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My chest heaves, lungs shriveling against the cool air waging war against them, as I burst through the treeline, spotting the shed. The building thing. Barn? Whatever the fuck it’s used for. It has to be where she is.
Surveying the woods and clearing, I don’t find a single soul. After they shot her, wouldn’t they have tracked her? She’s been in the shed for at least ten minutes while I’ve run a freaking marathon through haunted woods. Surely the hunting party would’ve found her by now. Right?
God, I hope not.
The ghosts seem rather handsy tonight, and I had to wrestle with more than one. I can still feel the faint scrapes of dull fingers working over my flesh, even though I know there’s nothing there. They slowed me down, but not as much as they would’ve if she hadn’t cut the bond. Gripping my dagger in my hand, I slowly make way for the shed doors, keeping an eye out for anyone who might be hiding in the shadows.
Some kind of dull light flicks out of the crack between the double barn doors, and voices carry out, catching and swirling through the wind.
“I can’t believe how easy that was,” a man says. The sound of metal sliding against metal sings as he sharpens a blade.
“Me either. It was a great plan. That creature never stood a chance. We didn’t even need the second hunting party.”
Searching through the sliver between the wooden slats, I can’t see anyone else, beyond the two older men sitting on hay bales. A portal, similar to Kai’s, spins in the air, stable. As if something, or someone, is holding it open. The faint blue light casts shadows across the room, and both of its guards are no more aware of my presence as they are the fucking stench clinging to this place. My nostrils burn as I breathe in deep, working to quiet my racing heart. If something happens to her, I’ll take their heads, and that’s a promise.
“That beast didn’t go down easy though, I’ll give it that. It nearly took Pavlov’s arm off. If it weren’t for your arrows, we would’ve never gotten it through the portal,” one of the men says, wiping off a bloodied knife on a white cloth. His long white hair is tied into a knot on top of his head. “Hey. How much do you think its pelt is worth?”
That one dies first.
“Oh, a pretty penny. Creatures like that are rare. The deformed ones that have mutated over time.” The man rubs his fingers together. “Our village will be rich by morning.”
So much for, ‘I’ll make sure they put her back in the prison world.’ Fucking liar. Kai knew he had no pull. The villagers were going to go after Luri whether he gave the okay or not. He can play king all he wants, but in the end, Lucifer would’ve been the only person who could’ve stopped this, and the Devil failed me.
Here goes nothing. I slam my shoulder into the doors, busting inside while throwing up one hand and slamming my magic into the white-haired man. He freezes in place, unable to move while my dagger splits the air, flipping end over end until it impales the other bastard in the eye. His widening stare and slacked jaw lock in place while death consumes him and his body slumps to the ground. Snagging my dagger, and sliding the blade along the thigh of my leggings to dispel the gray matter and blood, I turn my attention to the man still breathing.
“The way I see it, this can go two ways. One, I let you live, but you tell me where my cat is. Two, I slit your throat and figure it out on my own. What will it be?” I snap my fingers, giving him control over his mouth once more.
“Fuck you, bitch,” the man grunts, spitting in my general direction.
“I’ve been called worse by better.” I offer a friendly smile as I kick his friend’s body, nudging him onto his side so I can search his pockets. “Maybe I killed the wrong asshole. He must’ve been the brains of the operation, huh?” Scrunching my face, I met my hostage’s gaze as he glares daggers into me.
“Oh, real smart. Insult the man you need information out of.”
Quipping a brow, I cross my arms over my chest, dagger in hand. “First, I don’t need anything from you. It would’ve just streamlined the process. Secondly, it wasn’t an insult, it was a description.”
“You’re the reason the crown is failing. Ever since Lucifer brought you here, the entire kingdom has gone to shit–” He stops speaking as his eyes flick frantically, trying to watch every move I make. I near him and he sucks in a breath. “What are you doing?” he asks, darting the words out as if he only has a few seconds to spare.
“Looking for the off button,” I say, squinting as I raise my dagger to his throat and move it in the air like a pointing stick. Punching it forward, it severs his jugular. “Found it!”
Releasing the magic holding him up, his body drops to the ground with athunk.
I don’t think or move the bodies. Instead, I jump through the portal, feeling the stretch like a cellophane film pulling tight around my skin until I puncture it and fall through to the other side. It should’ve been easy, just a step through the glowing swirl of light. However, nothing seems to come easily for me. Someone tried to seal it, but that same someone is going to have to try a hell of a lot harder.
Climbing to my feet and getting my bearings, I inhale sharply. Purgatory? What the… No… They took her to Purgatory? What use would they have of her here, unless they plan to execute her as an example? Then why poison her? All of these are questions I don’t plan to stick around and get answers to.
To my right is one of the hatched gates that lead to the arena, and in front of me lies a half-circle hallway, branching off into various staircases and doorways. It’s the warehouse. I’ve been told that on the other side of those doors are jars upon jars of souls, stretched across shelves as far as the eye can see.
I carefully roll my feet, heel to toe, as I creep through the length of the U-shaped building. There has to be something here to point me toward Luri. Coming to the empty, dead end of the hall, I turn around, letting my chest deflate. Fuck! Maybe I got it all wrong. It’s deathly silent. If she was here, there would besomething.
14
Kai
The man leading the hunting party shoves his fingers between his lips and whistles, loud enough to crack the still night. The only problem is, it’s only me and Finn who rendezvous in the clearing. We step out as the man searches the woods behind us, looking for the others that will never come.
“It appears as though the others lost their nerve,” Finn says, feigning an accent. He twists from side to side with outstretched arms, referencing the empty space.
“I suppose you’re right,” the crooked nose man says quietly.
