Charles and Adrian hurried to the back of the darkened room, where Adrian tilted a large plank to the side and stepped through into a small, dirt-packed tunnel supported by wooden beams.
The narrow passage led to another door, but Adrian didn’t try to open this one. He lowered onto one knee and swept away the soil with his hand to reveal a wooden trap door. This particular entrance was never locked as only Maltorim members knew of it. I found it odd the place wasn’t under camera surveillance, but I guess when you’re as powerful as the Maltorim, no one dares break into your premises.
Adrian opened the trap door, placed one hand on either side, and eased down. Charles followed. Stone walls surrounded them, a dark slate floor with water stains beneath their feet as they crept through the underground maze. I could almost feel the dank moisture of the corridors.
The creak and jangle of the cemetery’s front gate, racketed by the surrounding spirits, threatened to distract me from my clairaudience, but I focused until the sounds of the real world muted from my ears.
I opened my mind to all nearby elemental activity. I released the thoughts closest to me—the spirits swirling in the darkness outside my protective barrier. One by one, I zeroed out other connections, using Charles and Adrian as markers to determine the placements of the minds I invaded.
It took some effort, but I targeted the thoughts registering closest to Charles and Adrian. The farther they lurked into the dark passages of the mausoleum, the more the new connections grew in clarity.
About three-quarters of the way down the hall, Charles and Adrian paused, half-crouched, looking at each other. Their lips weren’t moving, but their wordless communication was amazingly accurate. They pressed against opposite walls and slinked to the opening at the end of the hall.
Two guards awaited out of view. Only another Cruor could sneak up on their kind undetected.
“Left guard is half asleep,” I said. “Right guard is preoccupied.”
Charles and Adrian whipped around the corner and snapped the necks of both guards. The crack of vertebrae echoed in my mind, and my stomach churned.
How could they kill as though it was nothing? Had there been no better alternative?
My emotions interfered with my signal, and the image rippled, my instincts wanting to block what I’d seen. Pushing aside my fears, I stared at the large hallway the ignisvisum displayed.
Charles and Adrian reached a set of arched wooden fortress doors, and I located the thought waves of the people on the other side. Based on the thoughts contained there, I imagined the occupants were engaged in light, candid chatter.
“Five inside,” I said.
Adrian and Charles crept past the door, heading down the final corridor that would lead to the Liettes.
I released the people in the other room from my clairaudience and sent my mind out to pick up fresh connections.
Immediately, another presence materialized.
This was the last connection I’d expected to make. This was the last person any of us expected to see here. I tried to find my voice, but Charles and Adrian spun around before I could succeed.
Chapter 26
THE IGNISVISUM SHARPENED to the point I wasn’t sure if the visions were still in my bowl or playing right in my mind.
I shook my head, but Thalia remained in the vision, her hands poised on her hips, her charcoal sweater contrasting with her glowing violet eyes. My stomach felt pinched—stuck between the gears of a turning clock. If Thalia was here, Circe wasn’t far. But I couldn’t place her, and I couldn’t risk dropping any connections to seek her out. I only hoped she wasn’t on her way to find me.
My connection to Adrian intensified, my own thoughts seeping into the background as Thalia strutted toward them.
She clicked her teeth. “Hello, Charlie.”
The clarity of her spoken words stunned me. It was as though I were there—as though I’d reached beyond my clairaudience. Bitter saliva pooled on my tongue, tasting as I imagined the dank air of the stone passages must.
Thalia’s gaze flicked to Adrian, but he only received her passing attention. She already had her sights back on Charles.
Charles’ jaw clenched. “What are you doing here?”
“You’re smart enough to figure that out, no? You fooled me for so long. Thought you were so clever. So tell me—what do you think I’m doing here?”
“Nothing good.” Rage tightened in his chest, the rasp of a beast rattling inside and waiting to break free. All these things were alive in me, too, because of our blood bond and the mental connection we now shared.
Thalia took him in with a smile. “Tsk, tsk, Charlie. I’ve broken no laws. You, on the other hand…”