Page 56 of Fate of the Fallen
The burn subsided marginally, and I placed a hand on my stomach. When I did, I was startled to feel that it had swelled. The change was slight—so slight no one else would notice without touching that same spot—but this wasn’t my imagination.
She held her breath when someone approached and backed away from the door when a folded sheet of paper was dropped into the slot.
No conversation.
No help.
Just another piece of paper that probably heldanotherempty promise—just like the one we’d been given the night we arrived. The one who claimed they’d help us never made good on their word. If they had, we wouldn’t still be in this mess.
Beth practically ripped it in half trying to open it, sighing as she read the message aloud.
‘TOMORROW.’
I had no clue what, exactly, would happen tomorrow, but I was groggy and couldn’t hold a coherent thought in my head. The one thing Ididknow was that, from here on out, my condition would progress a lot quicker.
While I felt nothing but terror for what the future held, I was certain this discovery would makeoneperson very happy—Sebastian. He had some wicked plan for this baby, a plan I felt sick just imagining. If we were going to make it out of this situation alive, something would have to give. And soon.
There was only one I knew could save us and I called out to him in my thoughts despite knowing the message would never reach him.
‘Liam, wherever you are … we need you.’
Chapter Eighteen
Liam
The more I thought about it, the more I believed a theory I formed within a few minutes of us leaving the house was true. Elise had purposely arranged for me to ride alone with her and Hilda as we trekked to Ridge Borough. She’d cloaked her intentions well, her invitation seeming innocent enough, but this was definitely a setup.
“You’re certain everyone’s clear on the plan?” Hilda asked, aiming her question at me. My guess was that their intentions were to talk so much I couldn’t focus on the rage, thus keeping me levelheaded.
They definitely had the excessive talking part down.
I gave a nod. “Everyone knows what their jobs and positions are.”
From the passenger seat beside Elise, Hilda returned the nod. “Good. Tonight must be executed with razorlike precision. Even the slightest slipup could prove detrimental.”
With that statement, she’d earned herself a stern look from Elise. I guessed she didn’t approve of Hilda’s remark.
She moved on after an expected eye roll.
“The witches are being removed from the premises as we speak. The sisterhood from Mogue Rock spent the entire night preparing. It’s no small feat to dampen the power of an entire coven, and then entrance them to leave town in a single-file line,” she said with a laugh, exaggerating that last part. Although, the process was pretty close.
The witches leaving in one massive wave would have sent up all kinds of red flags, alerting Sebastian of our intent to strike. So, instead, the spell would work subtly. They would leave in small groups of three, each one sensing and responding to an inexplicable call to head North, toward the edge of the woods. Once they arrived, they’d find a massive tribe of ancient magic wielders waiting to act as judge, jury and executioner. Their task was to identify the witch who cursed the weapons. Once she successfully undid the spell, she and all the others would be put to death.
Like they deserved.
“And the parameter is already sealed?” Elise asked next.
Hilda gave a dutiful nod. “Sealed and impenetrable.”
“Speaking of,” Elise chimed in again, “are we certain everyone’s been marked? Because if they haven’t, they won’t be able to pass through the seal. We can’t afford for anyone to—”
“No one will be left behind,” Hilda interjected. “I oversaw the marking myself. In fact, I’ve still got henna on my fingers,” she added as she peered down at the smudges.
At the mention of it, my eyes drifted down to the very mark they spoke of, placed on my inner-wrist just like the rest of our clan. To most, it would have looked like a tangle of random lines and shapes, but it was much more than that. Without it, we would be trapped in Ridge Borough at the stroke of midnight … when the final act of our strategy would be carried out.
Around my neck, a handful of necklaces hung, each with the same symbol etched on it to allow the ones who wore them passage into the safe zone. There were enough for Evangeline, Beth, and one for the kid who worked for us from inside Sebastian’s camp.
Elise breathed deep, gripping the steering wheel as our convoy headed toward our intended mark. We’d done our share of debating and planning. Now, the time had finally come to act.