Page 49 of White Charms and Dark Secrets

It's a last resort, and I'm not thrilled by the idea of upsetting Kier by doing it, but I'm not trained for this. I'm under no illusions that I would be able to save the day myself, but I can't let them go into this without anyone watching their backs. If they failed, I'd call for actual help, no matter the consequences. I can't let any of them get hurt.

I feel a shudder run down my back, and decide that repeating my rushed and thrown together plan over and over in my head isn't going to help. I have to go in there and actually do it. Thinking about it isn't going to have someone watching their backs.

After ensuring my phone is easily reachable, but discreet, by tucking it into the back of my jeans, I move closer to the building where the guys should be inside by now. The last I looked using the connection between me and Elias, they were just about to enter the building through a quiet-looking side entrance. I make my way around, following the path I'd watched them use to approach the door. While taking care to step around the remains of a shattered glass bottle, I creep closer slowly until I get to it.

The graffiti-covered door has been left just slightly ajar, so I lean forward to peek through the crack, looking for any signs of Elias and his men or the guys. With nothing in sight but mouldy walls and spray paint, I pull open the door, licking my lips nervously as I enter the building. Tasting a weird staleness in the air as I breathe in, I grimace before I leaving the door as I found it.

I glance in both directions again, trying to remember which way they were planning to go. Sure they went right, I turn left, quietly moving through the hallway like a ghost. A panicked, paranoid ghost.

When I reach the stairs leading up and hear my own soft footsteps creeping up them, I realise just how quiet this place is. No sound gives away the chaos that is lying waiting within the walls of this place. It’s disturbingly eerie, and I can’t help but wonder why Elias has gone from countryside manor, to grungy abandoned warehouse so quickly.

Why would he be in a place like this?

A large door is dead ahead of me at the top of the stairs. It’s a fire door by the peeling labels placed on it, rotting and covered in graffiti tags and stains. There’s a small window about head height at the centre of the door, but the glass is blurred, making it next to impossible to see anything or anyone through it. I lean forward and squint anyway, attempting to make sense of the blurs.

Unable to decipher what they are, I instead opt to just watch them for a moment, to see if any of the blurs move. When I’m sure nothing is dancing around inside, I push open the door, holding my breath as it inches open. When nobody shouts or comes rushing at the door, I exhale, creeping around it and into the room.

The room is small, but a large window covers one side of it. Instead of looking outside, the window looks over the main space in the warehouse. From a few pieces of discarded machinery I saw when using my connection with Elias, I assume it used to be factory or something.Whatever it was, this place hasn’t been in use for a long time.

I crouch as I walk in, keeping low so that if anyone were to look up this way, they wouldn’t spot me. When locating the warehouse I managed to pick out the perfect spot to quietly keep an eye on them. Somewhere out of the way, but close enough to see what’s going on. After waiting a few moments to ensure nobody noticed my arrival, I lean up, peeking out the window to see what’s going on.

Disbelief rushes through me as I process what is happening below me. Darren, Rhydian, and Kier all have their hands bound behind their backs and are kneeling on the ground. I swallow as my gaze flickers over each of them. Kier’s face shows his seething, but his body makes no movements to escape. He’s impossibly still. I quickly notice all of them are, and that it’s not just their hands which are bound.

Rhydian somehow still looks bored, although there is a flicker of annoyance working in there too. Darren is like a wild animal caged. His body may be held still, but his eyes are pacing, staring down at every other person in the room.

There are six men standing around the guys, and none of them look friendly. From here I can’t tell if they’re vampires, witches or hybrids, but I have a strong feeling that all of them bite. Elias stands apart from them all, a phone held to his ear. He’s speaking softly, as I can’t even hear a murmur from up here. He looks confident and composed as he stands just a few feet away from his own son held against his will.

Well shit. Looks like I’m going to have to piss off Kier after all.

I reach my hand back for my phone to call for help, but abruptly I’m thrust forward, crashing through brick and suddenly falling, dropping my phone in the process. I’m caught by a net of magic a few centimetres closer to the ground than is comfortable. The net tilts, rolling me safely onto the ground from its low height. I quickly stand, my eyes searching for Elias.

“Miss Harlow, how nice of you to finally join us,” Elias greets me with an empty smile.

“I didn’t know I was keeping you all waiting, next time I’ll call ahead and let you know I’m running late,” I snap, before biting my tongue between the teeth on the left side of my mouth.Shit. I have no magic, the guys are all tied up, and the perfect sarcastic comeback decides now is the time to make an appearance?I cringe internally while trying to stand strong. I may not have my magic, but surely Elias doesn’t know that?

He doesn’t laugh at my jab, but neither does he crush me like a bug, so I stand there awkwardly, feeling like the cat in Schrödinger’s box. Until I know what Elias wants, I’m alive and dead.

“I was surprised to see that you know my son, Kayla,” Elias begins, gesturing a hand at Kier casually, as if him being bound on his knees is nothing unusual. “I can call you Kayla, right?” he asks, but waves me off before I can actually respond. “I was also surprised to hear you weren’t called Hannah,” he continues as he steps towards me, pausing his speech as he comes to a halt. He stares down at me with calculating eyes, causing an overwhelming feeling of dread to pool in my stomach. “But do you know what I was most surprised to find out?” he finally asks, flashing his fangs a little as he grimaces at me.

I shake my head, suddenly feeling mute.

“That you, the witch who made a deal with the demon for her escape, are the witch he claimed to be searching for—One of them, anyway. I find it most interesting that he would bargain with me for information he already has. I don’t appreciate being someone’s pawn. Tell me, what is your master’s game?”

I choke, an odd noise somewhere between a laugh and gasp of disbelief as they’re trying to work their way out of my throat at once.

“What is it that you could possibly find amusing at this situation? Perhaps you’d find it less amusing if I slit one of your friend’s throats?” Elias threatens, draining any wisps of humour from the deadly situation.

“I’m sorry!” I exclaim quickly in panic, watching as Elias steps closer to Rhydian.

He pauses, turning back to face me, his expression demanding explanation.

“It was the ‘your master’ thing,” I explain, slowly moving my hands behind my back, attempting to keep the movement natural looking. “Solas isn’t my master. He doesn’t own my soul.”

“You may actually be stupid enough to think you have freedom, but if he’s letting you live when he’s not trapped behind a circle, then you you’ve already been caught by him.” Elias pauses, tapping his foot lightly on the ground as he appears to think on something for a moment. “I can’t quite be sure if you’re telling me the truth or not, Kayla. So I’m going to have to make sure.”

“What do you mean?” I ask, trying to stall him as I desperately try to tug the bracelet off behind my back. But no matter what I try, it doesn’t budge.

“Which one of these three do you care for the most, I wonder?” Elias muses, walking behind the three of them slowly, prowling almost. He pauses behind Kier, suddenly pulling a knife from nowhere and putting it to his throat. He holds it there for a second, staring into my eyes as I watch, feeling helpless to do anything to save him. As quickly as he drew the knife, he moves away from Kier, leaving him unharmed, for now. “No, I didn’t think it would be my son. He is always such a disappointment,” Elias declares, before moving back towards Rhydian.

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