Of course, A’chrya. As you wish.
The second time he withdrew from her mind was painful, like a sharp instrument drawing its edge across her forehead. She winced and then closed her eyes for a moment, pondering how she would accomplish her A’chrya’s orders. How would she get to the Void, and if she did, how would she find the Nature Walker? Another potion like the one she gave the Rajah, perhaps? Ellie picked herself up off the floor and crossed the room to her desk. There was much more research to do, and so many of his journals to read. If only he could direct her just a bit more without completely taking control? She settled down with a diary from his time in Bellesea Keep and started to read, keeping a tiny bit of her attention focused on that buzz in the back of her mind.
Fifteen
About Face,and Back into the Mist
Gin startled awake and sat up to see Sath trying to move around the room without making any noise. “What happened?” she demanded. “How long was I asleep?”
“I don’t know, Gin, a few hours? I dozed off myself.” He was looking under the two cots in the room. “They took our food too, I suppose? My stomach is growling louder than I have ever heard in my life.”
Gin chuckled. “I don’t know where my pack ended up. I’m assuming it came off when the portal reached out and grabbed me, but I’m not sure. I woke upin this place, with you calling out to me through the bond, and that is most of what I remember until I actually saw the Mother Dragon.” She shivered at the memory.
“Yeah, she’s quite a sight. Gin, we need a plan.”
“We have one. You stubbornly keep the collar on, and I will try to talk my way out of the trouble I’m in, then we both get out of here.”
“Details have never been your strength, have they?”
Gin made a face at Sath and then tried the door again. Still locked. She pressed her ear up against it but didn’t hear anything. Sath suggested in their bond that his hearing was better, but she waved him off. “I wonder just how much magic I have?”
“What?”
“Stand back, I’m gonna try something.” For once, the memory of the old days with the Fabled Ones did not make Sath smile. “Seriously. Step away from the door.”
“Feels like a trap.” Sath did not move from where he stood, arms crossed over his chest. He reached up to try to shift the collar. “I’m game if you are, Gin, but I have a bad feeling about this.” She shot him a pointed look, and he put his hands up and stepped away from the door to just behind her.
“I don’t think we have many options, do we?” Gin’s hands were on her hips as she tapped her boot against the stone floor, a sign that she was trying to decide on a course of action. She closed her eyes and focused on the place where her magic lived, coaxing it to build as she thought about how the door looked when it was open. “Those hinges are rusty—I didn’t notice that before, did you?” She opened her eyes, and Sath shook his head. “Right, here goes nothing.” Gin called up one of the most destructive spells she knew, channeling her magic into fiery power and aiming it at the door. Magical force, not fire, flew from her fingers and assaulted the hinges on the door, blowing bits of rust and metal in every direction but leaving the metal door intact. “Na’hina!”
Sath placed a hand on her back, not knowing what to say. He moved closer to the door after holding a hand up to her to keep her from removing his fur the way she had the rust and studied the lock. “You are a marvel. Gimme a second.” He squatted down and inspected the knob, and the bolt as Gin came to stand right behind him. “You blew the knob loose. I bet I can pick the lock.”
“You know how to pick locks? Since when?”
“I had a life before you, ya know.” Sath chuckled as he carefully pushed one of his clawed fingers into the lock, feeling around for a moment. A satisfied smile spread across his features, and Gin gasped as she heard the click of the lock. “See? Nothing to it.” He stood up, made a show of dusting himself off, and then turned the knob. He pushed until veins stood out on his neck, making the striped pattern of his fur undulate. “The, um, door opens outward, right?”
“Sath.” Gin pushed past him with a loud sigh, took hold of the knob, and pulled the door inward. It swung with such force that she lost her footing and barreled into Sath—barely shifting him. “Sorry.”
Sath smiled suddenly. “We are overlooking one of our best assets. Your tracking ability is second to none. Is there anyone approaching or close by?” Gin closed her eyes and concentrated, moving closer to the door and then stopping suddenly, just before she ran right into it. She shook her head and opened her eyes.
“There’s no one out there. I mean NO ONE. I reached out as far as I could with my magic, and I don’t sense any living thing. What do you think that means?” Gin frowned. “I hope it doesn’t mean that all of my magic is used up now.”
“It means this is most definitely a trap, but we need to go while the door is open and the coast is clear, I suppose.” He
