Chapter 22

CHAPTER 22

P aige's knees wobbled as the woman's grasp twisted her skin until it burned.

"That's right, cupcake. I can see you now. Your little invisibility serum has worn off. Impressive, though, maybe I shouldn't kill the dragon. He may be useful."

"He did that by mistake." Paige winced as the words escaped her mouth. She shouldn't have been stupid enough to say that. "But he did fix me. See?"

"I see the same stupid klutz I almost offed in Devon's castle. Looks like his experiment to grow you a brain failed."

"I don't need to grow a brain," Paige growled through clenched teeth, "I have one. But I was a miniature version of myself thanks to that pink powder Higgins blew all over me. Dewey fixed that. I guess you know all about that, though, right? I'm pretty sure you're all in this together."

Ivy scoffed, the pressure against Paige's arm still painful. "I wouldn't say together. Especially since he couldn't handle a tiny problem like you. Looks like I'll have to do that myself. This time, Devon won't be around to save your sorry behind. "

"He won't need to. I can take care of myself."

Ivy hissed at her, showing long fangs dripping with dangerous venom. "I hope you like pain."

Paige struggled to free herself. A hint of the last Venompire bite she'd endured raced through her mind, puckering her skin into gooseflesh.

If those teeth sunk into any part of her flesh, she'd die. She couldn't let that happen. With a wrinkled nose, she struggled to pull away from the vampire's iron grip.

The poker clattered to the floor as she gave up on trying to hold to it in favor of breaking free. She'd worry about hitting Ivy when she was safely away from her. Or maybe she'd just run for it when she had the chance.

They struggled for another moment before Paige lost her footing, slamming down hard on her backside. Ivy stepped closer, staring down her long nose at her.

She clicked her tongue. "Tsk, tsk, Paige. It looks like you lose."

"I don't think so," a new voice said.

Paige snapped her gaze to the now-open doors. Drucinda arched an eyebrow as she tugged a loaded crossbow from her back and aimed.

"Oh, sh–" Ivy began before she dove to the side as an arrow sailed toward her, barely missing, but slicing a gash through her leg before it slammed into the side table across the room.

Drucinda already loaded her weapon for the next round as Ivy scrambled to her feet and burst into a flurry of bats.

Drucinda ducked for cover as they sailed over her head. "This isn't over," she shouted down the hall.

Paige scrambled to her feet, still breathing hard.

"Did she manage to bite you?" Drucinda asked as she tossed the crossbow into its holder on her back.

Paige shook her head, trying to steady her wobbly legs .

"Are you sure?"

Paige bobbed her head up and down as Drucinda approached.

"What's wrong with you? Have you gone mute?"

"N-no," she managed to stammer out. "I just…thanks for the save. I thought you were in Egypt."

"I was on my way when I turned the plane around. I had a bad feeling. Good thing I did. I see you've managed to bungle yet another job."

Paige screwed up her face as she retrieved the poker from the floor. "Hey! I happened to be doing my job in Scotland when Ivy kidnapped me. And I'm still standing. In fact, I'm the last one standing. She got Devon and Dewey."

"I am not surprised," Drucinda said, tugging a pistol from her belt and checking the cartridge before flicking off the safety. "Had Devon taken training more seriously as a youngster, he'd be better in this situation."

The image of a ten-year-old Drucinda kicking Devon's twelve-year-old butt danced across her mind.

"Right," Paige answered as she tightened her grip on the poker. "Either way, we need to find them."

"Fine," Drucinda said, loading a bullet into the chamber. "You go for Dewey, and I'll find Devon. We'll meet outside."

"Wait, what? We shouldn't split up!"

Drucinda offered her an unimpressed stare. "This house is crawling with vampires and their associates. We should not spend a minute longer inside this creepy fun house than we have to."

"I mean, the first sentence is a list of reasons why we should not split up. Either of us could be attacked and killed."

Drucinda narrowed her eyes as she slid her gaze sideways to Paige. "Not either of us."

Paige clicked her tongue. "Okay, fine. I could be attacked and killed. There, are you happy now? "

"Infinitely. So, what you are saying is you'd prefer to stick together so that I might protect you in the event of any trouble."

Paige struggled not to roll her eyes as she forced her head to bob up and down. "Yes, right. That's what I'm saying."

Drucinda nodded, a haughty expression on her delicate features. "No."

"What?" Paige asked as the woman strode away from her toward the door.

"I said no. This is not recess, and I am not a yard monitor. Go find Dewey. Here, take this." She whipped the crossbow from her back and thrust it toward Paige.

Paige accepted it, bobbling the heavy item before she managed to balance the weight.

"Those are silver-tipped wooden stakes. Aim for her heart. Don't miss."

"What do I do if I miss?" Paige cried.

"I said not to do that," Drucinda called over her shoulder as she strode down the hall.

Paige rushed to keep up with her. "Ivy said Devon was in the isolation cell and Dewey was Chamber of Secrets or something."

Drucinda screwed up her face and glanced at Paige. "This isn't Harry Potter. I think you mean the Chamber of Shadows. Basement level. Can't miss it."

They crept down the stairs together. "Sounds like the isolation cell would be there, too, so we can go together," Paige said.

Drucinda shook her head. "No, it's not. Go find the dragon whilst I locate Devon. Don't dally."

The Valkyrie disappeared around a corner, leaving Paige staring after her for a moment. With a deep inhale, she forced herself to raise the crossbow and move down the hall. "This is so stupid. "

She peered around a corner before she stepped into another empty hall, her weapon still at the ready. "We should never have split up. Everyone knows you never split up. That's how people die in the movies."

"It's not a movie!" Drucinda's voice called to her. "Stop babbling to yourself and find the basement."

Paige frowned at the wall from which Drucinda's voice floated.

"Stop grimacing at me and get moving!"

Paige's jaw dropped open. Could Valkyries see through walls? She'd have to ask Dewey. But in order to do that, she needed to find him first.

She continued down the hall, searching for a set of stairs leading down. A musty draft drew her attention to a closed door. She eased it open and peered into the darkness covering most of the rickety wooden stairs. "Of course."

She searched the nearby wall for a light switch but found none. "Why would there be a light switch to make the creepy basement less creepy?"

Paige hefted the crossbow higher and stepped down. Her knees wobbled as darkness surrounded her when she reached the cement floor. In the distance, water dripped. A dim light glowed in the back corner, and she moved toward it.

"I hope you're in there, Dewey," she murmured as she crept forward with her weapon at the ready.

She passed through an opening and continued down a long corridor toward a chamber at the end. A variety of torture devices dotted the space.

Paige shivered as she stared at a chair rigged to an electrical impulse machine. Her stomach turned when she spotted a stretching rack. Vivid memories of being strapped to one in Scotland darted through her mind .

Dewey had saved her from having her shoulders tugged out of their sockets. It was up to her to make sure she returned the favor. She skirted another horrid-looking device in search of her teal friend, but she found no sign of him.

"Where are you, Dewey?" she murmured.

"Paige?" a tiny voice answered.

"Dewey!" she cried, spinning in circles in search of him.

"Here, Paige. Help." His weak voice barely reached her ears.

"Where? I can't see you. Are you in this room?"

"I'm in…" He paused, heaving a deep sigh. "The Enervation Enclosure."

Paige wrinkled her nose as she continued to turn in a tight circle. "The what?"

"Please, help me. I won't last much longer."

Paige's eyes went wide as her heart skipped a beat. "Dewey! Dewey, where is this thing? I can't find you anywhere."

"Please, Paige. The wall. Follow…follow the runes." A groan escaped after the last word.

"Dewey?" Paige shouted, but she received no response.

She gnawed at her lower lip as tears stung her eyes. With the crossbow dumped on the nearby stretching rack, she raced to the walls in the direction Dewey's voice came from. She pounded against the stone, her pulse racing. "Dewey! Dewey!"

The little dragon didn't answer her.

"Follow the runes," she repeated. "What runes?"

Paige squeezed her eyes closed and pressed her lips together. She sucked in a steadying breath. She couldn't panic. Not now. She had to find Dewey and save him. He said he wouldn't last much longer. But last from what?

It didn't matter. She had to find him as quickly as possible. She ran her hands along the wall in search of the runes Dewey mentioned.

Her fingers hit a divot and a blue light glowed through the stones. Using her fingernail, she continued to trace the outline. The glimmer spread, turning from blue to purple to orange.

"Dewey, I found the runes. But I don't know how to use them to find you."

He didn't answer. Paige's features pinched as worry clouded her thoughts. She'd never get to him in time. She couldn't figure this out.

She shook her head and hurried across the room to a set of tools designed to inflict unspeakable damage against their victim. She chose a sledgehammer crusted with blood and hurried back to the wall. If she couldn't figure out how to use the runes to open the wall, she'd break it down.

She lifted the heavy hammer and struggled to swing it forward. It thudded against the wall but failed to dent it.

"Oh, come on," she grunted as she gave it another swing. A small piece of stone chipped away and rattled across the floor.

"I'm coming for you, buddy." She swung and swung until her arms ached. When she felt she couldn't lift the sledgehammer again, a small hole opened.

Air whooshed toward the void.

"Dewey?" Paige called. She summoned enough strength for one more swing. This one opened the wall enough to allow her to stick her hands inside.

With her forehead crinkled, her fingers searched blindly until she touched scales. Her heart leapt with hope as she patted his tiny body before she closed her grasp around it and gently pulled him toward the opening.

His tail emerged first, followed by his back feet.

"Dewey?" she cried with a hiccup. His limp body never moved. Panic brought a few tears to her eyes. They ran down her cheeks as his head flopped over when she pulled him from the chamber. "Dewey!"

She dropped to her knees and laid him on the floor, searching for any signs of life. With his eyes closed and his purple tongue lolling from his slightly open jaw, it didn't look promising.

Paige's chest heaved as she fought against the sobs that threatened to escape. She hadn't been quick enough. Their luck had finally run out.

She'd lost her friend. Dewey was dead.