Free Crimson Dahlia by Abigail Owen

not at the expense of any of our own people.
Understood?”
    “Yes,
My Queen,” resounded through the Hall.
    With
a nod, Selene turned to Charlotte. Ramsey clasped the hands of the people
nearest him, and with a single thought, they were all instantly standing in the
Sierra Mountains surrounded by the piney woods and slabs of granite rock.
    “Darius?”
Selene called.
    Ramsey
knew the guy. He’d watched him fight Marcus’s Louisiana clan before the truce last
year. Darius was a Vyusher with a very unique ability—he could move the ground.
He could rip great seams in it, move rocks, and create tunnels… basically
anything he wanted to do that concerned solid earth.
    “Do
you sense anything?” Selene asked him.
    Darius
concentrated for a moment. “I can feel that there are empty spaces underground.
Many of them. But beyond that I can’t sense much.”
    “Why
do you look worried?” Ramsey asked.
    Darius
gave him a thoughtful look. “There’s a blank space in what I can sense. It’s
like a barrier I can’t see through.”
    Ramsey
and Selene glanced at each other. “The blocker?” Ramsey muttered.
    Selene
nodded her agreement. “That’s where the prisoners will be.”
    “We
need Charlotte to check where the tunnels are. But what if she teleports right
into the middle of the blocker’s reach?” Selene asked.
    “I’ll
go.” Ellie stepped forward. “If I tap in to both Charlotte and Darius, I’ll be
able to see where I need to go. Remember that as long as I’m touching them, or anyone,
I can control their powers. That could help us. And with Griffin lying not far
from here, I can use his telepathy if I need to.”
    Selene
nodded. “Do it.”
    Ellie
stepped back and took Charlotte’s and Darius’s hands. The three of them
vanished into thin air and then reappeared a moment later.
    The
light of excitement in Ellie’s eyes filled Selene with hope.
    “There
are tunnels?” she asked.
    “Yes.
A long tunnel carved into rocklike caves and many doors. I didn’t see anyone,
but obviously I didn’t stick around that long.”
    Selene
nodded. “All right. Everyone get ready. You all know what to do once we’re down
there. Keep silent and secret for as long as you can. Free as many prisoners as
you can. Bring them to Charlotte or call for Ellie if you can’t find Charlotte.
But be careful. The blocker is active down there.” She turned to Ellie. “Can
you show us where you sense the blocker?”
    Ellie
nodded.
    They
all joined their hands again. Charlotte had them down inside the caves before
anyone could blink.
    “Go,”
whispered Selene.
    They
moved as silently as ghosts. 
    Per
the plan they’d all discussed, Ellie stayed with the Vyusher. Selene followed
Ramsey as he walked them through the memory Griffin had pulled from Lila’s
mind. It helped that Lila had thought to count doors and turns. They found the
old elevator – still without encountering another soul - and rode up five levels.
They entered the sterile-looking hallway and followed the series of turns from
Lila’s head until they came to what they thought was the correct one.
    Ramsey
reached for the knob, but the door was locked. He looked at Selene. “We need
Nate.” Nate was their superman with his colossal strength and speed.
    “What
if it’s a trap?”
    “I
know she’s in there. We’ve gotta risk it.”
    “Okay.
I’ll call Ellie and have her send Nate up here.”
    A
few moments later Charlotte and Nate popped into the hallway.
    “Need
you to break a door, Nate,” Ramsey said.
    Nate
gave a thumbs up. “You got it.”
    “Careful,
in case it’s rigged,” Selene warned.
    Nate
grinned and rubbed his hands together. “No worries, boss lady.”
    With
a kick that seemed to be barely a tap, the door slammed inward, the top half
snapping off the hinges to lean at a funky angle. There, in the middle of the
room, strapped to a stainless steel table, was Lila. Out cold. Nate stepped
over the door, which stood askew, and rushed to