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  When I turned to look back, I noticed the leopard followed us.

  “Um, we seem to have picked up a traveling companion.”

  “Yes, I heard her.” Kaz kept moving.

  It was still raining and I constantly had to push curling wisps of hair off my face and out of my eyes. My boots sloshed in the mud. I figured, at least my calves were getting a good workout.

  “Why doesn’t she try to eat us? Is she saving us for later?”

  Kaz put a finger to his lips to shush me. I was about to protest when I heard them: men’s voices, one barking orders.

  Pushing me back behind a tree, Kaz whispered in my ear, “Diamond mine. We can’t let them see us. The men who work here do not appreciate visitors.”

  I must admit, at the word diamonds I’m quite certain my eyes grew a tad wider. I’m kind of fond of all things sparkly, but Kaz was right. This wasn’t the time to go ring shopping. I’d read stories about what the miners did to trespassers. Beheadings were the norm.

  My hair is a big, wild mess, but I kind of like my head, so I followed him and did my best to be stealthy. Men yelled and I could hear a truck grinding gears. I wondered if maybe they were stuck in mud. The rain continued and everything and everyone was drenched.

  We’d just made it past the large opening of the tunnel when there was a tug at my heart. It’s hard to describe. It was like something was pulling me back into the open mouth of the mountain. I stopped and closed my eyes.

  I could feel the tiny tendrils of a protection spell—one of my spells, the one I’d sent to my brother.

  We were still in the trees and Kaz had moved several feet in front of me. I opened my eyes and stared into the tunnel, sending a message with my mind to Sam, my brother, and my dad. “I’m here.”

  I closed and opened my eyes again and saw the magic protecting the cave. It was dark and knotted. Black magic.

  That happens to be something I know a little bit about, so I began unraveling the knots, one by one. The black ropes dissipated into the air. Every time I conquered one, I could feel Sam a little closer.

  Kaz had come back and he touched my shoulder.

  I pointed to the cave. “They’re in there.”

  He nodded and readied his gun. Our friendly leopard suddenly looked on guard, and Kaz yanked me back behind one of the trees.

  One of the rebels walked past, his machine gun slung across his shoulders. If he stepped any closer he would have heard us breathe, but he was preoccupied with taking a pee.

  This is the part in the movies where the good guys quietly take out the bad guys by knocking them on the head, or by using their bare hands to pop necks. But Kaz had a different script.

  He let the guy do his business and then go.

  “Why didn’t you do something?” I whispered.

  “He’s a sentry. If he doesn’t answer back they’ll be suspicious. We can’t risk them knowing we are here until we have a plan.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I have a plan. I’m going in there and saving my family.”

  “Bronwyn, it is surrounded by rebels. And the miners in the cave are just as bad. They will kill you.”

  I sighed. “Not if they can’t see me. I’ve been pulling power from this jungle of yours for days. I’ll cloak myself so no one can see me, then I can shield them until we make it out of the cave.

  “All I need you to do is have one of those trucks ready so we can get the hell out of here.” It sounded like a great plan to me, especially since I’d come up with it on the fly.

  He shook his head. “I will do what you ask, but how will you find them? They could be anywhere in the mine, and the mountain is huge.”

  I shrugged. “I have my ways. I can already sense them. Once I finish releasing the magic surrounding the tunnel, I’ll be able to hone in with my mind and find them.”

  “At least wait until it grows dark.” Kaz shoved his pack up into a tree, and took mine from my shoulders and did the same. “The miners leave at dusk and then only a few guards will be left.”

  That made sense, and so I agreed. Besides, it would take me a while to undo the rest of the black magic. We climbed up into the tree and waited.

  7 p.m.

  Charms: 6

  I’m getting ready to make my way inside. Kaz was right about all of the miners. They left in three big trucks about a half hour ago. He expects there will be a shift change for the guards in a few minutes, and that will be my best bet to slip inside undetected.

  Once I released all of the magic protecting the mountain, I was able to get a message to Sam.

  “I’m here. Are you okay?” I sent my mind in search of Sam, Azir, and my family and found them all inside a small room with a large wooden door. It had been carved into the mountain and there was nothing in there except rock.

  “Bron? Where are you?” Sam looked up as if he could see me in the ceiling. I noticed his cheek was puffy and he had a black eye.

  “I’m outside the cave, baby. What did they do to you?”

  He waved a hand. “Don’t worry about it. Are you okay? We were worried last night and couldn’t figure out where you had gone.”

  Last night?

  Oh my god. I really had been in the cave, with no idea of how I’d done it. I thought it had been a dream. Somehow I’d been able to astrally project my body. I wished I could do it again.

  Sam was still talking. “Be careful, this place is crawling with rebels. Tell me you have backup.”

  I looked over at Kaz, who was watching the mouth of the cave intently.

  “Absolutely,” I lied. Well, technically, I did have Kaz. He was more backup than I usually had in tough spots like this. “Listen, I’m coming that way in a few minutes, so tell everyone to keep their shields down so I can find you.”

  Azir, my dad, and my brother all stared at Sam as if he’d lost his mind. They circled him.

  “Um, you might want to inform the gang that you’re talking to me.”

  He looked away and smiled. The effort hurt his swollen mouth and he touched it with his hands. I didn’t know who had done that to him, but whoever did would pay. Since Sam wasn’t blocking me I took a quick tour of his brain and discovered he and Azir had been captured on the river, almost at the same place where we had saved the children. The rebels had probably been looking for their comrades. The two guides had been murdered, and Azir and Sam had fought bravely. Well, stupidly, really. They could have been killed.

  Then Azir and Sam had been blindfolded and brought to the cave, probably while we were making our way from the camp. My guess is those were the guns I’d heard that night in the jungle.

  “It’s Bron. She’s outside. She wants us to keep our shields open so she can find us.” He looked at my father. “She says she has backup.”

  My dad stared up at the ceiling with one eyebrow raised. “She damn well better have help. If she gets herself killed trying to get in here, her mother will never forgive me.”

  I could have sent myself into my dad’s mind to reassure him, but I have a really hard time lying to him.

  “Tell him I really do have help this time.” Well, I did have Kaz, and I think the leopard is on my side. She hasn’t eaten me yet and I’m taking that as a good sign.

  Sam turned his face back to the ceiling. “You know I love you.” He reached out as if to touch my cheek.

  I almost blubbered, but I kept it together.

  “I love you, too. I’ll see you in a few.” I smiled, but I knew my eyes were shiny. I pulled away before he heard me sniffle.

  The sun had gone down and the jungle was black once again.

  “Kaz, I’m putting a protection charm on you and on our leopard friend.” I pulled a charm out of my backpack that I’d made back at my brother’s camp. “This burns inside your pocket if someone tries to harm you, and puts up a shield to protect you. It doesn’t last long, so move fast once it begins.”

  He took the charm from me and put it in his pocket.

  I moved toward the leopar
d, seriously doubting my sanity as I did so. She had been protecting us, I was certain of it now. The night she’d eaten the soldier, I have a feeling she was protecting us from his gun. Kaz was right about her being a magical creature.

  There was no telling how wild things were about to get, and I didn’t want the leopard hurt. Whispering, I spoke to her. “I’d like to put this around your neck for protection.” I took a few steps and stopped. The leopard watched me curiously and then moved majestically, muscles flexing, until she was a foot in front of me, and I had to remember to breathe. I said a quick prayer that she didn’t swallow me whole and then bent down to wrap the leather necklace with the amber amulet around her neck.

  I’ve been using amber this trip because it amplifies whatever spell or charm it’s given.

  When I finished, she moved away to the edge of a clearing.

  As I walked back past Kaz, he grabbed my hand.

  “Be safe, my friend.” He squeezed my fingers tight and let go.

  “You, too.” I squeezed back, then, “Kaz, you are an amazing man and no matter what happens, please know I will always be grateful.”

  “It has been an honor to assist one so powerful.” He gave a slight bow.

  I gave him a tiny salute, then faced the cave opening with determination. It was time to save the goofy men of my life.

  Eighteen

  Sweet, Texas

  2 p.m.

  Witches with bipolar cats: 1

  Dead guys: I lost count. Again.

  Spells: 10

  C asper, the crazy cat, has decided she can never be more than two feet away from me while I’m home. Maybe it’s because I was gone so long this last time, but I’m not sure.

  The weird thing is, she hates me. From the day she showed up on my doorstep in New York and insisted on coming in, she’s detested my every move. While we lived in the bigger cities, like Paris, London, and New York City, she never left the apartment. She’s always been my guard cat, and has let me know more than once when a warlock was trying to get past my wards. But she’s never wanted to be petted or to curl up in my lap. There is always disdain in her eyes, like she barely tolerates me.

  When we moved to Sweet, it was a whole different story. From that first month, I was lucky if I saw her once a week—until now. I came home from Africa, and she’s been stuck to me like glaze on a sugar bun.

  I’m out in the conservatory taking a rest and admiring my handiwork. I transplanted thirty different herbs from pots to the ground this morning. I’ve pruned, plucked, and have just about everything in order.

  After the chaos in Africa, it feels good to do something that feels so normal.

  I thought I knew what I was walking into that night when I made my way through the cave, but I didn’t have a clue.

  Kaz had been right about the guard change. There was about a ten-minute window for me to slip in while they changed shifts.

  I used the cloaking spell to get inside, just in case there was someone on the mountain we hadn’t seen.

  There were several large trucks at the entryway and just inside the cave. Some held heavy machinery, and the others were transport. I’d seen several of the miners climb into one an hour or so ago.

  One thing I hadn’t expected was how large the inside of the cave was. There were a couple of offices on the right and three tunnels off to the left.

  Concentrating, I tried to hone in on where Sam and the others were. He opened his mind to me immediately and I followed the link to the tunnel on the far left.

  I had just made it around the corner when I saw two guards headed my way. Sinking back against the wall, I waited as they passed. Taking a breath, I moved farther down the tunnel, sticking close to the wall. Every once in a while, there would be a door. The first two were locked, but I opened the third. There were about fifteen small mats on the floor. The room had been hollowed out of the rock and I wondered if maybe the guards or the miners used it to rest.

  After another few minutes I came to a passage that had two entrances. I opened my mind to Sam again and moved to the right.

  That’s when I heard them—not my family, but children. A baby cried, and I heard another child scream. I moved faster. The door had a window, and I peeked inside. There were five children, from the baby to what looked like an eight-year-old boy. The older children were sitting on the edge of their mats with their legs crossed.

  What the hell are children doing in a mine?

  A woman, dressed in the same blue uniform the rebels wore, held a syringe and the baby in her arms. She handed the child to the oldest boy, but he didn’t want to take her. He shook his head and a tear fell to his cheek.

  She forced the child into his arms. Then she took the baby’s thigh and was about to plunge the long needle in.

  I shoved open the door and threw my hands out. I used my power to push her into the wall and hold her there.

  “What the hell are you doing to them?” I screamed at her. Realizing someone might hear, I used one hand to shut the door while holding her with the other.

  She stared at me, first in shock, then in anger. Her mouth moved into a straight line.

  The children jumped up and ran to the other side of the room, as far away as they could get from both of us.

  “Look, lady. You better answer me.” I pushed my mind into hers just in case she didn’t speak English.

  Her chin jutted out and she spit at me.

  I really hate it when people do that.

  “Hey, chick, keep your saliva to yourself.” Using my power, I probed her mind. She was doing experiments on the children. Something to do with AIDS, but it definitely wasn’t a good thing.

  I watched her memories as she took blood and poked the children with needles. She enjoyed her job a bit too much. It was disgusting. I gave her a mental pop, and I meant to knock her out. But she fell to the floor and she wasn’t breathing. “Oops.”

  The children gasped behind me, and the baby cried again. I turned to them and smiled. “I won’t hurt you. Do any of you speak English?”

  A young girl who couldn’t have been more than five raised a shaky hand. “Yes.”

  “Good girl. Can you tell your friends that I’m going to get you out of here, but first I must find my friends? I’ll be back in just a minute. I know this seems scary, but I promise everything is going to be okay.” I smiled and sent a calming spell to them.

  She spoke to the other children. They gave me a cautious glance, then nodded.

  “I’m going to put something on the door so that the bad people can’t get in. Then I’ll be back for you. Okay?”

  The young girl nodded. “Yes.”

  I was about to go when it dawned on me that it probably wasn’t a good idea to leave a dead chick with the poor kids.

  Grabbing the woman by the collar, I tugged her through the door. I couldn’t leave her out in the hall, so I kept trying doors as I walked down. She wasn’t light and dragging her was wearing me out. I was about to shove her into one of the small holes when I heard someone say my name.

  It came from a door just a few steps down. “Bron. In here.”

  Relief washed over me. It was Sam. I left the woman on the floor and tried the door. Locked. “Move back.” I flicked my wrist and the door popped open.

  Sam rushed out and grabbed me. I wrapped my arms around him and kissed him hard.

  “I’m really mad at you.” I pushed him away and hugged my dad and brother, then gave a quick wave to the sheik, who smiled. “All of you. Getting captured by rebels. I swear.”

  My dad patted my arm. His hair seemed grayer and he had a few more wrinkles around the eyes than the last time I’d seen him. “Bronwyn, dear. You can scold us later. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Fine. But first, stick Broom Hilda into your deluxe accommodations. We have some children to save.”

  They gave me a strange look, but did what I asked.

  When we found the children, my brother let out a cry.r />
  “Tambana, oh my god.” He rushed in and picked up the little five-year-old who had been speaking to me.

  “Dr. Brett, you find me. Very good. Very good.” She sobbed the words as she patted his cheek.

  It was such a precious sight I had to look away, or I would have cried.

  I motioned for the oldest boy to hand my dad the baby. If we had any trouble, I’d need both my hands.

  Azir took the other little girl by the hand and Sam held the two remaining boys’ hands.

  “Okay. This could get a little crazy. The guards have already done their shift change, so there’s a good chance they can show up at any time. I have someone waiting for us outside, but we have a long way to go.”

  When I’d come up with my sort-of plan, I hadn’t known about the children. We’d have to move slower, but everything pretty much stayed the same. “Try to be invisible,” I added.

  The children seemed to understand the gravity of the situation, even the baby, who had stopped crying as soon as my dad held her.

  Walking slowly, we made it to the tunnel where it forked, but this time, there were guards stationed on both sides.

  Crap.

  Making a silent motion to Sam, I held up two fingers. He nodded, and then shielded the eyes of the two boys. I looked and all of the men had covered the children’s eyes.

  I couldn’t risk the two guards screaming, so their deaths had to be fast. I threw two big fireballs from behind that consumed them instantly. All that was left were two piles of ash, and a tiny bit of smoke.

  We moved forward again and made it all the way to the big, open cavern, when the real trouble hit. Someone must have noticed the guards were missing, or had found the dead woman. An alarm went off and lights flashed. Twenty guards poured out of the offices and headed our way.

  Well, hell.

  “I’m going to do what I can. Pick up the kids and run like hell!” I screamed over the noise. “Azir, Kaz is out there with a truck, but I have no idea which one.”