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Finn moved his hands over the stone, and Julian heard the eagle knight hiss softly. He followed Jaden to Finn’s side, and, in seconds, they were all gathered around, but as far as he could see there was nothing but dull, gray wall.
Finn continued to run his hands over the wall. “This is amazing,” he whispered. “This is one of the original chambers, a place of ceremony and great magick.”
“And you can tell this how?” Declan asked casually, though he glanced at Julian, his eyes flat, his mouth thinned into a tight line.
“Symbols and etchings tell me everything.” Finn’s hands grazed over the stone in a slow, methodical gesture.
“I can’t see shit,” Declan said.
Jaden pushed Declan out of the way and knelt beside Finn. “Does it tell us anything about the portal? What do you see?”
Julian held his breath, and as Finn shook his head, he let it out slowly.
“These are more like ceremonial prayers.” He looked up at them. “It was a chamber used to prepare and orientate the original eagle knights.”
“And they did this, how?” Declan asked.
“By sacrifice,” Finn answered quietly. “Human sacrifice.”
“Nice ancestors you got there,” the sorcerer said as he turned away. “Though I suppose we’ve all got skeletons.”
“There has to be more,” Jaden exploded. “What about Toniella? What happened to her? Who cursed Azaiel into hell? Was it Nanauatl? Or someone else?” Her chest heaved, and Julian could tell she was barely holding on. “Who or what the hell do I need to track down in order to find that son of a bitch?”
Jaden twirled around, her hair flying everywhere, and Julian found himself mesmerized by the sight. “We need to seal the portal, Finn.” She shook her head, and whispered, “You know this . . . or we’re totally screwed.”
Finn sighed. “Sorry, Jaden, a lot of what happened is cloaked in mystery. What we do know is pretty bare-bones. The original eagle knights and jaguar warriors were created to protect the portal, among other things.”
“Until several of the jaguar clans went rogue and wanted the portal for themselves,” Julian inserted.
Finn stood, stretching out his long limbs. His features remained neutral, but Julian sensed the darkness that slid beneath his skin. “Until your people all but obliterated the eagle knights from the earth. It’s a goddamn miracle we managed to keep the portal hidden for so long.”
“Well thanks for the history lesson and all, but are we in agreement this has been a wild-goose chase?” Declan looked at them all. “Seriously, it’s been fun watching you guys get your asses kicked, but it doesn’t change the fact that we’re stuck down here, and we need to be”—he pointed upward—“topside.”
Julian glanced around. Declan was right. Cormac was out there with Azaiel and the portal.
“You got any suggestions?” he asked the sorcerer. “You brought us here. Can you open it up and get us out?”
“Sure, let’s go party with the sun god and his band of seriously fucked-up phantom knights. They’ll be happy for another chance at your ass.”
Julian clenched his teeth together. He felt a myriad of strange sensations. They had him on edge and slid over him as he began to pace. “We need another way out.”
“No shit,” the sorcerer answered.
Nico had moved toward Jaden, and the sight of her surrounded by the jaguar and Finn totally screwed him the wrong way.
“She’s something else,” Declan said softly as he stood beside Julian.
Jaden turned toward him, and as their eyes connected, the anxiety and anger inside him vanished completely. It startled him, that moment of clarity. She looked away, put her hand on Finn’s shoulder as the eagle spoke to her quietly, and the moment was gone.
“She’s not for me,” he answered roughly. “She can’t . . . we can’t . . .” His voice trailed off as his thoughts turned to the mission at hand.
“Dude, if we don’t get to the portal first, we’re both screwed, and you’ll never know.”
Julian looked at Declan and frowned. “Know what?”
The sorcerer looked away, and murmured softly, “Peace.”
The tightness around his chest burned as the white noise in his head broke through. It was almost unbearable, and he had to concentrate hard in order to minimize it so that he could breathe again.
