Page 23 of Sweetwater and the Witch

She frowned at the large, impressive lock. “Do you think so?”

“Trust me, you need a new one.”

“Okay. I’ll put it on my to-do list.”

She stopped. So did Ethan.

“Amber check,” Ethan said, automatically.

She didn’t need the advice but she did not complain about it. Like everyone else who entered the largely uncharted maze, she never steppedfoot inside the tunnels without making certain she had good, well-tuned amber. It was the only reliable way to navigate in the Underworld. To go into the tunnels without nav amber was a suicide walk. The local legends maintained that in the early days of Illusion Town, casino owners and mobsters had used the Underworld to dispose of rivals, enemies, and people who dared to cheat at the gaming tables.

She pulled open the vault door, revealing the glowing green fissure in the tunnel wall. A wave of energy wafted out. Excited, Harriet fluttered ahead into the radiant corridor on the other side. Every inch of the vast network of corridors and chambers was illuminated by the paranormal energy in the quartz the Aliens had used to construct the Underworld. As the saying went, the Aliens had vanished but they had left the lights on.

The luminous quartz had proven impervious to any tool or weapon the descendants of the colonists had thrown at it. But at some point in the distant past, great forces—perhaps the movement of tectonic plates, volcanic action, or a meteor strike—had succeeded in creating cracks, fissures, and ruptures in the otherwise indestructible stone.

Ravenna closed her eyes for a moment as the impact of what had just happened hit her.

“I almost killed one of the most powerful casino owners in town tonight,” she said.

“You’re looking at this from the wrong angle.” Ethan shifted his burden and moved past her, maneuvering Willis through the human-sized opening. “It’s the reverse. He almost killed you.”

“Yes, I know, but who do you think the cops will believe, assuming he recovers his memories of tonight and decides to press charges? Willis is a big man in this town.”

“Not necessarily for long,” Ethan said.

He sounded dangerously optimistic. Almost cheerful. Very un-Ethan-like.

She followed him through the opening. “What does that mean?”

“We’ve got a couple of options,” Ethan said. “Option one, we go old-school. Dump Willis down here and strip off his nav amber. Presto, the Willis problem goes away.”

“You can’t be serious.” Shocked, she stopped in the middle of the corridor. “He’ll never find his way back to the surface if you take his amber. Odds are he’ll wander around here until he dies or goes mad, whichever comes first.”

“Exactly,” Ethan said. “Slick, right?”

He was several steps ahead of her now, striding briskly along the corridor. Harriet dashed alongside him, enthusiastic about the project.

“Wait.” Ravenna hurried after them. “You don’t mean that. We can’t murder him. Not in cold blood.”

“Nothing cold-blooded about it. Think of it as self-defense. Stalkers don’t stop, Ravenna. As long as he’s alive, he’s a threat.”

“Ethan, stop right now. I mean it.”

“I had a feeling you were going to say that.” Ethan came to a halt, then turned and looked at her. His predator eyes burned. “You know, for a fire witch you’re not nearly as bloodthirsty as the legends would have one believe.”

“I’m not a witch, damn it.” She tightened her hands into small fists. “There are no witches, just certain talents that have been poorly understood over the centuries.”

“Whatever.”

Release,she thought. She took a breath and blew it out. She unfolded her hands.

“Release,” she whispered.

“What?” Ethan asked.

“Never mind. There must be something else we can do to control Willis. You said there were a couple of options.”

“Right. Option two won’t be nearly as satisfying as option one, but ifyou’re going to spend the rest of the evening nagging me about sending Willis into the Underworld minus his amber, I guess we’ll go with the fallback.”

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