Chapter 635: Jail Break
Varity's mind felt startled when I reached for her, but she quickly sobered when I told her what I needed.
I'll meet you at the chapel, she sent. You're coming alone, I take it?
I couldn't bring Gram. No way was I involving her in the jailbreak when it could mean more trouble for our family later. Just Charlotte and I, I sent.
She had robes in her arms when we arrived, offered me mine without comment, but hugged me when I'd finished draping myself.
"She's so proud of you." Varity's eyes glistened with tears, lower lip trembling a little. "You're Ethie's granddaughter all right." Lips curving into a ferocious grin, she tore open the veil to the stronghold, the pull of her Enforcer magic skimming around the edges. "Just promise me you'll let me in on the action when you strip this wretched girl dry."
Oh, did I forget to tell her I planned to break Ameline out? That I'd lied to her, explaining I just needed to "see" the prisoner, wink wink, nudge nudge?
I was going to hell and never, ever getting out.
Yes, it sucked lying to Gram's friend, lying to Gram, too, for that matter. But I had to protect them both if I could and there was no way she'd let me just mosey on out of the Enforcer plane with Witches Most Wanted in my company.
I used to suck at lying. Probably should have bothered me I was clearly getting better at it.
Worries for another time.
Varity's power felt different from Gram's, though it had the same Enforcer weight. I followed her as I had my grandmother, Charlotte again taking up the last position, my head down and tension mounting. This time I wasn't just going for information. Part of me couldn't believe I was actually here, in the stronghold, on my way to betray witches everywhere. The Council. My mother.
My principles.
What good was any of that, if the world ended because I didn't act?
Way to excuse questionable behavior, Hayle. Just keep telling yourself you don't have a choice.
Sigh.
The climb up the tower stairs burned as much this time as it did the last, though my steady workouts with Sage added to my endurance so I wasn't a total loss by the time Varity paused outside the door. I waited for her to lead the way and entered the circular hallway, reaching the same stretch of corridor we had last time. She thralled the watching Enforcers without a moment's hesitation and I wondered if she and Gram had done something like this before.
Wouldn't surprise me at all.
"I'll be right back." I paused and hugged her quickly, my heart pounding for what I was about to do.
More accurately, for what Charlotte was about to do. As I pulled away, my wereguard lashed out with one fist, taking the old Enforcer in the temple. I almost cried out, not expecting the blow, watching as Varity's eyes rolled up in her head and she tumbled to the ground without a sound. I spun, staring at the Enforcer guards she'd thralled, terrified they'd wake and see us only to catch their slow-motion collapse. Varity's power must have taken them out when she was knocked unconscious.
Lucky. Damned freaking lucky. I turned to snarl at Charlotte who stared grimly back.
"We don't have time," she said. "Get her and let's go."
Damn it. How were we going to escape without Varity?
I turned, a long and furious lecture for Charlotte in the works while I stomped to the door, only to have my vampire whisper as I reached for the handle of the cell entry.
You can open the way, she sent. You are maji.
Um. Oh. Yeah.
Duh, Syd.
I jerked the door wide to find Ameline standing, hands folded before her. Smiling. Waiting for me.
"Finally," she said, striding forward, brushing past me, going right to Varity. "I thought you'd never get here." I stared at her, body shaking with anxiety as she rudely stripped the old Enforcer of her robe and donned it over her thin, white robe, dark hair swept under the black hood. Ice blue eyes met mine, bow mouth forming a little smile.
So. Much. Hate. I wanted to kill Ameline myself, tear her apart with my bare hands. Not follow her as she turned and strode off, Charlotte growling under her breath. What the hell was I thinking? I should be pinning her ass to the ground and cutting off her power, not trailing after her down the circle of stairs to ground level, staring at the floor as we hurried back the way we came. How Ameline knew where to go I had no idea, but she led and I followed, my chest knocking heavily with the pounding of my heart and breath catching in little hitching gasps as I fought the urge to throttle her.
We made it to the exit passage without incident, Ameline tossing back her hood as she turned to me and gestured at the stone wall.
"If you would." Like I was her servant. I pushed past her, harsher than necessary, reaching for the veil between the Enforcer plane and mine.
For a moment, I couldn't find it and I actually felt better. Okay then, this wasn't going to work. Back to Ameline's cell it was and I'd somehow explain things to Varity. But just as I was about to quit, happily, relieved even, I felt the connection to home wake and the veil opened before me.
Ameline tried to march past me, but I held her back with one hand. One shaking hand. "If you screw with me, I will kill you."
She still had that damned smile on her face. "We have a common goal," she said, the "for now" unspoken, hanging between us. "And we both have a job to do. If you want the Sidhe to survive, I suggest we get to it."
How the bloody hell did she know about the Sidhe? Didn't matter now. Not while we stepped over the line, into my plane, onto the grass outside the chapel in Harvard Yard.
Up until this point, I'd broken laws, yes. But this, passing into my world with Ameline beside me, this was so real I almost choked on it.
A firm grip on her arm stopped her before she made it very far.
"We have our orders," I snarled. "And I'm following them to the letter."
She jerked herself free, lips curling before she shrugged. "I'm eager to see this maji chamber of yours," she said with a satisfied smirk. Like she knew I was in the dark, had no idea where her information came from.
Hated her even more for it.
The veil protested her presence, Ahbi's spirit fighting me as I tried to ride to the vampire mansion. Not like I blamed her. Ameline murdered her, left her bleeding on the floor for me to find, tricked my grandmother into thinking she was me. But I'd done what I'd done and I couldn't let her stop me out of some sense of vengeance she ultimately couldn't do anything about.
I finally had to cut my grandmother off, separating my demon from Ahbi's spirit touch before she sulkily gave in and let us go.
Ameline stepped out of the veil like Ahbi hadn't almost eaten her whole and never released her again, icy gaze locked on the mansion. At least it was daylight still. I wouldn't have Celeste to worry about. But if Stewart gave me a hard time, I didn't think I had it in me to hurt him.
One glance at Charlotte told me I wouldn't have to. She'd do my dirty work for me as often as she could. And while I hated the thought of her being a bully, she did come in rather handy, at that.
"Why did you drop us here?" Ameline's condescension was going to grow very old, very fast.
"Because," I said through clenched teeth as I stormed past her, "this is as far as we can go on the veil. What's the matter, Ameline? Forgot how to walk?"
I didn't bother to turn around and see if she frowned in reply, leaving it up to Charlotte to herd the other witch toward the mansion. My power kept a careful watch on her, though. No way was I letting her dodge off when I really did need her.
Damn it.
And no way was I telling her I tried to take us directly below. Or that despite my vampire's presence, the blood clan's wards rejected me. That her presence upset my demon grandmother's spirit so much I couldn't focus my maji power. Because if I did, I probably would have ended up screaming at her for about an hour and we were running low on time. And daylight.
I didn't bother to knock. Stewart or no Stewart, I had to reach the chamber and being all nice about things when nice had gone out the window wasn't going to cut it. He emerged from a side door at a run while the echoing boom of the door crashing open still reverberated through the giant foyer, skidding to a halt on the polished stone floor as I stomped my way past him. Stewart's face flickered between relief and fear as he followed me, keeping pace.
"You have an hour at the best," he said in a low voice, as though the vampires could hear him. "When she rises, I'll have no choice."
"Did she order you to keep me out?" I spun toward the door at the end of the hall, slammed it open on my way to the secret passage below.
"She did," he said, jaw clenched and face flushed. "But you are always welcome here."
I turned to Stewart, felt his pain. Not as powerful as the agony I experienced, but pretty weighty for a normal. "I'm sorry," I said, really meaning it. "I didn't want you to be hurt."
"My true master lies locked in his coffin," he said, voice gruff. "The very least I can endure is a little pain if it means his freedom." Hope crossed his face. "Please, tell me you will free my lord?"
I so did not have time for this. "I promise," I said, as Charlotte tapped the stones on the wall, Ameline watching with her judging blue eyes, "when this mess is handled, I'll come for Sebastian."
Stewart's grimace held thanks. "I knew you would," he said. "Now hurry and do what you must."
I left him there, an old worry now fresh on my mind, as stone ground together. One hand firmly gripping Ameline's Enforcer robe, I descended the stairs appearing beneath me, dragging Ameline behind me.
***
