Rituals (Cainsville 5)

"Whatever her situation, there's nothing you can do about it."

"That's what I said. I think she expected more." I squinted down the hall. "But I thought I was running along a different hall. Seems I'm caught in one of those mental mazes, like at the asylum and the villa."

"Hmm." He crouched and eyed the hole. Then he reached out to touch it, nodding when he discovered it was really there.

"Maybe I can..." I eased my foot along the six-inch strip of floor remaining between the wall and the hole. It crumbled on contac

t. "Nope. So, I wonder how my long jump is these days?"

"No, please. Go back down the hall and look for another way. I'll ask you to not go out of sight. And tell me what you see."

I walked down the corridor. "I see hall." I looked both ways. "Yep, hall."

"Are you sure?"

"Well, that's a little tough to answer when I haven't figured out how to see through a vision."

"No, but your foot felt the hole before you saw it. Do you see those windows?"

"Uh, right. Conveniently located first-floor windows, which I completely missed as an escape option. Duh."

"Perhaps not. They appear broken and boarded from here. Yes?"

I nodded. "This one's cleared of glass, though, and I bet I could break the boards." I went to put my hand out...and hit a solid wall. The illusion flickered and I saw the wall.

"No window," Gabriel said. "Now, take three steps forward, staying within my sight."

I did, and when he called, "Stop there," I did...and his voice came from in front of me.

"All right," he said. "You're back in this hall. You don't see me, do you?"

"No, but I hear you in front of me. Hold on."

I closed my eyes and ran my hand along the window, picturing wood instead. When I opened my eyes, that's what I saw--the original hallway, with the hole and Gabriel on the other side.

I returned to him. "Okay, so I'm caught in a vision maze. You're not."

"I have an idea," he said.

"Excellent." I grabbed the side of the hole and swung down into it.

He gave an alarmed, "Olivia!"

I dropped and then looked up. "Yes."

He sighed. "That was not my idea."

"Nope, it's mine. Now I just need to re-pile this stuff and come up on your side."

"Just climb what's there and reach."

I did, and he grabbed my wrists. We locked together, and he said, "On the count of--" and disappeared, me tumbling back as his hold vanished.

CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE

"Gabriel?" I peered through the hole to the dark first floor, no sign of him. "Well, that was too easy," I muttered, and started piling the debris. I was adding another piece when Gabriel appeared--the bottom half of him, at least, and then the rest as he jumped down into the hole with me.

"I don't think that helps," I said.