Chapter 20

CHAPTER TWENTY

FRANKIE

She was going to catch me.

I stared down the hallway to my right, willing him to appear. But he hadn't yet, and with every passing second, my window for escape closed more and more. "C'mon, where are you?"

Light flashed through the open, arched windows down the length of the hall and then an explosion rocked the entire castle. I dropped to my knees and ducked down, clinging to the wall as the world shook. The stone walls trembled, sending little pulses through the stones into my bare feet. Dust spilled from the cracks in the ceiling. A second explosion was so much closer that the force broke chunks of stone from the walls. Bright orange flames shot across the ceiling.

And then I heard her scream.

I couldn't wait any longer. I had to make my run for it, or I'd be her prey.

My chest was on fire with every breath I took. I licked my lips and winced at the metallic taste of fresh blood. I pulled the hood of my cloak over to cover my face, then gripped the hem of my dress and sprinted in the direction he'd said was our exit.

Another explosion rattled the walls. Heat from fire filled the air. I cursed and dug my heels in harder. The hall made a sharp left turn and, when I rounded it, I found myself in an open corridor made of that same gray stone. I slid to a stop. My heart stopped. The left side of the corridor was window after window, separated only by columns. On the right side, it was open to a small courtyard. There was nothing to hide behind, no coverage at all. If she was watching, she'd see me without a doubt. I could crawl but that would slow me down too much.

A sharp whistle pierced through the sky.

I gasped and dropped to my stomach as a cannonball crashed through the column beside me. Stone crumbled and rained down on me. The cannonball slammed into the statue in the middle of the courtyard. I took a deep breath and craned my neck back to look up at my path and butterflies danced in my stomach. That archway up ahead was filled with bright sunlight. That was safety. If I could just get there, I could get out of here.

He said he would be here. He said he was coming. But I had to move. I pushed up onto my toes, then I counted to three. If he wasn't here at zero, I was making my escape.

Three.

Two.

One.

"Just run," I whispered to myself and lunged into the air.

The rubble sliced into my bare skin as I ran. My shins ached. I didn't slow down.

"THERE!" she bellowed, her voice rattling the stones on the wall. "GET HER!"

Her voice carried through the wind like thunder. A cold chill slid down my spine. She was so much closer than I realized, but not close enough. My gaze locked on that archway. Goddess, watch over me. I leapt through the archway and into the mid-day sunlight— and landed on all fours on my bedroom floor.

Pain shot up my thighs, into my hips, and through my spine. My hands and wrists burned. I hung my head and exhaled. It was just a dream. Only a dream. My pulse hadn't yet caught that memo. Wait, why am I on the floor?

I pushed off my hands and leaned back to sit on my heels—and gasped.

Not again.

I sat in the middle of a pentacle drawn on my floor in sand and seashells. No, no, no. I fell back and landed on my ass. My hands slid across the lines drawn in beach sand. Shells of every shape and color were mixed in. The lights in my room were off, yet there was a soft blue glow from between the floorboards. My heartbeat thundered in my veins, slamming against my chest like a hammer. My ears began to ring. My muscles tightened and locked down. Even my throat felt tight like I couldn't get enough oxygen in.

Darkness crept into my vision from the outside, creating a little tunnel in my eyes.

That blue light shot up through the floorboards until its beams looked like towers around me. For a moment, time stood still. I was afraid to move, afraid to breathe. And then I blinked. The blue glowing towers of light swirled exploded into little blue particles. I sucked in a deep breath and held it. I was frozen.

And then those glowing blue embers began to move. I squeezed my eyes shut. This isn't real. This is not happening. But when I opened my eyes, those glowing blue embers were swirling around me like waves in the ocean.

" No, no, no. Stop. STOP! " I swatted at the glowing blue waves as tears burned my eyes. " Make it stop! STOP! "

With every slice of my hand, the waves rolled away from me and began to stick together and take form. The glowing blue embers swirled into the shape of humans with pointed ears and long swords in their hands. I scrambled backwards until my shoulders crashed into my bed frame. My hands trembled. I tried to stand but my legs gave out from under me.

"They are coming," a deep voice whispered in my ear.

I gasped and dove away from my bed, swatting at my ears, but no one was there. "Who said that?"

"They are coming."

"They are coming."

It echoed around my room over and over and over. The words picked up speed until they blurred together into a low hum in my ears. The blue glowing embers slammed into my face and the world turned black.

" Breathe, Francelina, " a deep male voice growled.

I gasped and sat up, throwing my hands up to stop the glowing embers, but they were gone. It was all gone. There were no shells or sand on the floor. No pentacle. No chanting voices echoing around me. The lamp on my nightstand was actually still on, casting my room in a soft golden glow. I exhaled so hard I swayed and fell back. My head hit my pillow. Relief washed through me, even as my heart pounded. I lifted my shaking hands and scrubbed my face. I was in bed. My bed. I pulled my knees up, wrapped my arms around my shins, and rolled onto my side.

My whole body shook. Sweat dripped down the side of my face and down my spine.

But through the cracks in my curtains, sunrise was lighting up the sky.