“Are you alright?” Dave interrupted my thoughts.
My palms were sweating, my stomach tight. It wasn't very often my mother got emotional, but it was nice, in a weird sort of way, to see how much she cared.
“Let's make your rash decision worthwhile... we'll talk about how to get your job back later.”
He was about to reply when footsteps sounded, running extremely fast down the alley towards us. Archie swung around the corner, his legs slowing when he saw us standing there.
“That was quick!” Dave stepped forward and offered his hand. “Thanks for coming to help.”
As he switched back into work mode, Dave nudged me gently. Clearing my head, I followed his lead. It was time to check out the pub and see if Finlay had been telling the truth.
Archie shook Dave’s hand before turning to me. About to speak, I paused when my phone vibrated against my leg. Taking it out of my jeans pocket, I held it up for Dave to see. It was a number I didn't recognise. He took a picture of the number, ran it through his smart device thingy that he kept on him, then nodded. I could answer it safely.
“Hello?”
“Gemma!” Brianna shouted down the phone, her cries loud and desperate. “Please help me! I've managed to find a phone, but they'll be back any moment now!”
“Where are you?” I asked urgently as I tried to keep my voice down.
If she could give us a location, we would know whether or not she had been left where Finlay dropped her off. If she had been moved, we would have a harder time finding her. Would Xvair Harvey risk that?
“I'm in a flat underneath some pub, I can hear them at night. I don't know where it is, I just remember Finlay... Please, I've been here for days... I don't know what's happening!”
My heart pounded in my chest as I told the others to be quiet. If she had heard the noise of a pub above her, she must still be inside. Hopefully, she was literally only a few feet away. Her frightened call sent chills up my spine. The poor girl sounded petrified. Had Xvair hurt her?
“Brianna, listen to me,” I said as she sobbed down the phone. “I'm outside, I'm coming in to get you. Is Xvair there?”
“Who?” Brianna's voice was tight, the shock in her voice evident. “No one is here right now. A couple of men have checked on me occasionally. They drug me with vervain so I can't escape!”
Dave listened closely as Archie searched for a peephole in the fence. He found one, sending me a thumbs up when I raised my eyebrows. He had a clear view of the back of the pub... that was a bonus.
“Brianna,” I said in a hushed voice. “I'm so sorry, this is all my fault.”
Her hitched crying eased a little. “It's not,” she said quietly. “Please... just come and get me before it's too late.”
Chapter 8
“Okay,” Dave murmured. “I've cast the illusion spell. No one can see us, even if they look out of the window. Instead, they'll see a normal courtyard with a fake cat or two.”
Smiling, I put my hand on the fence, dragging up magic from the ley line. The impact of it jolted my body. I hadn't used much in the last few days, preferring to try and get by without wasting it. The balance of magic might have calmed, but it hadn't restored completely. Brianna's kidnap would lead me to Xvair, I just knew it. His death was the only thing that would restore Mother Earth back to her natural state.
“Can I walk through now?” Archie asked.
Nodding, I indicated that he should try. I was casting a science matter spell, making the atoms in the fence soft enough for us to travel through.
Archie had surveyed the courtyard as I reassured Brianna that we were on our way. My heart was heavy with sadness. She'd gone through so much because of me. Xvair Harvey would have a slow and painful death. I would make sure of it.
“It looks like the door to the flat is beside the pub's backdoor. We need to be extremely careful.” Dave took my hand, pulling me through the wood.
Walking together, we approached the door. Punters were filing into the pub, their heads bobbing in the windows. If only life was so simple. A human had no idea what it was like to live a life of fear and longing as a paranormal creature.
“The door's locked,” Archie announced when he tried the handle.
That wasn't a surprise, of course. Stepping forward, I joined hands with Dave, indicating that we both grasp the handle together. Smiling, he did as I asked, allowing the magic to move through him. As the magic poured from us, almost making me shudder, it clicked the lock, forcing it to release.
Smiling at one another, we lost ourselves for a moment. Sharing magic was quite an intimate thing. If we wanted to double our power, we could work on it. Although, would that mean I would be Dave's conduit for magic? Would that be a healthy thing? I wasn't quite sure how other illusionist witches lived from day to day when they had a magical partner.
“Love-birds!” Archie breathed, the sound only just reaching our ears. “Get on with it.”
Pulling back, Dave indicated that I should open the door. Snapping out of my moment of infatuation, I switched into agent mode. The handle moved easier in my hand, the click of the latch satisfying as well as terrifying. If there was anyone inside, they
