Spring Rain (The Witchling #4)(64)

“Figures. I hate that place.” Too much bad had gone down in the area of Miner’s Drop and around it.

“We’ll be okay, Biji,” Noah said softly. “I’ll figure it out.”

“We’ll figure it out, and if you think there’s anything left of your sister that’s going to save you at the last minute, you’re batshit crazy!”

“I know, but – ”

“No but Noah. She means to kill us.”

Noah sank into silence.

A deeper, colder chill worked its way through Biji. What if Noah wasn’t ready to move on? What if she was refusing to fly away to stay with him, and he ended up betraying her? She hugged herself.

Noah draped his jacket over her shoulders. Biji hesitated to take it, not wanting to accept any sort of kindness from the man about to betray her. All the pretty sentiments and words in the world about walking through fire to get to her wasn’t going to matter if he stood aside to let his sister torture her.

“We have to save her baby,” Noah voiced quietly enough for only her to hear. “I do know she’s lost, Biji. It’s very hard for me to admit. I swear, I won’t let anything happen to you if I can help it, but I want to save her baby.”

Biji’s fear and anger faded. “I want that, too, Noah. Beck couldn’t take it if something happened to his child. We need to work together, though.”

“I don’t think anything we do is going to be enough to take out Bartholomew.”

“No, but we can always help distract him while Beck and Decker handle him.”

Noah’s silence made her glance over her shoulder. His features were pale, and rain ran down his bald head and neck. She sensed his thoughts were on the baby again.

She didn’t have an answer for him about what happened once Decker showed up. Hopefully, Beck came with him, because he wouldn’t let the Master of Dark unleash hell.

“Yeah,” Noah said. “We can distract them.”

“But not hurt anyone,” she said, mind on what he’d done in December.

“I’ll trade my soul for your life, Biji. No questions asked.”

“I’ll be pissed if you do!”

“It’s not your choice now, is it?”

“Shut up!” one of the other’s snapped.

Brooding unhappily, Biji focused on walking and shivering, unwilling to consider what she’d do if Noah went Dark again, especially for her sake. She didn’t want that but she did want him, and he’d more than proven he was interested in her as well.

Figures as soon as I meet someone I really like, I end up murdered.

They walked for half an hour, until she was thoroughly soaked outside of the coat Noah had given her. The more rain fell, the clearer it became it wasn’t natural. Black fog was swirling and milling around their feet, clinging to the Dark witchlings and repelled by her and Noah’s Light. Her toes were numb, but her torso warm. The path through the forest grew hilly and rocky before it exited into Miner’s Drop.

The center of the Drop was frozen solid, the ice gleaming whenever the Dark shadows thinned enough for it to be seen. Noah took her hand as they maneuvered around boulders and pockets of ice along the base of the cliffs towards caves lining the nearest wall.

“What is this?” Biji asked at last, bending to run her hand through the Darkness. It shied away from her.

“Three months worth of planning,” Bartholomew replied. “Decker almost destroyed it earlier this week, but we had more.”

“More what?”

“Dark magick. We’ve been collecting it.”

Biji’s brow furrowed. “How is that possible?”

“It’s simple. Light can be concentrated like it is under the school. Concentrated Light is too powerful for un-concentrated Dark. I happen to know how to grow and collect Dark.”

“You want to destroy the Light, not just Beck,” she said in a hushed voice.

Bartholomew didn’t answer; he didn’t have to. Grimly, Biji began to wonder if anyone was meant to make it out of this alive.

They ceased walking in front of three caves. Dark poured out of two of them while it appeared to be trapped behind an invisible wall blocking the entrance of the third. Dawn passed them and went to the third cave. She tapped on the invisible shield.

A scowling form all in black appeared behind the wall and smashed his fists into it.

“Decker,” Biji breathed.

“A Master can be trapped only by his own element. Takes some time and a great deal of knowledge to do it.” Bartholomew sounded satisfied. “I know how to get out, but he doesn’t.”

Decker was yelling words that didn’t make it through the barrier.

Noah squeezed her hand. Biji couldn’t look away from Decker. If a Master of Dark couldn’t escape Bartholomew, what hope did she and Noah have?

Dawn gave a cry suddenly. Her knees buckled, and she dropped to the ground, hugging her belly.

“Dawn?” Troy, one of those who held Biji captive, approached her. “What is it?”

“Something’s wrong.” Dawn’s eyes were normal once more. “I’m bleeding.”

Biji saw the streams of red running down Dawn’s legs.

“She needs a doctor!” Noah said and started forward.

Two of the Dark witchlings blocked his path.