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And then, as we push through a patch of vegetation, we stumble upon it. Or rather, almost over the edge of it.
The cove is small, nestled in between cliffs. From where we’re crouched on the precipice, we’re about twenty feet above the water. If I threw a rock really hard, I could probably reach the cliffs on the other side. The water is a beautiful teal-turquoise color. There’s the tiniest stretch of sand on the northeastern side of the cove, between a break in the rockface, from which a dock extends out into the water. A small, sleek black boat is tied there. Along with two demons holding wicked-looking scythes at their sides.
“Those blades are a bit dramatic, don’t you think?” I whisper to Ryder.
He shrugs. “It sends a message, certainly.”
I shift carefully down onto my belly along the top of the cliff, and Ryder does, too. The bushes surrounding us are perfect cover. It occurs to me that I’ve never done anything so secret spy as this in my entire life. I’d come to this country to drink piña coladas and, well, I did get caught in the rain. Sometimes life is strange, even when you’re a witch.
I’m nervous, too, of course. This Night Guild seems like really bad news. Just looking down at those weaponed-up demons sends a shiver of apprehension through my stomach. But I meant what I told Ryder: I can’t just leave Luciana. Who else is going to help her, if not me?
“We’re probably going to be here a while,” Ryder says with a sigh. “Stakeouts are the worst.”
“Oh, you do this regularly, do you?”
“All the time.”
I can’t tell if he’s being serious or not. “So, we just sit here and wait, and once a shipment arrives, we follow it inland and try to find the headquarters of these bad guys?”
“You’re a quick study,” he says, and this time his lips quirk up in a tiny smile. “Hopefully shipments do come in, not just out. Otherwise, we’re going to have to change tactics.”
No sooner have the words left his mouth than we hear the rumble of an engine. A boat motors up the narrow channel between the cliffs and enters the cove, making azure ripples that smack into the rocks. It pulls up to the dock. It’s black and shiny like the one already tied up there.
From the interior cabin of the thing, several people step out. More demons, and several figures with pillowcases over their heads and their wrists bound behind their backs. I suck in a sharp breath. What if one of them is Luciana?
I must have involuntarily leaned forward, because Ryder grabs me by the shoulders and presses me lower against the rock. Then he places a finger over his lips to gesture for silence, and we back slowly up from the cliff and start to make our way around toward the dock. By the time we reach that side of the cove, the prisoners have already been offloaded and are being shoved by two demons down a sandy path away from the beach.
“If we follow them closely, we may also see how they get through security,” Ryder says. “Stay behind me and don’t do anything without checking with me first.”
I shoot him a sour look for his bossiness, but it’s true that I have absolutely no expertise in this area. Xander had told me that Ryder was an amazing tracker. I guess I’m about to see him in action.
The demons herd their cargo down a path that leads through thick jungle. It’s the perfect place for a covert operation. Which also helps us because there are plenty of places to hide. Ryder walks steadily through the trees, merging us toward the path, keeping about a couple hundred feet between us and the ones we’re tracking. I’m worried we’re going to lose them, but he keeps us just within sight.
Right as we reach the path, Ryder jerks to a halt, shoving his arm back into my chest to stop me. I freeze, and a moment later I see what he saw. Or sensed.
There’s a giant spiderweb stretched out in front of us. Or at least, that’s what I think it is at first glance. The strands glitter in the sun, nearly invisible. They form a runic symbol; a demonic rune, to be precise. I can’t tell which of the hundreds of demon languages it is, but I’ve seen enough of them over the years to know them when I see them. Looking to the left and right, I can see that the magical runes line the path as far as the eye can see.
“Very clever,” Ryder says softly. He looks impressed.
“Do you know what it says?” It’s a somewhat unnecessary question. I don’t need to know the exact words. It’s clearly a curse of some kind. I can tell that much from the murky energy pouring off the thing.
“It’s a rune to cause asphyxiation.”
“Ahh. Pleasant.”
“Someone’s kinky,” he teases.
I smack him on the arm. “So, what are we going to do now, genius?”
“We’ll just have to stay outside the path for now. And hope there aren’t more boobytraps.” He shrugs.
“And what exactly are the chances of that?” I raise both brows.
“Next to nothing.”
“That’s what I thought.”
With a sigh, I follow Ryder as we turn and begin to move parallel to the path. He picks up the pace a bit, because after our chat about the runes, we’d lost sight of the group ahead. Before long, we catch sight of them again. My heart thrums in my chest. It had seemed such a long shot before, actually finding Luciana. A fool’s hope. But now, that tiny bubble of hope I’ve been desperately holding onto blossoms into something bigger.
