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She spun in a circle, and it occurred to me that I hadn’t seen the pesky cat in a while. Freya set the book on the counter and raced through the cottage. Cadence and I followed her into the living room and searched for the cat, but he was nowhere to be found.
“Arion!” Freya called.
I looked frantically for him but came up with nothing. Scowling, Freya emerged from her bedroom. Colorful and admittedly creative language rolled off her tongue. I was tempted to cover Cadence’s ears.
“This is why he doesn’t get to shift forms whenever he wants!” Freya exclaimed. “And this is why he never gets to be in his favorite one. Damn cat loses all sense of reason. He’s probably off on a joy ride right now!”
Freya continued to curse him, and it didn’t seem like she had any intentions of stopping. I racked my brain for an escape plan. The pounding on the door grew louder, and the floor shook beneath my feet.
Crack!
The front door flew off its hinges so violently, splinters of wood hit me in the face. I blinked the debris out of my eyes and squinted to see whose footsteps thundered into the living room.
“Golems,” Freya whispered.
Four hulking figures stomped into the room. Sand seeped from their skin and left a trail where they walked. They grew closer, and I got a better look at them.
No way.
Their skin was sand.
The golems’ faces were bulky and square, like the rest of their bodies. They wore rough-hewn clothes that barely stretched over their massive forms. They stood at least a foot taller than me and could probably grab my head in one hand. As they scanned the room, their dark brown eyes lacked pupils and any signs of life. They moved as one. When they saw us, they grunted in sync and charged farther into the cottage.
“We have to get to the portal,” Freya ordered.
We backed into the kitchen and slammed the door shut. The golems’ slow, steady march shook the ground.
“Where’s that?” Cadence asked.
Freya grabbed a long kitchen knife off the counter and handed it to me. “Aim for their heart.”
She looked at Cadence. “My mother’s room.”
Without further preamble, Freya raced into the living room.
“Wait!” I called after her, but she was already gone.
“What?” Cadence asked. “Walker, we need to get out of here.”
I handed Cadence the knife and tried to remember she’d trapped a powerful vampire with her magic.
“Go,” I told her. “There’s something I need to grab. I’ll meet you at the portal.”
Cadence hesitated. Something crashed in the living room, and she rushed to help Freya. Praying to God she’d be alright for just ten seconds, I faced the spider goddess.
“Please don’t bite me,” I whispered and reached for her web.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Freya
With a gust of wind, I knocked the first golem in my path on his back. Golems were slow but strong creatures. They were created and operated by only the most powerful of witches. I’d been training to fight them since I was fifteen.
It made it easy to recognize Josephine’s work.
I was, however, offended that she’d only sent four.
I tried to knock the second golem back, but he’d learned from his friend’s mistakes and braced himself. Cadence rushed to my side, clutching the knife I’d given to Walker. With her free hand, she grabbed pillows from the sofa and lobbed them at the golems. It was enough to distract them, so I could knock them down with wind. As they fell, they destroyed precious furniture and cracked long-standing walls. I didn’t have time to mourn any of it. We needed to get out of here.
