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his targeted energy, it might be possible to aim a spell to call that energy and get it out through the
wards.
    I thanked my lucky stars Ryan hadn’t bothered to retie my
gag, trusting the wards to render me harmless. I cast a spell to release my
arms and legs but nothing happened. Puzzled, I craned my head around to look at
my bindings. The chains were silver and covered with carvings of runes. Unbreakable.
By magical means anyway. I blew out a puff of irritated air and resigned myself
to numb hands.
    I thought for a moment and then quietly began chanting. I
used a simple distance communication charm and bolstered it with a combination
of the strongest seeker charms I knew. I kept it short, just “help” and “trapped”
and an image of myself. If he knew I was in trouble, he could track me by the
blood he’d taken. All I had to do was tell him. Hopefully he’d understand
they’d laid a trap for him and come prepared to rescue me.
    I finished the chant, and the spell seemed to hang in the
air before me, visible to the caster and no one else. I breathed Acayo into it,
his scent, his feel, his aura—easy enough to do, since we’d been so close
recently. I fed the spell the feel of him until I could almost see it pulsing. Taking
one last deep breath, I sent the spell spiraling out from me. It hit the edge
of the ward and stopped. I felt a pit of despair opening in my stomach when, to
my relief, the incantation ever so slowly began to leak out of the wards. I sagged
in my bonds and inhaled deeply as I watched the last of it slither out and
disappear into the night.
    Well , I told myself. Step one went perfectly. Now
all we need is for him to find you, decide it’s worth the risk to rescue you
and then pull it off. I really hoped he felt it was worth the risk to
rescue me. I really hoped he’d pull it off. If he could just get to me and pull
me out of this damn circle with that talent of his, then I was sure I could
take out the little warlock. He’d taken me by surprise last time with a
prepared spell, and even then I’d have had him in another thirty seconds if
Ryan hadn’t knocked me out. In the circle, I was worse than useless.
    I sat and stressed and thought about doing the spell again,
even though I knew there was no point. The incantation had been perfect and had
made it out through the wards. He’d heard the message and would come for me…or
not, or he was dead already. I really hoped he wasn’t dead already.
    The door opened and Ryan returned, the warlock at his heels.
A second later, three more goons came into the room and took up positions along
the wall. The warlock smirked at me, confident the circle would keep me in
check. Normally, I’d agree with him and I only hoped my theory about Acayo was
correct. Ryan was also staring at me, his eyes heavy lidded as he ran his gaze
down my body. He moved closer to me.
    “I don’t think your boyfriend is coming. I don’t think he
knows you’re here. That means you’ll be mine soon.”
    His voice was slick like a serpent’s and I shuddered as he
stared at me. I really, really hoped Acayo was coming. I also hoped he was
smart enough to take out the wizard first. As soon as he was dead, the circles
guarding me would fail and I’d be free. I glared into Ryan’s eyes and mentally
rehearsed the spells I’d hit him with as soon as I was loose.
    No sooner had I finished the thought than the warehouse
plunged into darkness. In the sudden gloom, I couldn’t see anything and I
huddled in my chair and waited for my eyes to adjust. Figures slowly
materialized out of the darkness and began rushing around in the warehouse. I
heard a cut-off shriek and wished I could see. Hoping beyond hope, I put my
palms flat out in front of me and pushed. The wards holding me fell away
beneath my palms and I laughed. I spoke a few words and Ryan lit up from within
like a flashlight. He looked down at himself in dismay but before he could do
anything about it, Acayo was in front