“Warn them how? I cannot leave this room, and the magic in this place weakens every time someone enters. They do not visit unless there are intruders.”

Behind her, I caught sight of a brief glimpse of the stone wall through the image of the ocean. The magic here was weakening.

“The sorcerers will be coming?” I stiffened and looked at the Devil. They would not like finding us here, that was certain.

“Yes. Soon enough, I imagine.”

“Then we’ll tell them what we know.”

“They’ll strike first and ask questions later.” She shrugged. “You are intruders, after all.”

12

The Devil

Damn it, the sorceress was right. We probably wouldn’t have time to explain why we were here. This guild hated me, and they were notorious for protecting their space with violence.

I leaned forward. “Tell us how to stop Ivan. Please.”

She nodded. “First, you must vow that you will repair the door to my crypt and remove my symbol from the stone. I do not want anyone else paying me a visit. My protections were clearly not enough.”

“I vow it.”

The Sorceress looked toward Carrow, her eyebrows raised.

“I vow it as well,” Carrow said.

“Good. You have the ability to read people and things?”

“Yes, but I can’t control it well.”

“Try anyway.” Mariketta held out her hand.

“All right.” Carrow leaned closer, resting her fingertips against the top of Mariketta’s hand.

Her magic flared, strong and bright. The scent of lavender overpowered the seaside aroma of the room, and the taste of oranges exploded on my tongue.

Mariketta’s eyes widened. “Your signature is quite something.”

“I know. I need to get control of it.”

“Indeed, you do. Unless things have changed drastically, the Council will not stand for it.”

“Things haven’t changed.” Carrow’s eyes shut, and she drew in a deep breath.

Her signature grew even stronger, and I frowned.

Mariketta met my gaze, and I could see my thoughts reflected in her eyes.

Carrow's magic was changing—growing. I sensed it. This was highly unusual.

We’d have to hide it from the Council somehow.

Minutes passed, and I shifted. This was taking too long. The air seemed to grow restless, the tower seeming to come alive.

“They know you’re here,” Mariketta said. “That’s what you are feeling. They’re coming.”

Carrow’s eyes popped open. “The sorcerers?”

“Yes. They’ve sensed the disturbance. But the tower is enormous on the inside. It will take them a moment to reach this place. Did you get what you need?”

“A spell, yes.” Concern echoed in Carrow’s voice. “I have the words in my head. But I don’t know what to do with it. If I say it, will it stop Ivan?”

“You don’t know how to stop it?” I asked.

Carrow shook her head.

“You’ll know when the time comes.” Mariketta leaned forward and tapped the crystal that hung around Carrow’s neck. “And you have all that you need.”

“Wait, what do you mean?” Carrow frowned.

A shout sounded from the other side of the walls that wavered through the tropical scenery, carrying over the sound of the waves.

I stood. “We must go.”

“Please.” Carrow turned to Mariketta. “I don’t feel prepared. Tell us anything helpful. Anything.”

“You must go under to reach them. Not through. Under.”

“What?” Confusion flickered in her gaze. “I don’t understand.”

“You will. And don’t forget…you’ll only make it past the barrier at dusk. Make it into the church, and you have everything you need to stop them.”

“That’s still unclear.” Frustration echoed in Carrow’s voice.

“It will become so.” Mariketta voice rang with conviction.

I spun in a circle, searching for the door. The sorcerers were getting closer. “How do we get out of here?”

“There’s only one exit,” Mariketta said. “And they’re going to come through it.”

Shite. “We’ll have to fight our way past.”

“Tell them we’re here to help,” Carrow said.

“I’ll try, but…”

“Carrow, come here.” I needed to be able to protect her. “Mariketta, where is the door?” The beautiful scenery flickered, revealing the stone wall beyond, but no door.

“I don’t know. This space is always changing. The room itself is unknown to me.” Mariketta moved toward her daughter. “Best of luck to you.’

“Tell them we’re here to help,” Carrow repeated.

An explosion sounded from behind me, and I spun. A man burst through the door, his dark cape flowing around him. His brow lowered over his eyes. “You.”

He hated me, and so did the rest of them.

“We’re here to—” Carrow began.

The sorcerer threw a fireball. She dove left, narrowly avoiding a hit.

I lunged for the guard. Raising my hand, I flung my magic at him. “Do not attack us.”

His mouth snapped shut, and fire blazed in his eyes. He raised his hand, his palm glowing with red light.

“Do not.” I forced him to comply, shooting Carrow a look. “Get out of here. I can’t hold him for long.”

“They’re here to help, Mauritius,” Mariketta said.

Mauritius didn’t spare her a glance. He didn’t want to hear her. He was enraged by my presence in their tower. No one invaded the sorcerers’ space without consequences.

Carrow raced for the door. Mauritius struggled against my hold as Carrow slipped around him.

I looked at Mariketta. “Thank you. I will mend your crypt. When he’s calm, I’d appreciate it if you explained things to him.”

She shrugged. “I will try.”

I nodded and hurried after Carrow, not letting go of my hold on Mauritius. He growled as I went by, and I prayed that Mariketta could talk some sense into him. We might need help taking down Ivan.

The hall outside of Mariketta’s enchanted room was long and dark. The stone floor and walls blended, and the air glowed with a faint gray light that seemed to have no source.

I heard footsteps to our right.

“Which way?” Carrow looked frantically in either direction. “I can hear them coming, but I can’t tell where they are.”

“Go left.”

She sprinted down the hall, and I followed, covering her back. It seemed endless, impossibly long for a tower at the edge of Guild City.

Up ahead, another hallway intersected with ours. Footsteps pounded toward us.

“Look out ahead!” I said.

Carrow slowed. Two sorcerers sprinted out of the darkness, a man and a woman in cloaks, their eyes flashing with anger.

The woman raised her hand. Crimson light glowed from her palm, matching her red hair. She hurled it at us.

We dove out of the way, skidding on the stone ground.

The male sorcerer hurled another blast. It struck me in the leg, and pain flared. I forced it back, calling upon the strength and power I’d harnessed over the long centuries.

I surged upright and launched myself at them. Grabbing them by the lapels, I smashed their heads together. They dropped to the ground, unconscious.

“Are they dead?” Carrow asked.

“No.” I’d pulled my punches to avoid it, though I could have crushed their skulls if I’d wanted. Hopefully, they’d realize that when they woke and not create too much trouble. “Let’s go.”

We sprinted around them, heading farther down the hall.

“We need to find stairs to the roof,” I said. “We’ll never make it through the main part of their tower.”

Magic surged around us. The sorcerers were gearing up for battle, searching the halls for us, ready to strike. We couldn’t run into anymore.

“Stairs!” Carrow pointed ahead, and I spotted them.

A narrow stairwell diverged off the hall.

We raced toward it and stopped in front of the entrance, panting. The darkened stairwell stretched up and down. Carrow headed up.

I followed. She stopped abruptly, and I slammed into her, grabbing her waist as she stumbled forward. “What is it?”

“This doesn’t go up.”

“Yes, it does.”

“It doesn’t.” She turned with a frown. “I can feel it. We need to go down if we want to reach the roof.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’ve always had a great sense of direction. Eerily so. I’m right, I know it.”

“Let’s go, then.”

Side by side, we raced along the wide stairwell.

The stairs shifted and headed up instead of down.

“Sorcerers.” I shook my head. “Tricky bastards.”

We sprinted up flight after flight, passing several other hallways on different levels. Two of them were empty, but the third…

We passed it, and a surge of magic prickled the air. I turned back as a sorcerer lunged out of the hallway behind us. Cloak whipping in the darkness, he raised a hand that gleamed with sparkling green and gold magic.

My heartbeat thundered. This was a killing blow, a deadly variety of sorcerer magic impossible to mistake and one powerful enough to kill even me.

The sorcerer hurled it at us with an evil sneer.

The green vortex of magic expanded, filling the stairwell. I threw myself in front of Carrow, blocking her from the assault.

The magic plowed into me, blinding me. Agony exploded throughout my body, sending my organs into a meat grinder.

I stumbled and collapsed on the stairs.

Carrow

Green magic exploded around us, and I staggered and went to my knees. Behind me, the Devil cried out in pain.

I scrambled to my feet and spotted him below me on the stairs. He was unconscious. He’d taken that blow to protect me.