I snorted softly, then released my grip on the edge and plummeted down. Two heartbeats later Azriel caught me, as promised.
"You," he said, voice severe as he stood me upright, "have lost far too much weight since this quest began."
And the opposite should be happening given I was now pregnant. "Yeah, well, tell that to the bad guys who are either interrupting my meals or making me lose my lunch." I swung around. "Is there anything here besides a black hole and hellhound bits?"
"There are no cuneiform stones, if that is what you are looking for."
Meaning our sorcerer and sorceress weren't using it as a jumping off point to get to their ley-line intersection chamber. I swore softly. "Is there anything else here?"
"Nothing living."
Flames flared down Valdis's sides again, lifting the shadows and lending the rough-hewn walls a blue glow. The cavern was on the small side, though there were two tunnels leading off it. A few small tables had been hacked out of the soil and stone, but there was little on them other than clean spots in the grime – indications that things had sat there not so long ago.
I drew Amaya and marched toward the first of the two tunnels. It was small and narrow, and cut so roughly that the sharp edges tore at my dress and skin. Thankfully, it wasn't all that long, and I soon found myself standing in another chamber. This also held empty shelves and tables hewn out of the earth, but there was one major difference here. A very elaborate protection circle had been etched into the stone floor, and the melted remains of black candles sat on each of the four cardinal points.
The twin scents of frankincense and cedar still lingered in the air, which was odd. I knew from Ilianna that frankincense was used as protection against evil, and I had no doubt that Lauren used this circle to summon evil. But maybe she used it for personal protection – it wouldn't be surprising given what she was summoning. It was what ran under those scents, however – a sharper, almost caustic aroma – that made my skin crawl.
"That is the scent of hell," Azriel said grimly. "This is certainly where she summoned her demons."
"Then we'd better destroy it."
"It will not be the only place from which she could summon."
"No, but one less place has got to be a good thing for us, right?"
Not waiting for his answer, I stepped forward, swung Amaya, and slashed her across the nearest part of the circle. The sharp point of her steel scored the stone, cutting the etched lines in two, thereby destroying whatever magic lingered within the circle. To use it again she'd have to redo the entire thing, and that would take time in stone this hard. I smiled grimly. It wasn't much but, if nothing else, it would annoy the bitch.
"Now all we have to do is find whatever other circles she is using." Azriel touched my back, his fingers warm against my spine. "Shall we inspect the other tunnel?"