Hour of the Dragon - Heather Killough-Walden Page 0,120

he could still trace the last transport spell cast from the room. Cain’s transport.

Right after he and the others had arrived in the chaos god’s makeshift dimension, Jarrod had witnessed several of the Monsters clan, along with combat specialists and detector members of various other clans, stepping into yet another portal. Right away, he knew what they were doing. Their speed and urgency told him at once that Victor Maze was no longer here.

They’d managed to do the impossible – they’d pinned the god of mayhem down by working together and detecting the source of his magic. But he’d remained one step ahead of them with some other plan, and the bastard had transported away one last time. Cain and the others simply could not afford to lose his trail.

He watched them heading out, the detectors moving into the swirling tunnel first, followed by the fighters and finally Cain. But before he stepped in, the Monsters clan leader actually turned and locked eyes with Jarrod from across the room.

In all that disorder and confusion, the man had still known Jarrod was there, and if his expression said anything, he knew why. He knew Annaleia had never shown up at the safehouse. He knew she’d been taken. He knew that part of the plan had failed. He didn’t even seem surprised.

Mace has gone after her, Cain said, speaking in Jarrod’s mind.

Jarrod’s eyes widened, but even then he wasn’t sure he was really all that surprised that Cain could so easily enter his thoughts.

You need to be right behind me, Sterling, Cain then told him. She needs you to be right behind me.

And then Cain had stepped into the transport before it slammed shut behind him, sending the sound of thunder through the space like a bomb. Right after which, Jarrod had been sent flying into the nearest support column by the brutal attack of one of Maze’s chaos minions. Right away, Jarrod had been forced to switch tactics and engage or be slaughtered.

The transport spell hardly ever gave off thunder any longer; magic users had learned to muffle the sound with other magic when they cast it. But here in this dimension, magic was haywire. He had to improvise wildly in order to stay on his feet. Mere minutes had passed since he’d stepped onto the space-black floor, yet it felt like a year-long run through the gauntlet.

But short minutes or not, this had now officially gone on too long. He needed to get away from this fight, let the others handle it, and trace Cain’s location.

Cain’s final words to him echoed in his head.

She needs you….

And with that thought in mind, Jarrod Sterling took a deep breath and experienced an epiphany. As his evil twin faced off with him, Jarrod simply stood up straight, brushed off his clothing, straightened out his collar, and spun on his heel to turn away from the Terror.

It worked. Of all the attacks he could have utilized and all the defenses he could have launched – simply walking way and not battling himself was something the Terror had not expected. Its perplexed uncertainty afforded Jarrod the few precious seconds he needed to put distance between himself and his twin. And when one of the support columns nearby conveniently slid over to end up between the two of them, Jarrod thanked his lucky stars and all the fates. Now there was space and a barrier separating them.

The Nightmare Warlock broke into a run toward the place he’d seen Cain leave from, and as he did he spoke the words of a tracing spell, weaving them together with tried and true transport magic. Ahead of him, a hole tore open the chaos dimension, its edges swirling and crackling with physics-defying magic.

Jarrod Sterling sprinted right up to that hole and jumped in.

Chapter Forty – The Monsters territory garage, Austin Texas

Once Magnus had told her he was going to at least take her discomfort away, Annaleia began to feel much better. He hadn’t healed her, but her wounds no longer hurt and she wasn’t thirsty. Now she just felt peaceful.

It afforded her the luxury of thinking clearly, which is what she did as the transport bent time and space around them on its way to their destination.

She’d never been in transports that lasted so long. When she’d first learned the spell, she’d learned it was really more like a flash, a brief and blurred passage through something indistinct, and then pop – she’d be where she wanted to go.