Antebellum Awakening (22 page)

Right or left?

I didn’t let myself debate long. It would be better to keep moving until I could figure out where the spell put me. I headed to the right, hoping it led outside. My bare feet didn’t make a sound as I padded down the halls at a wary jog. My powers were on alert, but still, my ears picked up nothing except the exaggerated screaming from outside.

The wall eventually gave way to a dead end, with a square window that reached my waist. I ran to it to find a familiar sight: the market I’d seen above Miss Mabel’s chambers. My eyes locked in on her balcony. I was a floor above and just to the right of her personal quarters. But the balcony was too small for me to transport to with my imprecise skill.

This is going to hurt,
I thought, surveying my option. There was a subtle slope to the wall, and I thought I could climb down; the side was uneven, with rocks sticking out and divots pressing in. My eyes flittered over the ground six stories away. I’d have to be very careful.

Don’t think. Just do it.

The scuffling of two witches walking in unison helped me find the motivation to climb over the window.
West Guards.
On patrol, no doubt. I did one more quick assessment of where I would put my feet, lifted my legs over the window, and slowly lowered myself onto the first bump.

The red rock was firm to stand on, but loose dirt shuffled beneath my feet as I moved to a divot in the wall. I moved as far to the left as I could go before encountering a wall that jutted out. From here, Miss Mabel’s balcony was a straight shot down. The two approaching West Guards stopped at the window and peered out. I pressed myself against the gritty wall and willed my heart to quiet. If I didn’t move, they wouldn’t be able to see me.

“Pity,” one of them said, drawing out the
i
so it sounded like
peety
. Their accent was strangely soft and lilting compared to the hoarse, rough dialect of Chatham City. “Almack was a good leader.”

“He was sick for so long. It’s good to die when you’re not strong anymore,” the other said.

My eyes widened. No wonder the Western Network was mourning. The whole world would soon join their wail, I imagined, when we all went to war.

The divot my right foot stood in started to lose integrity, and my body slid down the rock. I held my breath and tightened my grip on the two pieces of jutting rock my hands clung to. A little stream of dust dribbled down the wall, and a West Guard looked my direction with a sharp glance. I held my breath, thankful I’d had the wits to make myself invisible. All the work with Merrick had strengthened me, but I wouldn’t last forever.

“Let’s go,” the other said, softening the
t
so it sounded more like a breath. “We have work to do.”

The first Guard narrowed his eyes, still scrutinizing the spot where I grasped the wall

“Yes,” he whispered. “Much work.”

They disappeared and I let out a breath of relief, just as the rock supporting my right foot and almost all my body weight gave way. I stifled a scream as I started sliding down the rock face, grappling for a new hold with my fingertips.

I skidded along the wall so fast it was little more than a blur. One second I was falling along the wall, plummeting toward the balcony floor, and then a flash of darkness, a moment of pressure, and I stood in the middle of Miss Mabel’s quarters.

I gasped. I’d transported right into her lair without knowing if she was here or not.

I froze, waiting for her condemning voice or for a maid to scream, but nothing happened. Feeling almost sick, I darted to the nook of bookshelves on the left and slipped behind the last shelf, tucking myself into a little corner. My gaze swept the room as I waited, but I saw and heard no one. My wild heart eventually began to slow. That brush with death had been a little too close. I whispered the invisibility incantation again; it hadn’t carried through the transportation.

Focus. Don’t lose your concentration now.

I reviewed my plan, listening for any suspicious noises.

Listen in. Find the book. Tear out the binding. Immediately transport back to Letum Wood.

A sultry breeze flapped Miss Mabel’s sheer curtains into the room. The sun was sinking low in the western sky, lighting the sand on fire. I drew in a deep breath.
Sandalwood. Cumin.
The smells reminded me of Miss Scarlett’s classroom. I turned my focus to listening to the sands around me. Nothing to hear but the mournful singing and pulsing drums.

A set of bookshelves stood across from me. I took a deep breath and padded closer, skimming all the titles.
Almorran Traditions. Dark Magic from the Depths. Monsters of Antebellum.

The
Book of Contracts
was not with the rest of her gruesome library.
Of course,
I thought, canvassing the room again.
She probably sleeps with it.

My eyes fell on a small alcove off the main room where a massive bed stood in between the fluttering curtains.

There,
I thought.
She’ll keep her Book of Contracts there.

A low murmur of voices came from somewhere near the hall. I froze, but they were still too far off to make out the words, which meant I still had a few moments of stolen time before I’d have to leave for good.

Once I made it into the bedroom, I paused in the doorway, taking it in. Rolled black pillows littered the sprawling bed. Tawny drapes that contrasted with the red rock walls danced in the air. A gilded mirror with elaborate carvings flared out like arms of the sun. The elegant simplicity was so Miss Mabel that it unnerved me. Her personal chambers felt oppressive and made me nervous, like crouching in a cave I couldn’t stand up in. I shifted my shoulders, as if that would shake it off, but it remained.

The voices in the hall were closing in. My eyes fell on another bookshelf, filled with scrolls of various sizes, a jar of white ink, a vial of veritas, and three extravagant peacock quills. No
Book of Contracts
.

I paused to listen again. The low drone of voices that had been far away sounded suspiciously close. Two females. I could barely make out their words now.

“A simple task . . . Many places to search . . . Can’t you handle it, Mabel?”

My heart fluttered. Miss Mabel was on her way back. They were still a few moments away if my guess was correct, so I threw myself into searching every nook and cranny of the room. I’d transport at the last possible second. The spell was ready on my tongue. The
Book of Contracts
wasn’t under her bed, or in the far cupboards. It didn’t hide behind the other books.

No!
I thought desperately, shoving aside a few dresses.
It has to be here!

The two voices turned into Miss Mabel’s main room. My heart pounded. Wasted! All of this would be wasted if I didn’t find it.

“I know I’m right, Mabel darling,” said an unknown voice with the light accent of a woman. Slightly condescending in tone, and punctuated with a crisp dialect I didn’t recognize. “I’m always right. Surely after all these years you’ve learned that.”

“I’m looking for it,” Miss Mabel hissed. “Why don’t you try for awhile?”

“I shouldn’t have to do it if you were competent. Honestly, how difficult can it be to find a book? We can’t afford a longer delay, not with the Central Network fighting back and Derek still in as Head of Protectors. Two simple tasks, Mabel. Find the book and get rid of Derek. That’s all I asked of you. Looks like I’ll have to do it myself.”

Now,
I thought.
I should transport now.

But I didn’t, because they were talking about my father, my Network, my world.

“I have it under control.”

“Is that why you have a little stranger rifling through your bedroom?” the new voice asked in a little purr, setting my powers on fire. A feeling of fear pinched my heart, like someone had pulled a string through it.

“She’s nothing I haven’t handled in the past,” Miss Mabel said tersely. “I’ll take care of things here. Leave, and don’t rush back."

“I’ll leave you to it, darling,” the voice said. “She’s obviously quite brave for someone so young. Perhaps we should try to recruit her. She might do a better job than you have.”

“I told you to leave.”

The whisper of someone transporting away was the only reply.

A surge of fear welled up within me as I whispered the transportation spell. But the welcoming blackness didn’t come. Panicked, I tried again and again, but it felt like my magic was hitting a wall. Nothing happened. Miss Mabel must have a protective shield on her room that allowed witches to transport in, but not back out. A veritable trap that explained the oppressive feeling I’d had.

“Come out, come out, Bianca darling,” Miss Mabel called, her voice closing in. “Or I can come find you.”

This was it. I wasn’t getting out. I tightened my jaw, drew in a deep breath, and yanked an unlit torch from the wall. If I couldn’t get away, I certainly wouldn’t cower. The sound of Miss Mabel’s hem sliding over the floor rustled into the room. I released the invisibility incantation and gripped the torch in my hands, holding it like a club.

“Miss Mabel,” I said, dipping my head in greeting.

She stopped at the foot of her bed, her eyes narrowed. Her blonde hair swung loose on her shoulders, skimming a scandalous dress of sapphire silk that brightened her eyes, making them shine. A slip of black lace peeked out from underneath the top layer. Held fast in her left arm was the
Book of Contracts
. I swallowed back the dry taste of humiliation and fear.

“Merry meet. Why don’t you stay right there for a little while?” she asked.

An invisible force pushed me into the wall and tightened around my neck, cutting off my airway. The torch fell from my arms with a loud crack and rolled across the floor.

“Nasty little trespassers deserve to be punished for their stupid ideas, don’t you think?" Miss Mabel spat. “Especially a witch with such poor execution. You thought I wouldn’t notice you here? Fool!”

The invisible band around my neck constricted. My arms flailed for purchase, my toes stung from the weight. No matter what I did, I couldn’t breathe. All my weight sat on my throat.

“So,” she drawled, setting the
Book of Contracts
on her bed and moving toward me with her usual slow saunter. “You thought you could come steal my book and destroy your binding, did you?”

The
Book of Contracts
flapped open with a burst of hot wind. My hair whipped across my face, partially obscuring her wild, bright eyes. I’d seen Miss Mabel in many forms, but never had she appeared this dangerous, this . . . furious.

“I’m going to assume that you are still determined to not kill the next High Priest?” she said.

The pressure around my throat loosened just enough to allow me breath. I coughed, pulling in large gulps of air. “Never,” I finally muttered.

“You don’t want to live?”

“Not at that cost.”

Standing so close to her, knowing that my life was in her hands again, was almost too much to bear. I didn’t know I could hate someone so much. The magic in my chest pressed against me. What would happen if I let the power go?

The band around my throat disappeared. I pitched forward, landing on my hands and knees in front of her.

“That looks better,” she quipped, taking a step back. I coughed so hard I nearly vomited. Catching my breath, I glanced up. The
Book of Contracts
lay just out of reach on top of the bed, still rustling in the wind. When the pages finally settled I saw my name.

I, Bianca Monroe, swear to complete an unknown task . . .

With a flick of my wrist, I pulled the hidden blade from my sleeve, jumped to my feet, and drove the tip of the dagger into the
Book of Contracts
, stabbing right into her bloody thumbprint. Pain burst through my hand, shooting up into my shoulder and down my body. I let go with a cry. An explosion threw me back, tossing me as if I were a rag doll. I slammed into the wall and bounced to the floor, smacking the rock with the side of my head. Her laughter was earsplitting to my hazy mind.

“You are a bit reckless lately, aren’t you?"

When my vision cleared, I saw my blade resting next to the
Book of Contracts
, melted all the way to the hilt.

“A courageous try,” Miss Mabel said, chuckling in a way that frightened me. “But never good enough.”

“I’m not afraid of you.”

“You should be afraid,” she said, regarding me with her lazy gaze. “As I’m sure you overheard, I’m not the only witch out there who wants the Central Network, so I’m not the only one you have to fear. Don’t be so stupid next time, silly fool. You’ll die when the binding’s time runs out, or you’ll prove yourself useful. Merry part, Bianca. I do look forward to our next visit.”