Free Exiled by Nina Croft

their small group, his gaze didn’t falter as it passed over her, but his brows drew together when he reached Tallon. “Tallon? What’s the meaning of this?”
    “Malachai has betrayed you all.” Malachai’s lips curled into a smile. “Obviously, he’s lying.
    He’s been seduced by the witch’s lies, bewitched by their evil ways. I warned you he’d betrayed us.”
    “The proof is in the tower,” Tallon replied.
    Freya stepped forward. “Malachai is holding the Goddess prisoner in the tower. We’ve come to awaken her.” Roark frowned. “It is true the Goddess sleeps in the tower.
    She is there for her protection, until she wakes.”
    “We can wake her.” Cass stepped forward. She took a deep breath. “I am Casterix.” A gasp went through the crowd.
    “And I’ve come to sort out the balls-up you lot have made.” She pointed at Malachai. “And to bring him to justice for the murder of my chosen mate.” Freya and Shayla moved to stand at her back, and she saw the warlocks shock as they took in the moon marks on their cheeks.
    “Witches.”
    “Yeah, witches who are going to save your asses. We can wake the Goddess. Malachai has been keeping her in an enchanted sleep using the magic you steal from the witches.” Roark turned to Malachai. “Is this true?”
    “It’s all lies,” Malachai drawled. “The witch has no doubt returned to gloat over what she has brought our world to.” Roark’s glance switched between the two of them. “Then let’s go see.” Cass had expected more of an argument; then it came to her.
    “You’ve known all along, haven’t you? And you did nothing.”
    “Not known, but we had begun to suspect.”
    “Quick of you. And what—you thought if you ignored it the problem would just go away.” She shook her head but said no more. After all, what right did she have to chastise anybody? She’d known what was going on and told herself she could do nothing. She was more to blame for this than anyone else.
    Were they too late? Once more, she searched for her magic, but it remained locked down tight inside her.

Chapter Nine
    “Take his staff,” Roark said, waving a hand toward Malachai.
    Malachai snarled and backed away. He turned to his guard who stood arrayed at his back. “Fight them.” But the guards looked from him, to the slaves, to the council members. As one, they shook their heads.
    Callum strode forward and snatched the staff from Malachai’s hand, flinging it to the ground.
    The door at the base of the tower led into a circular room.
    An archway at one end revealed a narrow spiral staircase, which wound around the tower leading upward. Malachai took the lead, with Callum and Roark at his shoulders. Cass followed with Freya and Shayla still at her back, and Tallon and Jarrod behind them. The council members brought up the rear. Pale, early morning sunlight filtered in through slits in the bare stone wall lighting their way.
    Malachai should have been helpless without his staff but suddenly he leaped two steps ahead, whirled around, and stretched out his hand. In that second, Cass remembered the moon magic, twisted and warped to his control. A bolt of crimson lightning flew from his fingertips and blasted into them throwing Callum against her. They tumbled backward, crashing into Freya and Shayla. Cass managed to right herself and then Callum was on his feet and dashing up the stone steps. She raced after him, heart pounding. She was gasping for air by the time they halted in front of a wooden door. This one wasn’t plain but inlaid with the swirling, glowing lines of runes of power.
    She pressed her hand to the wood of the door and felt the pulse of magic, but nothing happened. Freya came up beside her and she stepped aside. As Freya touched the door lightly, the runes shifted, realigned and the door swung open.
    Cass stepped into the room. The air prickled with magic and she rubbed her arms. Regular narrow slits punctuated the walls of the circular stone