Chapter 20

Lucy’s POV The cave mouth loomed before us, ancient symbols carved into the rock pulsing with faint light. Felix touched one, his silver eyes narrowing. "The warnings are active," he said softly. "The cave knows we're here." Cassie moved ahead, setting up Rico's artifacts in a precise pattern. "These should help shield us from the worst of it. Lucy, you'll need to—" The wind changed. It wasn't natural wind. The air itself seemed to twist, carrying scents from a thousand different realities. My enhanced senses reeled from the assault – blood and ozone, ancient power, and fresh death. "Something's wrong." Carrick's voice was tight. "The cave's defenses shouldn't activate this quickly." "Unless it was waiting for us." Tasha grabbed my arm. "Lucy, your necklace—" I looked down to see Adrian's necklace glowing, the ghost walker runes blazing with silver light. The wind picked up, swirling around us with increasing force. "Get back to the car!" Cassie shouted, but it was too late.