Chapter 29
Well-Versed in Awful Things
River had been wrong earlier when she’d said she wasn’t afraid of the dark. She’d made that claim before she’d experienced true darkness.
That was no longer the case. This tunnel was so dark, the lack of light so thorough, that it made River question whether light had ever existed.
Even the flashlights she and Arlo were carrying weren’t bright enough to make much of a difference. Darkness had enveloped them the moment they’d entered the tunnel, and it hadn’t let up since.
The air had been growing incrementally colder, a sure sign that they were going deeper underground, and River was grateful for her long sleeves.
The lack of light wasn’t as unsettling as the quiet that surrounded them. Their footsteps seemed unnaturally loud in this place of darkness. There was no wind, no breeze, no scurrying of tiny feet.
There was nothing at all.
River had checked her phone a while back, and there was no signal. At least now, she knew why she hadn’t heard from Nikhail. She wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse, so she decided not to think about that at all.
There were other things occupying her mind. Every so often, her flashlight caught on streaks of dried blood ahead of them.
It is unlikely that one individual could sustain this level of blood loss and still be alive, the medical part of River’s brain unhelpfully supplied as they passed even more blood. At the very least, they’d be unconscious.
River’s gut twisted painfully, and she forced herself to look away from the wall.
Not Nikhail, she prayed over and over again. Please, don’t let it be him.
The supplication was short and to the point, but it was all she could manage right now.
The longer they walked, the thicker the darkness became. They stopped a few times to drink water, and once to snack on dried jerky, but that was it. The words they exchanged were few and far between.
Then, River’s flashlight blinked. Once. Twice. She slapped the torch against her palm.
The light flickered, then extinguished.
“Fuck,” she whispered. The tunnel walls were so close, her words seemed to scream back at her.
Arlo glanced over, their face swathed in shadows. “You okay?”
No.
She was absolutely not okay.
She had no idea how far they would have to walk, no idea if Nikhail was even still alive, and now the darkness was creeping in on them, ready to devour them whole.
River could barely remember what it felt like to be okay.
Even so, she was determined to be strong. She couldn’t let a dead flashlight be the thing that brought her down.
She could cry about it later.
“I’ll be fine,” she said.
As fine as she could be.
They continued their trek. River had a newfound respect for underground insects because this was horrible. The darkness was pressing in on her, and the rocky terrain was growing more uneven with every step.
River could’ve used her phone’s flashlight, but she didn’t want to risk draining the battery. Who knew how long they’d be down there? The tunnel seemed never-ending, and if they couldn’t find another way out, they’d have to walk back out the same way they came.
Ryker was going to be so fucking pissed.
Not because she’d hung up on him, although she was certain that he wouldn’t be happy about that. No, Ryker would be angry because River had taken a risk and endangered herself.
She was starting to wonder if maybe they’d missed something.
River was certain the destruction in the gas station had been caused by Nikhail’s magic. Only someone with magic like his would be able to create such controlled chaos. But what if he never stepped foot inside the tunnel? What if this was all a ruse, and they were following someone else’s trail?
What if we’re chasing rebels?
River stumbled, her breath catching in her throat and her blood chilling. She threw out a hand and caught herself on the wall, steadying herself.
Oh, gods. She hadn’t even considered that option. Could that be possible? Could they be chasing the Black Night?
Arlo turned around, shining the light in her face. “River? What’s wrong?”
She hadn’t even realized she’d stopped moving. She tried to inhale, but her lungs were refusing to cooperate.
“I just… I had a thought….”
River’s voice trailed off as she peered over Arlo’s shoulder, and her heart raced for a different reason. She staggered away from the wall, brushing past the water fae.
Arlo turned around, shining their only source of light down the tunnel. “What is it? What do you see?”
She shook her head, extending a hand as she waded through the deepening darkness. “I don’t know,” she said. “But something is… different.”
Something had caught her eye. It was less of what she saw, and more of what she didn’t see. A change in the darkness. A permanence to it that didn’t quite make sense.
River moved forward even though all the cells in her body screamed for her to be careful.
“It might be best to wait until the others arrive,” Arlo cautioned.
River paused, glancing over her shoulder. “You think we should?”
“Probably,” Arlo offered. “It would be the wise thing to do.”
River rolled her lip between her teeth, considering.
On one hand, she was certain Ryker had followed through on his word and called for backup.
On the other hand, the military hadn’t exactly been inspiring confidence as of late.
Then there was the added fact that they would be far behind them, even if they’d been dispatched the moment Ryker stopped trying to call River.
At least an hour had passed since they entered this tunnel, maybe more.
Waiting would be wise. It was definitely the smart thing to do.
But River wasn’t feeling very wise right now. She wasn’t feeling much at all, except for a desperation to find out what happened to her air fae.
Nikhail had promised that he would always be there for River, that he would wade through the darkness and the clouds for her.
She would do the same for him.
“No,” she said after a minute. “I can’t wait. I won’t.”
Arlo’s gaze swept over River’s. Whatever they saw on her face had them dipping their chin. “Okay. Let’s keep going.”
And so, they did.
Or at least, they would’ve continued down the tunnel. Except, River hadn’t even taken twenty paces before she stubbed her toe against something hard. She cursed, pain reverberating through her foot and leg, and wobbled. Throwing her arms in front of her, she expected to collide with the ground.
Except that never happened.
Her palms slammed into something hard. A wall? What was a wall doing in the middle of a tunnel?
“What the fuck?” she groaned, feeling around with her fingers.
She was wrong. This wasn’t a wall. Walls weren’t soft and crumbly in some parts, and hard in others.
The faint beam of light from Arlo’s flashlight illuminated the area in front of River, but it wasn’t enough. She reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone. She double-checked the signal—still nonexistent, which made sense since they were underground—and turned on the flashlight.
“Oh, gods.” River whimpered.
The involuntary sound escaped her as she took in the destruction in front of them. A sob lodged in her throat because this…
This was awful.
And River would know. After all, she was well-versed in awful things.
No wonder Nikhail had been gone far longer than he’d intended. No wonder she’d been haunted by that sickening sensation in her stomach that something was utterly, terribly wrong.
Every instinct that had led River here had been right.
River should’ve found solace in the knowledge that she’d done the right thing by following her gut, but there was none to be found.
Instead, all she could do was stare at the mountain of dirt and stone blocking the tunnel as her lungs tightened to the point of pain.
It was as if the ceiling had collapsed. Or the whole passageway? She wasn’t sure.
She could barely hear Arlo moving beside her, the sound of her heartbeat a drum in her ears.
What were they going to do now?
River hadn’t even considered this as a possible outcome when they’d entered the tunnel, which, in hindsight, was foolish. They were underground, and she’d noticed the rocky terrain. She should’ve realized that a cave-in could happen.
But what good was hindsight? It wouldn’t help them now.
River looked up, meeting Arlo’s gaze. The same horror she felt in her soul was reflected in the water fae’s eyes.
“They’re trapped down there,” she said hoarsely.
Arlo rubbed a hand across their temple. “We don’t know for sure—”
“Yes, we do.” She placed her palm on her heart. “I do.”
Nikhail was trapped because of this cave-in. River wasn’t sure how she knew it, only that she did.
Arlo frowned, but before they could say anything, River held up a hand. “Wait. Did you hear that? I think…” She chewed on her lip ring. “I think I heard something.”
River held her breath and tried to block everything else out so she could just… listen.
For a long moment, she didn’t hear anything except for the steady sound of Arlo’s breathing. But then, just as she was about to give up, she heard it. The faint sound was nearly imperceptible. River wasn’t even sure how she’d heard it the first time.
A faint murmur. A cry for help, maybe?
Even if it wasn’t, the sound was proof enough that someone was on the other side. That Nikhail was on the other side.
River refused to consider any other options.
“Hold on,” she called out. “Help is here.”
She had no idea how much dirt stood between them, but it didn’t matter.
Between the bloody streaks on the ground, the destruction in the abandoned gas station above, and now this, she knew they couldn’t wait any longer.
Using her phone as a guide, River pried a loose, flat stone free from the debris. Turning the light off, she shoved her phone away before facing the dirt once more.
The barrier looked impenetrable, and River had no idea how much digging it would take to get through the wall, but they had to try. She gritted her teeth, curled her fingers around her makeshift shovel, and started digging.