“Just a few inches. Come on. You can make it.”
Lily’s head wobbled on her neck as she raised it. Rowan was on his knees on the other side of the bars, every inch of him trying to push closer to her. Her arms shook as she crawled toward him. She reached out her hand and Rowan grabbed it, touching her willstones to her palm. She melted with relief and heard a thought racing across Rowan’s mind.
Could still die. Please, no.
Rowan dragged her the rest of the way to him and held her through the bars. He was warm and solid in her arms.
“Tilt your head back and drink this.” Rowan held the back of her head in one hand and a canteen in the other. “Just a little sip.”
Lily felt warm, sweet liquid wet the inside of her mouth. It had an herbal flavor that she couldn’t quite place, but it immediately made her feel a bit more alert. She took the canteen from Rowan and felt him uncurling her fingers. She let him. His hands shook a little as he carefully reattached her willstones to her necklace. Every time his fingers brushed across her stones she felt it inside her body. It didn’t hurt, not exactly.
“Keep drinking that,” Rowan said. He propped her against the bars and dug into the pack slung across his back. He took out candles and lit them quickly.
“How did you find me?” she asked in between small sips of her brew.
Rowan’s face darkened. “My half brother,” he said bitterly. “He doesn’t know enough about the craft to guard himself from me, and he’s never told Gideon who he really is. Whenever Carrick went outside the granite grotto that we’re in, I could sense where he was. He didn’t leave often, which is why it took me so long to find you.”
His voice slid into her head. It’s freezing, Lily. Lean over the flames if you can.
Lily reached her hands over the candles. Her body throbbed with pleasure as her stones gorged on the power of the flames.
“I know this is going to be hard for you,” Rowan said. “But I need your help to get you out of here.”
Lily nodded and brought a candle close to her chest, absorbing as much warmth as she could. A witch wind whistled down the rope hole and blew across Lily’s face.
“Move back,” Rowan said, his willstone flaring with power. He grabbed the door of the cell and pulled it off its hinges. He tossed the metal aside, reached down and scooped her up, leaving the candles behind.
“We have to get the shaman,” Lily said, clutching Rowan’s shoulder.
“The shaman?” he asked, confused.
“He’s right there,” Lily said, pointing into the cell next to hers.
“There’s no one there.”
“Shaman?” she called. She struggled in Rowan’s arms until he put her down. Her legs gave out, and she stumbled and fell against the bars of his cell. “Wake up, lazy! We’re rescued,” she called into the cell, impatiently. “Rowan, rip the door off.”
“Lily. Don’t,” Rowan said, simultaneously trying to hold her up and pull her away from the bars.
Lily brightened her magelight until she could see inside the cell. A heap of rags lay on top of the mattress. She squinted. Among the rags was something that looked like shriveled leather. It was shaped like a hand.
“It’s not possible,” Lily said, backing away, knees buckling. “He taught me how to spirit walk, Rowan. I couldn’t have imagined that.”
“Lily, he’s dead,” Rowan said. He picked her up. “We can try to come back to give him a proper burial later, but right now we have to leave.”
She stared at the cell in disbelief as he carried her down the hallway. “I’ll come back for you,” she whispered to the dark, cold hole where the shaman’s bones and spirit waited to be put to rest.
Rowan slung Lily over his shoulder and climbed up the rope. It was far, several stories at least. As they neared the top, Lily heard Caleb and Tristan in her head.
He’s got her!
We need to move. There are more soldiers coming.
Lily felt hands sliding under her arms. Caleb took her while Rowan swung up and out of the hole. They were in a rock shelter built over the oubliette, much like the stone cabin in the woods where Lily and Rowan fought the Woven. Four dead bodies were scattered around the room. Lily looked out the window of the cabin as Caleb carried her past it. It was dark out, but she thought she saw two more bodies lying in the snow. Something slithered over one of them. Feeding. Lily shuddered and looked away when she saw the Woven rise up to pull off the dead man’s arm.
Caleb laid her down in front of the small fire burning in the simple hearth. “We don’t have much time here,” he said. “The sentries will be changing soon.”
“Give her some more of the brew,” Tristan said.