door.
I gripped her shoulder gently to stall her and slipped through first, watching warily for attack. The garden was unremarkable, rectangular and surrounded on all sides by walls. Neatly laid out paths and benches and hedges created a space to enjoy the outdoors, but no one was there.
Magic still sparked on the air, however, and I doubted we were in the clear. I turned back to Carrow. “It’s safe presently, but we’re probably not past the worst of it.”
She nodded and followed me in. A path cut down the center of the garden, leading directly to the back of the tall, narrow house.
Together, we approached the house, our senses alert. We’d just crossed the midway point when a vine shot out from the wall and wrapped around my leg. I stumbled, nearly going to my knees. Another vine lashed out, wrapping around my arm. They burned, some type of magic that made my skin feel as if it were on fire.
I drew a blade from the ether and severed the vine at my arm, then the one at my leg.
Beside me, a thick vine wrapped around Carrow’s waist. She hissed with pain and called on her own blade. I swung around to cut the vine from her, but two more wrapped around my arm before I could.
I thrashed, my muscles burning, and broke through the vines. Two more wrapped around my legs, and I sliced them off. Carrow cut the one around her waist, but two more grabbed her. They were so damned fast that she didn’t stand a chance. I could barely keep up, and only because of my enhanced speed.
More and more vines lashed out from the walls, and I sliced at them as quickly as I could, taking them out one by one. There were too many, though. Three wrapped around me, and Carrow was covered in far more.
She sagged to the ground, her eyes closing. Fear pierced me. “Hang on, Carrow!”
My heart thundered with fear as I fought the vines, desperate to get to her. I was fast enough to keep them off myself, but not fast enough to reach her. More and more vines wrapped around her, so many that she was disappearing.
Her magic filled the air, the scent of lavender strong.
She was using her power.
Her eyes snapped open and met mine. “Kill the base of the plant by the wall.”
Hope flared, and I hacked at the vines that trapped my legs, the pain of their burn making my skin chill. I couldn’t imagine what Carrow felt with so many vines around her. Fear for her drove me, making me quicker and stronger. I fought off the vines and sprinted toward the wall, seeking the base of the plant.
It grew from the edge of the garden, and I lunged for it, slicing at the base, hacking at the thick growth with all of my strength.
Finally, I cut through the last of it. The vines withered, turning thin and brown. I raced back to Carrow, finding her limp against the ground, the vines dying around her.
I yanked them off, my heart pounding.
“Carrow.” Fear echoed in my voice as I shook her gently. “Wake up. You’re fine. You’re fine.”
“That felt like hell,” she rasped, her eyes opening.
I hugged her to me gently, running kisses over her brow. “That was quick thinking.”
“Well, I wasn’t having any luck with my knife.” She pulled back from me slightly, the color returning to her cheeks. “As much as I’d like to continue this, we need to get moving.”
“Do you feel all right?”
She nodded, rising slowly to her feet and shaking out her skirts. “The pain has mostly faded. Once the vines died, it started to go.”
I inspected her for any wounds but saw none. “Ready?”
“Lead on.”
We headed down the path, our guard up and our movements silent. Finally, we reached the back of the house, an impressive three-story structure covered with rose vines. There were two doors to choose from, and I went for the smaller one that looked like the servants’ entrance.
The door opened silently, and I entered a dimly lit kitchen that made me grateful for the twenty-first century. The drab room was lit by a large fire, the heat oppressive. The scent of cured meat permeated the place.
A woman in a simple dress, who’d been stoking the fire, turned as I entered. Her eyes widened, and her hand flew to her chest. “Who are you?”
“Calm yourself, madam, and sit in that chair.” I imbued my voice with my