A Book of Spirits and Thieves (Spirits and Thieves #1)(57)

“Enchanted,” Becca repeated in a breathless whisper. Then louder, “What’s inside?”

Maddox repeated her question out loud as he drew closer to Barnabas, awed by all the treasures in this secret room.

“Something very special that will help us,” Barnabas replied.

“You’re not going to tell me, are you?” Maddox said with annoyance.

“No. But you’ll find out soon enough. Grab it, would you? But avoid touching the lock.”

Maddox knew their time before discovery was limited, so he grabbed hold of the box, pleased to find that he was able to lift it without great effort.

“Good,” Barnabas nodded.

They turned toward the door.

“The snake!” Becca shouted.

His stomach sank at the sight of Aegus, who now blocked their path. The cobra hissed and grew before their eyes until it was as tall as Maddox and twice as wide when it sat up and flared out its massive hood.

Barnabas swore under his breath. “Forgot all about him. My mistake.”

The snake set its attention on Maddox, as if attracted by the torchlight glinting against the jeweled box in his arms, and began to slither closer. Maddox tried to will his magic to the forefront, to render the snake unconscious so they could escape.

Nothing happened.

“Barnabas . . . ,” he growled. “Do something!”

The snake lashed out toward him, fangs at the ready, but when it lunged all it met with was the tip of a sword. Barnabas swung the weapon, slicing off Aegus’s head in one clean cut. It dropped to the ground, heavy as a ripe, oversize melon.

Maddox’s legs nearly gave out.

Becca let out a sigh of relief.

The collapsed snake’s tail twitched in agony.

“Remember, it’s a magic snake,” Becca said shakily. “It might be able to grow another head. Let’s leave before we find out, all right?”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Maddox replied. “Barnabas, let’s get out of here. Now.”

Without another word, the three of them, two thieves and a spirit, slipped out of the room and made their way down the hallway, searching for the nearest exit.

“Excellent,” Barnabas said. “We’re closer to ending Valoria’s reign with every step we take.”

“Is this not the first time you’ve tried to assassinate her?” Maddox asked.

“Assassinate an immortal goddess? It’s not as simple as putting a dagger through her cold black heart. She’s powerful, smart, and deeply paranoid. Her only weaknesses are her obsession with that niece of hers, the thief who stole her dagger, and, well, that snake I just sliced into two scaly pieces.”

“And you believe that what’s in this box will help destroy her.”

“Yes, I do. And now we need to bring it to the person who knows how to get through that lock.”

Barnabas kept saying “we,” as if he and Maddox had suddenly become a team. “I never agreed to help you,” Maddox said.

“That’s right.” Becca nodded. She stayed close to his side, so close that he’d be able to feel her warmth if she were more than a spirit. “No promises made. You can lose him the second we get out of here.”

Barnabas was quiet for a moment. “I can help you find the answers you seek, Maddox Corso. I know a great deal about both you and your magic.”

He’d never told Barnabas his surname. “How?”

“I knew your father.”

Maddox’s steps halted. “My father.”

“Yes. I can tell you about him and how he met his final fate.”

“He’s . . . dead?”

Barnabas stopped as he turned the next corner. “I believe that’s the servants’ entrance up ahead. We’ll talk about this later. For now, let’s keep moving.”

Just a few short words had made his mind reel.

His father.

Maddox’s father.

“Don’t let this distract you,” Becca said. “He could be lying, leading you on, saying whatever he needs to say to get you to keep following him. All he’s giving you are words, not proof.”

She was right. He had no reason to trust Barnabas or any promises that came out of his mouth.

Barnabas shoved open a creaky door. “Interesting. Perhaps this isn’t the servants’ entrance—more like their exit—but it will do just as well.”

The door led outside and into a graveyard with small, modest stone markers.

“Tread with care and in silence, my young friend.” Barnabas began to walk, slowly and with precision, over the grassy area. A hundred paces ahead, Maddox saw stone gates and, beyond those, blue skies, green hills, and forestland. Freedom.

Maddox tried not to think about the dead that were just underfoot. He needed to concentrate on something else. “Barnabas, please tell me more about—”

“I said silence.”

Maddox frowned. “Why do you keep saying—”

Something grabbed his ankle.

“Maddox!” Becca shrieked. “The ground!”

Skeletal hands had begun to emerge from the earth, pushing up desperately through the dirt.

Maddox gasped. “Valoria is the goddess of earth and water. . . . This must be earth magic. She’s enchanted this graveyard to keep anyone from escaping.”