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CIARA WOKE UP TO HER ringtone on the first of January. She and Liam had spent New Year’s Eve with Shawn and Hugo, and there had been drinking involved, so she had a terrible hangover.
At first Ciara struggled to open her eyes and reach for the phone. But when she saw the caller ID, her eyes widened, and she instantly picked it up.
“Kellan!”
“Looks like the witch hunters didn’t celebrate yesterday.”
“What do you mean?”
“They started killing non-magics, using magic, at midnight. There’s a group of them staying at an old empty warehouse near Reading.”
“They killed non-magics? With magic? W-what’s our plan?”
“For now, we need to have a meeting. Preferably with the MPG. Somewhere other than work.”
“I’ll send you an address soon. I just have to check something,” Ciara said.
“Hurry.”
“I will.”
She hung up. Turning to look behind her, she noticed Liam wasn’t there. She snapped her fingers to change her clothes and freshen her breath. Then she bolted downstairs.
Liam and his parents were in the kitchen. When Ciara made it to the doorway, Liam turned to look at her. He smiled at first, but his expression changed when he saw how pale she looked. “Is everything okay?”
Ciara shook her head. “Do you think we could have a meeting here? The MPG and my team. It’s important.”
Liam’s parents shifted their gazes to Ciara. “Of course. Is everything okay?” Ray said.
“No.” Ciara struggled to get the words out. “There were massacres last night.”
Ciara grabbed her phone and sent the address to Kellan and the team. Ray was the one to inform the MPG.
***
WITHIN AN HOUR, EVERYONE was in the Rosslers’ living room. Ciara was leaning against the wall near the doorway while Kellan stood next to her.
Kellan explained to everyone everything he had told Ciara.
“And we’re sure it’s not a trap?” Ray asked.
“We’re not,” Kellan said. “In fact, we’ve rarely been able to track them this easily. I believe this is what they were implying in those notes.”
“Notes?” Henry’s eyes moved between Kellan and Ciara, looking for answers. “I thought there was only one note this month.”
Ciara sighed. “One last month, two this month. Someone was following me at the supermarket. Whoever it was left me a note.”
Kellan continued to explain the details of the upcoming mission.
Meanwhile, Liam moved to stand next to Ciara. “You didn’t say anything about another note.”
“Not now. Okay?”
Liam nodded, but his frown didn’t fade.
The MPG and Ciara’s team had come up with a plan. They were going to split into smaller groups, so they could cover more ground and more entrances. After all, the warehouse was huge.
Everyone had two hours to get to their positions.
Ciara hurried upstairs when the meeting was done. She wanted to be ready early.
Liam ran after her. “Ciara.”
“Get ready.” She didn’t mean to sound bossy, but she did.
“We have two hours.”
“Well, I’d like to be early.”
Liam sighed. He knew there was no changing Ciara’s mind when she was in working mode.
Ciara undressed herself and grabbed her working clothes: black leggings for mobility, and a tank top, and a tight sweater. She had flat knee-high boots that she could run in and that were great for hiding knives too. She pulled her hair up into a ponytail, so it wouldn’t get in the way.
She hid the knives in her boots and shoved her wand in its pocket.
Once she was dressed, she grabbed her lucky charm from her bag. It was a rare magical object, and she only had one of them. It had been a gift from Theo.
Ciara walked over to Liam who had just finished changing. She didn’t say anything, slipping the lucky charm into his pocket.
“What was that?”
Ciara looked up at him. “A lucky charm.”
Liam’s eyes widened. “A lucky charm?”
Ciara nodded.
Liam’s surprised look twisted into a frown. “Nothing’s going to happen.”
“Just leave it there, okay?” Ciara pleaded.
Liam grabbed her hand. “I will. But I’ll be fine either way.”
Ciara swallowed and closed her eyes. “I just want to be sure.”
Liam cupped Ciara’s face, and she fluttered her eyes open. “We have each other’s backs. Nothing will happen.”
Ciara took a shaky breath. “I know. It’s just...” She shuddered at the thought of what she was about to say. “It’s Theo’s death’s anniversary.”
Liam’s breath hitched. “I’m sorry.”
“This day is just a bit too much of a repeat from last year and—”
“This won’t be like last year,” Liam said firmly.
Ciara clung onto Liam, wrapping her arms around him. She was already trembling with anxiety. Her throat felt tight, and she was cold, as if running a fever.
Liam hugged her. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
He hated seeing her like that. But knowing how dangerous the mission was going to be, there were no comforting words.
***
CIARA AND LIAM WERE in the same group with Theresa, Bill, and Iris. In any other case, Ciara would have felt uncomfortable with Iris around. But with the task at hand, she had more important matters on her mind.
The group was already at their assigned spot.
“Is everyone ready?” Kellan asked through a magical telepathic link. It was the same kind of link as they used at work all the time. A secure way of communication between the groups.
“We’re ready,” Ciara said. She had been assigned as one of the leaders.
“We’re ready, too,” River said. In his team were Jenna, Hannah, and Eric. Hannah and Eric were the old members who had also wanted to join the reformed group—MPG.
“Same here,” Ray said. His team consisted of four of his friends—Vincent, Laura, Dominic, and Deanna. They were all members of the MPG. Everyone on the mission, except for Kellan and Ciara’s team, were.
“Yep. Same,” Shawn said through the link. He was in the same team with Hugo, Niles, and two other MPG members, Grace and Felix Burnham.
Kellan’s team consisted of Henry and two MPG members, Tony and Victor.
“If you see, hear or find anything, you know what to do,” Kellan said through the telepathic link. “No unnecessary risks. Safety before bravery. Good luck, everyone.” He paused. “Let’s do this.”
That was their cue to enter the warehouse. Ciara stepped in front of the entrance and unlocked it by touching it. She led her team inside.
Liam stayed right behind Ciara, not hiding his worry. He had also volunteered as a team leader, but Kellan had picked Ciara. Ciara knew Liam hated it, but he hadn’t complained.
The first room appeared to be empty, but the team looked around to be sure. They tested the space for any enchantments.
“We ran into two witch hunters,” Shawn informed them through the link. “We had to kill them.”
Ciara’s team finished checking the first room, but she signalled for them to wait after she heard Shawn’s voice.
“They’re using spells to trick us,” Kellan warned through the link. “They can form hallucinations that look like actual people.”
“Is everyone okay?” Ciara asked through the link.
“So far, so good,” Kellan said.
“We found sleeping bags,” Ray informed. “Why are they using sleeping bags when they could just summon a bed?”
Ciara pursed her lips together. “They’ve always used sleeping bags here in Great Britain.”
“We found their lab,” River told. “I’ll collect samples.”
“Good,” Kellan said.
Ciara led her team to the door. But she was the one to open it in case it was a trap—like the one Owen had walked into.
She couldn’t imagine the same happening to Liam.
The second room appeared to be empty, too. It had stone walls and a concrete floor. Ciara investigated the walls to make sure there weren’t any hidden passages. The others looked around and checked the room for enchantments or curses.
“We checked our second room and there’s still nothing,” Ciara reported through the link.
“That’s odd,” Kellan said. “Are you absolutely sure?”
“Yes.”
“Be careful. It could be a trap.”
“We’ll keep you updated.”
“Good.”
After the second room, Ciara and her team continued to a corridor as planned. They had the floor plan of the warehouse, so they had planned each team’s paths beforehand.
Ciara held her wand up, lighting up the corridor so they could see what was ahead. The corridor wasn’t long.
Or it wasn’t supposed to be.
The problem was that the floor plan didn’t match the reality. The corridor split into two.
Ciara blinked. Then she shone light both ways to make sure it wasn’t a hallucination.
But it turned out the floor plan had been inaccurate.
“The floor plan doesn’t match our part,” Ciara told the others. “We must split up.”
“Are you sure?” Kellan asked. “The hallucinations—”
“This isn’t a hallucination.”
“The floor plan was old,” Theresa said through the link. She had been the one to find it as she was the best hacker. “Maybe the warehouse has been modified since then.”
“Could be,” Kellan agreed. “Ciara, do what you think is best.”
“Are you sure splitting up is a good idea?” Iris asked Ciara—not using the link.
“We don’t really have a choice,” Bill said, looking between the two corridors.
Ciara didn’t like the idea, but Bill was right. “Liam and Theresa with me on the right. Bill and Iris on the left. Bill is the leader.”
They let the other teams know about their split and then they continued their own ways.
Liam stayed right behind Ciara. “We might be walking into a trap.”
Ciara bit her bottom lip nervously. “Keep your wand ready.”
“Already do.”
“Good.”
The corridor was longer than the last. It seemed endless. Ciara’s heart was pounding in her chest. She was expecting to walk straight into an ambush.
After a while, Ciara signalled for Liam and Theresa to stop. She used a revealing spell on the corridor to see if it was a hallucination. Either it was powerful magic or it was real, because the spell did nothing.
They continued. Ciara ran her hands along the wall to check for any hidden passages.
A little further on, the corridor widened. Liam moved to stand beside Ciara.
“Our corridor is widening. What about you, Bill?” Ciara asked through the link.
“Same narrow corridor,” Bill told.
“No traps so far?” Kellan asked.
“Nothing so far,” both Ciara and Bill confirmed.
Ciara, Liam, and Theresa followed the corridor until they found a wide set of double doors.
Ciara stepped in front of them. She reached out to touch the rough surface, but didn’t push. She glanced at Liam and Theresa who stood behind her, wands ready and waiting for her to open the doors.
“I bet this is a trap,” Ciara warned them. She turned to face the doors and pushed them open.
They couldn’t see anything inside, so Ciara walked in. The ceiling was higher than the corridor’s, and there was a window up there. Somehow the lights were on, too. The other rooms hadn’t had any lamps. There wasn’t even supposed to be electricity in the building.
And worst of all, the room was a dead end.
“Something’s not right,” Ciara said, turning to look at Liam.
Theresa leaned against the wall near the door, looking around. She checked her nails casually. “Looks like a trap to me.”
“W—”
The doors slammed shut, revealing a figure hiding behind them. “Ten points for the right answer.”
Ciara’s eyes widened, staring at him. Blood drained from her face, and her entire body went rigid. Coldness hit her, and her hands started shaking. “No.”