Theodora led the shaken group down the halls. Lio coughed as quietly as he could while Dot counted their steps. They doubled back more than once.
‘Casimir usually does this part,’ whispered Theodora. At last, they made it to the final hallway, and Theodora halted them. ‘Quiet,’ she breathed.
Dot squinted. In the dim light, she saw the edges of the door to Salamander’s lair at last.
It was already open.
A strained voice rose from within.
‘I’ve faced far worse than you. Bleed every vein in me, I will not tell you which is Opal’s contract.’
‘Casimir?’ asked Dot. Theodora hushed her.
‘Do not be petulant,’ came the voice of Catherine Weyer.
Dot recoiled, bumping into Lio, who knocked Opal into the wall.
‘Ow,’ said Opal. ‘Mind where you’re going.’
Theodora lurched to cover her mouth but, at the same moment, Cate paused within the darkened chamber.
‘Opal?’
‘Get off me,’ Opal snapped at Theodora.
‘Opal!’ shouted Cate. In an instant, she was at the door with Moira behind her, just visible in the gloom. Cate sent a spell at the group and, before they could block it, yanked all of them violently into Salamander’s study. They all tumbled painfully against the cement – all except for Opal, who Cate caught in her arms.
Casimir groaned on the floor beside them. ‘Why are youhere,T?’
He was curled around himself, head against the hard concrete, blood spilling from his mouth. Casimir lay on a bed of papers; around him, several huge cabinets were turned on their sides.There were cuts along his arms, winding up his skin and intersecting with his tattoos.
‘Cas,’ breathed Theodora. ‘Acanthi have made a blood spell of you.’
Dot and Lio joined Theodora at Casimir’s side. The final two witches of Acanthi, who it seemed had almost forgotten them entirely, bent low over Opal.
‘I thought I heard your voice when I was on the rooftop,’ groaned Casimir. ‘The crone started doing something with her string and began prattling about Weyer’s contract.’
Casimir gave Theodora a knowing look, and the witch looked down at the papers and blood surrounding them. She gently clasped Casimir’s hand. ‘Cas,’ she said, ‘thank you.’
‘Stop touching me, would you?’ snapped Opal’s voice. She pushed Acanthi away.
‘We are helping,’ promised Cate, who had begun to cry. ‘Look at your poor skin.’
‘What have they done to you?’ hissed Moira.
‘It was Salamander,’ called Theodora. ‘His conduence charm and his orders caused this.’
They ignored her.
Theodora dug into her coat pocket and pulled out a pot of antiseptic salve. She worked quickly, casting quiet spells upon Casimir’s wounds. Lio took out his chalk and drew a shaky rune on Casimir’s shirt. Haphazardly, the worst of the blood lifted from him. Dot’s eyes darted about. Aside from the strewn papers and cabinets, Salamander’s lair was unchanged. They stood before the huge water tank, which refracted tepid green light over them. The daemon was nowhere.
‘My darling,’ said Cate. She clutched Opal so tightly that the addled woman’s back arched. ‘We just need the contract now.That man is going to get it for us. I saw it with my threads; I saw the contract in his hand. We’ll take you away from this. We’ll go back to Caelin Forest.’
‘Wherever is that?’ asked Opal, pushing Cate away. ‘Who in heaven’s nameareyou?’
Cate stilled. Moira, realising immediately, raised one arm at the group, but Theodora and Dot were ready this time. Dot balanced her magic. In the same moment that Moira cast a curse at them, Dot and Theodora blocked it. The spells collided mid-air and exploded like a firecracker.
Cate’s hands were now on Opal’s temples. ‘A memory charm!’ she shrieked.
