Page 33 of Claim the Twilight
Cold foreboding washed over me. “Let’s go. Now.”
Ordell unlocked the van, then hurried to the driver’s side. Ezekiel yanked open the passenger side door and ushered me inside before climbing in after me.
My ass had barely hit the leather seat when a flash of bright light lit up the night. I threw up my arm to shield my eyes. Ordell let out a shocked bellow.
The light faded, leaving black spots in my vision, but nothing could blind me to the three huge beasts filling the road ahead.
Large and gray with wolven heads and reptilian tails, the cold ones ate up space, radiating menace.
Their icy gaze fell on the van, sweeping over us before their heads swung away in unison as if by silent command. They turned away from us and bounded off down the road.
“What are they doing?” Ezekiel whispered. “The main road is in the opposite direction.”
My pulse pounded in my throat as I drew on my mental map. Cold ones were working for Loviator, gathering supernatural souls. They could smell them, and there was only one place close by that was filled with supernaturals.
“No…” The whisper fell from my lips.
“Fuck!” Ordell stared at me, eyes wide, clearly coming to the same conclusion.
He twisted the key, and the engine roared to life. Betsy shot forward, and I slammed a palm against the dash to brace myself while clutching the box with the teapot in it to my chest.
“What is it?” Ezekiel demanded. “Where are they headed?”
“To Raffleton Street,” Ordell called over the hum of the engine.
“What the fuck is on Raffleton Street?”
“Tulpas.” We took a sharp left, and I fell against Ezekiel. “Raffleton is the home of all the tulpas.”
And what was more powerful than a creature created from collective imagination? The souls of those creatures would be a feast for Loviator. Micah was a fool. He could have brought his plan to fruition much faster by kidnapping all the tulpas.
I tucked the box under my seat for safety, fingers grazing the hilt of my sword. A weapon without blessed power was still a weapon, and it would have to do until the white wings got to the scene because surely they would sense this breach, right?
We swerved left, and I caught a flash of cold one ass before it cut right at the intersection onto Raffleton Street.
We were almost at the top of the road when the screams began.
Chapter 14
LORENZO
The clock above the hearth ticks softly, marking the passage of time—a reminder that Orina is still outside, in potential danger. The fact that she’s with Ezekiel and Ordell does nothing to calm the nervous flutter in my belly.
A sense of dread permeates the air, sinking into my bones. I can’t help but think that I should have gone with her. But we must all do our part, and my part is here in the castle library. For now.
Paper is scattered across the large table which, a while ago, held piles of books, and Holly sketches furiously, drawing on memory to create a mystical trap to hold the entity. A trap that once sprung will hold the intended target until the caster releases it. On paper, it looks sound, but we’ll need to etch a larger version somewhere close to the Brimswood Park wards and use the teapot to lure the entity. The object was the creature’s home for goodness knows how long, and the entity will be drawn to it, despite any resistance, and then…then we’ll spring the trap.
All that’s needed now is the teapot itself. How long has Orina been gone now? An hour and a half? Is that enough time?
Across the room, Padma pokes at the dying fire in the hearth while Merry flicks through a book, her eyes glazed.
I can sense their agitation, the need to get out and act. Or maybe I’m projecting.
The witch Jacqueline sits in an armchair, hands clasped in her lap, back ramrod straight, as if by being still she’ll blend in and make us forget that she’s here. As if her silence will excuse the fact that she aided our enemies and watched while Orina was…I draw a breath and will my pulse to calm.
Rage serves no purpose here. The witch could still prove useful.
Holly holds out the sketch for my inspection. “Good?”
