Reaching Retribution(62)

Before I hit the ground, I’m already gone.

“Colton,” a familiar voice calls out. I blink and look around. I’m standing in the middle of a cement cell, similar to one that Dravin held Liam and me in. Speaking of Liam…

“What’s going on?” I ask him.

“Are you guys still planning on coming?” he asks. I can hear the urgency in his voice.

“Yeah, tomorrow.”

“Can you come any sooner?”

“Liam, what happened?”

He starts pacing the cell. When he grabs the back of his neck, I tense. Like me, Liam does that when he’s in a situation he doesn’t want to be in. “Dravin took Ryanne,” he finally says.

“Took her where?” This can’t be good. Last time I heard, Dravin was treating Ryanne decently…as decent as a prisoner could be kept, but I knew that wouldn’t stay that way for long.

“I don’t know for sure. Adam and I were trying to get Ryanne to eat something, because she hasn’t eaten in days, but she refused. She started feeling everyone’s emotions again, so she was trying to stay away from us, but she ended up passing out from the pain. Dravin came into the room and said that he needed Ryanne to come with him. He grabbed her and pulled her into the hallway. Adam left the cell at the same time.

“I could hear Dravin yelling at her. I couldn’t make out what he was saying specifically, but Adam hid behind the corner and listened. He wants Ryanne to fight for the Gadramicks—to be their secret weapon. Well, being Ryanne, she insulted him, which he didn’t like.

“He forcefully dragged her down the hallway. Adam followed them from a safe distance until Dravin disappeared behind an old wooden door. He tried to go further, but the door was locked,” Liam pauses and looks straight at me. “Colton, he took her to Zahtri.”

“Are you positive?”

“Where would you hide a powerful mage that no one has ever seen before? It’s not easy to hide someone in a compound full of Gadramicks. People would find out. There’s no other possible scenario. This is Dravin we’re talking about. They’re finally putting their plan into motion.”

“Shit,” I grab the back of my neck and look around. Ryanne has been in a cell like this for far too long. This needs to end. “I’ll talk with Tom and Colin. If she’s with Zahtri, she’s in danger.”

“Ryanne’s powerful, but she won’t use her magic to protect herself and you know that. She doesn’t think there’s a way out of this for her. She’s in a lot of danger. Way more than we know.”

I blink and I’m back in the woods behind the hotel. Everyone is huddled around me. “Colton, are you okay?” Tom asks as he puts a hand out. I grab it and stand up.

“No, we need to go now.”

“Where?”

“To Dravin’s compound. Ryanne’s in danger. Liam pulled me into a dream; that’s how serious it is. Dravin took her to Zahtri.”

Larkin and Kyril cuss and push through everyone. “He took her to Zahtri?”

I nod. “Apparently. Adam followed Dravin and Ryanne to an old wooden door. He couldn’t go any farther because the door was locked.”

“I’ve been back there before. I’ve never seen Zahtri, but I could feel a difference in the air down there. It felt electric. I couldn’t sense his magic specifically, but I knew that there was something there. Something powerful. Dravin never lets anyone down there. I’m probably one of two people who have ever been on the other side of that door. If he took Ryanne down there, he’s very serious,” Larkin says.

We can’t afford to wait until tomorrow. Who we have now will have to do. Ryanne and Liam’s life depend on it. It’s now or never. Tom’s eyes move from me as he looks at all the people around us. They’re all nodding; they understand the direness of this situation.

“Okay, tonight. Tonight, we’ll go and rescue them. I’ll go get everyone together. You all get ready. We’ll head out in an hour.”

“This is it,” Natalie says as she walks over to me. “We’re finally going to end this.”

“I just hope we’re not too late.”



*****

“I see my reputation precedes me,” Zahtri says as he steps forward.

I take a deep breath. My heart is pounding a mile a minute and my palms feel very clammy. I really want to turn around and bang on the old wooden door, screaming for help, but I know that no one will come. I’m all alone.

With Zahtri.

My body really wants to step back, but I remain still as Zahtri steps toward me. I know he can sense my fear, just like I can sense his amusement. He’s basically laughing at me right now, but I need to remain as calm as possible. Anything else could get me killed.