It took us a dozen trips to the well to fill the bath for Wendy and Dean. I elected to go last, knowing the tub would be filthy when I was done. Dirt, dried blood, and who knows what other fluids that ooze from bodies as they decompose covered me from head to foot. Touching rotting corpses over and over couldn’t be sanitary. I wondered how many deadly diseases lived under my filthy nails or in my matted hair.
As I carried a few pieces of wood back into the house, a zombie work detail moved slowly by, dragging garden tools. I looked around quickly, but Dean was inside tending to the stove fire. A bored-looking death dealer dressed all in black kept an eye on them. Two banshees floated in the air around the group, whirling around any zombies that began to stray. After observing for a moment, I realized that the death dealer was using his banshees to move the zombies along, like herd dogs tasked to keep lambs in line.
At the rear of the line, an especially bloated corpse stumbled and fell to the ground without even trying to catch itself. It hit the dirt and burst like a bag of wet cement. The death dealer stood over the mess with an expression of distaste and poked it with his boot. The corpse’s head popped off with a wet sucking sound and rolled away.
I turned my back on the scene and tried to focus on the bath I was about to have—a bath would finally wash the stench of it all away. I had been around the dead before as a healer, but once someone passed on, the family took the body away. Until now, I had been blissfully ignorant of what happens to a body when left out in the elements.
The smell was an indescribable acrid odor, like rotten meat left in the sun. It clung to my clothes, my skin, in my nose. I worried that even after I bathed it would still be there. But the smell wasn’t the worst part. It was the memories of their faces and bodies that haunted my dreams.
The dead I was dealing with didn’t have the peaceful look of bodies prepared and placed into satin-lined coffins for viewing. These gruesome corpses had eyes that bulged out of their sockets, tongues swollen and protruding out of their mouths. Their stomachs were bloated, and the bodies themselves had changed color—some were green, some were yellow, a few had even turned black. Their skin had blistered and rotted in the sun—often when I grabbed an arm or a hand, the skin would peel away at my touch.
And then there were the bugs. I knew insects burrowed into corpses and laid their eggs—it was just a natural process of life. But the thought of laying my hands on the dead when they were crawling with maggots and flies turned my stomach.
I cannot wait to get clean.
I hurried inside and quickly closed the door, blocking out the stink and the line of zombies. If Dean saw them, then Luke would know what I had been doing. He would know that I’d been helping Gage raise an army of the dead. He would realize that he’d been used as a hostage to make me do it. He would either hate himself, or me, and I couldn’t allow either. I loved Luke too much to let that happen.
I dropped the wood by the stove and looked down at the tub of steaming water. Luckily we had enough water at the moment that we didn’t need to go back to the well. Please let the zombies be gone by the time Dean heads out to get more wood or water. I’d drained out the previous dirty water and painstakingly refilled it. It took forever to boil, and the tub was only half full, but it was clean, and hot, and the smell of soap was a welcome change from the scent that clung to me. I peeled off my mud-stained clothes and climbed into the old-fashioned porcelain tub. The water turned murky as soon as my skin made contact. I slid down until most of my body was submerged.
Sonja had supplied us with soap and shampoo. I washed my hair twice and soaped down my body three times. When I finally got out of the tub, I felt clean for the first time in a long time.
I grabbed a towel from a pile left on the table. Gage said there would be new clothes for us to wear, but I hadn’t seen any. I stepped over my dirty clothes and wrapped the towel securely around me before heading back into the main room.
Wendy was back on the piano stool, a towel wrapped around her as well. She looked uncomfortable. She kept nervously adjusting the towel around her legs and pulling at the top of it as though she was worried it was going to fall off any minute.
Dean didn’t look uncomfortable—in fact, he looked confident and handsome standing at the window with his towel wrapped around his waist.
When Dean saw me, he froze and looked surprised. Then his eyes slowly looked me up and down. I felt embarrassed by the sudden attention.
He seemed to sense that he was making me feel awkward and gave me a sheepish grin. “Do you think this is how they want us to dress for dinner?”
I tried not to act as self-conscious as I felt, standing dressed in nothing but a towel. I forced a smile onto my face. “With Gage, who knows?”
Dean laughed, and I was happy to hear the sound again. He’d been quiet ever since our talk in the kitchen. He gave me an appreciative look, and I couldn’t help but admire him. Though Dean was tall with broad shoulders, he was still a bit thin from being wheelchair-bound in the asylum, and now from being kept in captivity here. He needed to put on some more weight, a tad more muscle. But despite that, he looked pretty good wearing only a towel. I remembered running my hands down his frame when I’d been at the asylum. When I was alone with Luke.
I turned away before Dean could see me blush.
Sonja walked into the room. The smug look on her face was gone. In its place was a black eye. Jacob walked in behind her carrying three garment bags.
Sonja looked at us and tried for a smile, but it never reached her eyes. “Here are some things for you to wear.” She waved her arm around the room. “I’ll have the place cleaned up before you get back from dinner.”
As she moved closer, I could make out bruises on her upper arm. On closer inspection, I saw that they were in the shape of fingers. She ignored my inquisitive looks and addressed all three of us. “I’m sorry I didn’t get the place in better shape. I’ll have some food brought into the kitchen in case you get hungry during the night. I don’t know if you’ve had a chance to explore, but there are bedrooms in the back. I’ll have the beds made with fresh linens and the whole place swept up and dusted.” She swallowed hard and turned to face me. “I’m sorry I didn’t do all this earlier.”
She doesn’t look sorry, I thought. Instead, she looked sullen. I wasn’t sure how to respond. Before I even had a chance to say anything, Jacob dropped the bags and the two of them left.
Wendy got up off the bench and grabbed the closest bag. “She wasn’t sorry. He made her sorry.”
“Gage?” I asked, coming to her side.
“Gage is the reason she’s sporting that black eye and bruises.” She paused a moment and then gave me an odd look. “Sonja doesn’t like you, you know—she’s jealous.”
“Of me?”
“He has plans for you,” she said under her breath.
“What kind of plans?”
“In his vision of the future, you’re by his side.”
“You’ve got to be joking.” But by the look on her face, she wasn’t.
“Colina, be careful.” She turned back to the bag she had grabbed, unzipped it, and pulled out a dress. There was a white piece of paper with my name written on it attached to the hanger. “This one is for you,” she said, handing it over.
The top of the dress had a jeweled bodice shimmering with red and silver stones. I’d never worn a dress with the front cut so low. It looked like it would be snug down to the waist and from there it flared out like a pool of red. There were no other clothes around. My only choices? Keep wearing the towel, or put on the dress. I doubted I really had a choice.
Sonja also decided my makeup and hairstyle for me. She reappeared a few minutes later with bags of her own. I sat in the kitchen as she worked on my hair. She pulled out a small iron rod with a wooden handle and proceeded to put it on the stove to heat. It was the equivalent of a modern-day curling iron. She curled my shoulder-length hair into soft waves around my face, then carefully applied bold red lipstick to my lips and dark gray eye shadow to my lids. She finished with two coats of mascara.
She held up a hand mirror, and I stared at my reflection. I no longer looked seventeen. My brown hair was in spiraled curls around my face, and the eye shadow made my hazel eyes look almost green. I looked much, much older and more sophisticated. She handed me a pair of blood-red teardrop earrings and a matching necklace. They looked like real rubies. They felt ice cold against my skin. A pair of jeweled red shoes completed my outfit.
I walked into the living room. Dean stood in the corner in an expensive-looking coal gray suit and a silver tie. The gray accentuated his blue eyes and his black slicked-back hair. He looked like a hero from one of those old black-and-white movies.
His eyes widened in surprise when he saw me. “You look—”
“Silly?” I said, running my hands self-consciously down the skirt of my dress.
“Stunning,” he answered, his eyes roving over my body. “You’ve never looked more beautiful.”
He was moving slowly toward me, his expression just a bit predatory, when Wendy walked into the room. Dean stopped when he saw her, his face filled with obvious frustration, but then his expression changed and an appreciative gleam came into his eyes, this time aimed at Wendy.
Her dress was bright yellow and cut high in the front, but when she turned I saw the dress plunged way down low in the back. A slight slit ran up one side, and I could see a pair of sparkling gray shoes underneath. Her ink black hair was swept up with a few long tendrils pulled down to hang gently around her face. Her brown eyes looked bigger with purple eye shadow and mascara. Pink blush gave color to her normally pale complexion, and her lips were a deep, dark purple. Makeup covered up the bruises on her face, and the slashes on her arms were no longer visible. Long, dark gray silk gloves covered her skin up to her elbows.
“I feel like an idiot,” she said. She looked as if she wanted to retreat back to the bedroom.
Dean gave her a wide smile. “You look gorgeous.”
Wendy blushed.
“Gage wants all of you in attendance tonight.” Sonja had changed into a long black dress with a slit on one side that went all the way up to the top of her thigh. She wore heels so high I wondered how she could walk in them. Her red hair was smooth and glossy and fell down to the middle of her back. She looked tall and sleek, like a runway model.
The bruises on her eye and her arms were barely noticeable. I’d watched her cover them in makeup after she did my hair. She did it with an ease and speed that made me certain it wasn’t the first time she’d done such a thing.
“We’d better get going—Gage doesn’t like it when anyone’s late.” Sonja tried for another smile but didn’t pull it off. She turned to the door, speaking over her shoulder as she went. “The staff will be cleaning while we’re at dinner. By the time you come back, this place will have all the comforts of home.”
I looked over at Dean. He rolled his eyes in a comical way, and I couldn’t help but grin.
* * *
We headed down into the basement and back into the tunnels. Wendy said it was an old mining town, which meant the tunnels were actually mine shafts. I ran my hand along the dirt wall as I walked. I could feel grooves in the wall—places where tools had cut out the rock, or maybe worked away trying to find gold or silver. We passed an intersection and to the left was a tunnel with metal tracks running through it. A large, square, rusted metal container with wheels sat on the tracks. An ore car to carry rock to the surface? I wondered, If I follow the tracks, will they eventually lead me outside?
We walked until we pushed through thick red drapes and entered an immense cavern. White material draped across the ceiling, and stalactites hung down between gaps in the material. A small stream cut across the center of the space, emerging from a waist-high tunnel on one side of the room and disappearing into the wall on the far side.
Candelabras burning white candles were scattered around the space. The water caught the light and shone off the cavern walls. Patches of purple and white sparkled in the light from within the rock. I took a closer look. Amethyst. They weren’t mining for silver or gold. The glittering purple stone was woven in amongst the quartz.
I knew about amethyst and quartz. Mages often used amethyst for its healing and protection properties. Even medieval European soldiers had worn the stone into battle. Quartz was called the “ice of the gods” by some cultures and could be used to focus psychic powers. I remembered that Wendy had used a quartz stone hanging from a necklace as a divination tool in the asylum to find Mildred.
Had Gage picked this mine because it had amethyst and quartz? What did he need protection from?
I looked out into the vast space of the room. No way was it man-made—it looked like miners had broken into a natural cavern. It was the perfect place for Gage’s twisted get-together, but it didn’t look like a den of iniquity. Instead, it had the air of a high-society party. The light gave the space a festive feel, and the sound of moving water echoed lightly off the walls. Two dozen large round tables surrounded by high-backed white chairs were set up throughout the area. A white tablecloth covered each table, and plates piled high with food and crystal bottles full of colorful liquids graced each surface. The uneven floor set some tables at an odd angle. It was all extremely tasteful, and considering where we were, it was all extremely out of place.
At least a hundred people—all dressed like us in gowns and suits—milled around the room. I realized in shock that everyone in the room was young and beautiful. The scent of flowers floated in the air, and a half-dozen people dressed all in black carried silver platters back and forth across the room. Fluted glasses filled with what I guessed was champagne and plates of hors d'oeuvres filled the platters.
Gage kept me in a cage, forced me to sleep on the dirt, and barely fed and clothed me—all while he and his followers lived a life of luxury.
I heard a gasp of surprise loud enough to be to be heard across the crowded space and looked over into Dean’s dark-gray eyes—wait, Dean doesn’t have gray eyes…Luke!
The sun must have set. It was nighttime, and Luke had surfaced. “Luke.” I mouthed his name and started toward him.
Strong fingers reached out and stopped me. Caleb had dressed in a black suit with no tie and had his hair pulled back. His eyes slowly wandered up and down my body. “I have to admit, you sure do clean up well. That outfit will put a gleam in the big man’s eye for sure.” As he spoke, I could see the ever-present anger glittering just below the surface.
I started to pull away from Caleb when a smooth hand slid across my arm, and I realized, with a jolt of surprise, that Gage was now at my side. He had his arm wrapped around mine.
“My dear, you look divine. Shall we?” he asked.
I was so shocked at his proximity that I just nodded in response.
Luke moved forward as if to come to my aid, but before he could, Jacob was beside him. I watched Jacob place and secure chains around Luke’s wrists.
Gage followed my glance. “I’m sorry, my dear—it has to be done. He just can’t be trusted when it comes to you. I fear he’s too much of an emotional creature when you’re around—Caleb has told me quite a lot. I do applaud Luke’s efforts, however. Who doesn’t love a hero?” He gave a loud sigh. “The boy just doesn’t realize when it’s time to surrender.”
“He’ll never surrender,” I spat out.
“I hope you’re wrong. I would dearly love it if Mr. Luke Cross came into the fold. Like I said before, the boy has considerable talents. He is a powerful mage.” He paused, considering his words. “Well…maybe not in this current body, but we may soon have a solution to that problem.” He gave my arm a squeeze. “That precious spell you were looking so hard for in the asylum? The one you hoped would allow Luke to transfer to another body? I think I’ve found it.”
His words stunned me. Was he telling the truth? I cautioned myself from being too optimistic. There was a catch. There had to be a catch. If Gage helped me with Luke, what would he want in return?
Gage put his arm around me so I had no choice but to move forward with him. We slowly crossed the room, and as we moved, people glided out of our way. Everyone was watching us with open curiosity. Gage’s suit was expensive, all black and shiny, and a blood-red tie hung from his neck. The candlelight hit the scar that marred his face. His black hair was slicked back, which somehow made the streak of white hair just above his scar more dramatic. On the outside he was handsome—even with the scar—but on the inside he was a sadistic monster. Apparently that little fact wasn’t a problem for the women in the room. Female heads turned as he approached, and their eyes watched his every movement. Sonja has more to worry about than me, I thought, watching the hungry look in an attractive brunette’s eyes as she gave Gage a sly smile.
If he noticed all the attention, he hid it well—his entire focus was on me. He patted my arm again before continuing on about Luke. “I know, I know. You don’t want to get your hopes up. But I’ve been poring over all the books I can find, trying to come up with a solution for our little zombie problem—and since you won’t ask, no, I haven’t found anything yet to completely fix that problem—but I have found a spell I think might do the trick with your boyfriend. We’ll need an empty vessel, but it’s not like there aren’t plenty of bodies around we could use. However, I don’t think you want your precious boy jumping into a rotting corpse. Am I right?” He gave a bit of a laugh. “No, for him I think we have to find something…fresh. Maybe someone of your choosing? I mean, you might want to have a say in whose face you’ll be mooning over.”
Too late, I realized in horror that I was blushing at his words.
He noticed and gave me a smile. “Though, according to Mildred, you don’t mind the body he’s currently in. Too bad Dean has that one little problem. He’s gone through two rituals and has no magic to show for it, except for his little ‘roid rage’ episodes. I must admit, I’m still not clear on how this ‘berserker’ thing works. Mildred has been telling me all about it, but I’m having a hard time finding anything about it in my library. I’m relying on Mildred and what she can remember, but you know the old dear is getting on in age. Her memory isn’t what it used to be.”
“Where is Mildred?” I hadn’t seen her since she’d turned us over to Gage. She claimed to be my friend, but she betrayed me. All of us. I felt angry at her betrayal, but also something else—a deep sadness. I had considered her a friend. I trusted her, counted on her to help me in the asylum, and the whole time she had been playing me.
“Why, she’s over there.” Gage pointed across the room.
Mildred wore a flowing silver dress, and her white hair was arranged into braids woven around her head. She swayed back and forth as if dancing, but there wasn’t any music playing. I had seen her do that exact thing many times before, and she’d seemed unbalanced. Was it all an act? That wild gleam of insanity that often glittered behind her eyes—was that something she could fake?
When we were in the insane asylum, I’d befriended Mildred. A serial killer had been hunting her and other patients, and she’d pleaded with me to help find the killer. At the time, I’d thought she was worried about the patients, but now I wondered whether she’d been playing a game. Was the whole thing some kind of test the demon put me through?
My thoughts started spiraling. Was that the whole point of stringing us along in the asylum? To see if I could survive? To see if I could face down and kill Weatherton? And what if I hadn’t? What if Weatherton had killed us? Would Mildred have shed any tears over our deaths?
I watched her stop and look off into the distance, her head cocked to one side. No one was that good of an actress. Losing her daughter had unhinged her, and Gage must have found her in the asylum. She agreed to help him because he promised to bring back her daughter. I felt myself drawing an eerie comparison between her actions and my own. I was raising the dead because Gage was threatening Luke’s existence. I had gone against natural laws to bring Luke back. Were Mildred and I really that different?
Gage was watching me. “You see, no harm has come to Mildred. I’m not a monster. People who come into my fold—I take care of them.” He paused and watched Mildred as she started dancing again. He gave a little chuckle and asked, “How did you like Mildred’s little party trick?”
When I looked puzzled, he continued. “Ah, that’s right, she never showed you until the very end how she can pop from one place to another. It made it exceedingly easy for her to get in and out of the asylum.” He turned his heard and gave a dramatic sigh. “Now that one is still an enigma,” he said, looking over at Wendy. “Though, I do admit—I didn’t realize just how beautiful she was until tonight. And her abilities as a reader just multiply that beauty tenfold.”
He was right—I’d never seen Wendy look so pretty. The makeup brought out her features, especially with her hair pulled away from her face, and the dress showed off her figure. She was absolutely stunning. Every male within arm’s reach of her seemed to agree. A group of them had already surrounded her. I could tell even from this distance that she was uncomfortable. She had a glass in her hand and was wielding it like a weapon. Anytime someone approached she raised the glass like a sword and retreated. She was moving in a slow, uncomfortable circle around the room, always just out of reach of her would-be suitors.
Sonja seemed to think that Gage was after me romantically, but he hadn’t shown any interest in me beyond the magic skills I possessed. It was the way I raised zombies that brought a gleam to his eyes. He was looking over at Wendy the same way. The hint of sadistic desire that I saw in his eyes and heard in his voice as he talked about her powers sent a shiver down my spine. What happened to her? If she really did hurt herself, what caused her to do such a drastic thing?
At the thought of Gage hurting Wendy, I could feel anger warming my blood. “Leave Wendy alone,” I said through clenched teeth.
Gage continued on as though he hadn’t heard me. “Wendy’s a hard one to figure out. So many secrets inside that head. I tried to get some of them out, but I admit I’ve had no luck. She is so much stronger than anyone I have working for me.” He stopped and took in my dress. “But of them all, my dear, I have to admit, you are my prized jewel.” He leaned in closer. “You look like a sparkling ruby in that dress. Quite exquisite.”
Was Gage actually interested in me? Romantically? It was a truly horrifying thought. Gage had captured me, held me in a cell, forced me to raise the dead. Did he really think these were the actions of a potential suitor? Was he that delusional?
“You have so much to offer, my dear. You are just beginning to come into your powers, and there is no telling what you could accomplish with my help.” His gaze narrowed in on me, as though we were the only two in the room. Having his total focus was chilling; I suddenly felt like a deer being targeted by a hunter. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck rise. “I will provide you with training and resources that most death dealers could only dream of. I have books in my library that were almost wiped from the earth because the mage world fears the power they offer. I’ve powerful allies that can teach you lost and forbidden magics. I can reward you for your help, Colina—I can make you so powerful that you never have to fear anyone or anything again.” His expression was earnest for a moment. And then there it was again, the hint of sadistic pleasure in his eyes. He could pretend all he wanted, but I wasn’t buying this new friendly approach.
“To sweeten the pot, I’ll even pull your boyfriend out of the berserker’s body. You can keep them both if you like. We all enjoy a little diversion now and again.” He looked toward Sonja suggestively, an approving smile on his face.
The man was a monster. I couldn’t let myself believe anything that came out of his mouth. Was he lying now about finding the spell I’d been searching for? As long as Luke’s spirit was in Dean’s body, Gage could force him out and into the in between. Would the same be true if Luke transferred to another body? A body he had full control over? Was there a way to somehow tie Luke to a new body so completely that Luke’s spirit couldn’t be forced out?
Gage’s fingers wrapped around my arm possessively and his expression darkened. “I am a patient man, Colina, but I will not wait forever. If I do not get your best efforts willingly, there are other ways to ensure your cooperation.”
The urge to pull my arm out of Gage’s grip was strong. I wanted to get away from him, to be free of the hold he had on me both physically and emotionally.
Gage seemed to notice my inner turmoil. “Come, come.” His voice turned soft and soothing. “I know you only have eyes for that one.” He motioned Luke’s way. “Now, after we eat, we can talk more about the spell I’ve found. But for now,” he raised his voice, “we all need to drink, eat, and be merry!” He waved his hand and music filled the air. The sound came from a far corner of the room, where a group of musicians sitting in a circle played instruments.
“Just because we live down here doesn’t mean we can’t have all the amenities. It’s a good life.” Gage let go of my arm and grabbed my hand, guiding me to the closest table. There were bowls of fruit and plates full of colorful, exotic-looking foods on its surface.
Gage reached over and grabbed an oddly shaped yellowish fruit from one of the bowls. He held it up in front of me. “This is a star fruit from Indonesia.” He raised it until it was at my lips, watching me expectantly.
He wanted to feed me? That was a gesture more common between lovers. What would happen if I refused? I hesitated for a moment before taking a bite. It tasted like pineapple and kiwi.
He gave me a smile. “Isn’t it tasty? I like to surround myself with exotic things.” He’s looking at me with such…intensity.
A shudder went down my spine. Sonja said that Gage “desires” me. The thought made me nauseous.
Steeling myself, I asked the question that had been zooming around in my head since he’d abducted me. The one question I’d been too scared to ask up until now. “What do you plan to do with the zombies?”
He sat down in a chair and motioned for me to sit next to him. “Our mutual friend has a dark side.” He laughed as though he’d just told a joke. “I have a taste for the finer things in life, but our friend has one deep desire—to create chaos.” He watched a group of people drinking wine at a nearby table. “The world is always on the brink of war. People are always itching for a reason to destroy each other.”
When he went silent, I prompted him. “And do the zombies give them that reason? How?”
He reached out and grabbed a handful of grapes. “Imagine a thousand undead suddenly appearing in Times Square.” He dropped the grapes onto his plate, watching the fruits scatter and roll. “Picture them ripping through the terrified crowd, tearing folks limb from limb.” His eyes shining, he gave me a wide smile. “Everyone in the magical community is already at each other’s throats.” He reached out, grabbed my hand, and planted a kiss on it. “We have you to thank for that bit of chaos. The death dealers, who were once the most formidable group, are now on the run. Word has spread about what we’re trying to accomplish here. Any death dealers tired of playing by the rules—rules that have made them weaker and weaker over the years—are coming here, seeking my protection. I’m more than happy to welcome them into my ranks. It is truly sad to see how far they have fallen. There was a time when no one was brazen enough to try and take on the death dealers. How times have changed. Whole guilds have fallen to angry mobs or the Redeemers. The general population is just itching for a reason to go after all the mage-born. Why not give it to them? Hand it to them on a silver platter.”
I stared at him in horror. “Why massacre so many death dealers if you want them to join you?”
He gave a wave of his hand. “Motivation, of course! You think they'd just come running to me if they weren't dying right and left? I have the Redeemers to thank, really—after all, they are my scapegoats.” I stared at him, wide-eyed, and he continued. “Think how glorious it will be. Everyone will start fighting each other, and with that chaos comes exciting possibilities.”
“That’s what you want? Chaos?” I whispered.
He brought his face close to mine and said in a low voice, “No. That’s what our friend wants. I’m more interested in power. Being at the side of such a dark creature puts me in the perfect spot. Opportunities will arise for me to assist the most powerful beings in the universe. A demon can’t be bothered with day-to-day administrative hassles. I’m more than happy to step in and help out where I can.”
“And take whatever you can,” I said through clenched teeth.
He leaned back and gave me a grin. “Of course. And in this glorious adventure, I could use allies.”
I didn’t say a word, just sat shaking my head back and forth.
He rolled a grape between his fingers. He watched me for a few minutes in silence before saying, “You’ve been wonderful so far. All you have to do is go along with our plans and your friends will be safe.”
“And if I don’t?” I demanded.
His voice and eyes turned cold. “Then everyone you care for dies.” After giving me a long look, his mood suddenly changed again from cold and deadly to smiling and charming. He gave me a wide grin as he reached out and patted my arm. “I know, I know. The answer upsets you. Believe me, I don’t like being the bad guy. I would rather you did these things of your own free will. I’m hoping that, in time, I can bring you around to understanding how vital you are to our operation. There is a place for you here. There is a place for you next to me.” He stood. “Now, eat up. After dinner, I will show you something I’m very proud of.”
It had been days since I had a decent meal, and so I gave little thought to table manners and grabbed at the food. Gage occasionally pushed a glass of wine in front of me, but I refused to drink. He might force me to be his dinner companion, but I was set on leaving every indication that I wanted to be anywhere but with him. He tried to bring up one conversation topic after another, but finally gave up when I no longer bothered to spit out one-word answers between mouthfuls of food.
The fact that I wasn’t a cooperative dinner companion didn’t stop him, however. He was a guy who loved to hear himself talk. That works in my favor, I thought as I stuffed my face. The more he says, the more information I’ll learn that could eventually help me—and everyone else—get out of here.
The crowd had eaten, drank, and danced for hours. I had been a captive of Gage’s all night. Anytime I tried to leave his side, he squeezed my hand a tad too hard or gave a glare that left little doubt of his wish for me to remain by his side.
My gaze constantly drifted to Luke. He had Caleb and Jacob seated on either side of him at a table in the corner. Luke’s eyes never left me the entire night, the frown on his face apparent even from across the room. If he’d been free of his bodyguards and shackles, I had no doubt he’d be jumping over tables to rescue me from Gage’s company.
Don’t trust Gage, Luke had said. And I didn’t. I knew he was only using me. Once I’d done what he’d asked, I had no doubt that he’d dispose of all of us. It meant I had to be clever, and I had to make sure Gage needed me right up until the moment we could escape. I didn’t yet know how, or when, but we had to break free.
When I’d first been taken by Gage, escape was far from my mind. I had been too full of misery. Forced to spend my nights making zombies, seeing Luke every evening in shackles—I’d seen nothing before me but darkness. But now it was there once again: hope. It glimmered somewhere deep inside me.
I forced my eyes back to Gage as he squeezed my hand. He seemed to be enjoying himself. He’d eaten and drank more than anyone else at the party. All through the night people flocked to our table, clambering desperately for his attention. The person who currently had it was the short, redheaded man who’d witnessed and clapped loudly when I’d woken the dead in the fields. From the way the two talked to each other, it was obvious they were long-time acquaintances.
The man kept sneaking glances my way. I did my best to ignore him, but when he suddenly swung the conversation back to me and Gage gave my hand another squeeze, I had little choice but to pay attention.
“She is such a wonder. Tonight she looks like an angel in that dress,” the redheaded man said, giving me a look that made my stomach turn.
Gage covered my hand with his. It was bad enough when he reached out and squeezed it, but the fact that he was now holding my hand made my skin crawl. I tried to pull my hand out of his grasp, but his fingers tightened.
Gage is attracted to you. Wendy’s words floated through my mind.
“She is a wonder,” Gage said, giving me a wide smile. “Mr. Fintan here was just telling me how much he enjoyed watching you raise zombies.”
There was a dangerous glint in Gage’s eyes. He expected me to answer, so I did. “So…glad I could oblige.”
“Fintan was thinking—once you’ve finished your work for me, you might enjoy going with him and helping him with a project we are both invested in.”
I was speechless.
Gage gave me an amused look. “What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue?” He let go of my hand.
He’d held on so tight that my fingers were white.
Fintan was giving me a hopeful look. “I know my establishment is not nearly as grand as what Gage has here, but I think you would find it comfortable. I can certainly compensate you well for your time.”
Gage picked up the glass of wine in front of him. He took a long sip before saying, “You saw for yourself what she can do. She is an incredible asset that any mage would be thrilled to have by their side.”
They’re sitting here talking about trading me like a baseball card. Would Gage really hand me over to this man once his army walked? And if I went with Fintan, what would happen to Luke, to Dean, to Wendy?
“How long…” I stumbled on the words and tried again. “How long do you think this project of yours is going to last?” I asked Gage.
I could see the laughter in his eyes. “Hopefully not too long.” He looked over at Fintan. “I would say, at the most, six months. Maybe less if we can find a solution to a little problem we’re having.”
Fintan frowned at Gage’s answer. “I’ll have collected more than enough readers by that time, Gage, my boy. Surely I won’t have to hold onto them for that long?”
“I’m sorry, Fintan, but I can’t hand her over to you sooner. I need to keep her close. She has become invaluable to me.” Gage reached out to grab my hand again, but this time I quickly moved it away.
This seemed only to amuse Gage even more. He finished off the last of his wine in one mighty gulp. He set the empty glass on the table and pushed his chair back. “If you will excuse us, we’ve some business to attend to.” He stood and waved toward the middle of the room. There was a large group of people dancing. “Fintan, stay and enjoy the fun. I’m sure the party will continue into the wee hours.” Gage looked down at me and held out his hand.
Would Gage really hand me over to Fintan when I finished here? Or was he using it as a threat to make sure I stayed in line? The man was deranged. There was no way of guessing what he might do.
I pushed back my chair and got up without offering my own hand to him, but he grabbed my elbow and led me across the room and out the door. Once out of the room, I jerked my arm out of his grasp.
He gave me a slow smile. “I hope you enjoyed yourself. You’ve looked so sad since I brought you here. I thought I would throw a party and liven things up a bit. What did you think? When we first got here it took quite a bit of work to get this place in order.” He swung his arm out and motioned to some of the side tunnels. “Parts of the mine collapsed years ago, taking a couple dozen miners with it. They eventually closed the mine and the inhabitants of the town moved on. Their bad luck; our good fortune.”
Miners died down here? That’s when I realized for the first time since coming here that I hadn’t heard any voices calling to me, or felt any ghostly presence. If tons of rock had buried the miners, wouldn’t some of their spirits be roaming around, full of unrest? And if the town was old and abandoned, shouldn’t there be ghosts milling around the buildings? “Why haven’t I seen, heard, or felt any ghosts?”
“Because there are no spirits left down here in the mines. That’s why we have to go out to the battlefield,” Gage said.
I jumped a bit at his answer, and realized I had been so caught up in my thoughts that I had voiced some of them aloud.
Before I could ask any of the half-dozen questions now whizzing around in my head, he continued. “The demon eats souls. Didn’t you know?”
A gruesome puzzle clicked into place in my head. It eats souls. There are no souls down here… I didn’t know anything about demons, and yet, with all my ignorance, I had somehow released one into the world.
“Last time it was here, it had quite a feast.” Gage made a grab for my arm and I dodged him. He didn’t seem angry. Instead he gave a chuckle. “Touchy.” He started walking and waved his hand for me to follow. “Come along, this way. I want to show you the solution I came up with in regards to the zombies. It’s by no means a permanent fix, but it might do until we find one. I want to show you the progress we’ve made. I think you will be pleased.”
He led the way, and I followed. I had to keep going along with all his games.
Do what the crazies want, Dean had said, and he was right. As long as Gage was threatening the people I cared about, what else could I do but play along?