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up.”
    Tera continued, “They’re cursed never to leave this place—short of death. According to these calendrics, they have been here for eleven hundred and eleven years.”
    “Well, that can’t be right,” Mari said. “No one’s home—”
    Claws scrabbled over stone somewhere in the shadows. Everyone glanced around uneasily.
    They weren’t alone...
    “We left the front door open for hours,” Tierney said. “Why would they remain here?”
    Tera said, “They probably are bound to the tomb, unable to cross the threshold.”
    “If they are still here, it shouldn’t be a problem,” Mari said, even as she backed her way to Rydstrom and Cade. “Right? Especially if Tera can speak their language.”
    The incubi that Mari had known were all charming and hot. Finding one in your bed was supposed to be a good problem to have.
    So why were the tiny hairs of her nape standing up? Gazing up at Rydstrom, she murmured, “Mind if I stick around you, big guy?”
    In answer, he briefly laid his massive hand on the top of her head in a strangely comforting way.
    Suddenly, the scent of rotting flesh pervaded the crypt. Mari felt evil all around them— old evil—circling.
    As her eyes darted around, she unconsciously began to build magick again.
    A drop of something... viscous hit her bare shoulder. In the unnatural lantern light, she slowly raised her face. Her lips parted, her mind unable to comprehend.
    “Mariketa,” Tera whispered, as she crossed to her. “Your face has gone white. What could—?” Her words died in her throat as she followed Mari’s gaze. Tera’s bow and arrow shot up again.
    But arrows couldn’t kill what was already dead.
    “The incubi!” one of the others yelled as shadowy beings swarmed the area, diving and flying all around them. Cade and Rydstrom drew their swords. Just when Mari was praying to Hekate that these people she hardly knew would protect her, Rydstrom used one hand to shove her behind him.
    At the first crazed attack, the demons’ swords struck and deflected. The archers shot wildly. The twang of bow and the clash of steel were deafening in the echoing space.
    Yet the incubi seemed to be focusing their attacks on Rydstrom—and trying to get to her .
    All at once, Rydstrom was besieged. Without his guard, Mari was knocked down, landing on her front so hard her teeth clattered. Blood from a wound somewhere on her head tracked down her cheeks. Power-laden blue light cast erratically from her hands and eyes but struck nothing.
    “Cade!” Rydstrom yelled, struggling to ward off the onslaught. “Over here!”
    His brother battled his way over.
    “ They want the witch —”
    With a cry, she scrambled up only to be knocked to the ground once more. When she dimly realized the incubi were steadily separating her from the group, she stayed down.
    “Why her?” Cade looked from Mari to Rydstrom. In the back of her mind, she recognized that Cade probably wouldn’t have any interest in helping her—especially not at the expense of helping himself and his brother.
    “ Why do you think? ” Rydstrom snapped, even as his sword slashed up.
    Cade’s eyes narrowed. “Oh, fuck that!” he roared, redoubling his fight—
    Fangs sank into Mari’s ankles. As she cried out in pain, her body began to... move.
    Cade was closest to her and lunged for her, yelling, “Tierney!” With supernatural speed, the archer covered him with a torrent of arrows, but there were too many incubi diving right at them.
    Blood sprayed up from Cade’s body, and he bellowed with fury.
    As she screamed, something dragged her back in frenzied yanks. Mari clawed at the stones, shrieking as it snatched her into the darkness.

5

    Pit of the Fyre Dragán, Yélsérk, Hungary
Finale of the Talisman’s Hie
Prize: The blade of the blind mystic Honorius to win
    T onight he would have Mariah back.
    One last contest. One last struggle to put his wasted body through. Then his reward.
    As he loped through a sweltering