It took him a couple of throws, and then the hook finally caught on the chimney. His booted foot found small niches in the old bricks as he made his way up the vertical wall. A brief flash of the summers he had spent in Yosemite, climbing the sheer face of El Capitan, gave him a surge of confidence.
He made it to the second floor windows which were locked. In minutes, he was crawling across the slate covered roof. Tapping on the glass of the dormer window, he made sure Lilly saw him. The old window frame had been painted shut at least a half a dozen times. Signaling Lilly to stand back, Roland turned his face aside and smashed the window panes with his elbow. Removing large shards of glass from the edges, he kicked in the frame. Lilly ran to him. In one swift move, she was in his arms. He carried her out of the window and onto the roof as Dodger and Prissy sounded the alarm.
The slate shingles were damp and Roland slipped for a moment. He put Lilly down, keeping a strong arm around her waist as they carefully crept across the pitched roof to the ledge.
The barking grew closer and Lilly heard Regina screaming. She turned and looked over her shoulder. Prissy had two front legs out of the attic window, barking and growling. Regina leaned out of the window with the raven on her shoulder. She screeched a curse and extended her arm, one finger pointing at Lilly. The raven sprung from Regina’s shoulder and slammed into Lilly’s back. Roland grabbed her, steadied her and held her for a moment. The raven circled over them and with a loud screech flew at Lilly’s face. She ducked and the raven circled again. Roland took the rope in hand, lowered himself over the edge and signaled for Lilly to do the same. She wavered for a moment and peered over the edge of the roof. “No, don’t look down,” Roland said calmly, “come on, I won’t let you fall.”
Lilly took hold of the rope and lowered herself over the edge. The raven harried them with its wings for a moment, lost interest and flew down to examine the contents of the metal dumpster in the alley.
As soon as his feet hit the ground, his eyes met Lilly’s for a moment, she nodded and they ran to the end of the block. Turning the corner, they ran toward Chartres Street. Lilly’s legs buckled, Roland scooped her up and ran along the banquet towards Jackson Square.
Jolene and James were getting out of a cab in front of Panthea’s, arriving home from their vacation, when Roland came around the corner. Jolene dropped her luggage as she saw Lilly wearing nothing but a sweatshirt, blood running from a gash across her cheek.
“Can you open the gate?” Roland gasped. James ran to the heavy wooden door, passed his hand over the lock, dissolving locks and wards in seconds. He pushed the gate open and followed Roland into the courtyard and up the stairs.
Roland placed Lilly on her bed. His eyes roamed quickly over her body looking for blood or injuries. She stared at him, hardly believing he was there. She caught her breath as he sat next to her on the bed. “I knew you would come,” she said weakly.
Roland kissed her lightly on the lips, nodded and smiled.
“Regina won’t come after me here,” Lilly whispered, “the wards are too strong.”
She sat up slowly, “I want to have a bath, immediately.” Roland drew a bath and helped her get out of the oversized sweatshirt. She sank into the warm water holding a cool, damp cloth to her bloody cheek. Roland grabbed a bath sponge and a bar of soap and gently washed her body and her hair.
He helped her out of the tub and was wrapping her in her pink fuzzy bathrobe when Jolene came in. “What has happened? Was there an accident?”
Lilly gave her a short and garbled version of what had transpired over the last three or four days. She wasn’t sure how long she had been at Regina’s.
“We must get your cut looked at right away,” Jolene said as she disappeared out the door.
Lilly returned to her bed, holding a clean cloth to her cheek. Within minutes Jolene returned with Lucky who took one look at her face and said, “I’m going to call my doctor. That gash will need stitches.”
“Wait a minute,” James said steadily. “Let’s slow down and look at this wound.” Sitting on the edge of the bed, he took Lilly’s face between his hands. He passed his hand over the bloody wound and it seemed to fade in and out of existence. “This was created by dark magick and can only be healed with pure magick. I seriously doubt a regular doctor could see it much less stitch it up. Let’s get into the temple.”
Without a word, Lucky stepped forward and lifted Lilly into his arms. He carried Lilly down the winding stairs, a slightly puzzled Roland close behind. James walked ahead and opened the door to the temple. Jolene knocked on doors, summoning Sabine, Genna, Forest, Madeline and Owen, explaining Lilly had received a serious wound and needed healing.
Jolene was unsure of what had happened. Lilly’s explanation was garbled and Roland said something about a kidnapping. Jolene held her hand over her heart, fearful the Inanna crystal was the motivation behind the abduction. She was desperate to hear the details, but first they must tend to Lilly’s wound.
The coven gathered around the young priestess
