Darkness Splintered (Dark Angels 6) - Page 135
“Well, you do have the unfortunate habit of stepping into trouble.” His voice was dry. “And remember, I cannot help you if you find it here.”
“I have Amaya. We’ll cope.” I dropped a kiss on his lips, resisted the urge to do a whole lot more, then said to Rozelle, “Follow me.”
I led the way into the building, retracing my steps to prevent creating too many obviously new footprints in the muck coating the floor.
“Well,” Rozelle said, her gaze narrowing as she stopped several feet away from the inky wall that masked the stone circle. “That’s particularly nasty, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” I lifted my hand and showed her the red marks where the blisters had been. “I wouldn’t get too close, either.”
“I wasn’t intending to.” She handed me her carryall, then walked the length of the wall, examining it warily. She stopped close to the back wall and said, “Okay, here’s the sorcerer’s point of entry.”
“How can you tell?”
She glanced at me, her expression amused. “Because I’m a witch and that’s what I’m trained to do.” She walked back around until she was standing on the opposite side of the circle to the doorway. “We shall make our entrance here. Our sorcerer is less likely to sense it. My bag, if you would be so kind.”
I handed over the bag. “Won’t he sense the break in his magic?”
“Perhaps, if he is looking for it.” Her gaze met mine. “There is no other way to enter this circle, though.”
“Then do it.”
She drew out her athame and made a protection circle, then sat cross-legged on the ground and began the incantation to create the doorway.
After several minutes, the shadows began to retreat, until a gap that was about two feet square had formed. It revealed not only several black stones but the concrete and metal steps beyond them.
Rozelle sighed and opened her eyes. “That is the best I can do. The spell around these stones is more intricate than I first thought, so if I create anything larger, it may be visible to our sorcerer.”
I frowned. “Surely he’d notice the fact that there’s now no shadows around one section of his circle?”
“No, because it was designed to be visible to only you and me. But as I said, if he’s looking for intrusion, he will notice the threads I have woven into his magic.”
“A chance we’ll have to take. Thanks for your help, Rozelle.”
She nodded, but didn’t move. “I’ll wait here, just on the off chance you need me down there.”
I frowned. “I’m not sure that’s wise. Azriel can’t get into the building if something goes wrong, and we promised Kiandra —”
“No one and nothing is getting into my circle,” she replied, amusement in her tones. “I made sure of that. Go. I’ll be safe, I promise.”
I hesitated, but really, short of dragging her free of her circle – not something I was convinced I could do given the strength of the barrier she’d raised – I had no other option but to proceed.
I dropped to my hands and knees, took a deep breath that didn’t do a whole lot to bolster my courage, and went in.
Nothing jumped out at me.
I rose and drew Amaya. Light flared down her sides, shifting the shadows and gleaming off the metal stair rails. I walked over and peered down. All I could see was deeper shadows.
Something, Amaya said.
I frowned. Meaning what? That there’s something or someone waiting down there for us?
Magic, she said. Some kind.
Great. Not.
I briefly thought about retreating, but that really wasn’t an option. Not if I wanted to find the keys and save Mirri. Ilianna might yet be able to unravel the cord, but I wasn’t about to bet Mirri’s life on it. I gripped Amaya a little tighter and cautiously headed down. My footsteps echoed on the metal, and the sound reverberated across the thick silence. I bit my lip, my nerves crawling, as each step took me farther into the bowels of the earth and whatever it was Amaya had sensed.>I frowned at the odd note in Kiandra’s voice. Ilianna didn’t immediately reply, but her expression had clouded over. She looked… wary. Scared.
“Ilianna,” I immediately said, “you don’t have to do this. We can find another way.”
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