I half laughed, though it came out a somewhat strangled sound. “After London, he’ll damn well suspect.”
“When it comes to Elysian and the gates, yes, but he has no clue just how much power you personally wield.”
That was also doubtful, given the lightning I’d flung at him on the bridge. But there was little point in saying anything when we’d find out soon enough.
Luc tilted my face, kissed me so deeply that my heart ached, and then stepped back. His eyes were vivid pools of caring and worry. “I’ll send a text when I’m near the first of the outer ring’s hot spots. We’ll hit them at the same time, and hopefully without an alarm being raised.”
I nodded even as I suspected neither hope nor luck would play in our favor this afternoon.
He hesitated, his expression briefly conflicted, as if he wanted to add or do something, then he simply stepped around me and strode purposely out the door. The light immediately wrapped around his body and stole him from sight, leaving me feeling more alone and uncertain than I had in ages.
I sucked in a breath, mentally told myself to get a grip, then glanced down at the crown. There was no life in it at the moment, no power, but maybe there wouldn’t be until I gripped Elysian. I hooked it onto my belt and then tugged the ring off the chain and slipped it onto my finger. Despite it looking far too big, it fit like a glove.
An old mage’s magic, I thought. Or maybe even an old goddess’s.
I took a deep breath and then made my way out of the barn and down to the road. The hedgerow was tall enough that I could barely see the farmhouse’s red-tiled roof, which at least meant that if someone had been watching the road, they weren’t likely to spot me. Not from this distance, anyway.
I began the long trek back to the farm, keeping to the middle of the road simply because it was easier on my bare feet. Thankfully, there was no traffic and it was mostly downhill. Once I was close to the old farm, I drew Nex and gripped her tightly. Her blade remained quiet, which at least meant none of the half-bloods were lying in wait near the gate. It didn’t mean there couldn’t be humans or even a magical trap of some kind there, of course. Tris wouldn’t have been the only full-blood witch working for my brother.
The hedgerow gave way to a neatly trimmed lime-yellow conifer hedge that led up to an old wooden gate and then lined one side of the driveway that swept around to the right. There was nothing parked in the graveled parking area and no indication the house was occupied. Nor was there any smoke coming from either of the two chimneys on the main section of the house. Although the day had warmed a fraction, it certainly wasn’t the sort of weather in which you could forgo a fire.
I studied the open gateway for several seconds but couldn’t see any evidence of a trap, be it magical or physical. I should be immune to the former, of course, but I didn’t dare take any chances. I moved on cautiously, keeping to the grassed area between the driveway and the well-trimmed hedge to protect my feet. The farmyard was still—the only sign of movement was the line of cows slowly walking toward a stone barn in the field beyond the parking area. But they, like the area in general, were silent.
But it was a silence that held an edge of expectation.
I tightened my grip on Nex’s hilt, and she pulsed in response. Ready for action, even if I wasn’t.
The conifer hedge came to an end. I stopped, pressed back into the foliage, and studied the old farmhouse warily. It was T-shaped, with the middle section double-story and the rest single. There were no windows on the end closest to me, but the tail of the T was obviously an older barn that had been annexed onto the farmhouse and then restored. A long line of full-height windows ran the length of the building on the side facing me, which meant the minute I went anywhere near that section, I’d be seen. Presuming, of course, I hadn’t already.
The map had said there were two rings, but the whispers of the air suggested the inner ring was really three distinct clusters of men.
My phone vibrated against my thigh and made me jump. I quickly dug it out of my pocket and saw a message from Luc. It simply said, ready when you are.
My gut churned, and I swallowed heavily, though it did little to ease the sudden dryness in my throat. I sent back, Meet you at the front door, then shoved the phone away and squatted on my haunches. The earth pulsed under my splayed fingertips, whispering of the weights that pressed so heavily against her. There was one group behind the barn, a second out of sight at the back of the house, and the third … Shock froze my breath in the back of my throat.
The third was barely ten feet away, on the other side of the hedge.
I silently swore and plunged Nex into the ground. Lightning rolled through me, through her, and then into the ground, shooting out with deadly force to the five men who silently approached. They stood no chance. The lightning arced from the ground, becoming a deadly web of energy that spun around their bodies, incinerating them in an instant. But their ashes never touched the ground. The wind grabbed them, examined them.
That wind wasn’t natural, and it certainly wasn’t mine.
Max knew I was here.
The air picked up strength and volume, whipping around me, tearing at my clothes and hair.
There was little point in being subtle now.
I raised a hand, gripped the turbulent air, and flipped it around, creating a wide whirlpool of wind, dirt and debris that roared around me, not only battering away Max’s attack, but also tearing apart the gorgeous old hedge.
I didn’t wait to see my brother’s response—though I could feel it in the air, in the sudden drop of temperature and the thick gathering of clouds overhead. I ripped Nex from the ground and ran, as hard as I could, toward the house.
Men came at me from behind the old barn. I raised Nex, called to the lightning, and flung it at them.
It was bounced away before it got anywhere near them.
Horror surged. Max had found a way to counter my lightning.
I swore, drew Elysian, and ran straight at the five men. I had no idea whether or not they could see me, but they could certainly see the whirlpool of debris that surrounded me. Two slid to a stop while the other three jumped left and right, as if to attack me from either the side or from behind. I flung wind their way, smashing one into the barn wall and tossing the other two high into the air and deep into the field. As my gaze returned to the remaining two men, I saw the guns. I swore, flicked a finger of wind at them, and snatched the weapons from their grasps. As one, they turned and ran.
I couldn’t afford to let them escape, if only because they might come back with heavily armed reinforcements.
I snared them with the wind and drew them back into the whirlpool. Then, with a quick flick of the sword, I killed them, slicing their bodies open from neck to toe. As their screams abruptly died and their blood colored the whirlpool, I became aware of the sudden sharpening of electricity and the thick, almost metallic scent in the air.
I swore, let the wind drop, and dove into the barn.
Not a moment too soon.
A bolt of lightning as thick as my arm hit the ground where I’d been standing only seconds before and fused the dirt into glassy black rock.
Maybe Max had decided killing me might be the easier option.
I scrambled upright and, as thunder rumbled ominously overhead, thrust Elysian into the ground, pressed Nex against her hilt, and once again used the earth’s awareness of those who walked with darkness to direct the lightning into the ground.