He was wrong. They didn't hesitate. When he stepped into the hallway, he jerked as he was electrocuted, the floor apparently charged for anyone that set foot on it.
I started to reach for him, to drag him back into the stairwell, but Anthony grabbed me before I could. “If you touch him, you'll be electrocuted, too!”
He was right, of course, and I knew that. I'd panicked. I turned to Axoular, unable to look at Ross's body on the floor. “Wearefire, can we withstand electricity?”
He shook his head. “No.”
“Then we need the witches.”
“On it,” Leo said. He did the same things I'd grown used to seeing Cindy do, and a wide portal appeared behind us, against the wall of the stairwell.
Cindy came through. “What's the plan?”
I pointed at Ross, lying on the ground. He'd lost his stolen image and lay on the ground with blue skin and dark brown hair. He was far more handsome in his natural skin than he'd been before, and he'd been an attractive man in his stolen face.
“Wow,” she said. “Did they electrify the floor?”
“Yeah,” Anthony said. “Can you counteract it?”
“I can, but it'll take a minute.” She looked back through into the amphitheater. “I need the level two and above.”
Three witches joined her, placing their hands on her back while she crouched in the doorway, careful not to touch the floor. “Wait a second,” she said, slapping the floor. “He discharged the spell. It's not electrified anymore.”
Well, thanks for that.
She stood back up. “Want us to back you up?”
“Probably should,” I said as I inched out into the hall. Elias tried to push forward, but I stopped him. “Let me go first, and Axoular. None of us are expendable, but he and I are probably hardier.”
He stared at me, deadpan, for a full second before walking around me. “You're not hardier, Riley. Don't be silly.”
I shrugged my shoulders and followed him as he approached the first door on the right. The left side of the hall was just stone wall. The right held all the rooms I'd passed by when I escaped.
Kicking in the door, he jumped back in time to avoid the blast of fire that erupted through the door. “Get out!” a woman's voice screamed.
I peeked into the doorway. “Are you Sárk—Minda!”
Axoular pushed me out of the way and ran into the room. “Oh, my god, Minda, are you hurt?”
She jumped out of her defensive crouch and ran into his arms. I tried to pretend it didn't make me feel jealous.Calm down, Riley, she was kidnapped and sees him as her rescuer.
“I'm not hurt. I've only been here a couple of days. They keep trying to pay me to have sex with them until I get pregnant, then leave the baby with them!” She burst into tears. “I'm not a prostitute!”
He turned to me with her wrapped totally around him, bawling into his shoulder. His expression was baffled. “Help!” he mouthed at me.
I shook my head. I should've left him to her tears and breakdown, but we didn't have time. “Minda!” I shouted. “Pull yourself together so you can help us.”
She dropped her feet to the floor and made a visible attempt to calm herself. “What can I help with?” she asked before hiccoughing.
“They have my baby. Have you seen a small, blue infant?”
“No, I'm sorry,” she said. “But I've heard one, so they're probably keeping it close.”
“I hope you're right,” I responded. “Can you come with us and help search, and possibly defend us if we get into a battle with the Leyak?”
Her expression turned dark. “I hope we do.”
Axoular walked out of the room, leaving my husbands and the witches peering in, shocked. I stopped Minda before we joined them in the hall.
