Twisted Enchantment (Unbreakable Force Book 5) by Kara Jaynes Page A

mine too.”
    Myyre ran toward her brother and I stuck my leg out, tripping her. She fell to her hands and knees with a startled cry, and I ruthlessly brought my heel down on her fingers. Ignoring her strangled yell, I flung a wall of fire up between the older man and myself, and hurtled toward Fyrsil, Dahlia clinging to me.
    Hydari and Fyrsil were locked in combat in the doorway. I wove the magic and slammed it into the back of Fyrsil’s attacker. Hydari stumbled, nearly getting his head taken off by the brigand’s blade.
    “Run!” The word rose from my throat in a shriek and I darted past him. Fyrsil snatched Dahlia from me and bolted back the way he came, with me on his heels.
    “Adaryn!” the prince snarled. I felt the dark magic swell behind me. “You’ll be sorry you crossed me!”
    The floor under me heaved and buckled and I fell to my knees, unable to keep my balance. I hoped Fyrsil could get Dahlia safely back to Aaric.

 
    22
    Aaric
     
    C ome to me. Come to me, child.
    Opening his eyes, Aaric sat up, rubbing his back, and blinked several times to adjust his vision to the darkness. He looked up from where he had fallen. Nothing but blackness overhead. The earth appeared to have swallowed him. He grimaced. Not the way he would have chosen to die.
    He stood, stretching his arms overhead. Standing on his tiptoes, his fingertips brushed solid rock. Blast it all, he was buried!
    He thought of the brigand. “Zero!” he hissed. “Zero, are you here?”
    No answer.
    Aaric ran a hand through his hair, exhaling heavily. This was a fine pickle to be in. Kneeling down in the darkness, he felt around on the rocky ground, hoping he might locate the knife he’d been holding when he fell. Nothing.
    Muttering a curse, Aaric stood and put his hand out, his fingertips brushing a wall of rock. Shuffling his feet forward, he moved slowly, keeping one hand on the wall. He blinked several times, but there was no change in the blackness.
    Aaric wondered if Adaryn would be successful in her quest. He hoped so. He’d become very fond of Dahlia.
    He counted the seconds as he crept through the inky blackness. Seconds stretched into minutes, and minutes into an hour. He lost count. Putting his left arm out, he found nothing but air, so he kept moving parallel to the wall on his right. It was warm. Too warm. Aaric removed his jacket, throwing it over his shoulder.
    Come to me.
    Aaric started in surprise, but searching the darkness found nothing. Who’d spoken? “Hello?” he asked hesitantly. “Who’s there?”
    I’ve been waiting for you, Aaric.
    The inventor swallowed, the hairs rising on the back of his neck. A dim glow flickered to life ahead of him. Trying to fight down his growing unease, Aaric walked toward it, his hand still on the rock. The light gleamed fitfully, a pinpoint in the overwhelming darkness.
    The closer he got, the greater the light grew. The air stayed warm. Looking around, he saw he was in an enormous tunnel made of the same pitted rock that the volcano was made of on the outside. He grimaced, thinking of the lava the Twyli were able to summon. He very much hoped he wouldn’t come across any. He peered at the light ahead with some apprehension and slowed his steps, suddenly suspicious. Could he be walking to his death?
    Come.
    Something cold touched his face and Aaric jerked back, startled. Tendrils of mist wafted through the air, curling about his arms and legs as if it had a life of its own. How it moved he didn’t want to contemplate. The air was still. The mist thickened, turning into a thick, dark fog, obscuring the rock floor and walls. Only the light was still visible, cutting through like a keen blade.
    Clenching his jaw, Aaric trudged determinedly ahead. The light grew closer, growing larger and brighter. On reaching it, the fog parted, still swirling around the edge of his vision.
    He stood before a large, circular stone arch. It was worn with age, its surface white, not a part of the