I crept closer, brushing snow off the wooden hatch. It was also padlocked, but I had the tools to pick the lock. Quickly, I set to work, sliding the pins until I heard the soft snick of the lock opening. I lifted the hatch a few inches and held my breath, listening for any sounds inside the dark cavity.
There was only silence.
Slipping inside, I climbed down the nearly rotten ladder and into the chamber of a root cellar. A scented wave of spoiled vegetables mixed with the aroma of loose dirt assailed my senses. With the little light from the hatch above, I squinted, trying to make out my surroundings.
Rows of shelves lined with glass jars took up one wall, but the other side was in complete darkness. I moved slowly, using my hands as a guide. My eyes adjusted enough that I could see the faint outline of a different ladder leading up to another hatch.
A way in.
I closed the original hatch and then hurried up the other ladder, sending up a prayer this one wouldn’t be padlocked from the other side. Thankfully, it wasn’t, and I lifted it inch by inch. The hinge whined, and I froze, taking a moment to listen for any sound I’d been discovered.
None came.
The air was dry and hot as I climbed through the hatch and into a narrow hallway. All my instincts came back, and it felt as if I were navigating the tunnels, searching for treasure while avoiding any of the hidden traps. I moved silently on the balls of my feet toward a door at the end of the hall. I could hear voices somewhere deeper inside the house. The low croon of an older woman, and Liana’s distinctive tone.
Mere minutes inside the cabin, and the heat was already making the clothes stick to my skin. Sweat beaded on my brow and rolled down the side of my face. I reached the door and pressed my ear against the wood, then I tested the handle.
It wasn’t locked.
A child’s voice sounded from the other side, and I recognized Annie’s soft-spoken tone. I slipped inside, pressing a finger to my lips when I spotted Annie behind a set of metal bars. Her brother sat next to her
“Bowen, you came for us! I knew you would. I told my brother, didn’t I, Ethan? He didn’t believe me.” Her hushed voice filled the space as she leaped to her feet and wrapped her slender fingers around the bars.
“Shh, Annie. We can’t risk anyone hearing us. You have to be totally quiet.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll be a mouse,” she whispered close to my ear as I bent to work the lockpick inside the lock.
“Good girl.”
At the sound of my voice, her eyes widened, and she thrust her finger against her lips as if I weren’t the one to tell her to be quiet. Ethan moved to stand behind her, watching as I removed the lock and carefully opened the door.
Once it was wide enough, Annie launched through the opening and wrapped her arms around my neck. She kept her promise, not saying a word, but she didn’t have to. She squeezed me with every last ounce of strength she had. I picked her up, still clinging to my neck, and waved Ethan forward.
“We’re going back out into the hallway and down through the root cellar. Try to stay near the wall where the floorboards won’t creak as much. Go slow.”
Ethan nodded and followed close behind as we crept out of the room. Flickering shadows danced over the walls from intermittent sconces, and it was difficult to tell what was from a flame and what was a person approaching.
We made it to the hatch, and I sent Ethan down first, then I followed with Annie. With the hatch closed over our heads, I breathed my first sigh of relief. We were going to make it, and then I was keeping my promise to Liana and getting us all out of this nightmare.
“All right, just one more hatch,” I whispered. “This is the plan. Once we’re outside, Ethan, I want you to take your sister into the woods. Work your way around until you can see the front of the house but you’re still in the tree line. I tied a string around one of the trees where there’s a good cover, and I want you both to hide until Liana or I come to get you.” My gaze focused on Ethan. “If it starts to get dark and we haven’t come yet, take your sister and follow the marked trees. They will lead you out of the forest. Go to MacKenzie Manor, and my friend Gavin will help you. Do not under any circumstances come back to this house. Do you understand?”
“Yes, sir. I understand.” The boy reached for his sister, but she clung tighter. I gave her a little bounce until she leaned back and peered up at me.
“Go with your brother. Liana and I will be right behind you.”
She sniffled but put on a brave face. “We’re going home with you, right?”
My throat constricted, but I spoke around the thickness. “Yes, we’re going home together. I promise.”
Annie took her brother’s hand, and he led her up the ladder into the back yard. They kept their heads low until they’d made it to the tree line, where Ethan gave me a signal before they moved deeper into the shadows.
All that was left was to rescue Liana and try to help Hendrik.
I went back the way I came, exiting out into the hallway. Following the voices, I made my way toward the front of the house. The three of them stood in a small parlor. Hendrik was at the witch’s side, while Liana faced them both. In front of her, on a wooden table, rested a jeweled box with the lid removed. Inside was the Incantus medallion.
I only felt hatred at seeing it again. That treasure had cost me so much. It had cost us all, and it might still do irreparable damage. It needed to be destroyed, and I wished I’d had the foresight years ago to make that happen. I wished I’d never brought it home.
The witch’s throaty voice sounded through the room. “The little girl isn’t strong enough on her own, even with her brother, so the task falls to you. It’s fitting, isn’t it, after all these years? You thought you escaped.” She stepped forward and lifted her bony hand. Her nails were black and pointed like claws as they hovered in the air near Liana’s chin. “I missed you, child, but thankfully, I’ve had your brother by my side. Ever since you left him behind.”
