“The door will not open.” Carmen’s voice rang like a bell in her head.
“Are you certain?”
“Try it.”
“What is wrong?” She approached Jordan.
“The door won’t open.” He jiggled the handle and then kicked the baseboard. The wood did not tremble on the hinge.
“May I try?” Celeste smiled.
Jordan laughed and motioned toward the door. “Sure, why not.”
Celeste walked up to the door and grasped the handle. Open. “Aben” came to her lips without thought.
The door glowed gold, and pain seared through her hand. She jerked back and stared into her palm. The shape of the handle had burned into her skin. The mark sparkled, and the sting slowly faded, but the door continued to glow.
Jordan grabbed her hand and gently rubbed the pad of his thumb over the glimmering brand on her palm. “Does it hurt?”
“It did. But no longer.”
“I have been meaning to ask you how you use the elements on your own.” Jordan wrapped his arms about her. “How did you learn that?”
“I—”
The door blew inward, sucking them forward. The gray raven burst out into the hallway over their heads from the room. Within, Ferrous and Madoc stood frozen, imprisoned in a halo of iridescent light. Hudson perched on the bed. His eyes shone a solid black, and spiderlike orange lines spread from his eyes. He was a monster from a gothic novel.
Hudson waved his hand to encompass all of them. “You thought you were so smart. So strong and powerful. But see, I have power now too. I have them trapped.”
“Silence him,” Carmen screeched.
“I knew…” Hudson stared at the open door as if seeing something beyond.
“Luk munden på ham.” The words burst from Celeste’s mouth, and a shiver quivered through her in Jordan’s embrace. How had she known the words that would silence him?
Jordan’s arms tightened about her. “Luk munden på ham.”
Hudson wavered on the bed. The bedclothes tugged out from under his feet of their own volition, toppling him to the mattress. The blanket slithered around his legs and tightened, then wrapped about his chin, muffling his words.
Jordan stepped forward, forcing her to tread into the room with him. He walked up behind Madoc. “Celeste, wrap your arms about him and repeat the words after I do.”
She glanced at Hudson. He lay immobilized. She wrapped her hands about the glowing iridescent energy that surrounded Madoc.
“Løslad ham.” Jordan wrapped his hands about her and Madoc.
“Løslad ham.” Release him. Celeste repeated the words, and the iridescent light turned to blue and gold energy.
With a burst, the light that held Madoc exploded, tossing Celeste back against Jordan, who thudded into the wall.
Madoc widened his stance and tilted his head back. With a roar, fire burst from his mouth and hands. His body turned a glowing red. He spun about and charged at Hudson on the bed. “You will be purged of your daemon if I have to push it from you with force.”
Celeste rushed to release Ferrous from the energy as well. She wrapped her arms about him before Jordan could place himself behind her. “Løslad ham.” She repeated the words, and Jordan circled her with his arms. “Løslad ham,” they repeated together.
The glow around Ferrous changed from gold to blue and burst. The force knocked into her, slamming her back into Jordan. Jordan didn’t budge this time. He wrapped his arms tightly about her. “Are you well?”
She squeezed him tighter, relieved to have his strength behind her at this moment. Her mind spun from all the strange acts they’d just accomplished. “Quite. Are you well?”
“Quite.”
Ferrous rushed to the bed beside Madoc.
The bedclothes still held Hudson in place. Ferrous raised his hand above Hudson’s body. In his hand, he gripped a small glass bottle. He tipped the bottle and sprinkled a glittering gold substance onto Hudson.
Nothing happened. Hudson wiggled beneath the confining bedding.
Ferrous bit his own hand and squeezed. Blood streaked down his hand and dripped onto Hudson’s face.
Hudson turned his head away.
Madoc gripped his chin and turned his face back.
“Løs det fortryllede blod fra denne mand. Bræk obligationen fra underverden. Reparer hans menneskehed.” Ferrous squeezed his fist tighter and moved his hand, spilling his blood in the same path he had sprinkled the gold. “Reparer hans menneskehed.”
Hudson jerked.
Wind rushed in, and the candles flickered out.
“Repair his humanity,” she whispered. Is that what had happened? Had Hudson been infected with enchanted blood?
“You understood Ferrous?” Jordan whispered in her ear.