Wicked Challenge (Darkwater Reformatory Book 2) Page 7

  Once beyond the estate wards, we could flit to the veil. Freedom was so close, I could feel its warmth on my skin.

  “I can do it,” Rohnan said, shrugging free. He moved ahead of us, watching for threats, and though he half-staggered, he walked down the hallway on his own.

  Behind us, someone shouted.

  Dread solidified my stomach, but I didn’t look back. No time.

  “Run,” Daegan said. His pace picked up.

  Footsteps thudded as multiple guards rushed our way. A band of razored magic roared through the passage, hitting the wall beside me and forming a dark hole that ate into the stone. The hole burst and mud-brown splinters shot my way.

  Gasping, I ducked and kept moving.

  Daegan flicked his arm backward, and a curtain of power dropped between us and the guards. They crashed into it and reeled away, screaming and clutching their faces.

  We reached the closet door and Daegan yanked it open. “Go! I’m right behind.”

  The curtain fell, drained of power. Gathering themselves, the guards bellowed and shot more razored magic at us.

  We half-dragged Rohnan up the stairs. He tried to help, to do this under his own steam, but he was flagging fast. I’d patched him up, but full healing would take time.

  My breathing rasped, and tremors took over my body. We had to make it. We’d come so far already. This would be our only chance to escape.

  Boot steps and shouts reached up the stairwell as the guards continued the chase.

  Somehow, we made it to the top of the stairs without being caught. We erupted through the door and into the kitchen, startling a gargoyle. He scrambled to his feet and stumbled backward, hitting one of the big black stoves. A crash rang out as pans tumbled onto the floor.

  “Get the door,” Daegan hissed. Strain creased his face, and he’d lost all his color. The drain on his power from creating barriers to slow the guards had to be enormous.

  We raced out onto the back deck, a wide stone balcony encircled with a wall where the king sometimes held informal parties. It stretched around to the northern side of the estate.

  Grinding to a halt, we gaped at what waited for us on the huge expanse of lawn.

  Caught.

  A full security detail made up of stern-faced, fully armed men and women surrounded the stone deck. The king stood at the head of the group. Magic rippled across his extended fingertips, ready to be shot our way.

  “Leaving so soon?” King Orren asked. He released a sardonic laugh, and it was echoed by the surrounding guards and Krieg, Rohnan’s younger brother. Jealous and vindictive, he’d be happy to see Rohnan dead. Then he’d be their father’s heir. He must have discovered our plan and told the king.

  “Grab them,” the king said. “Send her and my now former advisor to Darkwater Prison. The Warden will take care of the problem after that.”

  No one ever escaped from Darkwater. The craggy fae fortress built on an island in the middle of the ocean had no bars on the cells. Things on the island would kill a witch faster than anything inside the prison.

  Guards stomped toward us, casting deep blue spells that froze us in our places. Others shook tenna units in the air, ready to be deployed. Once locked around our wrists, the devices would block our magic.

  The king smirked. “As for Rohnan, do whatever you please with him.” With a grim smile lifting his thin lips, he ran his finger across his throat.

  The remaining security team chuckled.

  Calling power, I sent it outward, trying to break through the invisible bonds holding me in place. But other than a trickle, I’d spent my magic healing Rohnan. I couldn’t get free. My horrified moan slipped out. There wasn’t anything I could do to save Rohnan. They’d haul him back to the dungeons and this time, he wouldn’t survive their magical beating.

  His arms straining upward and with heavy creases forming on his face, Daegan broke through the magical restraints. He stumbled forward and as he fell, he dragged Rohnan down with him onto the hard decking. With the solid stone barrier between them and the advancing security guards, they were hidden. But not for long. What did he plan?

  Rolling onto his back, Daegan stared up at me as he reached for his pendant. “Love you, Jacey-May,” he whispered. “I’m sorry. I was determined to get you to the veil.”

  No! The word echoed inside me, unable to break free. Birds sensed my cry. Startled, they flew from the bushes, up into the sky.

  “Once you reach Darkwater,” Daegan bit out. “Get to the Reformatory. It’s your only chance.”

  Dragging the last speck of power from deep inside me, I shoved it against my bonds. I staggered forward, reaching out to my friend. My uncle. The kind man who’d protected and loved me all of my life.

  “Remember,” he said.

  His face wavered, and he shifted into Rohnan.

  My eyes widened as Rohnan became Daegan.

  Guards surged up onto the deck and dragged my boyfriend and uncle up off the stone.

  A flick of someone’s hand and “Daegan” and I were flitted from the castle.

  As I stood at the base of the steps leading to the entrance of Darkwater Prison with Rohnan, Daegan’s spirit reached out and stroked my cheek one last time.

  That’s when I knew they’d stabbed him. And I died inside because I could picture him lying on the floor… Bleeding out… And I wasn’t there to heal him. A cry was wrenched out of me and I staggered forward, falling to my knees.

  Jacey-May.

  Sliced wide open, my heart seeped. No one would call me that nickname ever again, and it crushed me.

  I pinched my eyes closed, and my entire body shook with sorrow.

  When Rohnan shifted back into himself, I knew I’d lost Daegan’s forever. Yanking on my hair, I curled forward and wailed.

  Rohnan dropped beside me and stroked my back. “Fuck, Jacey. I’m sorry.” The hoarseness in his voice revealed his pain. He and Daegan had been friends.

  He held me until my sobs slowed, until he must have thought I was gathering myself together. But I couldn’t. That time would not come until the king was punished for what he’d done.

  Rohnan helped me stand and wrapped his arms around me.

  I stiffened as anger rushed from me, crackling in the air like lightning.

  “The king will pay,” I hissed into Rohnan’s shoulder, infusing my words with every speck of power remaining inside me. “I vow on my soul that I will find a way out of Darkwater and go after him.”

  Rohnan growled. “I vow with you.”

  I stroked his dark hair and stared into his eyes, now filled with storms more furious than the sea around Darkwater Island.

  “I’ll hunt the king down,” I said. “And seek my revenge.”

  The front door to Darkwater Prison opened, and we stepped apart.

  A powerful woman stepped outside, cloaked in magic only a rare witch could see.

  I was a rare witch.

  And she knew it. I could read it in her eyes.

  I’d heard about Warden Bixby from my father. She was a witch with more than one skapti—which was short for skill and aptitude combined. While we all could do regular spells, like those used to tidy up a room or overhear a conversation, most witches only had one skapti. A few witches, like this woman, could master many.

  I’d have to be very careful.

  “I was told to expect you,” she said to me with a sneer.

  Warden Bixby needed a wardrobe adjustment. Black, black, and more black, from the tips of her high-heeled shoes to the top of her head.

  Why?

  My lips twisted. She must use the color for intimidation, which wouldn’t work with me.

  She drilled Rohnan with her green, cat-like eyes, the only bit of color breaking up her gloom meets doom appearance. “You, I was not told to expect you. You’re not old enough to be a former king’s advisor.”

  “I look good for my age,” Rohnan said. While we’d waited for the Warden, he’d continued to heal. Now he stood tall beside m
e.

  Her attention drifted to our linked hands. “I was also told the advisor was an uncle.”

  Daegan! The memory of his murder burst through my mind again, severing something deep inside me. I wanted to collapse on the ground. Cry. But unless I remained strong, I’d never get the chance to seek my revenge. My mourning would have to wait until I was alone, when I was sure no one would see my pain and use it against me.

  Lifting our hands, Rohnan kissed my knuckles. “We’re not related by blood.”

  He did this so well. While the ward on Rohnan had faded the moment Daegan died, the one he’d placed on himself would follow him to his grave. I’d seen the spell and it had been permanent. He’d done it to keep the king unaware of the switch and give us time.

  Huffing, Bixby stared down her thin nose at us. “Normally, all inmates must pass the exam before they’re permitted entrance into the prison. Yet the king’s security team left you here, not on the shore.”

  I’d heard about this place, how prisoners were dropped off, and required to run a gauntlet of deadly creatures and puzzles before being allowed inside the prison walls. Crazy to think what waiting for us on the island was worse than what we’d face inside.

  “No matter,” Bixby said with a smirk. “We’ll take care of that soon. I can arrange for a different test once we’re inside.”

  Rohnan frowned, and his hand tightened around mine.

  Releasing him, I stepped forward. “What are you planning?” Deviations from the norm spelled trouble. I had one goal, and it didn’t include playing silly games with the Warden. My thirst for revenge burned inside me. “I’m more interested in getting into the Reformatory.”

  Her penciled black brow narrowed. “So you’ve heard about the Challenge, have you?”

  What Challenge?

  “If it involves a test, we’ll do it,” Rohnan said, coming up beside me. His arm slipped around my waist, and I leaned into his warmth. “We’re in this together.”

  “You’ll need a third to get in,” Bixby said. Turning, she started toward the tall steel door. “Once you’ve formed your triad, come to me and I might allow you into the catacombs. They tell me if someone is worthy of the Reformatory or not.”

  I lifted my hands, and the tenna wristlets the king’s security team had applied shot red and gold fire. Sparks fell to the ground and smoldered. “I’d like these removed.”

  Tipping her head back, the Warden cackled. “Lofty thing, aren’t you?”

  Not usually, but I’d be stupid if I didn’t try to establish control.

  She mimicked me, her black-clothed body swaying. “I’d like you to remove my tenna bracelets.” She spun, and all humor had fled her face. Anger cut grooves into her words. “The devices will come off when you’re dead.” She thrust open the front door and paused, her back facing us.

  “We’ve got to get out of here,” I whispered to Rohnan.

  “Don’t you know?” the Warden said. Turning in the open doorway, she placed one hand high on the arch, posing. Her lips twitched upward briefly, but she returned them to a flat line. “You’re safer inside than out.”

  As if to punctuate her words, something shrieked in the forest behind us. Dull thuds grew louder as the hunting creature came near. Treetops dipped sideways, then snapped back into place as the beast passed through the woods. Whatever it was, it was big, and it hunted.

  Us.

  “In,” Rohnan said, tapping my side. He whirled and crouched as if he’d take on the creature with his bare hands alone. With the tennas in place, he didn’t stand a chance. He must know that, but he’d still give me cover.

  “You, too,” I said, snagging the back of his tee. “Let’s get inside.” Where it was safer. Supposedly.

  A safe prison? What a joke.

  Inside the large foyer, the Warden dropped into a gilded throne. Did she hold court in the lobby? Her right leg linked over the other, and her fingers tapped out a jerky rhythm on the armrest. “There’s a pecking order here. Titan and his quadrad are at the top, of course.”

  Why was she telling us this? The reason couldn’t be good.

  “Why of course?” Rohnan asked.

  “Because he’s a shifter.”

  That explained nothing. Shifters were everywhere, but they were rarely given control. And I imagined it was even rarer to have them mentioned in the prison introduction.

  “You’ll see.” Her lips parted. “This should be fun. I’ll be watching.”

  My glance up revealed discretely placed spylings—tiny spirit-insect beings who recorded every movement. Every sound. They sent the images to whoever had planted them.

  The Warden.

  “Ready?” she asked with a grim smile.

  I stiffened, because I knew. Nothing would be easy here at Darkwater, and our trial was about to begin.

  A flash, and Rohnan and I stood in the middle of a long steel tunnel.

  Behind us, a bang rang out. It shook the ground beneath us.

  I snapped back to the present and found myself still lost in the snow, no longer locked in the series of tests Rohnan and I had taken to find acceptance in the prison. Acceptance? My chuckle burned my throat. We’d been doomed from the start.

  Wind smacked me in the face, and ice crystals froze to my lashes, my nose. I was being encrusted in ice.

  How could I keep putting one foot in front of the other? It was too far. I couldn’t go on…

  Dropping to my knees in the snow, I cupped my face. Then released it and tipped my head back to shriek. “Rohnan!”

  A thump rang out. Too close.

  Dread crept through me and I whirled around, finding nothing behind me.

  “Brodin? Akimi? Tria? Where are you?” My words echoed in the stillness. I might never see them again.

  Turning back to face where I’d started, I saw a figure waver in front of me before he solidified. I rubbed my eyes, but he remained, standing knee-deep in the snow, dressed in his formal, deep blue court robes.

  “Daddy?” I hadn’t called him that since I was tiny, but my stark vulnerability let me remember when he’d been there for me. When he’d protected me.

  “Come, child,” he said, holding out his hand. “I will help.”

  Did I dare? He could be a mirage, another part of the test. If I took what he offered, I could doom this for all of us.

  For me and Rohnan.

  Or I could fail by pushing him away.

  Deep in my heart, I’d always trusted my father. I needed to count on that now.

  I took his hand, and in a flash, I stood alone inside the foyer of a beautiful building. A castle?

  Had the test been that easy and now, I was allowed to rest? I hadn’t reached a safe spot already, had I?

  I took a few steps forward, my feet leaving puddles behind.

  Creaking erupted from the ceiling, and I reeled backward as mechanical hands shot down toward me.

  They grabbed me, and my cry echoed around me.

  Nine

  Tria

  Slipping and falling, I forged ahead, eager to reach the castle. The wind bit into my cheeks, and shivers wracked my frame all over again.

  Would I die outside or reach what I hoped would be a sanctuary?

  I stumbled up what looked like marble steps—coated with melting snow, then wrenched open the gilded front door. Inside the gold-plated front foyer, I was greeted by my three friends, now primped and puffed and decked out in clothing fit for the royal fae court.

  Reeling backward, I hit the door. “What the…?”

  “It’s okay,” Jacey said. “I freaked out at first, too.”

  “No worries.” Akimi dipped forward as if she bowed. Flowers had been entwined in her leafy hair and trailed down her trunk. “This is our next safe spot.”

  I gave Brodin a quick nod of thanks for his help then took in the expansive, gold-encrusted foyer while my sneakers dripped onto the swirled, gray marble floor.

  “Getting through the snow wasn’t the test, was it?” I
asked. It felt too simple.

  “We each had to find our own path here,” Akimi said. Her lips lifted, though the smile didn’t quite reach her eyes. “And now we are safe. We may take this time to rest and relax.”

  “From what I’ve learned, we were all brought here in a similar manner,” Jacey said.

  “Kai found me at first,” I said, remembering him offering me his warmth. I would’ve frozen to death without him. “I didn’t exactly get here on my own.”

  “He found me, too,” Brodin said.

  “I’m so glad he was there for you both,” Jacey said, coming closer. She gave me a hug, her long, golden skirts swishing around her ankles. Her hair had been coiled up on top of her head, though curls dangled artfully around her face. Back at the prison, she’d told me and Brodin she was pretty much royalty in the fae kingdom. With pearls and jewels woven into her hair and hanging from her ears, plus the ornate gown, she more than looked the role. “I was worried,” she said. “I…” She blinked fast, and her shoulders slumped forward. “My father found me, almost as if he stepped out of a dream. I miss him, and seeing him reminded me of how much. Someday I will find my revenge and then I will see him again.”

  Her uncle had been murdered by the fae king, and she’d vowed vengeance. This was why she was determined to reach the Reformatory. Once there, she’d be given the chance of release, and she could charge to the fae kingdom. She’d told me once her father lived within the castle.

  I stepped around her. “And you, Akimi? Who helped you?”

  “Also someone who loved me,” she said. “My older sister. I have not seen her in years, not since her death.” Her branches drooped. “So long ago, I had nearly forgotten what she looked like.”

  My heart filled with soul-bruising sorrow. “I’m sorry.”

  She dipped forward in acknowledgment of my words.

  My gaze fell on the guy standing near the wall dressed in a dark jacket and tailored pants. Even his hair had been trimmed and styled. Funny how I preferred the shaggy way he’d worn it when he was plain old Feral. “Kai came for me, but so did Brodin.” My throat choked with emotion so new and fragile between us. I crossed the room and stopped in front of him. “Thank you,” I whispered. “For coming for me.”