Part 108 (1/2)

I reached for Chris and shoved him to the floor as we all hit the deck.

When the gla.s.s settled, I lifted my head and my eyes found Meeta's.

”Take them now!” I yelled, rolling off Chris, coming to my feet and pulling him up with me, pure instinct prompting me to finish. ”Take them to the wolves!”

Meeta rose, coming off of elan who she'd thrown herself on, dragging the weight of the girl up in her arms and starting to run.

”I stay with Miss Maddie!” Chris shouted, and I looked to see Loretta was pulling him to the doors, but he was resisting her.

”Go with Loretta, Chris, please!” I shouted as the room started filling with mist.

Red mist.

Blue mist.

Black mist.

Bad mist.

All of it swirling around me, Cora, Finnie and Circe.

The men outside surged in and I saw all of Apollo's men there and some of Frey's.

s.h.i.+t!

”Miss Maddie!” elan shrieked and I saw her stretching her arms my way as she and Meeta disappeared around the door.

In her place, another Circe raced in, trailed by Valentine.

They lifted their hands and gold and green sparks filled the room.

I felt my hand tagged and I looked right.

Cora had me.

I felt my other had tagged and I looked left.

Circe had me.

I looked in front of me.

Circe and Cora had Finnie.

”s.h.i.+t, s.h.i.+t, s.h.i.+t,” Finnie whispered right when the room faded away.

Apollo Apollo followed Lahn into the stone room in the bowels of the Winter Palace, a room full of men.

And one woman.

The moment they hit it, Lahn turned to look over his shoulder at Apollo.

”Is this her?' he growled.

Apollo had no idea what was asking and didn't care.

Maddie was gone. Knowing his children were under heavy guard of soldiers, witches and wolves, getting her back was the only thing on his mind.

Lahn decided to take his non-answer as answer and stalked directly to Franka Drakkar, who was cowering in the corner under Oleg and Laures.

He shoved the men aside and Apollo watched as he lifted the woman by her throat and threw her across the room.

She didn't even have time to scream.

Lahn followed her where she landed against the stone with a thud and he bent over, his face an inch from hers.

”Betrayal,” he barked, ”carries harsh punishment.”

Frey, already in the room, got close to Lahn.

”For now, we need her alive,” Frey said quietly, but his voice was tight, controlled. There was anger in his frame making it stiff and he was avoiding looking at Franka, likely for fear of what he himself would do if he looked at her.

”I did as you asked,” Franka whispered, and Apollo forced his eyes to her.

Her gaze s.h.i.+fted from Lahn to Frey.

”I did as you asked!” she cried.

”Bring her to me.”

All the men turned to see the other Circe and Valentine in the room, Tor having come in behind them.

Apollo moved until he was toe-to-toe, nose-to-nose with the witch, and he clipped, ”You said they were safe.”

”Bring the woman to me,” she demanded then stepped leisurely to the side and turned her eyes to Frey. ”Call your elves. We meet on Specter Isle.”

Tor moved to her side, ordering, ”Send us there now.”

Valentine turned to him. ”With the triad intact, their magic is too strong. I can't get you there. I can't get me there. And Lavinia has fallen to Helda.”

Apollo's gut twisted at this news and Valentine kept talking.

”We will have to be clever. For the elves to do their work against our foes and for Lavinia, we will have to be swift. And we will have to have hope.”

Apollo opened his mouth to speak but Valentine continued before he could utter a word.

”As I suspected, this is a battle of sisters and magic. Just sisters and magic. Both the same thing. Not all good. Not all evil. We shall see which side prevails. But you must trust in good for our side knows allies whose bonds are formed in ways that cannot be broken.”

Apollo felt something unpleasant s.h.i.+ft inside him and whispered, ”You knew. You knew our plan would fail.”