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TAKING HALLWAYS AT random, Jake hadn’t come across any snares left by the druids so far. He glanced inside the next doorway we passed and did a doubletake. “That has to be the study,” he murmured. I looked inside to see dozens of long-dead animal heads mounted on the walls. Quin and Connor resolutely kept their eyes straight ahead. They’d lost too many friends and loved ones and they didn’t need to see the fallen up on display.
“We’re getting close,” Jonah said in mounting excitement.
Rounding the corner to the next hallway, we soon found ourselves passing the study again. After the fifth time of walking the same path, Jake grew impatient. Some of his anger leaked out. Harnessing it instead of allowing it to rule him, he used it to enhance his fae power. The next hallway we turned down was different. Up ahead, I caught sight of a door that had a sword and rifle carved on it. I also saw two hellhounds sitting on either side of the door guarding it.
“Damn,” Quin murmured, taking in the shadowy forms. “How are we going to get past them?”
“Does anyone have a bone?” Jonah joked.
This time, I didn’t allow my quirky sense of humor to flare up at his quip. “I have something better,” I replied, then conjured up an illusion. A rabbit appeared at the far end of the hallway. It was so realistic that I could almost smell it. The hounds’ heads swiveled towards it and one let out a low growl. My illusion froze, then gave two cautious hops towards the beasts. Another growl sounded, it was more hungry than warning this time. Another couple of cautious hops had both hellhounds on their feet. Unable to resist the lure of prey, they loped towards the rabbit. With a small surge of power, I sent the illusion fleeing in the opposite direction. Snarling and snapping at each other, the hounds went on the chase.
“They aren’t too bright,” Mirra said with a grin.
“Luckily for us,” Xavier added, then gestured at the door. “Is it warded?”
“Of course,” Jake replied, eyeing the wooden barrier. “Whatever the spell is, it looks complicated.”
“I just passed through the door the last time I was here,” Jonah said and drifted forward.
“I wouldn’t,” Rudy warned him and the ghost stopped inches away from the door. “Von Hades knows we use you three for transportation. The wards will probably react to your presence as well as mine.”
“Ari?” Quin said. “Can you get the wards down?”
“Probably,” I replied, wishing I had Jake’s ability to assess the incantations. All I could do was sense how strong they were and try to guess if I could destroy them. “I’ll try to dispel it.” Casting a stronger spell than usual, I carefully aimed it at the door, then released it. I felt the barrier crack, then dissipate. “Did I get it all?” I asked.
Jake studied the door, then nodded. “It looks like it. I can’t see any magic guarding it now.”
Quin reached for the door handle, but Xavier stopped her. “Let me,” he offered. “If its booby trapped, its better to lose me than you. The shifters need you to keep them under control.”
The fact that he was willing to sacrifice himself to save his daughter showed how profoundly he’d changed towards her. She’d gained more than his respect by showing him just how capable she was. She’d gained the affection he’d long denied her when he thought she was defective.
Eyes suspiciously moist, Quin nodded her approval, then took a deep breath when he reached for the handle. Turning it, he pushed it open, then paused. Quin let out her breath when he took a cautious step inside and wasn’t fried to death by a spell. “It’s clear,” he said, then stepped back outside.
Jake poked his head through the door to take a look. “The room isn’t booby trapped,” he reported. “I see a complex set of spells on a painting to the right.”
“That’s the area I couldn’t see into,” Jonah said.
“Quickly, inside!” Mirra urged us when the two hellhound sentries slunk around the corner. They’d given up on chasing the rabbit. Either they’d figured out it wasn’t real, or their sense of duty had sent them back here to guard the door.
We rushed inside and Xavier eased the door shut as quietly as he coud. We waited to see if they’d spotted us, but no alarms sounded. Dropping my shield, I cast a soundproofing spell on the room. “We can talk normally now,” I told everyone.
Weapons of all descriptions lined the walls, hanging from hooks or displayed on shelves. Cupboards ran around the room beneath the weapons. A quick peek revealed ammo, grenades and other incendiary weapons.
“He has enough firepower to start a war,” Winston said. He looked both spooked and envious as he took it all in.
Rubbing his hands together, Rudy approached the wall to our right that held a painting of a demon. “Now, isn’t that a pretty sight?” the leprechaun said sarcastically. Red-skinned and scarlet-eyed, it had vast black wings and horns that swept up from its forehead.
“That’s Spencer’s true form,” I told him.
“Is it now?” he asked, raising his bushy red eyebrows. “He isn’t exactly a handsome fella,” he added with a smirk, then clicked his fingers imperiously at Jake. “Lift me up so I can get a look at this thing, boyo,” he commanded.
Putting his gun away with a small sigh, my foster father grasped hold of Rudy and lifted him up. Holding his hands just above the painting, the leprechaun was careful not to touch it. “Hmm, there’s a nasty spell guarding the compartment behind this painting,” he said. Jake put him down and he straightened his rumpled green jacket. “I’m not sure what type of magic has been used, but I fear it isn’t going to be easy to dispel this one, girly.”
“Of course it won’t be,” I said dourly. “Von Hades doesn’t want anyone to get their hands on these weapons.” Approaching the painting, I copied Rudy and felt the air around the wall. “There’s a mixture of magic,” I reported. “I feel druidic, dark, death and demonic spells all mixed in together.”
“Ah, the four dreaded Ds,” Winston said wisely. “On their own, they are formidable. Mixed together like that and they could be very difficult to dispel.”
Brandi and Jonah sniggered at his self-important report, but I remained focused on my task. This was going to be as hard as cracking a high-tech safe, but with intricate magic involved.
Delving into the spell, I examined it with my senses, searching for weaknesses. It was far more complex than the ward Morgwen had placed on the door in the troll mound. That one had been simple in comparison and it had almost killed me. I was a lot stronger and more experienced now, but I had my doubts that I could pull this off. A feeling of dread settled in my stomach, but I couldn’t stop now. We needed these weapons in order to have a chance at stopping the demon.
Greg’s spectral hand squeezed my shoulder, offering me his silent support. It was enough for me to pluck up my courage and I started picking at the ward.
