She nods, allowing me to pull her forward down the tunnel again.
“Don’t look at him,” I caution behind me as we jump over the creature’s massive body.
We make it back through the fire of my father’s study. The flames open like a curtain being ripped back, dimming for a moment before returning to a blazing fire. The study is quiet and looks untouched. We catch our breath momentarily, glancing toward the fireplace.
“I need to go to my room! I have to get the letters.”
Maines snaps, “That isn’t going to happen, Briar. We must leave now. They will be coming down that hallway after us any second now.”
I know she’s right, but the pull to head toward my room tugs at me. Even though they aren’t from my mother, they are a connection to her, and the only thing I have that makes me feel close to her.
“Well, where the hell are we going to go?”
“If you would have stuck around longer, we have a plan.” Silas nods in Maines’s view. “But we have to move quickly. Can either of you shift? We need to get outside.”
When I test my magic quickly, the flicker of power dances in my veins. “Yes. I think so but I’m not sure how far!”
Maines checks, shadows swirling around her for a second, giving Silas a thumbs up in response. “We need to move now,” she demands, pulling us through the wide study doors.
We leave the study, slamming the door behind us. The dark hallway is silent. The candles that line the walls remain lit. The flickering flames put me on edge, and each movement makes me flinch.
Silas turns to us. “Are you ready?”
Maines nods, already prepped and ready to leave while we still have a fighting chance.
“I don’t know where we are going!” I gasp as Silas grabs my hand, turning into mist.
I use small bursts of my magic to help propel us forward. Silas’s magic works in tandem with mine as we travel through the shadows faster than I ever have. The castle, streets, and houses blur past me as we continue to move like shooting stars, as far away from the castle as we can. Or so I hope. My magic burns as it leaves my body, the intensity beginning to fade with each passing moment as we keep moving forward.
We land on the shoreline first.
Maines leans forward, hands on her knees, and inhales deeply. “Gods, I could barely keep up with you two.”
My vision clears, and I see Oak standing and waiting at the end of the pier. Maines's face is flooded with relief upon seeing him. She sprints to Oak as he embraces her, checking her entire body to ensure she’s untouched. He hugs her again, closing his eyes as if he thought this moment wouldn’t come.
“Thank Gods,” he sighs. He peers around Maines, looking at Silas and me. The color drains from his face when he notices Rohhit doesn’t stand alongside us.
“What happened?” he snaps.
“We have very little time to discuss things, Oak. We couldn’t stop it,” Silas mumbles, still breathless. “Calia was too far gone with the ritual. Rohhit’s gone.”
I click my tongue. “He’s not gone! We will figure out a way to save him. How dare you give up on him so easily?”
“Briar, we will find a way to save him, but we can’t do that if we are all dead.” He kisses me, and the rage dies down at his gentleness. It was a moment I thought I would never experience again. We pull apart, his forehead resting on mine.
“Don’t say things like that, Silas,” I reply.
“I’m sorry, Briar. But it’s the truth. Rohhit isn’t with us right now.” He glances at Oak. “We were too late. But we will get him back.”
“You promise?” I whisper.
He pauses, his brow furrows, but he doesn’t respond. I know that’s a promise he can’t make me.
I turn back to Maines and Oak, who ignore us momentarily and quietly talk among themselves, their hands linked together. The crashing waves behind us are deafening, and my stomach rolls as I stand on this pier again.
“What’s the plan!” I ask, noticing the ship floating a few miles in the water.
“We are getting the hell out of here.” Oak replies.
