Chapter 13 Briar
Briar
Istepped around the corner and halted beside Vad. Ice shot down my spine.
A wall of jagged stone, crumbled boulders, and shattered slabs rose like a dam, sealing the tunnel.
The floor had already flooded, and a steady stream of water gurgled in from somewhere beyond.
But this water wasn’t crimson like it should’ve been.
It was a pale milky gray, frothing where it churned against stone.
It looked wrong.
Vad’s wings flared wide behind him as he stepped to the edge. His hands braced against his belt, jaw clenched tight as he scanned the blockage. Frustration and calculation pulsed hot through the bond. This was it. This was where the path ended. At least, for now.
How bad is it? I linked, not wanting him to have to say it out loud in front of everyone.
He crouched, fingers dipping into the swirling water.
Rhielle knelt beside him, scooping a handful. “It’s not crimson… or silver. This is…” Her eyes narrowed as she let it spill through her fingers. “It’s clear. I’ve never seen water like this.”
“That’s what water looks like on Earth.” If we weren’t so tired and stressed, I would’ve laughed at their thinking this water looked strange, but now wasn’t the time.
Stepping beside the wall, Vyraetos pressed a palm to the stone as if feeling for a heartbeat. His shoulders slumped. “The magic has bled out of this place. Even the mountain mourns. The water is only water now.”
I studied the rest of the cavern, looking for alternative exits. About ten feet away, another slab of rock jutted up and curved back into darkness where the passage continued.
“Can we dig through it? Even a small gap…” Elara swayed slightly, pressing a hand to her ribs. Her right wing lifted an inch—subtle, but promising.
Elias shook his head. “If I had my magic, I could get us out of this situation, but like this?” He glanced at the ceiling, assessing the weight hanging over us. “It’d take hours. Maybe days. And the ceiling could collapse.”
I didn’t need him to explain further. That mound could fall on us. The water could rise fast. Any mistake would be catastrophic.
Silus took the lamp from Quen and tilted it upward. Veralt snagged it from him so he could lift it higher. The golden light flickered across the rock pile and the ceiling above, revealing the sheer scale of the collapse. Solid. Impassable.
“No one’s getting through that, friend,” Veralt said grimly, the smirk on his lips empty of humor.
“Is this the only way out?” Rhielle’s arms were folded tightly, and her hand tapped an anxious rhythm on her opposite elbow.
“At this level?” Thalen winced as he shifted his injured wing. “Yes. Unless the royals have more tricks tucked under their crowns.”
Myantha stepped closer to him, pressing her cheek against his shoulder.
Vad’s silence stretched. His eyes never left the water, but the weight of his tension echoed down the bond. His jaw was ticking.
I brushed a hand across the bandage on his wrist. He turned his palm and curled his fingers through mine. The buzz sprang to life between us.
“We can’t stay.” Vad’s voice was low but carried authority. “The water will keep rising. The southern passage curves up. It leads to the vesting chamber. If there’s any place left in this gods-forsaken mountain that still has lingering magic… it’ll be there.”
“And if not?” Elias asked softly.
“Then we secure it. Wait for night. And escape through one of the old shafts near the top. If they haven’t caved in.”
Thalen moved to the drier side of the rock path. “This water is already two feet deep, and it’s freezing. If the flood started after the quake, that means the lower tunnels are filled. We must figure this out because I’m too sexy to die.” He met Vad’s eyes and arched a brow.
“He is.” Myantha agreed.
“Thank you, my love.” He smiled, but the humor didn’t quite reach his eyes. He was trying to ease the tension, but even his jokes landed flat. He tugged on his injured wing and winced. “If we’re avoiding the shadow beasts…” His lips thinned. “Scaffing void. That leaves us one path, doesn’t it?”
A low sound echoed as the river lapped, creeping inch by inch up the stone.
Silus turned to Veralt and raised a brow like he was sizing up a blockade. “Can the giant even fit?”
Veralt scoffed and folded his arms. “Fit through what?”
“The safest path will be a tight squeeze,” Vad admitted. “You can move to higher ground farther in, and we’ll come back for—”
“I’m not staying behind,” Veralt cut in, passing the lamp back to Quen and then shaking his hand from the heat. “Not when this place is crawling with shadow beasts. It isn’t safe for my woman to stay here, and she won’t leave me.”
“Of course I won’t.” Rhielle stroked his arm and curled her fingers around the muscle of his bicep. “If we have to find another way, we will.”
Vad’s gaze held steady. “As long as he isn’t claustrophobic, it’ll be fine.”
Something cold licked the bottom of my feet, causing me to glance down and confirm my worst fear. The water had advanced, creeping up in steady, silent waves. In the next few minutes, it would claim the stone beneath our feet.
There wasn’t time to debate further. “We need to move soon, or we won’t have the option.” A shudder rippled through me as I imagined crawling through a narrow stone chute with that icy current on our heels.
Attention shifting to Elara, Vad asked, “Are you strong enough to climb?”
Despite her pale face, Elara nodded and lifted her chin in what must have been a quiet resolve. “I am.”
“I’ll be with you every step.” Silus laid a hand gently on her shoulder.
She leaned subtly into the touch, but Vad’s voice cut through before either one could continue. “Your wing is still healing.”
Silus stiffened, and his mouth parted.
“You tore the muscle, not just the membrane,” Vad added, tone firm but not unkind. “That won’t hold your weight in the air, and you know it.” He went to his sister and held out an arm.
Elara wrapped an arm around Vad’s shoulder, accepting the help. She wouldn’t want Silus taking the risk either.
“You, Thalen, and Quen won’t be flying for at least another day.
Maybe longer,” Vad added, not unkindly. He pointed toward the island of stone on the other side of the rising river.
"Just beyond that point and to the left is a tunnel behind the eastern wall. That’s our path.
I’ll fly the lamps over. Do not wade into the water.
We don’t know what’s beneath it, or if the ground will even hold. ”
He took the lamp and flew across, the golden light bobbing through the darkness with him. Shadows clung to the ceiling like a warning.
“Stupid plan,” Quen muttered under her breath. “Hanging up giant, pointed rocks from your ceiling? Honestly. Who does that.”
“Does your wing still hurt?” Elias asked quietly.
Quen’s wings fluttered tighter to her back. The bandages over the membrane were stained, but not leaking. She shrugged and lifted the lamp closer to her chest. “Not enough to stop me from debating who I hate more—Kaylen or Calla Lily.”
Rhielle scoffed, but her smirk held no humor. “I’ve got enough hate for both of those scaffing wretches and everyone else involved.”
Licking his cracked lips, Elias rocked back on his heels. “Do we have enough oil for light to get to the vesting chamber, or at least another supply stockpile?”
Vad returned, landing beside me. “It’ll be close.” He exhaled. “But the vesting chamber has ceremonial oil. That should be enough for a refill.”
The water sounded like a whisper, growing louder and lapping against my foot. I didn’t look. I didn’t need to. I could feel its icy hold on me.
With a soft grunt, Vad lifted Elara into his arms and launched back across the gap. His wings flared out, catching the still air in the cavern. As he landed on the far side, a flicker of pain that had to be due to his wing injury pulsed through our bond.
I hated that he had any discomfort at all, but I was able to admire the way he acted with quiet strength and unwavering focus, putting his people first. Even if he wasn’t a wolf, he understood what it meant to protect the pack. To lead when everyone else could only follow.
He looked back at me, wings furling tight behind him. His concern tightened through our bond. “Will you be able to jump? I can come back and get you.”
“I’m good.” I adjusted the bag slung over my shoulder with my jaw tight. Elara didn’t need to be left alone for even a second.
He studied me, a wrinkle between his brows. Seriously, I’m coming back. Just hold on.
Nope, not waiting, I retorted.
Backing up a few steps, I shook out my arms. The water slid around my ankles, cold and steady, creeping halfway up my foot as I moved.
My stomach dropped, and the hairs on my neck rose as I sprinted forward, splashing water with each step.
The stone blurred beneath my feet…and then I jumped.
Air sliced past my face, and then I landed safely on the other side.
The ache in my injured foot flared, stealing my breath.
Vad grabbed my arm and steadied me. You’re so stubborn. He huffed and kissed my lips.
You knew that coming in. I snorted. That’s on you.
His fingers laced with mine as he placed a hand on Elara’s shoulder, keeping her steady on her feet. The buzz between us was comforting.
One by one, the others crossed. Some jumped; some were carried.
Quen nearly lost her grip on the edge of the rock island and had to be pulled up by the sleeve.
The rising water had worked against our jumps and ability to maneuver.
No one spoke. Not with the water lapping against the stone behind us and the shadows stretching overhead like clinging threads.
The river’s edge had claimed the rest of the stone floor, and the air felt thicker by the time the final boots hit dry ground.
My gut twisted.
“This way.” Vad led us to what looked like a solid wall, but as we drew closer, I spotted a narrow vertical gap that was barely wide enough for Veralt’s shoulders.