Chapter 27

“We all have flashlights?” Bethany asked.

“Yes, for the tenth time, all of us have two lights with us,” Leone said, sounding annoyed.

I glanced over my shoulder to see he didn’t look as annoyed as he was trying to sound.

“I think we should go in pairs,” Michael said. “A few seconds apart.”

“So we won’t land on top of each other?” Leone asked.

Michael nodded. “Just don’t use your box and try to send anyone to the cells,” he told him.

Leone looked at the box clipped at his waist. “Yeah, I know. I get the dead or injured.”

We stopped when we stepped into the clearing.

“I don’t know why I’m getting to guard the rock. Again,” Alona said, coming out of the trees.

“Someone needs to have Romulus’ back,” Chase told her with a steady look.

“Fine, but don’t think you’re leaving me in the safe zone forever, my king.” She hissed, out a breath.

“Cristy is on overwatch again,” Victor stated. “We’ll connect as a group once we’re in the basement.”

“Yes.” Troy nodded and looked at Daxx. “As soon as we’re in the basement.”

“Yeah, yeah.” She looked around at everyone. “None of the guards are coming?”

Rafael shook his head. “No, they’re spread out around the building and down the road to keep an eye out, should we trigger anything to bring company to us.”

Paisley rubbed her hands together. “I’m totally juiced.” She looked at me. “If you see anyone with any kind of magic that isn’t Bethany, you shout. I will immobilize them.”

I nodded. “It was too dark to see anything last time.”

“Everyone ready?” Quinton waited for nods, then walked slowly forward. “That rock?” He looked over his shoulder at me.

I nodded. “Yes.”

Victor moved by them. “Our kings go in last,” he stated.

“What?” Chase shook his head.

“I agree.” Quinton looked at his twin brothers. “If it’s a trap, we can’t let them get you.”

Chase looked at his twin. Both of their looks changed to reveal they were both annoyed. “Fine,” Chase said under his breath.

“Trap?” Kara asked. “You think it’s a trap?”

“One can’t be too careful,” Victor told him. He turned to Michael and nodded. “We wait for everyone and then explore together.” He nodded again.

Michael gave Autumn a quick look, then moved over to stand on the other side of the flat rock. When they vanished, Autumn and Daxx stepped quickly to where they were standing, despite an annoyed-looking Rafael and Leone. Daxx held a flashlight in one hand and katana in the other. Autumn nodded to her and pushed her hood back off her head.

“Let’s do this,” Daxx said.

Rafael and Leone went next. Right after them, Arius and Emil stepped up and vanished without comment.

“Okay.” Bethany nodded and rubbed her hands together, then lifted them, and bright arcs came off them. “No flashlight needed,” she whispered as she stepped over to the rock.

Paisley stood beside her and then nodded.

Chase looked at Quinton. “Get on with it.” He pulled a sword off his back.

Quinton glanced at Kara; she had her bow ready.

“I’ll go over with our kings,” she told him.

“Our own royal archer,” Chase said with a grin.

Quinton and I moved over to the rock. “Ready?”

I clicked on the flashlight and nodded.

As soon as we came out the other side, I knew it was the same place as before.

“You could have warned us about the stench,” Leone said.

I pulled out my phone and connected to the group call.

“Yeah, well, I was too busy trying to live to sniff the air,” Quinton said beside me and in my earpiece at the same time.

“I feel better being here,” Alona stated. “Kings inbound.”

The twins and Kara arrived at the same time. They wasted no time. “Which way did you go from here?”

Quinton looked at me. I shrugged and shone the light around the small space. “I think that way.” I motioned to the far side.

“Should we split into two groups?” Daxx motioned to the door on the other side.

Michael shook his head. “Reagan has to be present to see if there are any more portals.”

“No pressure there.” Autumn looked at me. “Let’s go the way they didn’t first.”

With that decided, everyone started to move toward the other end.

“It smells worse than the tunnels Crissy ran us through,” Leone said.

“That’s good.” Crissy’s voice came over the earpiece. “No witches have been there to cleanse it.”

Leone looked at Rafael and shrugged. “I’m good with that,” he replied.

“Less noise,” Victor said in a hushed tone.

“Anything?” Quinton was beside me now.

I shook my head and tried to focus on looking around me and not what I might step in. “The only haze is where we just landed.”

Quinton nudged my shoulder so that I would look up at him. The look on his face was asking if I was all right. I nodded and then looked around some more.

“I’m glad I didn’t know this basement was down here when I was stuck living here,” Kara whispered.

“Yeah, nightmares would have been your own then,” Paisley agreed.

We moved through the hallway in silence. There were two doors in the short hall. Michael stepped in front of us all and turned. He motioned to one door and then the other. Leone and Quinton nodded, and they moved to stand on the other side of the doors. Michael backed up and made room so that Arius, Emil, and Rafael could stand in the hall facing the doors.

Quinton snapped his fingers. I looked at him; he pointed to the one door, then the other. I realized he was asking if there was magic. I jolted and hurried to get a closer look. Paisley was right on my hip when I stopped a foot from the men and looked at one door. I shook my head and then turned to the other. There was no haze around either.

Michael nodded and put a hand on Emil and Arius’ shoulders as they faced the doors. The other men stood, weapons ready. Bethany was now on my other side. Michael lifted his hands, and the two brothers kicked open the doors. Leone and Quinton rushed in with swords drawn. A second later, they came back out.

“Just storage,” Quinton reported.

“Same here.” Leone motioned to the room. “We should have Reagan take a look, though.”

I quickly moved to stand in the one door. Old steel bed frames and outdated IV poles were shoved to the one side, decades of dust coating them. I shook my head, then turned to look at the other door—more long-forgotten equipment. “No haze,” I said quietly.

“That clears this way,” Daxx said.

For so many, they moved silently back the way we’d come and began going down the other hall. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. This place was plain eerie.

“Anyone else wishing we weren’t here?” Beth whispered.

“I’m with you,” Kara answered.

“Brother, I’m not seeing a body,” Victor stated.

“Could be further down. I stumbled around after trying to find a way out,” Quinton said.

“Nothing here,” Rafael said, looking in the next door.

“Or here.” Michael stood outside the one I’d found Quinton in.

“Someone’s been here and cleaned up after you.” Leone looked at Quinton.

“Be on the alert,” Victor said softly.

“If I get any more alert, I’ll freak out,” Paisley told him.

I moved to look in the one room, then the other. I shook my head while watching Quinton stare at the floor where he’d been laying. “No haze.”

“Steel door down here,” Autumn said in a hushed tone.

“Steel?” Michael moved past Victor to look around the corner. “Much newer than anything else in this forgotten place,” he said quietly.

“Reagan, come take a look before we touch it.” Quinton looked at me from the corner.

I nodded and moved past the twin kings. When I could see the door around the large bodies, I was able to see a faint haze. “It’s not really a bright haze, but there’s a faint one along the floor.”

“A trap?” Michael squatted down and looked at the floor, then the doorframe. “There’s some space under the door. Maybe it’s coming from inside the door?”

“Touch it and see,” Arius said.

Emil shook his head. “I’ve learned not to touch doors to places people may want to keep others from entering.” He looked at me.

“I’ll do it.” Leone moved by Emil and went up to the door. He held his hand out from it, then touched it quick. Nothing happened. Opening his palm, he placed it against the door. He shook his head.

“Stand back further and try the handle,” Chase suggested.

Leone found it locked.

“Now what?” Daxx asked.

“We don’t want to break it down.” Troy looked around. “If possible, I want to set a trap here for others.”

“Our locksmith is in a tree outside.” Rafael looked at Victor, who shook his head.

“What kind of lock it is?” Crissy’s voice rang through the earpiece.

“Looks like a normal doorknob, Criss,” Daxx told her.

“You can do that kind, Bethany,” Crissy said.

Leone looked at Beth and raised an eyebrow.

Bethany smiled. “She’s been showing me.” She shrugged. “You never know when we might need to get in somewhere.” She pulled something out of her pocket and went over to the door. Rafael looked over her shoulder.

“You have lock picks?” He grinned.

Bethany sighed. “I can’t do it with paperclips like Crissy can.” She bent over and started working on the doorknob.

“Stand behind us, my kings,” Victor said, looking at Troy, then Chase.

Troy looked unhappy but moved, so there were four brothers between them and the door.

“This protect the kings thing is getting old,” Chase mumbled.

“You’ve never had to go up against the most powerful mage that’s ever lived before.” Alona’s tone was not as light as usual.

Chase exchanged a look with Victor and then moved to stand beside Troy. “I’m out of harm’s way.”

“Good,” Alona answered.

“It’s unlocked,” Bethany said as she backed up. Tucking the pouch back in her pocket, she raised her hands again.

“Ready?” Arius put his hand on the door handle and opened the door when Leone raised his sword.

They both rushed into the room, then stopped.

The rest of us went in one after the other. The room was clean and only contained a cot, a camp stove, and a few boxes.

“This seems like a good place to lay low.” Rafael went over and opened one of the boxes. “We’re going to want to take these home with us,” he stated in a dry tone.

Quinton gave him a curious look and went over to see why. “Illegal porters and stabilizers.” He turned and looked at Victor.

Victor nodded and did something with the port-box he used to vanish people. He went over to the cardboard box and held it over it. It disappeared. He looked at Michael. “Send someone to the landing room in the chambers to retrieve that.”

Michael nodded and pulled out his phone.

Emil stood looking at the door on the other side of the room. He shook his head. “Still not touching it.”

“There’s a haze around it,” I told him.

Quinton looked around the room. “Could that be what you were seeing before we opened the other door?”

I glanced around the room again. “There are no other hazy areas but that door.”

Leone walked past Emil to the door. He grabbed the handle, and sparks flew from it. Jerking his hand back, he cursed quietly.

“And that’s why,” Emil stated.

“Warded.” Quinton went over to it and stood looking at it. “Alona, shove Romulus into the portal.”

Rafael moved out the door we’d come in. “I’ll get him.” He pulled out a flashlight and shone it down the hall.

Kara went out the door behind him. “I’ve got your back.”

“I’m going to guess this is an outer door.” Paisley looked over at Arius. “The inner one wasn’t warded, so it makes sense.”

“I’d like to know where it comes out,” Daxx said. “We looked everywhere outside this building.”

Rafael came back into the room with the mage.

“Take down the ward,” Troy told him.

“My king.” Romulus inclined his head and went over to the door. As he waved his hands around, more haze appeared. When he lowered his hands, Victor motioned to where the kings stood. “You’re coming with us in case we encounter more.”

As we stepped out the door, there were several explicit words. It didn’t lead outside; it led to a tunnel.

“I didn’t think to look for tunnels here,” Michael stated.

I studied the construction of the walls. “There would be no map with these on them,” I told him. “This is a tunnel used during the war to get out of the building without being seen.” I looked at Quinton, who watched me. “This one is very old; it could have been used in a few wars.”

“Let’s see where it goes.” Rafael moved down the narrow space.

“Crissy, has breaking the ward caused any notice?” Victor asked.

“Nothing has changed,” she answered.

He nodded to no one in particular. “You and Alona can go home. We’ll deal with the portal in the trees after we’re finished here.”

“Okay, Vic,” Crissy answered.

“I’ll see everyone in the meeting room,” Alona said.

The tunnel was long, the rough ground causing more than one to trip as we filed through it. When we reached the other end, there was no ward on the outer door. Stepping out into the light, I squinted.

“Where are we?” Daxx turned in a circle.

“That is well hidden,” Paisley stated while looking at the door.

It was in the side of a shallow ravine; nothing else was visible but trees and fields.

“Someone needs to take Romulus back through to put the ward back on that door and close off the rock portal,” Rafael said as he looked around.

“I will take him,” Victor said, looking back at the door. “Cover this back up as it was.”

“I’ll go with you.” Emil went back to the door.

“Set a warning spell on this door.” Bethany looked at Romulus. “So we know when someone uses it.”

Romulus looked at the wooden door. “I doubt it would reach us at home.”

Paisley snorted. “This will.” She pulled a small camera out of her pocket. She grinned at Arius’ surprised look. “Never know when we need to keep watch somewhere.”

“Good work.” Alona’s voice was back on the earpiece again. “I’ll get the laptop booted up here, Paisley.”

Chase shook his head, grinning, but made no comment.

“We’re going to look around the immediate area and see if there’s anyone nearby,” Quinton said.

Victor paused at the door. “I don’t think you’ll find any, brother.” He looked around. “I believe this is only known to one.”

“Arwan.” Troy nodded. “We have all the others, and someone moved that body.”

Daxx heaved a loud breath. “So now what?”

“We go find the portal that sent Gudrun and Det here,” Quinton told her.

Daxx nodded and looked at me. “You up for some wandering around?”

I looked around at the others. “I am.”

Leone held up his hand. “We need to go get the two with Alterealm DNA out of there.”

Troy motioned to Chase. “We’ll come. We can port in and out if needed.”

Chase looked at Kara. “Message Lucina and tell her we’ll be at the back door.”

Kara pulled out her phone. “Okay.”

“Hurry,” Daxx told Troy. “I want to go portal hunting.”