My heart ached. I was desperate to ask more, but he was right. We didn’t have time for a chat. We had to plan. But I didn’t let go of him. Touching him anchored my mind in the real world, farther from the horror of this place and the magic that sought to incapacitate us.
“The mist is a good idea,” I said. “It’s probably supposed to make us weak and frightened. Ideal prisoners who won’t try to escape.”
“It won’t work. We’ll find a way.” He was more hopeful now that we were touching. The mist couldn’t affect us as strongly like this. He studied the door, brow creased. “It’s enchanted, so I can’t break it. We need the key.”
“Maybe we can ambush the guard.”
“We’ll have to avoid that net.”
“Won’t be easy. But maybe—”
A glowing white light drifted through the door. It took me a moment to realize what it was. When I did, my heart leapt, joy flooding through me.
“Mayhem!” I whispered.
The ghostly pug fluttered in front of me, her wings keeping her aloft. Instead of a ham in her mouth, she had a key. Holy fates!
“I can’t believe this.” Stunned, I held out my hand.
She dropped the key into my palm. I still had no idea how a ghost could manipulate objects, but if she could chomp down on a real ham, she could chomp down on a key.
“She stole it from a guard.” Cade grinned, giving me an appraising glance. “Mayhem has chosen you.”
“What does that mean?”
“I’ve heard that the Pugs of Destruction occasionally choose a companion. She’ll help you from now on.”
Mayhem nodded her little head, looking like she wanted to bark but knowing better.
“Thanks, Mayhem. You can eat ham in bed anytime you want.”
A doggy smile creased her wrinkled face, and her tongue lolled out of her mouth.
“Let’s get out of here,” I said.
I broke contact with Cade—immediately feeling more weak and miserable as a result of the magical mist— and stepped up to the door. Mayhem pressed her ghostly form against my hip, her wings fluttering through me.
Cade drew his sword and shield from the ether. I cranked the key in the lock.
It clicked then swung open.
I peeked out into the hall. A form was slumped against the wall on the right. A Dark Elf.
I looked at Mayhem and whispered, “Your work?”
She nodded.
“Do you know how to get out of here?”
She shook her head, her eyes saying, “No freaking clue.”
“That’s okay.” Hopefully the compass stone would help us.
We slipped out into the hall, and I pulled the stone from my pocket. I didn’t know how it worked, but I silently begged it to lead us out of here. The needle swung, then pointed us down the hall, away from the passed-out elf.
I drew my sword from the ether, and we hurried along on silent feet. As we ran, the halls changed, shifting and moving.
When a passageway spilled us out into a massive room full of Dark Elves, my heart stopped. They turned to look at us, onyx gazes bright. Over their heads, sharp pikes stuck out of the wall like horrible, deadly decorations.
“Oh, shit.” I spun to run back down the hall, but it had disappeared.
There was just wall behind us.
“Double shit.” I shoved the stone into my pocket and drew my shield as I turned to face the elves.
Cade hurled his shield, beheading two elves. Their blood sprayed into the air.
One of the elves turned into black mist and hurtled toward me, a ghostly apparition that moved faster than my eyes could follow.
It slammed into me, entering my body with a sickening squelch. My stomach turned and my mind fogged.
Panic raced through my veins.
The shadowy elf was inside of me!
Pain burst through every nerve ending in my body. I raised my sword, my head turning to find Cade. I stepped toward him, my muscles screaming.
No.
I was going to kill Cade. This elf was going to force me to kill Cade!
Chapter Six
I screamed inside my head, fighting the elf’s will. Sickness rose as my muscles twisted.
Mayhem hurtled toward me, her little ghostly form flying as fast as she could. She plunged into my chest, bringing with her the feeling of lightness and joy.
I gasped, suddenly in control again.
The joy disappeared, and I felt Mayhem fly out of my back. It was the weirdest feeling in the world.
She’d driven the elf out.
I spun, catching sight of the elf behind me, in corporeal form, looking shocked. I swung my blade, beheading him. Blood spurted, and I dodged, getting splashed on the cheek.
Panting, I turned to search the room.
“Don’t let them fly into you!” I shouted to Cade.
He was fighting two of them. Each threw blasts of black smoke. It seemed that not all of the elves could possess people.
Thank fates.
I lunged for an elf near me, raising my shield to block the shadowy black bomb that he hurled at me. It ricocheted off the shield, but his next shot hit me in the leg.
Pain flared as needles shot into my skin.
I ignored it, leaping toward him. I stumbled on my injured leg, slicing with my sword and delivering a deep gouge to his chest. He hissed, his fangs as pale as his skin, and raised his hand to throw another blast at me.
Desperation gave me speed, and I chopped off his hand, my stomach turning at the sight. He shrieked and stumbled back, and I delivered a killing blow, right to the heart.
I yanked my blade free and turned to the room. Cade fought two elves, while Mayhem flew in circles around the space, pursued by a shadowy black figure that was about her size.
I squinted.
It looked like a dragon made of smoke!
The dragon put on a burst of speed and flew into Mayhem, just like the elf had flown into me. Mayhem stopped flying. She thrashed briefly in the air, then a burst of light flashed around her.
She shot a blast of fire out of her mouth, looked surprised and delighted, then shot another one. She yipped with joy, then flew around the room as fast as she could, aiming straight for the elves who fought Cade.
She blasted fire at one of the elves, who screamed. His hair lit up, and he smacked his head, trying to put out the flame. Mayhem went after the other elf, a look of pure joy on her fire-breathing face.
Holy fates, Mayhem had absorbed the powers of that dragon. She was half dragon now, or something like it. She even kinda looked like a dragon when she shot her flame, her form flickering and changing briefly.
Wow.
Cade loped toward me, deadly grace in the face of battle.
“More will come,” he said.
Mayhem fluttered over to us, looking delighted with herself.
“We need to run for it, but we can’t have them pursuing us.” I searched the room. The bodies scattered around weren’t ideal. But maybe if they thought we were dead, too….
My gaze landed on the pikes that stuck out of the wall. They were pretty high up. Someone would need a ladder to reach them, unless they’d been tossed up there.
Oh yeah. That gave me an idea.
“This is going to be weird.” I called on my illusion magic, letting it flow through me. I envisioned our bodies impaled on the pikes as if they’d been thrown up there, our blood dripping to the floor.
They appeared, just as I’d envisioned them.