“The Elves will die without us, if they haven’t already,” Marcus spat.
Aw, hell. He was right.
But this magic was too strong for him. I could sense it buzzing through him, rattling around his body and begging to escape. The shield he intended to make never came. If Marcus didn’t bring this whole place down, this ward was going to kill him. I scrambled forward on my hands and knees and reached out for him again. The hall shook so hard that I couldn’t find him.
“Marcus, let me help!” I screamed.
“Don’t stop me,” he begged.
“Quickly!” I cried, reaching out my hand. “Now that you’ve drawn out the ward, I can absorb the magic inside of you with my Elf powers. We have to do this together!”
A moment of hesitation passed, and Oberi whimpered from down the hall. I thought for certain this place would crumble, but Marcus grabbed my hand a moment later.
Magic shot up my arm so fast that I was blasted backward. My whole body flipped through the air, throwing me straight into the wall. My head knocked against the stone, and the wind left my chest. My body dropped to the ground, and my thoughts spun so fast I couldn’t make sense of what happened.
“Charlie!” Ava’s voice cut through my confusion. Her hands landed on my face, and she dragged me onto her lap. “You’re okay. You have to be okay. It’s over. Wake up, Charlie.”
I groaned as I tried pushing myself upright. It took me a few moments to realize that the tremors had stopped. Pain throbbed through the back of my head, and nausea rolled in my gut. I thought I was going to hurl, but nothing came up.
“I’m sorry, Charlie,” Marcus said in a shaking tone.
I ignored his apology, because only one thing mattered. “Did we do it?”
“Yes,” Marcus answered, though he didn’t sound particularly proud about it. “The ward is broken.”
Ava helped me to my feet. I felt so unsteady that I had to hold on to her. I couldn’t make heads or tails of my surroundings.
“Are you okay?” Kallie asked me.
“I feel like shit,” I admitted. “Let’s get this information and get out of here, because I don’t know how much longer I can stay in this place.” The disorientation frightened me a more than I’d admit.
Everyone moved quickly, and we hurried into the room. Ava stopped abruptly, and I ran into her. I grabbed her shoulders to steady myself, and I felt her tremble beneath my touch. I heard Marcus gag.
“What’s wrong, pidge?” I demanded.
Ava swallowed audibly, and her tone became hollow. “There’s a bulletin board behind the Warden’s desk. He’s pinned a pair of…” Ava sounded like she was going to be sick.
Kallie finished for her. “He’s pinned a pair of Elf ears to the board.”
My stomach bottomed out. “Fresh?”
“No. The color’s drained from them,” Kallie said. “But they seem oddly well preserved. It’s sick.”
“They’re Uriel’s,” I realized in horror. Uriel had been half-vampire. That had to be why the ears were so well preserved. Uriel had been dragged to the Underground after being accused of the murder at the pool. The Warden had tortured him and sliced his ears off as some sort of souvenir. He was amonster.
“Guys, we have to get to work,” Marcus said, snapping us all back to attention.
“I’ll start at his desk,” Ava said in a rush. “Marcus, you check those bookcases over there. Kallie, see if you can crack that safe. Whatever’s in there must be important.”
Kallie spoke confidently. “Looks like my vigilante days are about to pay off.”
“Here, Charlie,” Ava said. “Take a seat. You can help Kallie with the safe.”
Ava guided me onto a chair. I was grateful to be sitting, because I was certain I’d hurl if I remained on my feet much longer.
Drawers squeaked as Ava started searching them. A heavy stack of papers slammed to the Warden’s desk, and she began shuffling through them. Oberi hurried over to help her.
I turned to Kallie beside me. “How’s this work?”
