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“How could it not get infected in here? I wish you’d never found the damn thing.”
“Als wensen paarden waren, zouden bedelaars rijden.”
“What?” I blinked. I hadn’t heard Than speak Dutch before, but the guttural sounds were unmistakable.
“If wishes were horses, beggars would ride,” he repeated as the corner of his mouth twitched.
“Haha,” I grumbled, but his weak joke made me feel better.
He pulled me off the ground with no effort. His casual display of strength brought heat to my cheeks. Not the place nor the time, I reminded myself. But I melted into him just a little anyway, drawing energy from his embrace.
An ominous crack sounded through the frigid air. The ice was growing again, creeping along the walls and covering the floor. Soon, we’d be back in the freezer, trapped by sheets of ice, and destined to become frozen slabs of meat.
“We must hurry,” Than said, stating the obvious.
“No shit, Sherlock,” I muttered, ignoring his confused look.
I stepped to the locked door. I now had a magical amulet. All I had to do was hold it against my heart and say the words the ghost had taught me. Easy-peasy.
The twisted iron and gemstones hummed with power, promising another round of headaches. But I had to try. So I closed my eyes and mumbled the spell without a clue what might happen next.
Which was nothing.
I opened my eyes and glared at the amulet. “Come on. I thought you’re supposed to get us out of here?”
Then I repeated the words of the spell over and over. Slowly, the piece began to vibrate in my hand. Soon, it shook so hard, I tore it over my head to get it away from my chest. The metal heated until it hurt my fingers. Alarmed, I held the amulet against the door. Sparks flew from the lock as it released, and the magic ricocheted off my fingertips.
“Fuckety fuck,” I swore, shaking my hand so fast, my fingers were a blur.
When it stopped hurting, I pushed Than. “Go!”
He slipped through the door first, checking left and right for guards. The coast was clear, and we rushed along the dimly lit corridor. At the end of the cell block, there was another magical barrier. Hoar frost coated the walls and the floor. Anybody who tried to push through would be shock-frozen in seconds.
This time, the amulet barely responded. I gripped it tightly, muttering the words the mage had taught me. Sweat beaded on my brow as I concentrated, fighting my growing fatigue.
“Come on, Beth, we’re running out of time.” Than’s gaze flickered nervously up and down the tunnel.
I gritted my teeth and pushed with all my strength. Finally, the artifact hummed to life, its energy pulsing like a heartbeat. I could feel the power surge through me, potent and wild.
“Work, dammit.”
Then I released the energy toward the barrier. It wavered before shattering like glass under the artifact’s onslaught. That’s when the damn thing bit me.
“Ouch!” I yelped, staring at my hand. The magic had torn the skin, and blood trickled onto the metal. The copper glowed in a weird red-gold color before fading back to a tarnished brown. The blood had disappeared, absorbed by the amulet.
“Are you alright?” Than asked, concern etched on his face.
“It’s powerful, but it likes blood. It’s like a vampire necklace.”
He didn’t laugh at my poor attempt at humor. “Let’s not linger here.”
We darted through the newly opened passage, running as fast as we could.
There was no way the noise hadn’t woken the entire palace. My heart pounded against my ribcage as we made our way through the labyrinth of tunnels and up a narrow staircase.
“Almost there.”
I was out of breath, and my legs burned. If we came across another barrier, we’d be screwed. I didn’t think I’d have enough energy to coax more magic from the amulet.
