29. Violet

29

VIOLET

These stairs seem to go on forever, spiralling down into darkness. Each step takes us deeper into the earth, and it's almost like I can feel the weight of MistHallow pressing down from above.

"Anyone else notice the temperature dropping to magickal levels?" Flint asks.

"It's not just the temperature," Caine mutters, ice crystals forming and melting with each tap of his cane. "The magick feels different down here. Heavier."

He's right. There's something oppressive about the air, like the weight of centuries pressing in on us. The further we descend, the more my vampire senses tingle with warning.

"Stop," Thorne says suddenly, throwing out an arm to halt our progress. "Look at the next step."

I peer down but see nothing unusual. "What am I looking for? "

"Watch," he says, pulling a stone from his pocket of preparedness and tossing it onto the step below us.

The moment it touches the step, it disappears, revealing a pitch-black void beneath.

"Oo-kay," I breathe. "How did you know?"

"The shadows were wrong," he explains, eyes scanning the remaining steps. "They weren't falling the way they should."

"Right, oh Master of Shadows," Flint says slowly. "So how do we get across?"

Thorne studies the void for a moment, then raises his hands. Shadows gather around him, solidifying into a bridge across the gap. "Might as well use it while we've got it. Ladies first," he says with a slight bow.

I eye the shadow bridge sceptically. "No, you go first."

He rolls his eyes and steps onto the shadow bridge.

Taking a deep breath, I follow him and step onto the bridge. It feels solid enough, though walking on shadows is definitely going on my list of weird experiences.

We make it across safely, but the incident puts us all on high alert. Which turns out to be a good thing, because the next challenge comes almost immediately.

The stairway opens into a vast circular chamber, its ceiling lost in darkness above. Multiple archways line the walls, each leading to a different tunnel.

"Well, this isn't ominous at all," I mutter.

"Which way?" Caine asks, moving closer to examine the nearest arch .

Before anyone can answer, a grinding sound echoes through the chamber. The floor beneath our feet moves, rotating slowly.

"This can't be good," Flint says.

He's right. The rotation speeds up, and suddenly, the archways are spewing forth creatures. Horrible, twisted things made of shadow and bone.

"Still got the magick, so let's do this!" Caine shouts, ice already spreading from his cane in deadly spikes.

We move instinctively, backing into a circle. Thorne's shadows whirl around us like a protective cloak, while Flint does that partial shift thing that is teasing me to the point of nearly yelling at him to just shift properly so I can see him.

The first wave of creatures reaches us, and everything dissolves into chaos.

I duck under a swinging claw, fangs extending as I tap into my vampire strength. The creature is fast, but I'm faster, catching its arm and using its momentum to throw it into another approaching monster.

To my left, Caine's ice magick transforms into deadly weapons. Frozen spears impale shadow creatures, while walls of ice redirect others into Flint's icy lightning.

"Vi, duck!" Thorne shouts.

I drop without questioning, feeling shadow magick whistle over my head. The creature that had been sneaking up behind me dissolves with an unearthly shriek.

"Thanks," I gasp, rolling to my feet .

"Less talking, more fighting," Flint growls, his skin rippling with scales. Lightning erupts from his hands in controlled bursts, incinerating anything that gets too close.

But for every creature we destroy, two more seem to take its place. The floor continues to rotate, making it hard to keep our footing.

"We need to find the source!" Caine shouts over the chaos.

I scan the chamber, trying to spot any pattern to the creatures' emergence. "There!" I point to one particular archway that seems to be producing more monsters than the others.

"Cover me," Thorne says, gathering shadows around himself.

We form a protective triangle around him as he works his magick. Sweat beads on his forehead as he directs his power toward the archway, trying to seal it with shadow.

A particularly large creature breaks through our defence, heading straight for Thorne. Without thinking, I throw myself at it, channelling both vampire strength and whatever magick I can muster.

Power surges through me, different from before. It feels ancient, primal, and dark. My hands glow with purple light as I strike the creature, which explodes into fragments of shadow and bone.

"Since when can you do that?" Flint asks, impressed.

"Right now," I pant. "Let's hope it's not a one-off. "

Thorne's magick finally takes hold, sealing the archway in impenetrable shadow. The flow of creatures slows, giving us a chance to deal with those remaining.

"Look out!" Caine shouts suddenly.

The floor's rotation speeds up dramatically, threatening to throw us off our feet. Worse, the ceiling begins to descend, covered in wicked-looking spikes.

"Oh, come on," I groan. "Really?"

"Ideas?" Flint asks, blasting another creature with lighting.

I look around frantically, noting how the remaining monsters seem to be retreating into specific archways.

"They know something we don't," I say. "Follow them!"

"Are you for real?" Caine demands.

"That ceiling's not slowing down! So, follow or get squished!"

Making a split-second decision, I dash toward the nearest archway where I'd seen creatures disappearing. The others follow, presumably deciding that following me is marginally better than being impaled by ceiling spikes.

We plunge into darkness, running blind. Behind us, I hear the ceiling crash into the floor with a sound that makes my teeth rattle.

"Everyone alive?" I call out.

Three variations of "unfortunately" answer me.

Magical lights flicker to life along the tunnel walls, revealing something that makes me shudder.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Flint says .

We're standing at the entrance to a maze. The walls are made of some dark stone that seems to absorb light, and mist swirls around our feet.

"At least there's no more monsters," I offer optimistically.

A howl echoes from somewhere in the maze.

"You just had to say it, didn't you?" Caine sighs.

We move forward cautiously, Thorne's shadows probing ahead for traps while Flint holds the torch to provide light in case the magick goes out. "So much for doing this on our wits alone," I mutter.

"That time will come, snowdrop," Caine mutters back. "You just wait."

The maze shifts as we walk, walls sliding silently into new configurations behind us.

"Anyone keeping track of where we've been?" I ask.

"Trying," Caine says. "But the paths are changing after we pass."

Another howl echoes around us, closer this time. Whatever's hunting us is getting nearer.

We pick up our pace, taking turns at random now. The mist thickens, making it hard to see more than a few feet ahead.

"Wait," Thorne says suddenly. "Does anyone else feel that?"

I pause, focusing on my vampire senses. There's a strange emptiness growing inside me, like something vital is being drained away.

Flint's lightning flickers and dies. Caine's ice stops forming. Thorne's shadows dissipate into nothing .

"And there it is," Caine states.

"Our supernatural abilities, all of them, are gone," Thorne says grimly.

"What do you mean, all of them?" I try to tap into my vampire strength but find nothing. My enhanced senses have vanished. "Oh, shit."

"Yeah."

"Some kind of drainage field," Caine explains, testing his cane against the floor. At least that's still solid, even if its magickal properties are neutralised. "Strong one, too."

Another howl echoes through the maze, followed by the sound of claws scraping against stone.

"Right, how well timed was that?" I mutter, trying to keep my voice steady. "So, we've got no magick, no enhanced abilities, and something very angry is getting closer. Any ideas, pocket boy?"

Thorne snorts.

"Run?" Flint suggests.

The scraping sound gets closer.

"Run," Thorne agrees.

We take off down the nearest corridor, our footsteps echoing far too loudly off the stone walls. Without our powers, everything feels different. Slower, more dangerous, more immediate. The mist swirls around our legs, thick enough now that I nearly trip over my own feet.

"Left or right?" Thorne calls out as we reach a junction .

"Left!" I shout, picking at random. I like left. Right is all wrong to me.

We round the corner and skid to a halt. The passage ends in a solid wall.

"Brilliant choice," Flint pants.

"Oh, like you were so quick to speak up."

"Quiet," Caine hisses. "Listen."

We fall silent. The scraping sound comes from both directions now. Whatever's hunting us has split up.

"Back to back," Thorne orders, and we form a tight circle, facing outward. "Violet? How are your physical combat skills?"

"Without the vampire? Non-existent."

"Figured. Stay behind us."

"Noo, I'm not some fragile doll?—"

"Shut it and stay back," he growls, and I close my mouth. He is not in the mood to argue.

The mist parts, and I get my first look at our pursuers as the guys forcibly push my much shorter frame behind their solid walls of six-foot-plus man flesh, blocking my view. But what I did see chills me. They're like wolves, but wrong somehow - too large, with too many teeth and eyes that glow with an unnatural intelligence.

"Feral weres?" I ask quietly.

"More than that," Thorne replies. "Demonic ones."

I take that in and shiver with fear. He doesn't say the word demonic like Caine is a demon. No, he totally means straight from the bowels of hell as we know it.

"Anyone got a Plan B?" Flint asks quietly .

"What's plan A?" I hiss but scan our surroundings desperately. The walls are smooth, no handholds. The ceiling's too high to reach. But there, in the corner, there is something on the ground—a grate of some kind.

"The grate," I whisper. "See it?"

"We'll never get it open in time," Caine says.

One of the wolf-things snarls, saliva dripping from its massive jaws.

"Want to bet?" I edge toward the grate, moving slowly. "Keep their attention."

"Oh sure, we'll just ask them nicely to ignore you while you do some amateur sleuthing," Flint mutters, but he steps forward, making himself as large as possible.

The creatures' heads track his movement, giving me a chance to reach the grate. Up close, I can see it's old, and the metal is corroded. Without vampire strength, I'll never pull it up, but maybe...

I grab Caine's cane, ignoring his protest, and jam it into the edge of the grate. The wolf-things growl, tensing to spring.

"Whatever you're going to do," Thorne says tensely, "do it fast."

I throw my weight onto the cane, praying it doesn't snap now it's not got its protective magick. For a moment, nothing happens. Then, with a screech of protesting metal, the grate pops free.

"Now!" I yell.

We dive for the opening as the creatures lunge. I feel hot breath on my neck as I slip through, hearing clothes tear as the others follow. We fall into darkness, landing hard on the wet stone below.

"Everyone okay?" I groan, sitting up carefully and handing Caine his cane.

"Define okay," Flint groans next to me.

Above us, frustrated howls echo through the grate, but the opening is too small for the creatures to follow.

Phosphorescent moss grows along the tunnel walls, casting everything in a pale green light. The tunnel stretches in both directions, water trickling down its centre.

"Please tell me we're not in some kind of ancient mystical sewer," I mutter.

"More likely the academy drainage system," Caine corrects. "The academy's built over a network of them. Some date back to the founding of the academy."

"Fascinating," Flint says dryly. "Which way do we go?"

I close my eyes, trying to sense, well, anything. Without my powers, I feel blind, so I fall back on my instincts again.

"Left," I say, pointing.

"Because left was such a good choice last time," Flint snaps.

"Hey," I say, rounding on him. "You have been snappy with me since we started this shitshow. You got a problem with me, stop being passive aggressive and just spit it out."

He glares at me, his blue eyes turning ice white. "It's not you I have a problem with. It's your sire. "

"Yet you are taking that out on me."

He glares at me and visibly calms himself. "Admittedly, yes, I am. We were supposed to do the severing ritual tonight and instead you convince us to come down here. I can't help but think there is a very obvious reason for that."

"Which is?" I growl.

"That you don't want the bond severed."

"Whoa, there," Caine says as I launch myself at Flint, hands hooked into claws. He catches me around my waist and tightens his grip. "He didn't mean that."

"Oh, yes, he did!" I shriek, kicking out like a maniac. "Let me tell you something, you arrogant cock! I hate that creature with every cell in my body. I want nothing more than to cut ties as forcibly and with as much malice as possible. I'm not delaying that, and I'm insulted that you are suggesting it!"

My strength is waning now that I'm basically human again, and I slump in Caine's arms. He doesn't let me go, probably thinking I'm feigning.

"Look," Flint snaps. "What else am I supposed to think?"

"You're meant to trust me."

He closes his eyes, and all the fight goes out of him. When he opens his eyes again, he says, "I do trust you, Violet. I'm sorry. This situation is getting to me."

"I know," I say. "It's getting to me too. All of us, I'm sure."

Caine lets me go, and my knees wobble, but Flint crushes me to him. "Forgive me? "

"Always," I murmur, clinging to him. "But can we go left, please? Left is…"

"… good enough for me," Thorne interrupts. "Let's move before those demons find a way down here."

Still clinging to Flint, we move carefully through the tunnel, trying to avoid the worst of the water. The moss's light, along with the torch Thorne is holding again, creates strange shadows, making every turn feel like it might hide another threat.

The tunnel opens into a larger chamber, and we all stop short. In the centre stands a pedestal, and on it is a book that looks suspiciously like the one Thorne described.

"Is that...?" Caine starts.

"The purple book I found," Thorne finishes.

It sits there innocently enough, but something about it sets my teeth on edge.

"Trap?" Flint asks.

"Definitely," Thorne agrees.

"So, what do we do?"

I study the chamber carefully. No obvious triggers, no tripwires. It's just a book on a pedestal, practically begging to be taken.

"We came all this way," I say finally. "Might as well spring the trap."

" That's your plan?" Caine asks incredulously. "Just walk up and grab it?"

"Got a better idea?"

Unsurprisingly, he doesn't.

Taking a deep breath, I approach the pedestal. Each step feels like it might be my last, but nothing happens. I reach for the book hesitantly.

The moment my fingers touch it, the chamber transforms. The walls become mirrors, reflecting infinitely in all directions. The pedestal sinks into the floor, taking the book with it.

"Oh, come on!" I shout in frustration.

My voice echoes strangely, and when I turn back to the others, they're gone.

"Guys?" My voice bounces off the mirrors, coming back distorted. "This isn't funny!"

But I know it's not a joke. Whatever magick brought us here has another test for us.

And this time, I'm facing it alone.