“This is creepy,” Kate whispered as we went into the medieval lift.
I focused on the bars in front of my face as we were lowered further into the building. This wasn't the easiest place to escape if there was any trouble. Dave had obviously used stolen magic to flash them all to the dungeons, so hopefully we could just disappear if we encountered any trouble.
“Don't worry,” Jake whispered. “If we need to get out of here sharpish, I'll shift and cause a mass evacuation.”
His chuckle was loud in the lift as the fake jester rattled on about the history of the Tower of London.
The quicker we found Finlay, the better. The claustrophobic confines of the supposed entertainment venue didn’t make me feel safe. In fact, my palms were already slick, my heart beating rapidly.
I was dead already, so some would say I had nothing to fear, but my friend was trapped and alone somewhere, being held hostage by an evil witch.
“It's stopping,” Dave whispered in my ear, his hand briefly squeezing mine as we were let out of the lift cage. “Can I have some of your magic?”
Nodding as we were guided onto a boat, I held his hand tight and smiled. Heat swept down my arm as my magic left me and went into him. He grinned as the others climbed in behind us, bickering between themselves about who would get the wettest on the ride as it took us to Finlay.
“Shall we use scare tactics on him?” Dave asked as the boat started to move.
The darkness was dense as the water squirted over us, causing Kate to screech out loud. A couple of people in the boat laughed as the spooks started. I ignored them, checking my phone to see if I had signal. None. Not that it mattered, I rarely had calls or messages anyway.
“We need to do anything to gain information about Brianna. Time’s ticking. She might not even be...” I couldn't finish my sentence.
The thought of what Brianna had been through made my stomach roll as the boat pulled up to the fake Tower Bridge.
Climbing out, I searched the actors’ faces, looking for a man in his thirties with brown hair and piercing blue eyes. Dave had sent a picture to my phone so I could recognise our culprit. I remembered him from our brief meetings, but it had been a while.
There were three men and a woman standing by the docks, waving us over to the fake Tower of London. The stocks held a man with bright blue eyes...
“Finlay!” I said in a cheerful greeting. “It's nice to see you again!”
The man's eyes widened as he went to thrust up from the stocks. Placing a hand on the end, I cast a spell to lock the metal clasps.
A couple of his co-workers came over, a question in their raised eyebrows.
“We just need a quick word with Finlay,” Jake muttered, waving them away.
As expected, Finlay's colleagues protested, about to call a manager on their walkie talkie. Before we could intervene, Finlay called out, stopping them.
“It's okay,” he said quickly. “I know them.”
The human was being sensible. He knew who and what we were. It would be remiss of him to allow his friends to interrupt our little chat when there was something very important to discuss.
“Will you behave if I let you out?” I asked him, trying my hardest not to shove my dagger into his throat where he stood.
His gaze ducked as he nodded, his thin lips pulling tight as I released the locks and lifted the top of the stock. Rising slowly, he nodded for us to join him away from his friends as they played out a beheading by the fake tower.
A woman caught my eye as I stood close to Finlay. Her stare was directed right at me, her hand moving gently by her side. Shit, she was a witch. That was the last thing I needed down in the dungeons. A quick escape wouldn't be possible, especially from a witch determined to capture me for the PFF.
“I'm sorry, Gemma,” Finlay exclaimed as we went into a dark corner. “I didn't want to do it, I tried to fight it, but he spelled me. I couldn't help it!”
“What didn't you want to do?” I asked as I got Jake's attention.
Nodding in the direction of the small crowd, I indicated the woman with a discreet point of a finger.
Jake inclined his head and stepped away from us, disappearing into the shadows. His instincts would tell him if there was a threat from those watching the fake beheading.
“Your cat... Brianna...” His stutter was followed by a gulp.
Dave got closer to him, his phone out and held towards him. It was in these moments that I remembered why Dave was such a good desk friend. In the past, he would've spoken through an ear piece while I scouted the field. He would have recorded everything through my ear piece but things had changed.
My desk friend, turned lover, was now in the field with me. He had to improvise with recording devices, although he had tried to persuade me to wear my body cam several times. I was done with that annoying piece of equipment, much preferring not to have to worry about Dave's voice in my ear, always telling me what to do.
“Who made you do it?” My hands clenched into fists as my stomach rolled.
“Gemma,” Kate said from behind me. “Jake's got a problem.”
Looking over my shoulder, I spotted him talking to the workers, ushering them onto a boat with the visitors. Two people remained, standing by the tower, glaring down at me. Both of them held their hands in the air, muttering something under their breath.
“I need to do this,” I said to Dave, waving at Finlay. “Can you...?”
Dave nodded as
