Page 76 of Witch Unbound
He pulled the key from his pocket and then looked unsure. “What do I do? I mean, there’s usually a lock to slot it into or a pillar to press it against.”
“Try the knoll,” Bramble suggested.
“Good call.” Lauris strode over to the hill as Rune climbed back down. “Here goes nothing.” He pressed the key to the earth and held it there. “I feel kinda stupid.”
Nothing happened.
“Yep, stupid.” His shoulders slumped and he was about to pull away when a glowing crack opened in the hill. “Shit, it worked.” He pulled the key back and the rift remained.
“What now?” Bramble asked.
I adjusted Wren on my hip. “We get our friends out of the tower and we use this rift to get home. We can’t risk opening one in the tower. We don’t want the darklings to have an easy way into our world.”
“Minerva said the rift wouldn’t stay open indefinitely,” Rune reminded us. “We need to work fast and we need a plan.”
This was why I’d been sent, because my power worked here in ways the witches’ power didn’t. I hadn’t been able to burn the branches with it, and I may not have been able to jump while the world warped, but maybe I could jump now. I focused on Bramble and made the jump to her side.
“Fecking hell, woman!” She glared at me. “Why’d ya do that?”
I grinned at her in relief. “Testing. Need to make sure I can jump if needed.”
“The forest must have been interfering with your power,” Lauris said.
It seemed that way. “Okay, so the plan is that Rune and I will go in and get a lay of the land. If I go in light, I can transport more people out if need be.”
“What do you want us to do?” Lauris asked. “Just wait here?”
“I need you to guard the rift.”
His lips thinned in displeasure, but he nodded. “Fine.”
“Wren come with Cora,” Wren said.
I nodded. “Yeah, buddy, if shit goes wrong, I could do with some monster Wren help.”
I held my hand out to Rune but focused on the tower, on finding a spot that was safe and secure. The pressure of his fingers registered as they grasped mine, and then I made the jump, hoping to the powers that be that I landed somewhere safe.
Chapter Eighteen
The smell hit me first. Dank and musty with an acrid undertone that hit the back of my throat. I swallowed a cough and pressed myself into the shadows we’d materialized in. With no idea what floor we were on, or even what direction we were facing, we were at a distinct disadvantage, trapped in a deep alcove built into the stone wall.
A corridor ran by us, and a thick tapestry of yellow and maroon patterns hung from the wall.
No clues here. We’d have to step out of our hiding place to explore.
Rune squeezed my hand once before releasing me. His bright hazel eyes gleamed in the gloom as he nodded and then made to lean out.
I caught the sound of footsteps and yanked him back. He gave me a puzzled look.
Someone’s coming, I mouthed.
The footsteps were super loud now, so loud they had to be right by us, but no one appeared, and then the sound just…died.
Rune frowned. “There’s no one coming,” he whispered.
What the fuck. I’d heard someone.
Rune leaned into the corridor to scope it out before fully stepping out of the alcove and ushering me to follow.
