Page 103 of Alchemy of Souls

“Fifteen minutes ago? I literally came straight to find you,” Bas says, and he doesn’t complete his sentence before I’m tearing down the soundproofing spell, which works both ways—we can’t hear out and no one can hear in. The moment the spell breaks, muffled shouts of Guardians sound in the distance.

I don’t wait for Bas. I grab the door and fling it open, using my wind spell to speed back to the dining hall. But the door is already blasted wide open. Tables are overturned, glass is strewn across the floor, and the entire wall of windows is shattered.

I run, finding Maggie lying across the table. Dread hits me so hard it steals my breath. She has a piece of glass sticking out of her shoulder and blood has soaked her shirt. But Eloise is nowhere to be seen.

“They took her,” Maggie says, clenching her teeth against the pain. “The Lawless took… Eloise.”

Which is all it takes for my heart to launch right the hell out of my chest. How could Sage do this? “Let’s get you some help and I’ll find her. I swear it.”

“Go, ye daft cow. I’ll—”

But there is no time to argue. “I’m sorry, this is going to hurt,” I say in warning before I scoop her up in my arms.

She sucks in a ragged breath and I use my wind spell to speed her out of the building to the cottage at the back of the property—the healers’ hut.

I’m moving so quickly that I nearly run smack into the womanin the waiting room, who takes one look at Maggie and leads me toward a bed.

The healer and her apprentices rush around Maggie, grabbing supplies and pushing me out of the way.

“Go. Find our girl,” Maggie tells me again, and this time I listen. But as I turn, she grabs my hand. “Tell her… tell her I saidnothing less. She’ll know what it means.”

I nod, and just as I step away, my cousin Aurora walks in the room. Her eyes widen and I have no time to spin a story, which means, my uncle will definitely hear about this. Damn it.

I cast my wind spell to sprint out the door. I fly past the front lawn, where Guardians scour the property, and to the garage. But I already know they won’t find any signs of the Lawless. Sage is too good for that.

Searching for her in the streets will also be useless. She was always better than me at sneaking around, and I consider myself an expert. However, I do know where she’ll end up.

My tires screech as I speed out of the garage, barreling through town toward Mrs. Kelly’s. I abandon my car near the edge of the forest and cast another wind spell.

Twigs crunch under my boots and branches catch my linen shirt. I don’t stop until I hit the edge of the boundary, finding the tree that leads to the hole in the wards.

And I wait. I wait eight minutes but no one shows.

“Come on,” I breathe, beyond frustrated. “Where the hell are you, Sage?” Which is when dread starts to set in. If they took Eloise out of the wards already, I can’t just run to their camp and retrieve her. I’m going to have to search. They move constantly to avoid my uncle’s raids. Damn everything to hell.

CHAPTER 50Eloise

My eyes flutter open on my pillow and I wince. There’s pain in my arm and the orange glow of the setting sun is making my head feel like someone punched it. I can just make out the plaid sheet on… wait, no, this isn’t my pillow.

I spring up in the narrow bed and curse, disoriented. I’m in a bedroom? No, a large square tent.

“I wouldn’t move too quickly if I were you,” a female voice says, and I whip around to find Sage sitting at a round wooden table pouring herself a drink. Her copper armor is long gone and she’s wearing green cargo pants, a black tank top, and fingerless climbing gloves. Her silky hair is wound into a high bun and her green eyes stare with a discerning gaze.

“We have a healer in camp,” she continues. “But she’s overworked and her magic is often drained. She mended your broken arm, and the cut on your forehead, but it’ll be sore for a few days.”

I launch to my feet and immediately regret the fast movement. My vision wavers and I have to grab the bed to keep my balance.

“Like I said, I’d stay put if I were you.” Sage sips her drink.

“Like hell I will,” I reply, instantly furious. I reach for my magic. But it sputters and slips from my grasp, weak from the healing.

I stride for the tent door, pulling it back. But what I find on theother side throws me. No guard. No weapons. Just a sea of tents like Sage’s in a clearing surrounded by trees. Not to mention she hasn’t cast a spell. She’s not attacking me. I can’t make sense of it.

“You brought me to aLawless camp?” I demand, trying to get my bearings. I grab my left arm and wince; the pain is dulled but definitely has the feeling of a healing not quite completed.

“Actually, I brought you tomy home. You’re welcome,” Sage says so confidently that she reminds me of Grayson.

“If you think I’m saying thank you, you’ve got another thing coming,” I reply.