I still have to try.
Reaching out with my mage awareness, I pulled fresh magick into my limbs. Energy trickled into my body. I began the words to an incantation for attack.
The clearing brightened as all the mages summoned power into themselves. Their blue smoke soon covered the grassy earth, congealing into the shape of a skeletal snake with long bright fangs. Although the creature was an empty hulk of bone, it was powered by magick. The snake slithered quickly toward me, jaws opened wide. My heart sank. I knew what was coming.
A sleeper spell.
I tried to release some of my power, but I’d barely gotten halfway through the incantation when sharp fangs bit into my shoulder. I hissed in pain as my consciousness drifted into darkness.
Chapter Twenty-Six
The next thing I knew, I was awake once more. Sleeper spells were like that. For the victim, the blackout came and went in a heartbeat. For everyone else, the spell could last for hours.
How long have I been asleep exactly?
Dull pain burned up my arms. I opened my eyelids the barest amount. Jonas and Hannah stood on either side of me. Each Fantome had draped one of my arms over their shoulders, making it easier to drag me along. That explained the pain. It didn’t answer how much time had passed, though.
Still trying to look asleep, I stole a few more careful glances at my surroundings. It helped that my mask was gone and some of my hair had fallen over my face. The mages were lugging me down a darkened passageway. I exhaled. This was familiar territory. We were in the dungeons just underneath the Montagne mansion. Which meant there was no question where they were taking me.
Straight to Ada and Veronique.
And to a place that the Fantomes thought would mean my death.
At last.
Footsteps and muffled music echoed in from the ceiling. I let out another relieved sigh. The ball continued upstairs. At most, I’d been passed out for an hour.
I carefully reached out with my mage senses. When it was clear that Hannah and Jonas didn’t notice what I was doing, I tested the magick around me. There was hardly any power in the air. Still, I pulled in what I could. Another force crept across my skin. It was some kind of ward. Not against Necromancer power, though.
That’s right. The Vicomte blocked Caster magick down here after our battle yesterday with the Fantomes.
A hollow sensation spread through my chest. Since they’d blocked Caster magick in the dungeons, I couldn’t call Tamu.
I would have to fight alone this time. No help from Rowan.
Fine. I could do that.
Hannah and Jonas dragged me deeper into the dungeons. With every step, the ache in my arms grew worse. I wanted nothing more than to walk on my own power. It wasn’t something I could risk, though. As long as Jonas and Hannah thought I was passed out, I had the chance for a surprise attack.
That was an opportunity I wouldn’t waste.
Instead, I focused on drawing in a steady stream of magick. After the battle in the gardens, I was empty and tired. I needed to prepare for another fight and fast.
Finally, Jonas and Hannah stopped before a heavy wooden door. My skin prickled with gooseflesh.
This was it; I could feel it in my bones.
All I needed to do was keep up the appearance of being passed out. As long as the Fantomes thought I was helpless, I could launch into a surprise attack, free my Sisters, and get us all to safety. In the journey here, I’d gathered enough magick for a decent spell or two. But escape alone wasn’t enough.
I must get that vortex watch.
A hazy plan began to take shape in my mind. The Fantomes would need the vortex watch in order to drain me. And the moment they brought out that device? There was my opportunity to strike. The witness watch still sat safely tucked away in my pocket. Even better, it looked identical to the vortex watch. Perhaps I could use the witness device as a decoy, cause a diversion, and then grab the vortex watch for my own. A spark of hope lit in my heart.
The plan might work.
Hannah knocked on the door in an odd rhythm. “We brought her.”
The portal swung open, sending a beam of torchlight across my face. The Vicomte stood on the threshold, wearing a garish yellow longcoat. His gray features were tight with rage. “This better be worth my time. I left the ball for your nonsense.”
I risked a quick look. The chamber was huge and made of gray rock. Apart from our small pool of torchlight, most of the place was cast in darkness. A dozen more Fantomes stood in a neat line behind the Vicomte. There was no mistaking the glimmer of totem rings on all their fingers.
Gods-damn it. That man came prepared.
Jonas jostled me, sending a shooting pain up my arm. “This one’s got magick, I tell you.”
“Her? How much?” asked the Vicomte.