Dragon's Gift - The Valkyrie- Complete Series Page 15

  I know where Ricketts is.

  11

  The conversation that I’d heard through the door had been running through my head all night. Finally, I’d put it together. In a dream, maybe?

  I leapt out of bed and raced across the room, realizing right before I hit the door that I was nearly naked. I grabbed a blanket that had been thrown over a chair near the window and threw it over my shoulders, then burst out into the living room.

  “Cade!” I shouted. “Get up!”

  There were four doors leading off the main living area. Which was his?

  I ran toward the one directly across from me. Right before I reached it, he pulled open the door and stepped out. I nearly collided with his naked chest.

  If I hadn’t been so freaked out, I’d have taken a moment to admire his godlike muscles. And since he was a god, I wouldn’t have been embarrassed about describing him as godlike.

  “What is it?” His dark hair was mussed from sleep.

  “I know where Ricketts is.”

  “Really?” His eyes sharpened, any last vestiges of sleepiness disappearing.

  “Yeah. He said there was more than one way to get to me. He meant my sister.” The loss of her would be worse than my own death.

  Ricketts must have known that.

  “Back at his compound, we heard him through the door. He was talking about magic that would finally allow him to capture us. Someone gave it to him. His goons haven’t been successful, so I haven’t worried too much about them. But he would be. Now he has something that will help him try to nab us directly.”

  “And since he’s failed with you, he’ll try for her.” Cade nodded, his face serious. “That makes sense. We’ll go to her immediately. She’s in a safe house in northeast Scotland. A castle in the woods with excellent security. Don’t worry. There will be over a dozen guards around the property, ready to apprehend Ricketts or his men. And there are more in the castle with her.”

  “A trap. Good.” I turned to go back to the bedroom to get dressed. “Let’s get out of here soon. Do we have a transport charm to get to Syre?”

  “Syre? I didn’t say where she was located. How did you know?”

  I turned. “We have our own connection charms. We bought them a while ago.” After Rowan had disappeared. If only we’d done it sooner. “Family is everything, Cade.”

  His gaze shuttered slightly.

  Hmm. Did he no longer have a family?

  That was a question for another time.

  I hurried back toward the bedroom and got dressed in record time, digging through the assortment of spare clothes in the armoire. I found jeans, a T-shirt, and a leather jacket that suited me, then returned to the living room.

  Cade was dressed and ready to go, wearing clothes that were identical to his last ones.

  “You keep things stored here?” I asked.

  “In all the safe houses.” He pulled a black stone out of his pocket. “Ready?”

  “Yeah.” I joined him and took his hand.

  He threw the stone on the ground, and a plume of sparkling gray smoke rose up. We stepped into it, appearing in the woods in Scotland a moment later.

  Into chaos.

  Panicked shouts echoed through the forest. My heart leapt into my throat, and I spun around, searching for the threat. The morning sun filtered through the trees, illuminating the broken branches and trunks that had been snapped in half.

  “He’s here!” I drew my throwing knives from the ether and raced for Ana, drawn by the tug in my chest.

  Cade joined me, his long legs carrying him ahead of me.

  The destruction of the woods was crazy—huge trees torn up and toppled over. Broken branches and gouges in the dirt. Something catastrophic had torn through here. A body lay about fifteen feet off the path of destruction. A man.

  I didn’t stop, though guilt tugged at me.

  But I could feel Ana. She was here. I had to get to her.

  The forest lightened as I neared the edge. People were leaping out of the trees and joining me on the path, running for the castle ahead. Some looked familiar, like Protectorate staff. They must’ve been the guards.

  “What happened?” I screamed at a nearby man.

  He was blond, and his magic smelled of the sea. His gaze looked wild. “Tornado.”

  In Scotland?

  That was insane.

  I sprinted out of the forest. In the middle of the clearing sat a tall stone tower surrounded by a hulking castle wall.

  A chunk was torn out of the wall, and a large gray tornado was sweeping off into the distance.

  Then Ana disappeared.

  I felt it, deep in my chest, and stumbled, going to my knees.

  She was no longer here. And the tornado was gone, too.

  No! I scrambled to my feet, heart thundering.

  The sun shone brightly on the mountains sweeping out in front of me. They were coated with purple heather, a beautiful sight if not for the chaos of the wounded castle and the people running around, shouting for their colleagues.

  I ran for the castle, for answers. For Cade.

  I found him at the edge of the wall, staring through the giant hole that had been torn by the tornado. The castle inside was a single tower with walls at least ten feet thick. It was easy to get exact dimensions since the danged corner of the castle was missing too.

  Near the castle wall, Hedy was on the phone. Possibly with the Protectorate? Jude ran out of the castle, scrambling over the broken stone. Her gray hair was coated with dust, and the stone-cold expression that I’d first seen her wearing was replaced with panic.

  “I’ve never seen anything like it!” She ran up to us, panting. “He came as a tornado! Blasted through twenty of our guards before we realized what was happening.”

  “Did he get Ana?” Cade demanded.

  “Yes. He got her.” I turned on Jude, voice harsh. “You said she’d be safe here! But she was bait. And she was caught.”

  “I’m sorry.” Jude’s expression hardened. “He shouldn’t have had weather magic like that. No one has weather magic like that.”

  “Someone gave him more power, but I have no idea who,” I said. “It just happened, though. We heard him talking about it in Venice.”

  “Damn it.” A thundercloud crossed Jude’s face.

  “Bree, can you locate where your sister went?” Cade asked.

  I frowned, focusing on the connection charm that I hoped would help me find Ana. I stepped back from everyone, trying to clear my mind. This was why we’d bought these things. So we wouldn’t lose another sister. I couldn’t bear to lose another sister. Tears pricked my eyes.

  Please work.

  If Ricketts knew that she had a connection charm, he could do something to block it. Fear chilled my skin.

  Please don’t realize.

  “What’s she doing?” Jude asked Cade.

  “Give her a moment.”

  I envisioned Ana, begging the connection charm to make a link. Finally, it flared to life inside me. I looked up. “Mexico. A hundred miles east of Mexico City. That’s where he’s taken her.”

  Jude nodded, her expression firm and accepting. “Fine. We’ll send reinforcements with you.” Her gaze met Cade’s. “How many transport charms do you have?”

  “Three more.”

  Jude nodded. “Good. That will transport fifteen people. Emily can take more.”

  Hedy hurried up to us. “Bree. Your sister has had her antidote.” She dug into her pocket and handed me a little vial. “Here’s yours. Take it before you go.”

  “Thank fates.” At least that was fixed.

  I looked down at the vial. Did I trust her?

  For so long, I’d trusted no one but Ana. But Ana had trusted Hedy enough to take the potion.

  And I did trust Hedy. Even though it was strange to admit to myself.

  Bottoms up.

  I drank the potion, then shivered as strength flowed through me. The pain in my chest faded, a glorious pleasure
. I hadn’t realized how crappy I’d been feeling. I’d chalked up any weakness to exhaustion, but it’d been the poison.

  “Thanks. I feel a lot better.”

  “Bree!” A feminine voice sounded from behind me.

  I turned.

  Caro ran for me, Ali, and Haris at her side.

  “We were in the woods, guarding the castle. I’m sorry he got past us.”

  “He had magic none of us anticipated. Something huge.”

  “Let’s go get her,” Caro said. “We’ve got your back.”

  My chest warmed. No one had ever said that to me except Rowan and Ana. “Thanks.”

  “Where are we off to?” Ali grinned. “I’ve been itching for a fight.”

  “Mexico.”

  Cade joined me, resting a big hand on my shoulder. It was stupid, but I drew strength from it. Behind Caro, a crowd gathered. About twenty of them.

  Our reinforcements.

  Maybe this Protectorate thing wasn’t so bad after all. Not if they had our backs like this.

  “I have three charms,” Cade said. “Divide into groups of five. Three will take the charms, Emily will take the rest.” He turned to me. “We’ll go first with Emily and get the coordinates. Then she’ll return and tell everyone else where to go.”

  “Perfect.”

  Cade handed the charms over to Jude, and Emily joined us.

  “Ready?” She held out her hands.

  Cade and I each took one.

  “Imagine where we’re going,” she said. “Picture it in your mind as clearly as you can. I’ll take us there.”

  “Okay.” I did as she asked, feeling the location more than seeing it. But there was water and jungle, the sound of night animals. Moonlight.

  A moment later, the ether sucked us in. My heart thundered as we stepped out into the dark night.

  In front of us, the moon hung heavy over an island in the middle of a calm lagoon. A massive step pyramid sat in the middle of the island, surrounded on all sides by smaller pyramids.

  “Texochtatlan,” Cade breathed. He tore his gaze away and looked at his fancy watch, pressing some buttons. He looked up at Emily and rattled off some numbers.

  Coordinates, I realized.

  She nodded and disappeared. Cade’s awed gaze returned to the abandoned ancient city.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  “The capital of the supernatural Aztecs. Human Aztecs built Tenochtitlan, which is now in Mexico City. It was much like this. But this one is too far into the jungle. Humans have never found it.”

  “Aztecs?” Shit. Back when we’d still had a TV, before Rowan had disappeared and we’d spent all our spare money hunting for her, we’d loved old history shows. “Didn’t they practice human sacrifice? Blood sacrifice?”

  Cade’s gaze turned dark. “They did.”

  My heart almost burst out of my chest, and fear iced my skin. “Oh no. That’s what’s changed. The reason he’s upped his game in trying to catch us. He’s not just going to kill us. He wants more than that. Magic. Our blood.”

  “Aye. This is no coincidence.”

  I sucked in a ragged breath and started forward. No time to delay.

  The lagoon was about fifty meters from us. A long bridge, at least a hundred meters in length, stretched over it. Several more bridges spanned the lagoon on other sides. The full moon gleamed on the massive pyramid in the middle of the island. It had a wide, flat top and was built of huge steps, unlike the Egyptian pyramids that were smooth sided.

  We were too far away to see people, but Ana was definitely here. I could feel her.

  “It’s been abandoned for centuries,” Cade said. “The supernatural Aztecs lasted longer than the human ones since the conquistadors never found them, but they left here long ago.”

  My gaze raced over the bridge and the city beyond. It was magical, in an ancient kind of way. I could just imagine the ceremonies they’d once had here.

  “Badass,” a voice murmured from beside me.

  I turned to see Ali, his gaze wide. Haris and Caro stood next to him, along with Jude and another man I didn’t recognize. I spun, catching sight of about fifteen more people behind us.

  Everyone was here.

  “Let’s go.” I started for the bridge, Cade at my side.

  “We’ve got this,” Caro murmured.

  I hoped so. Without Ana…

  There’d be nothing.

  I stepped on the stone bridge, and a vibration of magic sang up my leg. I looked up at Cade. “Be ready for anything.”

  “I feel it,” he murmured.

  I drew my throwing daggers and jogged across the bridge. On either side, the water gleamed murkily in the moonlight. As we neared the middle, the magic in the air became stronger. A fierce prickle that made my hair stand on end.

  Protective charms.

  Nearby, the water splashed. I jumped, whirling. Everyone stopped in their tracks, frozen.

  The water splashed again, big enough that it could actually be the freaking kraken.

  Then a monster burst forth, mouth gaping wide with serrated teeth gleaming in the moonlight. It hurtled for the bridge, cutting through the water with unnatural speed. It looked like a giant monster frog, a demon from the depths.

  “Cueyatl,” Cade said. “Mythical Aztec beast.”

  “How do they think up these things?” It should have been kinda silly, but instead, it was freaking terrifying. And my measly weapons wouldn’t do any good against something of this size.

  The beast crouched in the water, eyeing us from twenty feet away. Gauging the distance for its next jump?

  I shuddered, then dug into my satchel and pulled out a random potion bomb, then hurled it at the beast. It exploded in its mouth, a plume of blue smoke rising into the air.

  Nothing happened. Crap!

  Someone heaved a massive fireball, but it, too, was devoured by the monster. Caro’s deadly water jets bounced off the beast.

  Then the thing was on us, leaping through the air with its jaws open wide. Its gaping maw was so big, it could swallow me without chewing.

  We threw ourselves to the ground. The beast sailed overhead, water and slime dripping coldly onto our backs. A loud splash sounded from the other side of the bridge.

  I scrambled to my feet, leaning over. It was turning around, making a big circle to try again.

  “It devours our magic,” Cade said.

  “Could be growing stronger,” Caro added.

  My mind raced, heart thundering. The water called to me, a living thing that I could feel as if it were an extension of myself. I had no freaking clue if it would work, but…

  Not like I had a lot of options.

  I called to the murky water, feeling every molecule and envisioning it rising up, forming a great wave. It did as I commanded, water sucking back from the shore and gathering underneath the giant fanged frog, picking it up like a boat on the sea.

  “Back!” I screamed, and the water flowed away from the bridge, carrying the beast with it.

  The monster leapt from the mounded wave, but I forced more water at it, catching it in mid-leap and carrying it away.

  Then I turned and ran, desperate to get off the damned death bridge.

  Ahead of us, a dozen war cries rent the night. Warriors burst from the ground, ghostly gray figures of muscular men and women wearing feathered headdresses and carrying spears.

  Their blazing blue eyes landed on us, and they charged.

  Shit. There had to be over thirty of them.

  The bridge was only wide enough for two at a time. They charged onto it, footsteps thundering as they waved their spears and shouted.

  Even with my new charm, my sonic boom might destroy the bridge and send us into the water with the Cueyatl, so that was definitely out. I couldn’t bet everyone’s lives on it working.

  Though they were a ghostly gray color, they looked solid. I prayed weapons would work.

  I hurled one dagger, then another, striking two in the chest. Th
ey stumbled and fell. Their companions leapt over them.

  “Duck!” Caro screamed.

  I ducked low. Water streamed over my head, spearing through the chests of two ancient warriors. They tumbled back into their compatriots, but were soon overrun.

  “Trade me,” Cade shouted.

  Caro joined me in the front, shooting her deadly water spouts while I dug into my pouch full of potion bombs. A big part of me really liked using Ricketts’s own magic against him.

  I hurled the bombs at the warriors, lighting one on fire and coating another with acid. They both leapt into the lake. Caro took out the next two, but there was an endless stream of them.

  The rest were nearly upon us now, only five feet away.

  “Switch!” Caro yelled.

  Cade took her place. I drew a shield and my sword. He drew his.

  And we collided with the warriors, blocking with our shields, slicing through their wooden spears, and jabbing with our blades. In the tight quarters, I remained keenly aware of Cade.

  Last thing I needed was to take out my backup.

  Finally, we reached the end of the bridge, spilling into a mass of the warriors. But at least we had more room to fight.

  I called upon my sonic boom power, throwing it out in front of me to clear a path. It exploded, bowling over a dozen of the fighters.

  “Go!” I raced through the opening, headed for the massive pyramid in front of us.

  Ana was up there. I could feel it.

  Cade stayed close by my side. I sprinted full out, determined to get past the warrior guards. A quick glance behind showed that they’d closed back around our fellow fighters. The Protectorate was holding their own, though, keeping the warriors occupied while Cade and I ran for the pyramid.

  On either side, smaller pyramids dotted the path. But it was the enormous one, at least three hundred feet tall, that we needed to reach.

  The moon was getting low. Dawn was near.

  Was Ricketts waiting for dawn? Many ancient sacrifices had been timed around the sun.

  I sprinted faster, trying to ignore the magic that prickled at my skin. As we neared the pyramid, I thought that maybe I could make out the figures on top. There were more on the stairs, about a quarter of the way up the pyramid.

  Two of them. Guards.