“I’ll take the stronger ones, but are you sure our efforts won’t activate all the spells?” The question didn’t stop Eldwin from extending his diamond toward Rod’s. “It wouldn’t be hard to create a cascade effect tied to the first spells.”
“Agreed,” Rod said. “Which is where Bart comes in. He’ll protect us if the other spells go live all at once.”
It wasn’t the time to admire my mate, but I did. His confidence grew with every decision he made. His commanding presence, however, didn’t stop me from asking questions. “Are you sure that’s a wise move? Blackstone will know we’re here once we tinker with his spells.”
“Your grandfather is in there.” Rod pointed in front of us. “There are no options except moving forward.”
He was right, so we began without further discussion. Hro moved up next to Eldwin, while Cael and Bart remained side-by-side as we worked.
I couldn’t see what Rod did, but the Earth thrummed through my connection. The danger zone moved further down the tunnel, allowing us to continue. We stopped at a second spot, and Rod’s diamond pulsed gently. This time the warning hit me like a truck. I groaned an instant before a ball of magical fire appeared in the blackness ahead and raced toward us.
Purple light met the fire, and the two canceled each other out in a brilliant flash. We waited for more attacks, but the Earth had returned to calm.
“The path is clear until the end of this hallway,” I said. “At least I can’t sense anything at the moment.”
We continued, and the tunnel narrowed ahead. The rough-hewn walls glistened with an unnatural sheen. My enhanced senses detected a complex lattice of death woven into the very stone.
“Hold!” I threw out an arm as if that could stop them. “There’s an angry web of energy ahead.”
Rod’s diamond flared, and his magic flowed over the floor. Where it passed, lines of sickly purple-black energy crisscrossed the ground in an intricate web.
“It’s fascinating, in a twisted way,” Bart said. Holding out his purple tourmaline, he stared at the obstruction. “They’re layered, like a deadly composition.”
“Three primary trigger mechanisms, each connected to at least five secondary responses,” Eldwin said, his face bathed in pink light. “If you trip one and neutralize it, the others will probably activate in sequence.”
“There’s a pattern,” Rod said. “See how the energy loops back on itself? The first layer binds, the second drains magical energy, and then the third swoops in for the kill.”
“The targeting spells are keyed to the earth magic in beings,” Cael finished grimly. “It’s designed to distract the mages so it can kill the beings.”
“Can we remove it?” Father asked. “And if not, can we fly over it safely?”
Bart and Cael faced Rod, and then Rod looked at Eldwin. The elder guardian appeared to shrug.
“It can be done,” Eldwin said. “But it will take a few minutes.”
He and Cael knelt at the edge of the magical barrier, their stones casting light in mesmerizing patterns. They traced counter-sigils in the air and floated them to precise spots on the ground.
“The structure is numerical,” Eldwin said. “Three primary nodes, each with nine connections.”
“It will take three mages to do it safely,” Cael said, looking at Rod. “We need you to disrupt one of the primary spots.”
Rod nodded and added his white to the blue and pink floating over the array. Their magic twined together, creating a visual light show that danced over the ground.
Despite the tension, I watched in fascination as the magic darted around the deadly space. The three slid into a rhythm, clearing the ground in short order. When their magic covered the entire space, the dark glyphs slowly faded into the dirt.
“Done,” Rod whispered after several minutes. “Give it another minute to make sure all the dark energy is neutralized.”
We made it safely to the end of the tunnel and paused while I determined which way. “That way.” I pointed left. “We’re getting closer, but there are different spells lining the way.”
The mages consulted again, and when they finished, we set out again. The process was painstaking, requiring everyone to be on high alert. We encountered three more layers of defenses, each one more sophisticated than the last.
After we cleared the third obstacle, we stopped to rest and reassess our position.
The passages beyond weren’t natural. Residual dark energy lingered in the walls from magic used to carve them. This was a twisted maze, designed to wear us down. Corridors branched off at odd intervals. My earth sense told me they were dead ends, but checking them cost us valuable time.
I closed my eyes, pushing past the immediate layer of corruption that saturated the tunnel walls. Beneath that sickening vibration lay something else—a rhythm, ancient and pure, that pulsed with stubborn persistence. Like a heartbeat.
Kneeling, I pressed my palm flat against the cold stone floor. The initial contact sent a shiver of revulsion through me as Blackstone’s magic attempted to repel my touch, but I pushed deeper. The Earth responded—not just responding to mycall, but reaching for me with something that felt almost like recognition.
