“He probably won't be as likely to underestimate you this time, Coya.”
Anthony was right. “I still don't think we should bring in the cavalry out here.”
“I agree,” murmured Elias as the cabs pulled away. “Let's get to an interior room. Then our main objective will be to protect Leo as he brings in reinforcements.”
Leo nodded. “The entire amphitheater is prepared to come through if they're needed. Nobody takes kidnapping a newborn lightly.”
We started toward the temple entrance, walking on a bridge that covered a moat. I hadn't been awake long enough the last time we were there to notice the moat. We walked up to a gate where an attendant collected Rupiah, the local currency, for entrance to the temple. I used my spell to slip through the gate, where I pressed myself against the wall and tried to look unimportant.
Women were required to wear a sarong in the temples, it's a rule. I had no desire to disrespect their religion, but I was on a mission.
The men paid and I peeled myself away from the wall to join them as they marched single file through the crowd toward the main temple.
Ross turned off and went through a door labeled “Private, no entry.” It was the door I'd burst out of weeks before.
We retraced the steps I'd taken, through the holy place, and I noticed many of the furnishings had been replaced with similar items. I could tell the difference, though.Those must've been the ones I torched.
We went up the stairs, past the spot where I killed the guards, an action I'd not thought twice about. Maybe I should've felt more guilty, but I didn't.
“Why hasn't anyone noticed us yet?” I asked.
Ross chuckled. “Oh, they have. This hallway is normally full of Leyak, going about their daily business. We run this temple, along with many others on the island.”
“Why do you look like that, and not like a local?”
“I had a mission a few years ago in the states, and I like this face, so I decided to keep it for a while.”
Gross.
We stood at the top of the stairs, and Ross peered into the unusually empty hallway. “Now what?” he asked. “You're the one that wanted to come blazing in.”
“Where would they have her?” I asked.
“If you hadn't burned down the room you were kept in, probably there. I'd say we're about to walk into some sort of trap though.”
I turned to Leo. “Can you maintain an open portal?” I asked. I had no clue what a single witch was capable of.
“Of course,” he said, inclining his head.
“Okay, can you open it at the top of these stairs once we've gone through to the hall? Then they can come in and follow us as needed.”
He nodded.
Ross went first into the hallway. “Maybe if they see me, they'll hesitate.”
