Council,” Elenora said. “In the meantime, you will stay here.”
I glanced around at the barren cells. “Seriously?”
“We’ll bring in some furniture to make it more comfortable. But we can’t trust you in the rest of the keep.”
I had nothing to say to that.
She turned and walked out.
Right before she left, I asked, “Is Dermot still here?”
“He is not.” She left the room, the grizzly at her heels.
I slouched against the wall, my mind racing.
If Dermot and Victor needed me and my deirfiúr for the final havoc they planned to wreak, then what good to them was I locked up in here? They couldn’t even get to me.
Shit.
I almost pounded my head into the wall when I realized. I was such an idiot. If Dermot put us here, it meant he had a way to get us out. Of course. Whatever they planned, it would definitely go down at Glencarrough.
This probably worked out better for them. They couldn’t find me and my deirfiúr because of our concealment charms. But they could rat us out to the Alpha Council and get us thrown into the dungeons.
Where we’d wait for them to arrive. They’d break in somehow—aided by the fact that the Heartstone was missing and defenses were down—and they’d put their miserable plan into action.
I was one card in their deck, and I’d put myself right into their hands.
CHAPTER SEVEN
I spent the next hour feeling my way around every stone in the wall and floor, hoping to find an out. Nix and Del would come for me, but I didn’t want them to. It’d be the worst thing in the world for them to get caught in this cell, too. Sitting ducks waiting for Victor and Dermot.
And though Del could transport, she probably couldn’t do it within the confines of the dungeon because this place would block her magic, too. So it was up to me to find a way out of a stone box.
If only I’d found that last transportation charm when I’d been searching the properties room at the Prison for Magical Miscreants. That’d get me right out of here.
But then, the Alpha Council probably would have taken it from me.
So I’d have been screwed either way.
I stiffened when I heard a shuffle outside the door. Were people coming to deliver furniture, like Elenora had said? I crept over to the side of the door, hoping that maybe this time they wouldn’t be bringing a grizzly for a guard.
I stared hard at the door, waiting for it to open. But it didn’t. Instead, the black strips of iron that reinforced the wooden door began to glow hot orange. Then they began to drip.
They were melting. Long, rolling drips of molten metal slid down the doorframe, pooling on the stone below. My heart pounded in my ears.
A moment later, the door creaked open. As it swung, I noticed that the locking mechanism had melted entirely out of the wood.
Amara peeked her head in. “Cass?”
“Holy shit, Amara.” She was busting me out of here.
“I’m half Metal Mage,” she said.
“I can see that. I’m so glad to see you.”
“Come on. Quick,” she said. Her ragged stuffed bunny was clutched in her hand. “No one knows I’m down here.”
I went to the door and hopped over the puddle of rapidly cooling metal. As soon as I got into the hall, my magic surged within me, coming back to life.
I hugged her quickly. “Thanks for getting me out of there.”
“No problem. You saved me once before. When I heard my dad say you were down here, I had to get you out.”
“You’ll get in trouble.”
She glanced back at the door. “Not like the trouble you were just in. I’ll lose screen time and maybe be grounded for a year, but it’s worth it.”
I grinned. “Thanks.”
I didn’t like the idea of her being grounded, but the Shifters cherished their kids. Nothing harmful would happen to her besides some solid boredom.
“No problem,” Amara said. “Let’s get Aidan out.”
She led me to a door at the other end of the hall. It was the same construction as mine had been, though there was
I glanced around at the barren cells. “Seriously?”
“We’ll bring in some furniture to make it more comfortable. But we can’t trust you in the rest of the keep.”
I had nothing to say to that.
She turned and walked out.
Right before she left, I asked, “Is Dermot still here?”
“He is not.” She left the room, the grizzly at her heels.
I slouched against the wall, my mind racing.
If Dermot and Victor needed me and my deirfiúr for the final havoc they planned to wreak, then what good to them was I locked up in here? They couldn’t even get to me.
Shit.
I almost pounded my head into the wall when I realized. I was such an idiot. If Dermot put us here, it meant he had a way to get us out. Of course. Whatever they planned, it would definitely go down at Glencarrough.
This probably worked out better for them. They couldn’t find me and my deirfiúr because of our concealment charms. But they could rat us out to the Alpha Council and get us thrown into the dungeons.
Where we’d wait for them to arrive. They’d break in somehow—aided by the fact that the Heartstone was missing and defenses were down—and they’d put their miserable plan into action.
I was one card in their deck, and I’d put myself right into their hands.
CHAPTER SEVEN
I spent the next hour feeling my way around every stone in the wall and floor, hoping to find an out. Nix and Del would come for me, but I didn’t want them to. It’d be the worst thing in the world for them to get caught in this cell, too. Sitting ducks waiting for Victor and Dermot.
And though Del could transport, she probably couldn’t do it within the confines of the dungeon because this place would block her magic, too. So it was up to me to find a way out of a stone box.
If only I’d found that last transportation charm when I’d been searching the properties room at the Prison for Magical Miscreants. That’d get me right out of here.
But then, the Alpha Council probably would have taken it from me.
So I’d have been screwed either way.
I stiffened when I heard a shuffle outside the door. Were people coming to deliver furniture, like Elenora had said? I crept over to the side of the door, hoping that maybe this time they wouldn’t be bringing a grizzly for a guard.
I stared hard at the door, waiting for it to open. But it didn’t. Instead, the black strips of iron that reinforced the wooden door began to glow hot orange. Then they began to drip.
They were melting. Long, rolling drips of molten metal slid down the doorframe, pooling on the stone below. My heart pounded in my ears.
A moment later, the door creaked open. As it swung, I noticed that the locking mechanism had melted entirely out of the wood.
Amara peeked her head in. “Cass?”
“Holy shit, Amara.” She was busting me out of here.
“I’m half Metal Mage,” she said.
“I can see that. I’m so glad to see you.”
“Come on. Quick,” she said. Her ragged stuffed bunny was clutched in her hand. “No one knows I’m down here.”
I went to the door and hopped over the puddle of rapidly cooling metal. As soon as I got into the hall, my magic surged within me, coming back to life.
I hugged her quickly. “Thanks for getting me out of there.”
“No problem. You saved me once before. When I heard my dad say you were down here, I had to get you out.”
“You’ll get in trouble.”
She glanced back at the door. “Not like the trouble you were just in. I’ll lose screen time and maybe be grounded for a year, but it’s worth it.”
I grinned. “Thanks.”
I didn’t like the idea of her being grounded, but the Shifters cherished their kids. Nothing harmful would happen to her besides some solid boredom.
“No problem,” Amara said. “Let’s get Aidan out.”
She led me to a door at the other end of the hall. It was the same construction as mine had been, though there was
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