“Fucking doorin the first place!”
As Marcus continued to rant aboutthe fucking door, Charlie appeared puzzled. He put a hand to his chin, thinking. I wondered what was on his mind.
Kallie dragged herself to the door. She put her hand upon it, which was bleeding from the fall we’d taken into the lake. As she smeared her blood against the door, we all waited for something to happen, but nothing did.
“This doesn’t make sense,” Kallie gasped. “Doesn’t the door want demigod blood? That’s what it’s asking for.”
“These tasks were set up for demigods, weren’t they?” Charlie asked. “That’s what we figured out before we came down here. We’re demigods, so we should be able to get through.”
Something in my head clicked as I recalled my grandfather’s words. “Maybe the traps weren’t set up for demigods,” I gasped. “Maybe…”
I grimaced, and put a hand to my chest. My lungs felt so constricted now. I forced out, “Maybe they were only trials thatElvescould pass. That’s why we had such a hard time getting through them. So that means the door can only be opened by someone who has Elf blood.”
“And how does that help us?” Marcus raged. “We don’thavea fucking Elf with us, all we have is you, me, Kallie, and Char—”
Marcus stopped speaking. Kallie lifted her gaze.
Charlie said nothing, and I struggled to say, “My grandpa told me that there’s always a way out of traps, but we’ve overlooked something. Traps allow people to pass through that aremeantto go onward. These traps were set up for Elves, by Elves. We should’ve died trying to get through them, but we didn’t. What if we had an Elf with us all along?”
“What are you saying?” Kallie blinked. Charlie was so still.
“Charlie was the only one who still was able to use magic when we crossed the ward into the maze,” I pointed out. “None ofuscould. You’d have to have Elven blood to override an enchantment set by them. That has to mean—”
Charlie mused, opening and closing his hand. “Do you think it’s possible?”
I swallowed— my throat was closing up, making it hard to breathe. “You’ve always been remarkable. Why not?”
Charlie nodded. As he moved forward, he kicked a sharp stone with his shoe. He reached down and grabbed the stone off the floor, then cut into his palm. I winced as I felt the sting through our bond. He placed his hand on the door and smeared blood across its surface.
The door began to rumble. Kallie and Marcus’ mouths fell as the stone door began to open. Charlie staggered backward, while Oberi jumped up and began barking uncontrollably.
I smiled. “That’s my Charlie,” I whispered.
Except there were people waiting for us on the other side of the door. My stomach dropped as I saw a dozen people march into the tunnel, surrounding us. They were both male and female, with long, silver hair and elegant faces. They were beautiful to look at— all different shades of skin tone, with upturned noses and pale eyes, forms tall and lithe. They moved with a gracefulness that was eerie to observe. I’d never seen such gorgeous people.
And their ears— they were sharp and pointed, silver circlets with gemstones perched on their flawless heads. They wore silver armor, with swords at their sides. Each carried large square shields that had the design of a golden tree in the middle, its branches wrapped protectively around seven keys.
The tallest of them stepped to the center and threw back his head. His eyes locked on Charlie. “You’re coming with us,” he said, leaving no room to argue.
I didn’t know what happened after that, because my body couldn’t take any more. My heart tightened painfully in my chest, and I passed out. I heard Charlie call for me as I slumped to the ground, and Oberi’s whine pitched high in my ears.
My time had run out. The venom had finally taken its hold. There was no saving me now.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Charlie
“Pidge!” I screamed as Ava fell.
I felt her slip into unconsciousness through the bond, and my blood turned to ice. I rushed toward her, but one of the newcomers held me back. I struggled, but the stranger was strong. I’d spent so much energy getting through the traps that I couldn’t fight them off.
“Let me go!” I cried.
“The antidote!” a man yelled to another. “She needs it now— before it’s too late.”
“Antidote?” I demanded. It could be another trap.
“You’re not giving her anything!” Kallie snapped.
