Chapter Ten
Saffie
“Commander Zachariah?”
He froze and stood up straight. I blinked and his body was covered in that golden armor once more. His gold eyes flicked toward the sound of the Knight’s voice behind me. All of the warmth and passion I’d seen in his face vanished. His face paled.
The Knights were behind me. I had to make my move now or I’d never get free. I turned to my right, toward the Knights, sidestepping so my back faced the tunnel wall. I pretended to be scared and cowered into the vines, but I pushed every ounce of my magic into my palm.
“Commander?”
I felt the tunnel split open and cold air rushed over my hand.
Riah snarled. “I warned you she was a fighter.”
OPEN. OPEN. OPEN.
The Knight flinched. “Where are the others?”
The tunnel wall disappeared under me and I fell straight back.
Air whooshed over my face and my stomach dropped to my toes. For a moment I was airborne, free falling into nothing…and then I crashed into something soft yet scratchy. Impact forced my breath from my lungs and the world spun. I coughed and rolled onto my stomach and just breathed. When my lungs were finally cooperating, I pushed myself up to my feet and froze.
Where the hell am I now?
Golden fields of wheat stretched out as far as my eyes could see in every direction. There was absolutely nothing around me. No buildings, no trees, no cars, no people…nothing. Just wheat the color of sunshine touched only by a clear blue sky.
I frowned and spun in a circle. There was absolutely no way of knowing which way to go. The sun sat high which meant it was the middle of the day and it wouldn’t tell me which way was north. I cursed and pushed my hair back, my fingers tangling in the still wet strands. Riah and the Knights had been right there in the tunnel. The last thing I wanted to do was go back in…but I didn’t even know what year I’d come out in.
Something moved in my peripheral vision. I jumped and spun toward it…but there was nothing there. Just wheat swaying in the — my eyes widened. My heart stopped.
There was no breeze.
The rest of the wheat field was standing still.
Except for those.
The wheat stalks stood at least three feet tall all around me so I was barely taller than them. I had a prime viewing point…and nothing else was moving. Not even the long strands of my hair. The air was perfectly still. I stared at the spot twenty feet away, waiting to see if they moved again or if I’d imagined it.
The wheat stalks swayed and swirled like there was something down on the ground.
My pulse quickened. It’s just a rabbit or something. Do not panic. I took a step back and a stalk cracked under my bare feet.
And then whatever it was moved toward me. The wheat stalks swayed in a straight line headed in my direction. A few feet over some of the stalks were pushed aside and another line formed. I cursed and glanced left and right, searching for something, but then movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention to my left…and then a few feet over from that…then to my right. I cursed and spun in a circle as the wheat field seemed to come to life all around me. Thick patches of wheat stalks were trampled and pushed aside as a dozen lines inched toward me. But I couldn’t see what it was.
They’re just rabbits…they’re just rabbits…they’re just rabbits.
I flicked my hands forward and sent my golden glittery magic out around me like blowing dust — and gasped as it hit patches of hot energy. Demons. I cursed and spun around. They had me circled. My stomach tightened into knots.
I threw my hands out to my sides and pushed with my magic, trying to summon spirits to help me, but blue light flashed from my palms and then fizzled out. Chills slithered down my spine. I cursed and flicked them again but it was even weaker. I hadn’t been initiated yet, my Coven magic wouldn’t be at full strength until I did, and I’d weaken quicker until then. I pushed my glittery magic out again and hisses echoed around me.
My wings fluttered to life behind me, but my strength was fading by the second. If I took off too soon I wouldn’t be able to fly long enough to get away. I was outnumbered. My magic was too new, and too tired. Warmth radiated around my wrist and up my arm. I glanced down and found the citrine bracelet Riah had given me glowing softly. There was a sword in that bracelet…my only weapon. My only hope for not dying in this wheat field. I had to trust Riah’s bracelet. It had worked for me before.
I squeezed the citrine stone tight in my palm. In the blink of an eye the golden body armor of the Seelie Knights covered both my arms and the top half of my chest. A golden sword formed in the palm of my hand, buzzing with energy. I gripped the hilt of the golden sword and braced myself. It’d been a long, long time since I’d faced a herd of demons on my own. They snarled and closed in on me.
And then a sand colored tail half as thick as my body shot up from within the wheat stalks. It was scaly and segmented and curved forward. At the very tip was a sharp needle-like stinger. My heart skipped beats. Sweat pooled in my palms and my stomach tightened into knots. I knew what these were…scorpion-demons. They were almost as deadly and fatal as spider-demons.
Two Coven members were killed by scorpion-demons in 1692 in Salem.
I remembered. I was there. I saw.
“Oh, shit.”
More scorpion-demon tails shot up over the stalks.
“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.”
I gripped my sword in both hands and held it out in front of me. My heart pounded in my chest. Something moved over my foot and I screamed. But then I glanced down and found green vines shooting up out of the ground with pink and yellow flowers on them. My gold glittery magic shot out of me in a cloud and the wheat stalks turned bright vivid green.
What is that? Why can I do that? I squealed and spun around, trying to watch all of the tails at once. But they were moving too fast. They’d be on me any second.
Wind ripped through the field and my hair whipped around me. I frowned and cocked my head to the side. The tips of my hair flashed bright white for just a moment, then turned back red. Something slammed into the ground, sending pulses of energy into my feet. A cloud of rainbow mist wrapped all around me and my pulse instantly slowed a notch.
I gasped and stood straight. “Tegan,” I whispered.
The demons screeched and then jumped straight up in the air. A dozen sand-colored scorpion-demons circled the sky above me and my stomach dropped to my toes. I wasn’t trained for this. My mouth went dry. I braced myself—
Rainbow magic burst into the air and slammed into the demons. They shrieked and hissed. They squirmed and thrashed but the hold was stronger. Tegan was stronger. The demons were pinned frozen in the air.
“TEGAN?” I screamed, relief rushing through me. I spun around with wide eyes and too much hope in my heart. “Tegan? Tegan, are you here?”
“I’m not there, Saffie, but I’m here.”
I gasped. “I hear you!”
It wasn’t out loud but inside my head. But I heard it nonetheless.
“Run, Saffie. I can’t hold it for long. I’m tracking you but you have to get back in the tunnel,” Tegan shouted, though her voice was strained and I knew she was growing weak.
Wait. “You’re tracking me?” I frowned and glanced around but then it hit me and I gasped. “Keltie’s jewelry!”