Magic Undying (Dragon's Gift: The Seeker #1)(24)

“Melly said this place was built in the thirteenth century,” I said. And it looked it, with tumbled-down walls made of massive blocks of stone. The shadows cast by the wall were eerie patches of blackness. But it was the magic that was oddest.

“Feel that?” I whispered.

“No.”

I glanced at him. “Really? I feel some crazy strong magic.”

It prickled against my skin like sand blowing on the wind. Ahead of us, the air shimmered, obscuring the walls.

I didn’t want to go through the castle grounds. Something was off there, but we had to go. My dragon sense pulled toward the castle, which was built on a tiny strip of land that connected to a larger piece out in the sea. The castle crouched on the bridge of land, protecting the little island from intruders. Or it would have when it wasn’t in ruins.

There was no going around, only through.

“Let’s head in.” I started toward the empty archway where there would have once been a massive wooden door.

The interior of the castle was as eerie as the outside, with shadows and tumbled-down stone everywhere. Moonlight gave it a creepy look.

Magic hummed against my skin, but so did something else. Something almost…alive. I rubbed my arms with my hands and considered drawing my sword just for the comfort of holding it.

My dragon sense directed me toward the right side of the castle where the sea crashed against the cliff wall. We’d been climbing steadily upward to reach the fortifications, and now that we were here, it was clear how well-built the castle had been.

“This is great land for defense.” Wind whipped my hair back from my face.

“It was.” Roarke gazed out at the sea, which was a dense black in the moonlight. Cliffs marched into the distance, rising steeply from the ocean.

He turned to me. His eyes widened. “Get away from there!”

The urgency in his voice made me jump. Instinct took over, propelling me toward him. I glanced back. A strange shimmering glow extended out from where I’d stood. It crept along the ground, turning it from grass into cobblestone.

“What the hell?”

The glow crept up the castle wall, faster and faster. As it traveled, the wall grew, rebuilding itself from ruins. No longer were the walls tumbled down and broken. Now they rose high, soaring into the dark night sky. The empty archway that had permitted us entrance was now covered by a massive wooden gate.

“The castle is coming alive,” Roarke said. “You tripped an enchantment.”

An oinking sound echoed in the dark night. A pig? I searched the courtyard until I caught sight of a pig sty against the castle wall. Four fat pigs all stared at me, their black eyes glinting in the moonlight. Their scent rolled across the courtyard, all too real.

But what hit me next was worse. Magical signatures of all varieties. Not just the castle’s latent magic that I’d felt when we’d approached, but the signatures of many magical beings. Were they coming alive like the pigs had?

Unease shivered along my skin.

A shout sounded behind us and I whirled. A man had appeared. His back was turned to us, and he was yelling at a young boy who was carrying a basket. Torches flared to life all around, lighting up the castle courtyard. The air shimmered as more figures appeared.

“Hide!” I hissed and dove behind a pile of barrels near the wall.

Roarke followed, but not before shouts lit up the night.

I reached for one of Connor’s potion bombs when I glanced up at the castle wall, just in time to see two bright green objects dropping from the sky. I dodged, but one of them hit me on the shoulder and exploded in a cloud of green dust.

My mind went foggy. I swayed on my feet, blinking rapidly. Through hazy vision, I saw Roarke collapse to the ground like a great oak tree. His hair was coated in a dusty green color.

Direct hit. He was out like a light.

I tried to brush the green potion dust off my shoulder and reach back for my sword, but the potion bomb had turned my mind to mud.

Shouts sounded from all around. Before I could reach my sword, a heavy arm clasped around my middle and threw me over a shoulder.

Oh, this so wasn’t going my way.





Chapter Six





This was too real.

Definitely not just an illusion—the castle had come alive.

Pain sang through my middle as I bounced along, thrown over someone’s shoulder. I was being carried like this far too often lately.

I blinked, trying to clear my blurry vision and make out what was going on.

Everyone was dressed in old-style clothes. Like, really old style. But unlike the ghostly girl at the pub in Plymouth, these folks looked as real as me or Roarke. And they all smelled. Bad.

Where was Roarke?

I craned my neck, peering around, but the movement felt so slow and awkward, almost like I was underwater. Finally, I found him. Four men were carrying him, and still they struggled. Roarke was out cold, but he was a big guy.

Before I could formulate a plan, the man carrying me stopped abruptly next to a stone wall. A door creaked open, and suddenly I was flying. I slammed to the hard ground, knocking my head against stone.

The four men dragged Roarke inside. Before I could make it to my feet, a heavy wooden door closed, locking us in darkness. The air smelled stale, like this room wasn’t used often.

“Roarke!” I hissed as I wobbled to my knees.