The Tethering: The Complete Collection

26. First Blood

26

First Blood

Samuel turned Jacob around to face him, pulling him out of his horrible thoughts. “We have to tell Iz what we know,” Samuel said. “If Emilia really is in there, we need to get her out as soon as possible. We also need to call off the search for the Waylands. It’s a waste of resources now that we know where they are.”

Jacob expressed his opinion of the Waylands with a string of choice expletives.

“I agree,” Samuel said. “First, we get Emilia out, and then we get the Wayland scum.”

“How did they get out of the barrier?” Jacob studied the cave entrance, more determined than ever to get in.

“I think it might be the dragon tattoos.” Samuel pointed at the guards. “Those two have tattoos, and so did the three who left. But none of the chanters do. If I were in charge, I’d make sure the only people who could get through the shield were the people I expected to charge through it to protect the compound from danger. I think the tattoo is like a password.”

Jacob nodded, the beginnings of a plan forming is his mind.

“I can’t skry Iz from inside the shield,” Samuel said. “I’m going up the hill and out of sight. I should be back within a half hour. Stay here and watch the entrance. See what else you can learn.”

Jacob nodded, and Samuel silently disappeared up the mountain. Jacob studied the circle casting the invisible shield, waiting for the three men to return. But there was no movement at all. The chanters continued their muted spell, and the guards stood like statues at the entrance to the cave. There weren’t even any birds flying overhead. Silence filled the forest.

More than an hour later, Samuel still had not returned. Jacob tried to convince himself Samuel was busy planning a rescue mission with Iz. Maybe Iz had found some MAGI agents and was sending them here. Then Samuel would have to wait for them.

But after another silent hour, Jacob’s gnawing dread had grown into an absolute certainty that something had gone wrong.

He pulled out the little red mirror. He would have to leave the shield to contact Samuel. But would he be able to get back into it? Lingua Venificium hadn’t mentioned reentry into someone else’s spell. He would have to risk it.

Jacob slid on his pack and quietly crawled out of the shield. There was a cluster of trees up ahead. If he could make it there, he could stand up and move more quickly. He did just as Samuel had done, stopping to check for sounds every few feet, but he heard nothing.

Finally, he reached the trees and was hidden from the entrance. He stood up and crept noiselessly through the woods. He traveled sideways across the face of the mountain, hoping that even if someone had found Samuel’s trail, he would be too far away to be noticed on the same search.

Jacob scanned the area, satisfied no one else would be able to hear him. “Volavertus Samuel,” he whispered into the red mirror. The mirror glowed brightly in his hand. He waited for Samuel to accept his skry. But instead of Samuel’s image appearing, the glow of his mirror slowly dulled, leaving only the reflection of the sky peering through the branches above him.

Wherever Samuel was, he was unable to talk. Jacob had just decided to try contacting Iz himself when the sharp c***k of a branch breaking sounded behind him. He ducked behind a tree and cautiously peered around the side.

It was the airplane man, but this time he traveled alone. He mumbled to himself, but it was much louder than most people mumble. He seemed unsure if he was actually making noise. “Scratch her face off, and then maybe I’ll see what the rest of her sweet little body has to offer.” The man cackled to himself. “The Pendragon owes me that much. I was willing to die. Least he can do is give me that damn girl.”

Jacob’s blood boiled. All thoughts of magic forgotten, he reached down and grabbed a large stick. Not even bothering to be quiet, he ran up behind the man and hit him hard on the head. The airplane man never heard him coming.

Jacob gaped at the unconscious, bleeding man. Blood shone on the end of his stick.

He dropped it, his hands shaking. He had never hurt someone on purpose before. The man on the ground was still breathing, but Jacob had definitely done some damage. His mind raced, flitting between a dozen half-formed plans.

He didn’t care what Iz wanted anymore. He didn’t care what happened to himself. From what the man currently lying unconscious at Jacob’s feet in a growing pool of blood had said, Emilia was going to be given to one of these thugs.

“Strigo motus.” Now the man couldn’t wake up and resist.

Even though Jacob was strong from years of hard work, he struggled to heave the unconscious man onto his shoulders. The man’s warm blood dripped onto Jacob’s neck. Jacob’s legs shook as he started slowly up the mountain, careful to stay out of sight.

The shield reached to the top of the rock mound above the cave, and that was where Jacob approached, behind the rocks so no one could see. He slowed when he neared the shield and shifted his passenger onto his back like a cape. Making sure the man’s shoulders covered his head, he stepped into the barrier.

A cool breeze tickled Jacob’s bare skin, but no bolt came from above to strike him down. He had made it through the shield. He was inside the camp. Now he needed to get inside the cave. The chanting was audible now, and even in the bright sunlight, the eerie sound sent a shiver down Jacob’s spine.

He slid the airplane man off his back and laid him quietly in the leaves, resisting the urge to land a sharp kick in his ribs. Jacob carefully climbed the rocks in front of him, hoping to see the cave entrance from above. From his perch, he saw the circle chanting and heard them clearly, but it wasn’t a spell he recognized. The guards were hidden from view by the outcropping of rocks under his feet.

Jacob cursed to himself. He could either come at the guards head on or jump down from the top of the cave entrance and hope to surprise them. Neither option seemed to hold much hope for success.

He slid down the rocks and tried to think. There had to be a way to get into the cave. He must have learned some spell that could help him.

Jacob reviewed each spell he knew. He went through them alphabetically, just as he would have if he had been studying for a school exam, but it was too hard to concentrate. He would never find the right spell. All the words from the chant kept mixing with the spells in his mind. He should have thought on the other side of the shield when he had silence.

Then Jacob found the answer. He needed to figure out which chant they were using to create the shield charm. He could memorize the chant, use the airplane man to get back out of the shield, skry Iz, and ask for backup. After that, they would be able to break through the shield, rescue Emilia, and find Samuel.

Crawling carefully, Jacob climbed back up the rocks, listening for the exact enunciation of the spell. He closed his eyes, focusing on the chant until he could repeat it with the circle. He smiled, confident he could remember the wording exactly.

He turned to climb back down the rocks, and everything went black.