But as she quickly went over her notes and those of her father’s she felt all hope begin to fade. Every indication led to the belief that the portal was in the Cave of the Sun.
The fact that it was missing meant one of two things. Her father had retrieved it, but since he’d been killed and it was obviously not in the hands of the DaCostas or Cormac, he’d hidden it elsewhere.
Or someone had managed to break the eagle magick that protected the cave and the shrine, and had successfully stolen the portal. If so, their identity was a mystery, as they’d not shown their hand and had not come into play yet.
Either way, she was screwed.
She didn’t have a portal to seal, and while that meant that she was not going to hell today, she still had a jungle full of mercenaries gunning for her ass. She swallowed hard, her mind whirling frantically. Her odds of surviving the next few days were less than ten percent.
If she was lucky.
She slumped onto the floor and rested her head against the cool rock wall. It was still dark inside the shrine and, for a few seconds at least, she felt invisible. Safe.
Damn, if only she had Finn to talk to. Or Father.
Restless energy pummeled her and she felt dizzy as her heart continued to beat against her chest. She’d closed her eyes and was trying to plot her next move, when she felt the merest whisper of a cold caress, almost like a snake had just wound its way across her mind and slithered down into her chest.
She jumped to her feet, her eyes circling wildly, but there was nothing there.
“Don’t go all crazy now, Skye. You need a plan.”
She couldn’t think clearly though, and shook her head as she grabbed her papers once more and shoved them back into the bag. Her fingers touched something solid and she fingered the stone eagle, a trinket she’d had forever.
Abruptly, she shoved it back into the bag. She ne
eded to get to Jagger.
With one last look around, Skye exited the small shrine, welcoming the sun as it continued to squeeze out her last rays. She needed to hurry. In less than an hour she’d have no power to shift and she knew there was no way she’d be able to slip through the opening that led back to the great cavern.
She retraced her footsteps rapidly, her body sliding through the magick that protected the opening, and it seemed that in no time she reached the exit to the cavern.
But there was a problem. A huge problem. The opening was no longer.
Something broke inside of Skye then, and she pounded her fists against the solid wall that greeted her, cursing, screaming, and not stopping until the scent of blood filled the air. Dully, she looked down at her bruised and bloody hands and stepped away.
She truly was alone. There was no way of getting to Jagger.
Slowly she turned around and retraced her steps. She had no clue where she was going or what she was going to do. But she had to keep moving, because if not, then surely she would go insane.
She felt her strength fade as the sun began her final descent. The cave itself seemed to lessen, as if its power fled along with the sunlight.
Skye could feel the darkness as it crept along the walls and reached for her, and almost immediately she was swallowed whole.
Chapter 22
Within seconds of Skye’s disappearance through the opening, the ground began to shake and the cavern pulsated as energy sizzled in the air. A snarl ripped from his throat as Jagger turned in a circle, not understanding what was happening.
The air shimmered around him and as he looked up at the ceiling of the great cavern, the etchings and symbols that had been so plain seconds before misted into a golden arc, then fell down in a shower of golden mist.
Fuck, that can’t be good.
They disappeared from sight, leaving him choking on a ball of fear. His only thought was to get to Skye.
The earth continued to grumble beneath his feet, moving and shifting as he ran the entire circumference of the cavern. The sick feeling that ate at him was a constant burn in his gut. Some heavy shit was about to go down. He could feel it.
His eyes scoured every inch of his surroundings and his rage continued to grow. He felt impotent, helpless, and these were emotions a jaguar warrior was ill equipped to handle. He was used to being in charge.
All at once the rock began to liquefy and he jumped back from the wall as panic joined the anger that ate away at him. Not for his own safety, but for Skye. He cursed loudly. Why the hell had he let her go like that? What the fuck had he been thinking?