Rock crumbled above us. I concentrated my thoughts on keeping the stone above us in place, to buy us more time.
Kallie ran to where Marcus had stashed his paints. “Marcus, paint a door.”
Marcus scoffed, like he had no idea what was going on around us. “A door, my pretty? Why not something more interesting?”
Bits of rock fell from the ceiling, and air whooshed into the room as the monsters punctured a hole in the roof.
“I can’t hold them off forever!” I told Kallie.
“Marcus, for the love of the gods!” Kallie screamed. “Repair this godsdamn painting before we die!The Warden is coming.”
Marcus wasn’t quite himself, but he obeyed. Paint cans rattled, then hissed as he sprayed designs over the rock.
Monsters used their powers to break the rock even more. Hell, this was like the Darke Games all over again, but about a million times worse. Ava blasted spells at them through the openings in the stone, but as soon as she knocked one out of the way, another came to take its place. Ava tried to incinerate the nearest monster, but he must have been made of fire, because it didn’t even faze the creature.
These monsters were unlike the creatures we’d fought before. Their skin was impenetrable and magical, and they resisted our spells like they were nothing.
“Faster!” I screamed.
“Almost there!” Kallie shouted.
Rock crumbled all around us as the monsters found their way inside. One of them landed in front of me, and I felt its sickly breath on my face as it roared, blowing my hair back.
Oberi barked loudly and shoved his head into my legs. I stumbled backward and flinched, expecting to slam straight into the wall…
Instead, the scene transformed around us. The temperature dropped, and the air became damp. The earth stopped rumbling, and the sound of monsters ceased. My jumpsuit tore as Ava and I fell to the ground. She rolled out of my arms as I collapsed flat on my face.
Oberi sagged beside me in relief, and Kallie and Marcus groaned from nearby. Rishi meowed loudly. Sprigs wiggled out from beneath me, and Alette fluttered overhead. Ava crawled over to me, taking my hand in hers.
“Charlie, are you okay?” she asked.
I struggled to catch my breath. “Yeah, pidge. Is it over?”
“We made it,” she assured me. Ava’s hair tickled my arm as she swung her head from side to side. “Wherearewe?”
Kallie got to her feet and dusted herself off. “I portaled us to a forest in France— a nature preserve. My dad and I used to go hunting here. It’s the most isolated place I could think of, and far away from Darke Island. There shouldn’t be anyone around for a hundred miles.”
Marcus groaned as he rolled over. Rishi made gross slurping noises, like he was licking Marcus’ face.
“Whew!” Marcus sighed as he sat upright. “Almost lost my cool back there.”
“Almost lost your—” I nearly choked on my words. “Ancestors, Marcus. You were like a crazy person!”
“How’d we get here?” Marcus asked blankly. His tone had changed, from maniacal and aggressive, to the passive and gentle voice he usually spoke with.
Kallie knelt beside him. “You don’t remember anything?”
“I remember we were in Cellblock 9, then…” he trailed off. “I don’t recall anything that happened from then to now. I must’ve blacked out from stress.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Kallie growled under her breath as she helped Marcus up.
“I bet I was useless out there, just cowering behind you guys. Sorry,” Marcus apologized. “I’m sure I held the team up, what with you having to drag me around.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” Kallie said, disgruntled.
He’d had some sort of psychotic break, that was for sure. I didn’t blame him, either. Tonight had been intense.
After we’d caught our breath, Oberi shifted into a unicorn, and I hoisted Ava onto her back again. The forest around us was silent, and the vastness of the nature preserve encompassed me. I realized, with breathtaking beauty, that no one on Earth knew where we were but us.
