“Yeah, under the lake. Creepy, right?” He grinned.

“Totally.” I inspected the lake shore, looking for some kind of passageway. All of the ground was undisturbed, though, revealing no clue of a trail leading to an entrance.

So I followed the dark magic, going to where the scent was the strongest. There was one section where it was even a bit hard to breathe. The ground was undisturbed, but there were a number of flat rocks clustered around the edge of the lake.

On a hunch, I began to step on them. Connor looked at me quizzically for a moment, then joined me.

When I stepped on a rock that depressed beneath my foot, I grinned. Magic swirled on the air, a faint sparkling feeling against my skin, and the ground gave way in front of me.

A hole opened up, the dirt parting to reveal a rustic stone staircase leading into the earth.

“Nice,” Connor said.

I drew my sword from the ether and handed it to Connor. “Know how to use one of these?”

“I’m not bad.” He took the sword.

I drew two daggers, then descended the steps, raising my lightstone ring so that I could see what lay ahead. The stairs descended about two stories underground, leading to a passage that went straight toward the lake. It was made of stone and packed dirt, all of which was a bit wet. Everything smelled of damp earth.

I swiped my finger against the slimy wall to my right. “Does this feel like a death wish?”

“Yes.”

In silence, we crept forward. With every step, I prayed that the lake wouldn’t burst through these crappy walls and take us out.

As we walked, magic began to prickle more strongly against my skin. The farther we went, the worse it hurt.

“Feels like ant bites,” Connor said.

“The Creeper clearly doesn’t want visitors.” I gripped my daggers, searching the passage ahead of us. Light gleamed at the end, green and sickly looking.

We crept forward, our footsteps silent. We were almost to the glowing green light when a massive spider lunged into the passage.

My lungs seized as fear chilled my skin.

The beast was the size of a small car, with fangs as long as my arm. Multifaceted eyes glared at us, and the thing charged forward. I threw my dagger right at one of its glittering eyes.

The dagger bounced off.

“What the heck!”

Connor charged past me, sword in hand. He dodged the striking spider’s fangs and sliced at one of the legs. The limb fell off and exploded in a poof of black smoke.

I hurled my dagger at the spider’s face, avoiding the eyes. The blade plunged into the middle of the monster’s head, but it kept moving, darting for Connor as he danced around with the blade, going for the legs.

But the one he’d sliced off had already grown back.

He sliced off another, and it, too, began to regenerate. I raced toward them, calling on two more daggers. Two of my longest ones. It was a shame I didn’t have two swords.

I crouched low to peer under the spider, and caught sight of a man with scraggly black and white hair standing in the room beyond. He seemed to be dancing in the middle of the cave-like room ahead of us.

Yeah, he had to be the Creeper. The name just fit too well.

As he danced, the spider struck out. Connor dived under the belly, so the spider came for me. I jumped left, avoiding the sharp fangs. Raw horror opened up inside of me at the sight of its mouth so close to my head.

I sliced at a leg with my dagger, trying to distract it while I figured out what the heck was going on and how we’d kill the thing. It was made of magic, clearly. The poofs of black smoke made that obvious.

But how could we destroy it when a dagger to the brain wouldn’t do the job?

As I dodged the spider’s blows, Connor attacked from the side.

I stole another glance at the man called the Creeper. He kept dancing, making strange movements with his arms and legs.

He actually kind of looked like a spider himself.

A pale white stone glowed around his neck.

The spider struck again. I dived low, sneaking under the belly and praying he wouldn’t sit on me. As I slid beneath the spider, I caught sight of a glowing white stone set into the beast’s belly.

Just like the one around the Creeper’s neck.

Oh crap!

He was controlling the spider. And the stones linked them.

I dived back underneath the spider and stabbed up with my blade. It pierced the glass crystal, and the beast exploded in a poof of powdery black ash.

“Whoa!” Connor cried. “Well done!”

“Thanks.” I scrambled upright, spitting out the black powder and whirling to face the Creeper.

Connor and I stood at the entrance to the room. The Creeper stood in the middle, just twenty feet away. Rage lit his face. All around him, the cave-like room glowed an acid green. It looked like a mad scientist’s lair, full of tables and shelves that were packed with magical tools and potions. A massive cauldron sat at the back, over which a glowing crystal was suspended. Blue smoke twined around the crystal.

Connor nodded at it. “That’s the spell.”

“Do you think you can figure out how to stop it while I hold him off?” I whispered. He was the potion master; I was the fighter. It only made sense.

“I’m on it.” He started to inch toward the cauldron.

“I’ll cover you.” I lunged toward the Creeper, hurling a dagger right at him.

He dodged, fast as a snake, and threw a potion bomb at me. The red glass ball hurtled through the air, and I dived to the right, sliding across the floor. The bomb smashed into the stone and dirt wall behind me, exploding. Dirt and rocks flew outward, and I peered back to see a giant hole.

Crap!

That was one of the strongest explosive potions I’d ever seen.

I scrambled upright, calling on another dagger. I threw it, aiming for the chest, the biggest target. He was too fast for anything else.

He scuttled left, just like the spider we’d destroyed, and my dagger flew past.

How the heck was he so fast?

He grabbed another potion bomb off a table and flung it toward me. I dived behind a wooden table. The bomb hit the right corner of it, and the thing lit on fire. The various potions on top began to pop and explode, sending off sparks of all different colors.

One emitted a huge blast of wind that blew me into the wall. Pain flared in my back as I slammed into a stone. The sound of a roaring storm filled the room, making my head pound. The noise was so loud that it became hard to think. It came from one of the potions that had been destroyed. A herd of white antelope exploded from another potion and leapt off the burning table. They stampeded around the room, then galloped through the tunnel, heading for the exit.

What the heck had been in some of those potions?

Through the chaos, I could see Connor racing around, grabbing vials off the tables and pouring them into the massive cauldron under the crystal. The smoke turned from blue to red. I had to guess that he recognized the spell and was trying to counteract it or something.

Thank fates he was here, because I’d have had no idea.

The Creeper was in the middle of the room, freaking out. He pulled at his hair as he turned his attention from me to Connor.

“Stop!” he shrieked. “You’ll ruin it all!”

“That’s the point!” Connor yelled. He tossed vials of potion into the cauldron.

The Creeper grabbed a red glass potion bomb off a table. Red.

That was the same one that had exploded the whole wall behind me. If it hit Connor, he’d be dead as a doornail.

I called a dagger from the ether and hurled it at the Creeper’s back. This time, he couldn’t see it to dodge. The blade sank into his shoulder, and he screamed, falling forward. His potion bomb exploded against the ground, blowing up in a massive cloud of smoke and debris.

Red debris.

The remains of the Creeper.

I cringed backward, gagging.

“Connor, are you okay?” I shouted as the smoke dissipated.

“Almost done!”

The smoke cleared enough that I spotted him chucking two more potion bombs into the cauldron. It began to boil and fizz, and Connor sprinted around it, racing for me.

The bubbles shot upward, surrounding the crystal that hung over it. When they splashed back down, the crystal was gone, devoured.

Strength and power flowed through my veins, feeling like an intravenous shot of magical espresso.

I gasped. “Whoa.”

“Did it work?” Connor asked.

“I think so.” I flung out my hands, envisioning my usual pale white shield. The shield burst forth, strong and true. “It worked!”

“Good. Because we’re in trouble.” He pointed toward the ceiling.

I dragged my gaze from the white shield and looked upward. All of the explosions had made an impact. The ceiling had begun to pour water through a crack.

The lake was breaking through.

“Run!” I turned and sprinted from the room, Connor at my side.

Behind us, a great crack and splash sounded. I looked back. The ceiling had fallen away, and water was pouring into the room. It rushed toward us. I sprinted harder, but soon it was lapping at my boots.

Panic clawed at my throat. We were only halfway through the tunnel. The water was to my knees. Running became a slog.

We sprinted harder but slower. Connor grabbed my hand, and we pulled each other along.

The water was to my thighs. It felt like running through pudding. Fear chilled my skin.

“We’re almost there,” Connor said.

Lungs and muscles burning, I gave it one last burst of speed and climbed onto the stairs. We raced up, leaving the flooding cave behind, and spilled out into the dark night.

I turned around, expecting the lake to be in turmoil. There was a slight ripple on the surface, but nothing more.

Panting, we raced deeper into the forest, taking cover in the trees.

I turned to Connor. “I think we did it.”

“Your magic is back?”

“It is, and I bet my sisters have—”

“Ana?” Bree’s voice whispered out of my comms charm. “Our magic is back.”

“Yes!” Connor fist pumped.

“Where are you?” I asked.

“We’ve just arrived in the woods to the east of the house. We can see it.”

“Perfect. Wait for us. We’ll come find you.”

Connor and I raced through the forest as silently as we could. Magic flowed through my veins, making me feel complete again.

“How did you know how to stop the curse?” I asked.

“I didn’t. The potion in the cauldron was fueling the curse, which was trapped in the crystal hanging above. So I just decided to screw it up.”

“Like a cake recipe?”

“Exactly.”

At the edge of the forest, I spotted our backup. Lachlan caught my eye first, and something in my chest fluttered. I didn’t want to call it butterflies, but yeah, it was definitely something like that.

Bree stood next to Cade and Rowan, and at her side stood Caro and Haris. Ali must have been recovering from his wounds. Everyone looked a bit beaten-up and tired, but I was so glad to see them.

Bree and Rowan threw their arms around me, then drew back and scowled.

Lachlan greeted Connor with a manly hug. The kind with back slapping that men seemed so fond of.

“I’m sorry,” Lachlan said.

“Don’t worry about it.” Connor nodded. “I’m responsible for myself.”

“That was so stupid,” Rowan scolded me. “Going through an unknown portal!”

“It worked, didn’t it?” I met Lachlan’s gaze. He was standing close, his eyes glued to mine.

“Are you all right?” His voice was slightly rough. Worried. Tension stretched between us like a wire. The memory of the kiss flashed in my mind, but I banished it.

“Fine.”

He nodded, then backed up, clearly trying to maintain the professional distance he’d insisted on.

I turned to Connor. “Do you have any idea where we might find the spell that they stole?”

“Not a clue,” he said. “I can only guess that it’s with their leader, and when they talk about him, they always refer to a garden.”

“A garden?” Lachlan asked.

“Yes,” said Connor. “But I’ve no idea why.”

“Hmmm.” I thought about the Creeper in his hidden lair beneath the lake. “Maybe it’s supposed to be hidden and protected. Better than staying in the big house. That’s an obvious target.”

“True,” Lachlan said. “Let’s go find this garden.”

We were about to leave the protection of the trees when a whisper came from behind us. “Connor.”

A figure hurtled out of the trees, running on silent feet. She had dark hair and wore the leather clothing that was favored by mercenaries. A sword in a holster across her back completed the look, and a large bag hung at her side.

Claire, Connor’s sister.

She hugged her brother hard as three others stepped out of the woods.

The FireSouls.

I grinned at Del, Nix, and Cass. “Perfect timing.”

“Are we in time for a fight?” Cass asked, her red hair gleaming in the light of the moon. She wore a brown leather jacket and had two daggers strapped to her thighs. She was a FireSoul and a Mirror Mage, able to mimic anyone else’s magic for a short while.

At her side stood Del, a half-Phantom FireSoul with black hair and clever blue eyes. She was dressed entirely in black leather. Nix, the third FireSoul, was a conjurer. Her cartoon cat T-shirt was at odds with her tough demeanor.

We’d helped them in fights in the past, and they’d never hesitated to return the favor.

“Yep, a big one,” I said. “We’re going to try to retrieve the ancientus spell.”

“Ah, right.” Understanding flicked in Nix’s eyes as she looked at Lachlan.

Del nodded. “Well, seeing as we’ve finished with our other emergency task—because you found him—we’re happy to help.”

“We’ll be backup,” Cass said.

“Anything for the people who saved my brother,” Claire added. She was a Fire Mage and mercenary, the closest friend of the FireSouls trio.

Heck yeah. With these four as backup, our odds of success had just doubled.

Claire handed her brother the sack that hung around her body. “Your potion bombs, brother dear. I thought we might need to fight our way out if we found you.”

“Thanks, sis. You know the way to my heart.” He handed me the sword I’d loaned him back in the Creeper’s lair and patted the bag. “I’ve got my weapons of choice now.”

“Thanks.” I took the sword, then updated the newcomers on our plan to find and storm the garden, then turned to Bree. “Can you use your illusion to conceal us?”

“Partial invisibility, coming right up.” She grinned. “Just enough to keep others from spotting us, but if we stick close, we’ll be able to see each other. Barely.”

“I’ll dampen our sound,” Lachlan said.

“Perfect,” I said. “We’ll head for the garden.”

Bree’s magic swelled on the air, and my friends disappeared. I squinted, just barely able to make out their outlines.

We set off at a jog across the vineyards, running up the rows of dormant vines toward the walled compound on the hill. Luck was with us, because there was no guard at the little gate. I turned the key, and we slipped inside, one by one.

I remembered seeing part of an amazing garden as I’d been carried in over the demon’s shoulder. So I turned that way, whispering for my friends to follow.

They did, and we moved quickly alongside the outer edge of the house. A demon walked by, then stopped. He peered hard in our direction. Tension tightened my muscles, but he just shook his head as if he were seeing things and kept walking.

I grinned and kept going. We turned the corner of the house, and the familiar garden caught my eye. In the distance, a row of hedges stood. They looked merely decorative, but I doubted it.

We were close.

Then the hounds appeared.

Oh, crap.

Six of them stood in front of us. They were the size of large dogs, and each was covered in scales.

“Bad news,” Bree muttered next to me.

The hounds looked toward us, confusion in their dark eyes. Around me, the faint outlines of my friends disappeared. Bree was upping her magic, making us fully invisible. I couldn’t hear a single breath or rustle of grass beneath anyone’s feet, so Lachlan had our sound completely dampened.

Then the hounds sniffed the air, their nostrils twitching.

Dread slipped like ice through my veins.

As one, the hounds lifted their heads and howled, their loud cries echoing in the night.

Demons burst out of the house to our right, spilling from three different doors. The hounds ran for us, circling our group. Helping the demons find us.

There had to be two dozen of them, all different species. Burnished red skin, gray, pale white, and dark green. Many were draped with weapons, but others were empty-handed, clearly planning to use just their magic. We were still fifty yards from the hedges.

“Drop the illusion, Bree!” I cried. We’d have to fight, and we didn’t need to hit each other by mistake.

I didn’t know if she could hear me through Lachlan’s silence charm or if she just had the same idea as I did, but we all appeared.

The demons charged. So did we.

Caro, the Water Mage, shot a jet of water straight at the closest demon. It plowed through his chest, shooting out the other side as a pink stream of blood-tinged water.

Haris did his usual, sprinting for a demon. A half second before he reached him, he turned invisible. Then the demon jerked upright and turned around, raising his hand and shooting a fireball at another demon. Haris would keep it up until his host was almost dead, then he’d jump out.

To my right, Lachlan shifted into his lion form. His black fur and mane gleamed in the light of the moon, and his roar shook the insides of my chest. He leapt toward a crowd of demons and tore off the head of the largest one. Blood sprayed, a violent display in the moonlight.

Rowan fought with her sword, fast as a burst of wind, while Bree struck down a demon with lightning.

Nix conjured a small fort made of sandbags. From their protective covering, Cass and Claire shot blasts of flame at the demons, taking them out one by one. Connor stood at their side, hurling his potion bombs with deadly accuracy. Del transformed into her Phantom self, a pale blue apparition that fought with a sword. Nothing could hurt her in that form, and she raced through the crowd of demons, dealing blows wherever she could.

But there are just so many of them.

More poured out of the house, heading straight for our group.

I flung a dagger into the chest of a nearby demon who blocked my path toward the garden. It pierced his heart, and he fell backward, arms whirling.

The battle raged all around as I fought my way toward the garden, Bree and Rowan at my side.

It was slow going, and no matter how many demons we killed, more appeared. Whoever owned this place was armed to the max. They purposely blocked my way to the garden, which only fueled me more.

The spell is in there.

Cass caught my eye. “Go! We’ll cover you.”

She and Claire began to shoot fireballs right into the crowd of demons who blocked our way.

It lightened the crowd, but it was still fierce.

There had to be twenty between us and the entrance between the hedges. It seemed impossible to get through.

Until Lachlan appeared at my side and knelt low on his front legs. The message was clear.

Get on.

Whoa. That was really personal. After our kiss, it’d be insanely personal.

But we needed to recover the ancientus spell before it could be used to bring back terrible magic from the past. And I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to climb on.

I climbed onto his back, almost immediately overwhelmed by the sense of him. Strength and honor and determination and fury.

He was enraged by what was happening, determined to do anything it took to make it right.

My heart thundered at the connection between us, at the raw ferocity of him.

Lachlan took off, bowling through the crowd of demons. I clung to his back, crouching low. Ahead of us, lightning struck as Bree took out some of the demons. Others fell to fire blasts and Connor’s potion bombs.

Bree and Rowan raced after us.

A demon with long claws swiped at me, raking his claws across my arm as we ran by. Pain flared and blood flowed. I clung harder to Lachlan, wind tearing at my hair.

We plowed through the demons, and I leaned out with my sword, taking the head off one. Another reached for me, claws glinting in the moonlight, but I took off his arm.

Finally, we reached the entrance between the hedgerow walls. I looked behind, just briefly, catching sight of the FireSouls, Claire, Connor, Caro, and Haris holding off the rest of the demons.

We wouldn’t have stood a chance without them. But there was more ahead.

I turned to face what was coming.