“You’re going to transport us where Solomon is, aren’t you?” Karl says.
Ryker nods. “Precisely.”
Saxon steps close to me and asks, “Do you enjoy roller coasters?”
“Yeah. They’re fun. Why?”
He clasps my shoulder and smiles like a fiend. “Then you have nothing to fear.”
“I’m not afraid of anything,” I lie, and I’m pretty sure everyone knows it.
“You haven’t lived long enough,” Lucca pipes up. “Enough with the chitchat. If Solomon still has the Nightingale relic in his possession, we need to retrieve it now.”
No one argues with his bossy tone. We form a circle around Ryker, and then the warlock’s magic surrounds us. His eyes glow an eerie green, making him look otherworldly. Everyone believes I don’t know what’s about to happen, but this isn’t my first rodeo. Only, this time, the trip is way more intense thanwhen Ryker sent Sophie and me to the forest behind Bloodstone. My body feels like it’s disintegrating, and it’s the worst sensation in the world. When the trip finally ends, I want to throw up.
“Holy hell,” I blurt out, resting my hands on my knees. “That was nothing like a roller-coaster ride.”
“I know.” Saxon laughs.
Asshole.
“Where are we?” Vivi splits from the group to investigate our surroundings.
I look around too, but there’s nothing familiar about our location. Ryker is already on the move, though, and he doesn’t bother to answer her. We follow him before he vanishes on purpose.
“Man, he’s not very friendly, is he?” I mutter.
“I haven’t met a warlock who is,” Karl replies.
“That’s not true. I’m not an asshole,” Aurora butts in.
“No, but you haven’t had your training yet,” Lucca adds. “I think it changes them, almost like it takes away part of their souls.”
“What the hell, Luc?” Saxon complains. “Why would you say something like that?”
Aurora raises her chin in defiance. “They’ve already taken so much from me. I’m not going to let them change me on top of it.”
Her comment flies right over my head, but having spent some time with her mother, I can guess that she’s had to make many sacrifices. Magic, even if innate, comes with a price. Sophie passed out after she helped the High Witch reinforce the wards.
I pull my phone out. Now is as good a time as ever to text her.
Hey, something came up. I’ll be a bit late.
I stare at my phone screen, waiting for her reply, but my message remains unseen. Disappointed, I shove my phone back into my pocket before someone asks me who I’m texting.
“I thought we were going after Solomon,” Saxon pipes up.
“We are,” Ryker replies. “Apparently, he has a second home.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Aurora shakes her head.
We follow the warlock through thick branches until we reach a clearing with an old cabin in the middle.
“I didn’t know this was here,” Lucca says.
“It looks exactly like his dwelling in the old country,” Karl adds.
Light is coming from inside the building, which means someone is there. Ryker takes the lead and knocks on the door.
