Taken by the Blood God (Devil Springs #4)

Chapter 16

Chapter

Sixteen

Talant

After another day of watching the building, I was convinced that there were no physical guards, only wards woven of magic and death. For some reason, the warlocks who were using my brother’s power to augment their own didn’t seem worried about someone encroaching on their territory.

Sure, the death magic they used to protect the stone structure was intimidating if you were a witch, but I didn’t think it was enough to deter everyone. Someone would try to get into the building. There had to be another protective measure in place. Something nasty enough to make even the strongest witches hesitate.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t feel it through the ward set on the outside edge of the property. There had to be more than one. I was sure of it, but I couldn’t feel them beyond the barrier of the outermost.

While I had no doubt that I could handle whatever ugly little trap was set up, Minerva might not. And I couldn’t free Davian without her.

I had no choice. I couldn’t let my brother die.

“We have no choice,” Minerva murmured to me as we sat among the trees and low brush. “We have to go in blind.”

“I know, but I don’t like it.”

“Neither do I.”

I glanced over at her. Her pale skin was usually luminescent and rosy, but the glow was lost today. There were dark circles beneath her eyes, and her long red hair was braided and wound into a tight bun. She looked drained.

“We should go back to the inn, eat, plan, and pack up our things,” I said. “And you need to rest for a few hours. I can keep watch.”

“I wouldn’t say no to a cheeseburger and a nap,” she sighed. “Do you still want to go in tonight?”

“Yes. Davian is weakening at a frightening pace. We must get him out today.”

Minerva’s tawny eyes were locked on the building in the middle of the field. It looked run-down. Innocuous. But she was staring at it with dread.

“I just wish I could see,” she whispered.

“See what?”

She shook her head. “Anything. Everything.” Shrugging her shoulders, she faced me. “I’ve been without visions before, but never with something like this hanging over my head. I know there’s danger this time, but I can’t see what it is. It’s maddening.”

I bit my tongue. Cassia’s gift of premonition also tended to vanish when she was suppressing her emotions. If she forced her feelings away, it affected her ability to use that part of her magic. I wondered what emotions Minerva might be fighting.

But I also knew that suggesting such a thing would invite her ire. It was not the time to bring up something that she wouldn’t want to face. Upsetting her emotions would make it more difficult for her to focus. I needed her calm and clear-headed before tonight.

I got to my feet. Though we hadn’t seen a soul since we began watching this place, I still set a shielding spell, just in case.

Minerva stared up at me when I held out my hand to her. I sighed and bent down further. “Take my hand, stubborn little witch. I know your legs are likely stiff.”

She echoed my sound of irritation and put her cool palm in mine. But I still saw the slight curve to the corner of her mouth. “Fine. You can help me up.”

I pulled her to her feet, and we began walking away from the edge of the ward around the building. Magic resonated, and I didn’t want to open a portal too close to the ward. It might alert the warlock coven of our presence.

“We’ll come back tonight,” I said. “We’ll keep watch until an hour or two before dawn, when people are sleeping deepest. Then, we’ll go in for him.”

“What if someone comes while we’re gone, and we don’t realize it?”

“I put a small bit of my magic in the ground for the entire perimeter of the ward. If anyone crosses it, I’ll know and portal back.”

She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye. “Won’t they feel your magic?”

I shook my head. “The power of the ward will hide it because it’s the barest sliver. It’s like one strand of the spider’s web. It’s so thin that it’s invisible unless you’re looking for it. Like the spider, if the prey even brushes against it, they can feel the vibration.”

“Interesting analogy,” Minerva muttered, walking beside me.

“How so?”

“You just compared yourself to a spider.”

I shrugged. “Spiders are interesting creatures. They let their prey come to them, but when they strike, it’s fast and fatal.”

She huffed out a laugh and shook her head. “The way your mind works is very strange, Tal. Very strange indeed.”

Her words were vaguely insulting, but I barely noticed because she’d used that nickname again. The one her niece had given me. I liked that she was becoming more relaxed with me.

Satisfied we were far enough from the ward, I opened a portal back into our room at the inn.

“After you,” I said, gesturing for Minerva to enter before I did.

As I followed her through, a frigid finger slid down my spine. I looked over my shoulder at the sensation, but there was nothing behind us. I probed the trees with my magic, looking for signs of another person or warlock. There was no sign of a single living thing. Not even a bird.

Keeping my eyes on the stand of trees, I closed the portal from the other side, watching the shadows beneath the limbs for any indication someone was hiding.

Even with my enhanced eyesight, I saw nothing.

Yet the chill didn’t release me until the portal was completely closed.