Free Twisted Enchantment (Unbreakable Force Book 5) by Kara Jaynes Page B

turned to face Fyrsil, looking at him by the light of torches set in sconces. He looked exhausted. Dark circles shadowed his eyes but his mouth was a firm line of determination. When I asked him if he needed to rest, he shook his head. “Let’s get this over with,” he growled and stalked over to the door that would lead us indoors, leaving our gliders in the shadow of the landing.

 
    21
    Adaryn
     
    W e ran through the fortress, making our way upstairs. If I had closed my eyes, I would have been able to pinpoint the exact location of the dark magic. We met a few guards on the way, but together Fyrsil and I were able to take them out before they could sound the alarm.
    We ran up a long, circular flight of stairs, and found ourselves standing in front of a wooden door. It was etched with runes that glowed, some kind of protective barrier magic. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to open it. Fyrsil, however, studied the runes intently. Summoning the magic, he deftly wove it, and pricking each rune, made them fade away into the worn wood. He turned to me. “I’m getting tired, Adaryn. This next battle is going to be yours.”
    I nodded. I could handle that. Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and stepped inside.
    The scene was straight from my nightmare. The room was circular, the floor stones polished and painted red. Candles, lit everywhere, glowed blue without a flicker. A pile of bodies lay slumped on the floor, pushed to the side of the room like broken dolls. I only had a moment to take it all in before my eyes were drawn to the center of the room where a long table with metal cuffs fastened to it stood. Three tall figures in black robes were standing at the table, one at its head and the others on either side, but I only had eyes for the small child strapped on its metal surface. Dahlia.
    I screamed, unable to contain my rage. I called the enchantment, drawing as much of it as was humanly possible for me. The magic roared to life, crackling around me. I focused it and sent a lance of blue-white fire flying through the air to slam into the floor between two of the figures. Red tile and black stone chips showered everywhere. The two figures leapt back, and one of them threw their hood off. I was looking into the face of the man who’d tried to steal Dahlia weeks earlier. His yellow eyes caught the light of the candles and seemed to glow. His face looked puzzled, then a flicker of recognition crossed it.
    “You came.” He sounded matter-of-fact, like he’d expected nothing less. Like our first meeting, I was struck by the thought that he looked familiar to me.
    “I came for the girl.” I strode forward. “Give her to me.”
    “She’s mine.” One of the other figures stepped in front of Dahlia and the iron strapped table. “I need her essence.”
    “You’ll have to go through me first,” I growled. I held the magic ready, determined to kill if it came to that.
    The man touched the other figure’s shoulder. “Let her have the child. We’ve drawn enough essence today, sister.”
    The figure grunted in irritation, pushing back her hood. “Very well, Hydari.” I stared at them, incredulous. They were twins. They had the same dark brown hair, high cheekbones, and the same yellow, glowing eyes. The woman was slightly shorter than her brother, but still taller than me. Her eyes were locked on me. She was angry. Her hands clenched into fists and her eyes flashed.
    “What is she to you, brother? And why spare the life of a Denali for her?”
    The yellow eyed man, Hydari, gestured to me. “She’s one of our kind, Myyre. She wields magic.” He looked confused. “Why she has emotionally attached herself to a Denali, I do not know. But,” he waggled his fingers and the iron braces around Dahlia’s hands and feet sprang apart, “I would be interested to learn of her and where she hails from.”
    “I come from over the mountains,” I said. I took a hesitant step forward, senses alert. I didn’t trust them,