“That was Eddie,” she said. “He was with the group about to raid the basement, but then, at the last minute, he made them stop at the entrance.”
“Why?” asked Zoe.
Sydney met my eyes. “He said it smelled like Ms. Terwilliger’s house.”
For a minute, I thought she was suggesting Jackie was there, and then I caught on to the inference he’d made. “You think there’s some kind of magic use going on down there?”
“Alicia was the one who caught Jill for them,” Sydney remarked. “It’s possible she left some kind of trap in place. It would also explain why there were no Warriors on guard down there.”
“Probably because they all ran up to fight in the initial assault,” her dad said.
Alicia’s words echoed back to me: You’ll never get to her! You’ll never get through to her! A feeling of dread settled into my stomach. “No, there’s something there.”
“They’ve suspended things until I can get out there to look,” said Sydney. Her eyes met mine. “You coming with me?”
There was no need to ask, and we both knew it. A guardian drove us out to the site, which was outside of the city proper. No surprise there, as fanatics tended not to build their strongholds in civilized areas full of other people who might call the police. Desert terrain dominated, albeit in a different way from Palm Springs. The rocks and ground were a red that looked striking in the setting sun, with little patches of scrubby vegetation here and there. The compound itself was a wide, one-story building surrounded by barbed wire. Alchemists and guardians patrolled the area side by side, and I could see where they had rounded up and contained the enemy Warriors. Dimitri met us as we got out of the car.
“This way,” he said, gesturing forward. “We think there are still mines in the area. I’ll take you on a path I know is safe.”
We followed him over the rocky ground, into the enclosure, past the glaring prisoners. The building itself was as stark as a military barracks, and as far as I could tell, it had served no purpose except to hold prisoners and as a hangout to discuss crazed anti-vampire schemes. It chilled me seeing it all.
A stairwell in the center of the building led downstairs to an underground level, and there, we saw Eddie, Neil, and Rose waiting at the bottom. Sydney and I followed the stairs down and found ourselves standing in a long concrete corridor that stretched off into darkness. A few doors could be seen branching off, but I had no idea what was beyond them. Beside me, Sydney winced.
“Reminds me of a primitive version of some of the re-education levels,” she murmured, shuddering.
Thinking back to when I helped rescue her, I could understand what she meant. That facility had also contained vast halls with mysterious doors, though it had had a much more clinical feel to it. It had all been sterile and lit with stark fluorescent lighting. This, meanwhile, was more like a dirty, medieval dungeon in the wilds of Utah. It made me sick to think of Jill being inside.
“We think Jill’s just down there,” said Rose. “That’s what the Alchemists’ equipment detected. I want to go in and get her, but Eddie . . .” It was clear she didn’t share his fears.
He looked a little embarrassed but held his ground. “I just can’t shake the feeling something’s off here. Why not have guards on their most valuable prisoner? And do you smell that?”
Sydney nodded, and I had to agree. “It does smell like Jackie’s house,” I remarked.
“Someone’s burned incense here,” said Sydney. “Though it’s not something you’d see Ms. Terwilliger using very much. Vetiver. Black lotus.” She frowned and scanned around. “There. There are some ashes down the hall. That’s where it was burned.”
I started to investigate, but she held me back.
“Wait,” she said. She held up her hand and spoke words in a language I didn’t know. After several seconds, glowing symbols appeared in the ceiling above where the ashes were. Sydney studied them intently until they faded away, and then she exhaled in dismay. “Damn.”
I rarely heard her swear and didn’t think that boded well.
“What is it?” I asked.
“There’s a demon here,” she replied in a tone that was far too casual for that kind of pronouncement. “It looks like Alicia summoned one to stand guard.”
“Hopper’s technically a demon,” I offered.
Her face was grim. “Not that kind, I’m afraid. This is a senicus.” Seeing our blank looks, she asked, “Have you ever heard of a hydra in Greek mythology? It’s kind of like that. Kind of. Serpentine, lots of heads. But these heads spit boiling acid.”
I’d taken Greek mythology in high school and actually paid attention to it. “Do the heads grow back too?” I asked.
“Not if you destroy them with fire,” she said.
“Do we need a flamethrower?” asked Neil.
Sydney held out her palm, and a ball of flame appeared. “No need.”
Rose’s eyes widened in wonder. “Whoa. Will blades still hurt this thing?”
“No,” said Sydney. “It has a magical hide that’ll protect it. I’m the only one who can really take this thing out. What you guys need to do is get Jill out of here while I distract it. Someone needs to sneak past it while it’s engaged. Fire’s the only way to destroy this thing, and I don’t want Jill trapped here if things literally go up in smoke.”
Once again, I was feeling useless. Sydney might be a pro at wielding fireballs, but that didn’t mean I wanted her taking on this hydra-demon-thing alone. “What should I do?”
“Nothing,” she said. “Get out of here.”
She thinks you’re incompetent! hissed Aunt Tatiana. She thinks you’ll be in the way.
“Sydney, let me help,” I insisted.
Sydney’s eyes weren’t even on me as she scrutinized the corridor, probably gauging the range of her fireballs and how flammable the whole thing was. “Adrian, there’s nothing you can do here. Stay safe in case Jill needs help when she gets out.”
Do you hear that? asked Aunt Tatiana. She doesn’t think you’re capable of anything!
My temper started to flare, and I nearly agreed with Aunt Tatiana until I took a moment to mentally replay what Sydney had said. No, she’s right, I told the phantom in my head. If Jill’s injured, I need to conserve my power. No repeats of Olive.