“I will.”
Cherry grabbed my hand, squeezing it tight. “Please don't do anything stupid, Vee.”
“I'll try my best,” I said, managing a weak smile.
I watched as Jeremiah helped Cherry turn around, supporting her weight as they began their slow journey back toward campus. Cherry looked back once, her face pale with worry, before they disappeared around the curve in the tunnel.
Then I was alone.
I sucked in a deep breath. Five minutes. That's all it would take. Five minutes and I'd be at the estate.
I forced myself to start walking again, counting my breaths to keep the panic at bay. A few minutes later, the path ahead began to slope upward slightly, and the air grew less stale.
I was getting close.
The tunnel ended abruptly in a set of stone steps leading up to a heavy wooden door. I climbed carefully and pressed my ear against the door.
Silence.
I tried the handle. It turned smoothly, well-oiled despite its apparent age, and the door swung open with barely a whisper.
Cool night air brushed my face as I finally stepped out, taking in my new surroundings with wide eyes.
The estate grounds stretched before me, vast and manicured. Perfectly trimmed hedges formed geometric patterns across the lawn, and ornamental trees cast long shadows in the moonlight. To my left, I could see the dark shapes of outbuildings, and straight ahead, rising against the night like a temple to some forgotten god, stood the Dionysus mansion.
The colossal building was four stories high and sprawled outward in multiple directions, wings extending like open arms. Its pale stone façade was carved with fluted columns and marble statues, and I could see warm light spilling from many of its arched windows.
I pulled out my phone and opened the camera app, zooming in to get a better look.
At the bottom of the sweeping front steps, four black-clad security guards stood like sentinels, heads turning in slow synchronization as they scanned the forecourt and nearby grounds. Two more guards waited at the top of the steps, discreetly checking the credentials of incoming guests before ushering them through the towering entryway.
I closed the camera and quickly typed a message to the group chat.Made it! Mansion is straight ahead.
Jeremiah texted back right away.Do you see any guards?
Me:At the front of the mansion, yes, but I don’t see any patrolling the outer grounds. So I’m going to duck behind some hedges and slowly creep forward withthem as my cover. Might be able to get close enough to an unguarded window to see some stuff. Might even be able to get some pics if I spot anything interesting.
Jeremiah:Okay, but be really careful!
I tucked my phone away and looked over the estate again, trying to get my bearings. Jennifer had said the ossuary tunnel came out on the east side of the estate, and she’d also said she doubted the ceremony would happen in the south wing, as that was where they ‘kept the girls’.
If I was currently on the east side of the property, then the south wing would be on my left. That meant my best bet for spying on the ceremony was to head in any other direction, as long as I stayed well away from the heavily-guarded front area.
I crouched behind the closest hedge and began to creep slowly forward. Before I made it more than twenty feet, a voice cut through the darkness behind me.
“Stop right there.”
I jerked around, heart leaping into my throat.
A man stood ten feet away, dressed in dark clothes with a security badge clipped to his belt. In his hand, pointed directly at me, was a gun.
18
Violet
“Who are you?”the security guard asked, his voice hard. “And what the hell are you doing on this property?”
My mind went blank.
