Enchantment (120 page)

Thalius’s
ten
m
inu
t
es
were
al
m
ost
up.
Fury
was
burning
Kerrigan
from
the
inside
out. “St
r
y
k
er,
Thalius
will
believe
m
e
to
do
exact
l
y
as
I
said,
thus
thinking
he
will
have
t
i
m
e
to
leave and
head
to
the
m
ou
n
tain. We
will
do
the
opposite!
We
will
head
to
the
m
ountain first.”

Cha
p
ter
Thirty-Three

Paddy
and
Meeka
continued
to
huddle
in
the
cold
cell.
Meeka
was
still
unable
to
do
m
ore than
wiggle
her
fingers
and
toes
and
m
ove
her
head,
but
Paddy
w
a
s
ful
l
y
alert.
She
didn’t
know h
o
w
she
was
going
to
protect
Meeka
from
those
m
onsters, but
she
knew
she’d
die
tr
y
i
n
g.

“Meeka,
I
wish
I
had
powers
of
my
own
so
I
could
defend
y
o
u.”
Paddy
stroked
the
tangled hair
from
her
face.
This
w
as
the
first
ti
m
e
in
her
life
she
actual
l
y
wished
she
had
learned
to
use
m
agic.
She
had
j
u
st
never
had
a
u
se
for
it
until
now.
Paddy
looked
up
and
listened
careful
l
y
. “Meeka,
so
m
eone’s
co
m
ing,”
s
he
hi
s
sed.
“Stay
still.”

Meeka
gave
a
subtle
nod
of
her
head.

D
read
formed
a
hard
knot
in
her
bel
l
y
,
she
couldn’t
help
the
silent
pr
a
y
e
r
from
slipping pa
s
sed
her
lips.

Please,
let
K
e
rrigan
find
us.

She
recoiled
at
the
sight
of
Jager,
his
deco
m
posing figure
sloughing
with
each
step

Jager let
the ring
of ke
y
s
clang
jarring
l
y against
each rusted
steel bar
as
he slowly advanced. He
s
neered
at
them
between
the
bars,
sh
o
wing
his
rotten,
stained
teeth.

“Such
pathetic
creatures.
Y
ou
beavers
are
good
for
nothing
but
dinner,
but
she,
on
the
other hand,
is
perfection.”
He
said,
pointing
his
finger
towards
Meeka.
“I
hope
y
o
u
’ve
en
j
o
y
ed
y
o
u
r time
together,”
he
gloated.
“Have
I
not
been
m
er
c
iful
?
”
Jager
slowly
scraped
the
k
e
y
into
the lock.

Paddy
gasped
for
breath
and
d
e
sperate
l
y
threw
herself
between
Meeka
and
the
door.
“You stay
awa
y
. You
hear
m
e. Get
back,”
Paddy
threatened.

Jager’s
laugh
rang
loud
l
y
throughout
the
c
e
m
en
t
ed
roo
m
.
“
O
hhh,
have
I
scared
the
litt
l
e beaver
?
”
he
teased.
“
D
on’t
worr
y
.
I
just
want
a
s
m
all
taste
of
her
before
Thalius
gets
his
gree
d
y hands
on
her.
I’ll
even
let
y
ou
watch.”

Paddy
shrieked
in
horror,
and
Meeka
cried
silent
tears
at
the
fu
r
y
and
fear
in
her
friend’s face.

“You are filth,
not fit for our world. I warn
y
ou
to st
a
y away from us,” Pad
d
y
hissed. Taking a
deep
breath,
she
su
m
moned
the
one
s
pell
she
knew.
Jager
stopped
and
scratched
at
his
hair,
w
hich
w
as
s
udden
l
y crawling
with
talking
Itchits.

“Tsk.”
He
sneered.
“
Y
ou’ll have to
do better.”

He
shoved
the
door
open
with
a
clang.
Freedom
beckoned
for
less
than
a
second
before
the
steel door
reverberated
off
the
wall
and
crashed
closed
again.

Jager
slowly
m
ade
his
way
toward
the
two
of
them
until
he
stood
direct
l
y
over
th
e
m
.
He crouched,
his
dirty
fingers finding
their
way into
Meeka’s beautiful
hair.
Instant
l
y
,
Paddy lunged fo
r
ward
and
sank
her
large front
teeth
into
his
hand.

He
screa
m
ed in
pain,
and
he
backhanded
Pad
d
y
, knocking
her
across
the
cell.

* * * *

Jager’s
face
was
twisted
in
fur
y
.
“You
brainless
witch,
look
what
y
o
u
’ve
done
to
m
e
,
”
he
y
e
l
l
ed, spra
y
i
n
g blood on
the
white floor
as
he
shook
his
fist.

“Pad
d
y
! Are
y
o
u oka
y
?
”

“Don’t
w
or
r
y
about
m
e,
Meeka.
N
othing
w
rong
except
a
bad
taste
in
my
m
outh.
I’m
ready for
another
round,
sli
m
e ball.”

H
i
s
m
o
cking
laugh
filled
the
tiny
roo
m
.
“I
don’t
think
so,
little
beaver.”
Jager
drew
a
s
m
all circle
in the
air
and
then
blew
a
breath of
air
toward Padd
y
.

Meeka
sat
m
o
tion
l
ess
as
Pad
d
y
’s
body
was
plastered
up
against
the
cold
wall,
unable
to
m
ove.