Page 32 of Kiss the Dawn
“Things have changed a mite since your last visit,” Ian said.
“Hardly surprising. Is the door still in the house?”
“Nah, moved it a while back after a storm took me roof off. You got the papers? Got to do the protocol.”
Lorenzo handed him the documents, and he gave them a perfunctory glance before handing them back. “Waiting on two more before we head down.” He glanced at his watch. “Though they’re cutting it fine. Seven minutes to door opening, and it won’t stay openlong.” He glanced past us, eyes narrowing. “Ah, there they are. At least I hope it’s them.”
Curi and Levi ambled toward us.
“I fucking knew it!” Curi said.
“Papers?” Ian asked.
Levi pulled a document from his bag and handed it to Ian, who scanned it and handed it back.
“This way.” He closed the gate behind him and led us around the fence to the side of the house, then around back to an outbuilding.
Was he seriously saying the doorway to the Isle was inside there?
He opened the door to reveal a pristine toilet and pressed his hand to a spot above the cistern. The wall lit up then slid back to reveal a set of steps.
“Follow me.”
Lorenzo indicated I go first, following close behind, while the gargoyles made up the rear. We descended into gloom where there was just enough light to make out the steps so I didn’t miss one and smack into Ian.
We ended in a small room where another wall panel admitted us into a circular chamber. One wall was covered in arcane symbols, and the floor had a circle with more arcane symbols drawn on it.
Once again, Ian looked at his watch. “Any second now…” The air crackled, and the circle filled with amber light. “There you go,” he said. “Hop in. Hurry up.”
I allowed Lorenzo to take my hand, and we steppedinto the light. The gargoyles joined us, squishing in so we could all fit.
“Now what?” Curi asked.
“You never been through a portal before?” Ian said.
“Plenty of times, but they usually activate straight away and?—”
The lights went out.
Chapter 12
The smell hit me first, sweet and sharp, waking every lazy synapse in my brain. I sucked in a sharp breath but exhaled just as quickly.
“Relax,” Lorenzo soothed. “Just breathe slow and even.”
His hand on the small of my back grounded me, allowing me to center myself while dots bounced about in my vision. I did as he instructed, and the sting in the air abated.
“You all right?” He studied me, concerned.
His eyes were brighter, the silver ring around his irises sharper, and his bergamot scent was more compelling to me. I swayed toward him but caught myself.
“I’m good.”
He nodded, taking my word for it, but kept his hand on my back to steady me anyway.
We were in a bare room with white marble floors, a high ceiling criss-crossed with beams and lit by wall lights. But there were no windows. There was a door, thank goodness, because otherwise my claustrophobia might have kicked in. It was one of those wooden iron-reinforced affairs, made even more ominous by the sentries standing on either side of it.
Armed sentries, with hands on the hilts of their swords. Their pale faces impassive above their black roll-neck tops. Their eyes hard and watchful.
