Page 22 of Little Mate
I feel life all around me. Not just death.
There’s a strong undercurrent that reaches out to me, and my hands clench, eyes scanning the area, but I come up empty. She’s not wrong. Someone is here.
Isa stops in front of nature's gifts: a beautiful secular olive tree that’s grown leaning over, almost at a complete arch. The base is wider than any other in the area, strong, and holds caverns that could fit a person or two inside. Perfect for hiding.
“Inside?” I ask, but she doesn’t answer. Instead, she walks around while keeping her hand on the trunk, feeling around the reachable crevices. From top to bottom, she inspects every single one while we watch. It takes a while, her half-hazy eyes studying every finger-sized hole until one clicks. The hell?
The audible shift is heard by all, but more surprising is the opening of a panel to the right of where she stands. It’s within the tree, hard, and the entire structure changes to stone before our eyes, the original sculpture nothing but an illusion.
“Holy fuck,” one of the guards’ whispers just as Isabella steps inside after Augusto. The opening is narrow, enough for one person to walk through at a time, and as I step up to the entrance, I place my hand on the hard stone surrounding it.
It zaps me; the harsh shock has me near stumbling from the force. One guard reaches for me while another does as I did and receives the same electrical gift.
It pulses through me, my insides quaking a bit from the charge, and I study it closer. Whoever put up this enchantment either feared for their safety or was hiding something dangerous. What the hell is going on here?
“You still feel it?” I ask the man shaking out his hand, his sword now on the floor near his feet. “It’s like a sharp bite.”
“Yes, Princess.” He grimaces, his eyes searching for something along the bottom edge of the structure. They widen when he does, understanding settling in them. “It’s very painful, but magic that old is expected to be.”
“What do you mean? Have you seen—”
“Gabby! Come quick!” My sister’s scream cuts off any question I have. I’ll ask later. There’s a lot I still don’t know, a sorceress never stops learning, and something about this—the strength behind the ward—is calling to me. The feeling merges with the never-ending pulse that runs through my body—those alive and dead—I sense them all but was taught by my mother to ignore.
To not let myself be swept away by the endless cries or the thrums of heartbeats.
“No one in or out until you see us. Understood?” They both place a hand over their heart in acquiesce, shoulders pulled back as they take their place blocking the door.
“Gabriella, hurry!”
“Coming!” I rush down a second after, making sure to not touch anything. Immediately upon entering, I find a semi-lit staircase leading down, the area just as narrow as the entrance, the steps a little steep, but I follow the path while heading toward my sister's voice. She’s speaking to someone. Not angrily, but with concern, and once I reach the bottom landing, I understand why. “Gods above.” The sight in front of me is more than heartbreaking. Every cell in my body ignites in fury; the blood in my veins burns me where I stand as the women and small children huddle closer in fear.
There’s quite a few of them, all a little dirty and looking hungry, but alive and right now, that’s what I’ll focus on. Get them out. The voice in my head makes me pause, my eyes darting around, but I find no one looking directly at me.
It’s not Isa either.
“Gabby, we need to leave this place. They need help.”
“Whatever needs to be done. No question, sister.” A woman whimpers then, and my head snaps to the left but I find nothing. Nothing but a wall and an old oil sconce that’s burning bright, although the glass is empty of any flammable material. My feet move toward the door, and I take no more than three steps when a woman rushes out of the group and grips my arm.
Her hold is tight. Eyes look crazed. “If you touch that, we will all die.”
Placing my hand over hers, I relax my posture and keep my stare soft. “I’d never allow harm to come to those who are innocent. Please trust me.”
“He promised that if anyone touched—”
“Who?”
“Elder Salicio.” Thank God her eyes close then as she takes a breath, because every muscle in my body locks and eyes narrow. Not at her, but at that sick bastard who did this. How long have they been kept like this? How did my father not know?” “We’re kept here to perform for the coven. Our blood protects the grounds.”
“What did you just say?” Isa says from beside me then, which I’m thankful for because anything out of my mouth would scare them. Make this much worse for a group of people who’ve been through enough. “Did he use blood magic?”
“Yes.” Her eyes shift nervously toward the others still huddled—shaking—against the back wall. They're watching Augusto, the children crying at their legs, and he’s smart enough to stand against the opposite wall and out of the way. “That’s how he keeps everyone out of here. No one sees the truth, but his soul is black and his hunger for power is even more dangerous.”
“He’s dead.” The words slip past my lips. I haven’t seen the body as of yet, but I know it to be true. That’s what I felt earlier when I touched the wall. The magic here is without an owner, a direct source of sustenance, and is volatile. Angry. “You have nothing to fear…?” I trail off, not knowing her name.
“Canalia.” A sudden deep sigh escapes her, and the tense shoulders from a few seconds ago drop. “My name is Canalia.”
“Nice to meet you, Canalia. We’ll discuss the rest of this later as you’ll be traveling with us home, but for now, I need you to help me with something.”