reactivate the spells you felt a moment ago. Only this time, the temperature change and drop in oxygen levels will be extremely slow and you will be trapped behind the force field. When I come back from rescuing your son, I’ll deactivate the spell. If I don’t come back…” I paused for emphasis, “this is how you’re going to die.”
Merador stood up himself and stepped closer to me. He met my eyes and said, “I understand.”
“Your last chance to escape,” I reminded him. He shook his head again. I brought the force field back up, deactivated environmental controls, set the temperature to drop at 1.75 degrees Celsius per hour, and the oxygen to deplete at 1.5% per hour. Then I walked out of the room.
“Anton, get someone down here to…” I ordered as I stepped out. Anton wasn’t there anymore. Mark was missing too. Shoot.
“Which way did they go?” I asked Tamer.
“Would you like me to bring someone else to—”
“In a minute. Which way did they go?” I asked again.
“Okay, I can give it another try with Merador until —”
“Tamer!” I interrupted. I didn’t have time for his games.
“Anton asked me where the interrogation team was being quartered,” he replied matter-of-factly.
“Tell me where,” I said. If I had to ask again, so help me, Tamer was going to grow a black eye.
“Liz, cool it,” Luke said, using his parental tone. “They went for a walk.”
For a second, I thought I might punch him too.
“Anton didn’t go for a walk,” I wasn’t yelling, but it was close. “He went to get the information Merador gave the interrogation team. Information he needs to go to the prison caves without us. If we don’t stop him… Tamer, for heaven’s sake, please tell me where...” I trailed off when I spotted Mark at the end of the hall, walking toward us. The blood drained from my face. He’s gone.
I ran down the hall to meet Mark. Luke and Tamer followed me. “Please tell me he didn’t go,” I begged Mark. He stared at me and then glanced to Luke and Tamer.
“He said to give him two hours,” Mark said. His voice was firm but sympathetic.
“Like hell I will. Do you have the coordinates?” I demanded.
“He said that…” Mark trailed off.
I took a deep breath, rested my hand on Mark’s right shoulder, and answered for him. “He said to remind me that if it was a trap, storming in now would just guarantee our capture and do nothing to help him.” I could feel my stomach twist itself into knots. We would have to hold back, despite the risk that Anton was being tortured.
Mark took a step closer to me and squeezed my right arm for comfort. “If something goes wrong, he’s going to try to relay the message to us. Otherwise, he’ll send us the all clear in two hours.”
He could be dead by then.
“We won’t wait that long,” I answered. “We take half an hour to prepare. Then we go in.”
I looked at my watch and allowed my eyes to linger on its face as I composed myself. A tear began to blur my vision, but I blinked it away and looked up to meet Luke’s gaze. “We’ll use that time to get some spells ready and familiarize ourselves with the site,” I explained. Luke’s scrutiny traveled from me to Mark’s face. He frowned at his brother as though Mark still held the key to making sense of everything.
“Tamer, have someone monitor Merador’s vital signs. They can deactivate my spells as soon as we leave for the caves,” I commanded. He could hear the lump in my throat, but I ignored it. “My threat to Merador won’t do us any good after we’re gone.”
Chapter Nine
In The Dark
Prison Caves – November 2184
Elizabeth
I called them the prison caves because this detention center was built inside an underground maze of hollowed out chambers and tunnels. The wizards had only a very basic defense system around the planet. Captives and guards were the only inhabitants. However, the detention was virtually impossible to break into or
Merador stood up himself and stepped closer to me. He met my eyes and said, “I understand.”
“Your last chance to escape,” I reminded him. He shook his head again. I brought the force field back up, deactivated environmental controls, set the temperature to drop at 1.75 degrees Celsius per hour, and the oxygen to deplete at 1.5% per hour. Then I walked out of the room.
“Anton, get someone down here to…” I ordered as I stepped out. Anton wasn’t there anymore. Mark was missing too. Shoot.
“Which way did they go?” I asked Tamer.
“Would you like me to bring someone else to—”
“In a minute. Which way did they go?” I asked again.
“Okay, I can give it another try with Merador until —”
“Tamer!” I interrupted. I didn’t have time for his games.
“Anton asked me where the interrogation team was being quartered,” he replied matter-of-factly.
“Tell me where,” I said. If I had to ask again, so help me, Tamer was going to grow a black eye.
“Liz, cool it,” Luke said, using his parental tone. “They went for a walk.”
For a second, I thought I might punch him too.
“Anton didn’t go for a walk,” I wasn’t yelling, but it was close. “He went to get the information Merador gave the interrogation team. Information he needs to go to the prison caves without us. If we don’t stop him… Tamer, for heaven’s sake, please tell me where...” I trailed off when I spotted Mark at the end of the hall, walking toward us. The blood drained from my face. He’s gone.
I ran down the hall to meet Mark. Luke and Tamer followed me. “Please tell me he didn’t go,” I begged Mark. He stared at me and then glanced to Luke and Tamer.
“He said to give him two hours,” Mark said. His voice was firm but sympathetic.
“Like hell I will. Do you have the coordinates?” I demanded.
“He said that…” Mark trailed off.
I took a deep breath, rested my hand on Mark’s right shoulder, and answered for him. “He said to remind me that if it was a trap, storming in now would just guarantee our capture and do nothing to help him.” I could feel my stomach twist itself into knots. We would have to hold back, despite the risk that Anton was being tortured.
Mark took a step closer to me and squeezed my right arm for comfort. “If something goes wrong, he’s going to try to relay the message to us. Otherwise, he’ll send us the all clear in two hours.”
He could be dead by then.
“We won’t wait that long,” I answered. “We take half an hour to prepare. Then we go in.”
I looked at my watch and allowed my eyes to linger on its face as I composed myself. A tear began to blur my vision, but I blinked it away and looked up to meet Luke’s gaze. “We’ll use that time to get some spells ready and familiarize ourselves with the site,” I explained. Luke’s scrutiny traveled from me to Mark’s face. He frowned at his brother as though Mark still held the key to making sense of everything.
“Tamer, have someone monitor Merador’s vital signs. They can deactivate my spells as soon as we leave for the caves,” I commanded. He could hear the lump in my throat, but I ignored it. “My threat to Merador won’t do us any good after we’re gone.”
Chapter Nine
In The Dark
Prison Caves – November 2184
Elizabeth
I called them the prison caves because this detention center was built inside an underground maze of hollowed out chambers and tunnels. The wizards had only a very basic defense system around the planet. Captives and guards were the only inhabitants. However, the detention was virtually impossible to break into or
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