Chapter Nineteen
There was a headache, and there was the thing pounding through Thomas’ head. It had a life of its own as it bulldozed its way around inside him. Someone groaned from somewhere in the room, but Thomas was afraid the thing that attacked his head would come out his eyes and attack the rest of him if he opened them even a crack.
“What the hell happened?” He heard Jory nearby, moaning out every word as if they were painful to say.
Someone touched his shoulder. “Where’s Patrick?”
“Sucking Ballard’s dick, most likely. I knew something was off with him lately.” Ekalis had woken up about ten minutes ago and seemed in less pain the longer he stayed upright.
Thomas almost regretted putting the protective spell on himself. It kept him conscious but fighting off the curse probably made the headache stronger.
“Is the redhead, okay?” It must be Jory’s hand on him as he sounded closer than Ekalis.
“He’s breathing but other than that I’m not sure.” Rubber scraped against cement as footsteps pounded through his head.
Thomas opened his eyes to see Ekalis’ long coat and his leather boots pass by him, pacing from a cement wall to metal bars. He tried to speak, but his voice wouldn’t work at first. He cleared the gunk out of his throat and tried again. “Headache.”
Jory patted him on the shoulders. “Yeah, same here. I can’t call the ancestors either.”
He had to take a moment to get used to the pain knifing through his brain before he sat up. Once he lifted his head off the cement floor, he realized how well he failed at that one thing.
He groaned and cursed under his breath as he put a hand to his forehead, trying to keep his brain from pounding out of his skull.
Thomas managed to get his arms underneath him, lifting his upper body. His head felt too heavy for his neck, but he still managed to sit up. “Shit.”
Ballard wasn’t strong enough for a spell to knock him out. “Is the spell Patrick’s?”
Ekalis nodded. “He targeted you. I’m surprised you’re still alive.”
He wouldn’t be if it weren’t for Jules’ warning.
Something blocked his magic. A wall raised between him and it. He imagined himself climbing the wall, but the height was too great. “Shit.” Thomas pounded the ground with his fist.
“Who would have the keys to the door?”
“Ballard’s second in command. He’s just as much of an asshole as Ballard himself. We don’t stand a chance at convincing him of anything.” Jory sat down on a small cot at the back of the cell.
“Convincing him isn’t what I had in mind.” The pain in his head faded with each minute that passed. And with it came a renewed determination to get out before Hacen and Jules came for him. Hacen wouldn’t accept help from the Somersets and he wouldn’t be able to keep Jules from coming with. Thomas had to get out of there before his mates got hurt.
Thomas stood and walked to the bars, taking in the surrounding area.
As prison systems went, the warlocks had a simple one. The whole prison slash lock up area was just one long hallway. Only a few cells on one side of the room and a brick wall on the other. The three of them were all alone. Why they put them in one cell when there were others empty was anyone’s guess, but they were probably better off together.
Thomas looked over to his right. Stairs led up. At the bottom of the stairs was a light over the doorway. It illuminated ten or so steps up. What lay beyond was cloaked in darkness.
Thomas might have grown up in the coven, but he hadn’t been privy to everything, the prison system was one. And he had been sixteen years old when they kicked him out. He was just a kid and didn’t need to know about the darker side of running a coven.
“Are we underneath Ballard’s house?” Ballard lived in town and the car ride from where they were attacked to the jail cell was a lot longer. Still, Thomas had to ask. It had been a while since living in the area and things change.
“No. It’s a bunker. You remember where the witch used to live.”
Thomas grunted. Miss Claudette had given them cookies and let them play with her goat, Sally. She lived a few miles out of town on a farm. The coven leader before Ballard had cared about people. Miss Claudette had been a welcome part of town.
Ballard had changed all that, including kicking the sweetest lady ever off her own property.
Thomas lost his train of thought when Lucas probed around in his mind. He welcomed the intrusion, opening himself up so Lucas could see. Thomas wondered how Lucas could project so far out and the question must have been strong enough to come through because Lucas put a picture of a car full of Somersets. The vehicle also included Hacen and Lucas himself, but not Jules.
Thomas was a little embarrassed by the length of time it took him to process the picture fully. When he did, he cursed and pounded on the bars.
“Well, we’re in a bunker behind her old place.”
“Is there anyone nearby?”
“My guess is Ballard and his second are inside the house, but that’s quite a distance from here. You don’t want either one of them to come in here.”
Thomas shook his head. “No, I don’t. And that’s not why I asked. Rescue is on the way. I just want to let them know where we are and what to expect.”
He let Lucas know what little information he had.
“Unless they have warlocks or witches they won’t beat Ballard.” Jory was the one who spoke.
Thomas had the most powerful witch alive coming to his rescue, but Ballard fought dirty. Lucas was far too innocent to do well. Lucas might have had the element of surprise on his side if not for Nicolono working closely with Ballard. It was likely Nicolono had told of Lucas’ existence, and Ballard wasn’t stupid enough not to expect a rescue mission.
Lucas coming on the mission was surprising, even to Thomas. Maybe that’s why Ramsey or whoever decided to take Lucas with them. Lucas was less vulnerable, but he wouldn’t stay that way if he had to fight Ballard. He also wouldn’t be the first one to try. It would be everyone else before him.
Thomas sighed. The last thing he wanted was for someone to get hurt.
He projected out to Lucas, trying to tell him not to engage Ballard but he wasn’t sure if his message got through.
A rush of power slammed into him. For one moment, it consumed him. The world disappeared, and all that existed was him and the electricity flowing through his veins.
Take what you need. Break the spell that’s holding your magic hostage. Lucas’ voice came through as clear as if he stood in front of Thomas.
How Lucas did it, Thomas wasn’t sure. What Lucas shared with Thomas was probably just a fraction of what he had.
Thomas grabbed the bars of the cell and began chanting. He wrapped Ekalis and Jory up, including them. They were stronger as three, although, with the amount of power Lucas shared with him, he could destroy the entire town of Conjura and everyone in it.
All the electricity centered in his gut and spread out from there until it pulsed. It trickled out a drop at a time as he lifted the spell on the lockup bunker. Thomas hadn’t realized how bogged down the spell had made him until the weight of it no longer surrounded him.
For one moment, he thought about keeping Lucas’ power. All of it coursing through him created a heady experience Thomas wouldn’t soon forget.
As he pushed the power away, he gained a new respect for Lucas. Thomas’ own abilities circled him like a warm blanket, familiar and comfortable. He had as much power as he could handle. Not a drop more. As it should be.
Ekalis and Jory both came over to the bars. They flanked Thomas on either side.
Ekalis met his gaze. “Not sure what the hell just happened but whatever it was, thanks.”
Thomas nodded. “Help me break the lock on the door.”