I glance down at what’s left of Helena. Her eyes are open, but they stare at nothing now. The silver bowl sits next to her, empty.
Jasmine gives me a little shove toward the doors. “Move along, dear. Unless you fancy ending up like her.” She jerks her chin at Helena’s body.
I absolutely do not fancy that at all.
As we cross the Hall, the candles sputter out, one by one. I don’t know if Jasmine is doing that, or if the room itself is reacting to her presence.
Jasmine doesn’t seem to notice. She’s humming quietly, a tune that sounds like something you’d hear in a creepy music box.
I glance back at the room. Helena’s body is still sprawled there, the center of a ritual that never got finished.
Guess the final girl is still standing. But I’m not so sure that’s a good thing.
Jasmine doesn’t wait for me to catch up. I hurry after her, looking around for any sign of Helena’s minions, but they’re long gone. In the corridor, it’s quieter, but I’m not sure it’s safe.Jasmine leads me down a flight of stairs, then another, until the air goes damp and cold and I realize where we’re heading.
The dungeons.
Where Ash is.
Where Lucien and Soren are being held.
The stone steps seem to go on forever. Jasmine walks with purpose, and it’s a struggle to match her pace.
At the bottom, there’s a corridor lined with solid doors, and I can hear movement from behind at least one of them. Voices, I think. I strain to listen.
Jasmine stops at one of the doors.
She stabs the knife into the lock. There’s a spark of magic, blue fire licking up the blade, and the door groans open. Inside, Ash is chained to the wall, looking like he’s about five seconds from breaking every bone in someone’s body.
He looks up. Sees Jasmine. Freezes.
His expression is very much not that of ‘oh thank god, a rescue!’ and very much more like ‘oh fuck’.
Jasmine steps in, knife still in hand. “Hello, pretty boy.”
Ash doesn’t flinch. “Jasmine Wickersly. I heard you were locked up.”
“Why does everyone keep saying that?” She points the blade at his chains. “Let’s get these off, shall we?”
She slices through the magical binds as if they’re paper. The shackles fall away, and Ash straightens, rubbing his wrists. Hiseyes lock on mine, and in that split-second, we have an entire conversation:
This is bad.
Very bad.
Do not piss her off.
Jasmine lingers, her face inches from Ash’s. “You’re in charge now, aren’t you?” She whispers it, but I hear every word.
Ash doesn’t blink. “I am.”
“Then you’ll love working with me!” She claps one hand against her hip. “Helena was always so boring.” She tucks the knife into her belt. “Let’s go. We have an academy to run.”
Ash glances at me, and even though he looks calm on the outside, I can feel his anxiety through the mark. Whatever spell Helena had him under must have broken as soon as she died. “You coming, Rose?”
I shake my head.
Jasmine seems amused. “You want your little brutes back, don’t you?” She laughs, then digs into her pocket and tosses me a heavy key ring. “They’re all yours. Do tell them to mind their manners. I hate rude boys. So tedious. We’ll all get along fine if they do as I say.”
