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“Elian, Zara, garage!” Liora instructed her siblings. “We’ll bring the cars around, get ready to jump in.”

As the three of them hurried off, Ria picked up the cloak and examined the fabric. It was ordinary to the touch, but when she let her magic reach into it, she felt the enchantment immediately. It was layered and precise, designed specifically to deflect fire-based magic.

“This is professional work,” she said. “Whoever made this knows what they’re doing.”

“So, someone with resources,” Maldenis said.

“And someone who’s been studying us.” Ria dropped the cloak and stood. “They came prepared, ready to tangle with all of us so we wouldn’t be able to stop them from kidnapping Korinnae.”

Two cars screeched to a stop in front of the building. Elian was behind the wheel of the SUV, Zara in the passenger seat, while Liora had brought the sand-cruiser. Hektor came through the front door at a jog.

“I have secured the imp,” he said. “He will not be going anywhere.”

“Let’s move,” Liora said.

Ria climbed into the sand-cruiser with Asterion, Maldenis, and Liora while Hektor took the SUV with Elian and Zara, both vehicles tearing out of the lot in record time. In the sand cruise, Maldenis drove, weaving through Alindale’s streets while Liora relayed directions from her phone’s GPS. Ria sat in the back with Asterion, who hadn’t spoken since they’d gotten in. His hands were flat on his thighs, his spine rigid. His gaze was fixed on the outside, lips pressed together tightly. She longed to reach out and comfort him, and assure him that everything was going to be okay, but curled her hands into fists instead.

We’re going to find her, she told herself. She’ll be okay.

“We know where the entrance is,” Liora said from the front seat. “But if those tunnels are as extensive as the imp says, then we’ve got a problem. We might spend hours just combing through them.”

“We don’t have hours,” Asterion said through gritted teeth.

“I know that.” Liora glanced back. “Which is why we need a way to find her fast.”

“We’re almost there,” Maldenis said. “We need a plan. Fast.”

Ria bit at her lower lip. They were right. Alindale was an ancient city, those tunnel networks could go for miles and miles and⁠—

She shivered, then felt it. A faint pull in her forearm, right where the tattoo sat beneath her sleeve. Pressing her fingers against the mark, she closed her eyes. The connection she’d built for the cure was still there, a thread of magic linking her blood to Korinnae’s through Asterion’s blood in the ink. It had served its purpose and gone dormant after the procedure, but the bond itself hadn’t dissolved. It was still part of her.

“I can find her,” Ria said.

“What do you mean?” Liora asked.

She tapped at her arm. “The tattoo. The blood bond I used for the cure is still active.” She pressed her palm flat against her forearm. “Korinnae’s blood is tied to mine through the ink. If I reach through the connection, I should be able to feel where she is.”

“Should?” Maldenis asked.

“I’ve never tried it as a tracker before. The bond was designed to channel magic, not locate someone.” She turned to Asterion. “But the link is there. It’s our best option.”

“Then we will follow your lead,” he said.

Maldenis parked the sand-cruiser behind the Westgate seafood market and the SUV pulled in beside them. The service door the kobalos had described was exactly where he’d said it would be and Hektor wrenched it open, revealing a set of concrete stairs leading down into the lower levels.

“We found a way to track Korinnae,” Liora said to Zara, Elian and Hektor, then told them about the blood bond. “Hopefully we can find her quickly and not get lost. But, remember what the imp said. They were prepared for us. Whoever or whatever’s down there, assume they’re expecting us.”

“Let’s go,” Asterion said, and started down the stairs.

The stairway opened into a wide tunnel with arched brick walls and a low ceiling that Hektor, Maldenis, and Asterion had to duck beneath. The air was damp and cold and smelled of old stone. Emergency lighting flickered along one wall, enough to illuminate their way.

Ria placed her hand over the tattoo. The signal was still faint, and gave no indication of which way to go. She pushed deeper, letting her magic follow the thread of the blood bond. Then the signal grew stronger and became a pulse. At first, she thought she was imagining it.

“What is it?” Asterion asked. “Did you find her?”

“Shhh!” She held up her hand. It was definitely there. Thump-thump, thump-thump, thump-thump. Korinnae’s heartbeat, transmitting through the bond. It came from below and to the left, deeper in the tunnel network.

“I think I have her,” Ria whispered. “This way.”