Chapter 18 #2
Blushing, she tilted her head back with a glimmer of mischief in her eyes. “I still don’t understand Fate, but I’m grateful too. You’re everything to me, Vad. I can’t fathom not having you in my life. I just wish I could’ve found you faster.”
That was all it took to undo me.
I kissed her, pulling her close, pouring every fear, every vow, every raw thread of devotion into her.
Her breath hitched as my hands slid into her hair, cradling her like something precious, because she was that to me.
She tasted of fortified wine and something that was all her own, wild and sweet and wholly mine.
In that kiss, I gave her everything I couldn’t speak aloud—my terror of losing her and my desperate hope for the future we deserved together.
When we finally broke apart, she was breathless. Her lips were parted, her eyes wide and shining with desire. For one fleeting moment, the bond between us sparked bright and hot, pulsing like a second heartbeat in my chest.
I leaned in once more, pressing my forehead to hers. “That is a promise of everything waiting for us on the other side of this.”
Her lips brushed mine. “I love you, Vad.”
The words echoed through me, warming me despite the chill of the chamber. “And I love you, Briar. Always.”
I reluctantly released her and turned to face the others.
Thalen waited nearby, a smug grin tugging at his mouth with one brow arched like he’d caught us doing something scandalous.
Veralt, in contrast, checked the edge of his new sword with quiet focus and tested its weight with a slow arc through the air.
Elara had already resumed giving instructions, her voice strong despite the lingering edge of weariness in her posture.
“Are we ready?” I scanned them.
Thalen patted the satchel at his hip and folded his bandaged silver-white wings behind his back with more care than usual. “Only if you’re done whispering sweet nothings and don’t need another minute or two.”
Rhielle approached Veralt and tugged him down for a quick kiss. Her grip tightened on his tunic. “You take care of my girl and come back alive, you hear?”
“Of course.” He dipped his head and brushed his lips to her forehead, his voice softer than I’d ever heard it. “Anything for you, my heart.”
Thalen cast a playful glance over his shoulder toward Myantha, who was currently elbow-deep in a storage crate, hunting for rope. “I’ll see you again soon.”
She flushed, dropped the rope, and surged forward to kiss him fully. “Come back in one piece, please.”
“Returning with all limbs attached is officially a priority.” He winked.
I gave them a beat longer, then turned toward Briar and inclined my head toward the heavy stone door. “Let’s move. Time is not on our side.”
With a shove, I pushed open the slab, its weight grinding over the uneven floor. The sound echoed ominously into the cavern beyond. I paused, letting the stillness settle. No noise, so I gave the signal to proceed.
The passage was short, barely a dozen steps, before it opened into the massive, jagged cavern. The air was colder here, sharper. Fragments of rock littered the path, courtesy of the most recent quakes that had cracked the foundations of the palace.
“Vad, I can’t see as clearly.” Briar's voice rose in panic. “I can make out a little, but it’s dim.”
I stepped around a particularly large boulder. “Watch your step.” I reached back for her.
She slipped her hand into mine. Her touch was steady, though I could still feel the fatigue and fear humming beneath her skin. Thalen followed, one hand resting lightly on her shoulder to help guide her over a loose patch of stone.
"Do you need me to get the lamp out?" Thalen asked. "We can light it here."
"No," Briar said, her voice tight. "I can see enough with Vad guiding me."
We moved in silence, the only sound the soft crunch of gravel and the faint, rhythmic scuff of boots on stone. Veralt brought up the rear, his blade out and held low, his eyes flicking constantly across the shadows.
The structure, though battered, had held. There were no cave-ins and no sudden drops, just the rubble and the weight of silence.
“The tunnel’s holding,” I whispered. “We’re fortunate.”
Thalen scoffed under his breath. “If this is what counts as fortunate, I dread what disaster looks like.”
I didn’t answer. The farther we descended, the more the air thickened. The scent of damp stone and old blood still clung faintly to the walls, as if the tunnels remembered too much.
The beasts would be drawn to the Ceremonial Hall where blood, death, and desecration summoned them. With the royal quarters in the opposite direction, we had a narrow window to move undetected.
I hoped Fate wouldn’t play games this time.
After over an hour of cautious progress and switchbacks to mask our trail, we reached the narrow tunnel that would lead us to the royal observatory.
The change in the stone was subtle, the rock becoming more polished and intentionally carved.
The walls here were smoother, and the ceiling overhead was reinforced.
Above, the faint outline of a drop-door was etched into the stone, concealed unless you knew what to look for.
I raised a hand and gestured for the others to stay back.
Stepping forward, I scanned the threshold for signs of tampering or traps. Nothing stood out in the entire fifty-foot corridor leading to the stairs. It was as quiet and pristine as the day it was carved.
It didn't look as if they'd found this route yet. Good.
I motioned for the others, and we moved again. Each step sent a beat of tension through my spine. My pulse thudded, loud in my ears, as we reached the top of the staircase.
At the final door, I removed my keys, unlocked it slowly so as not to make noise, and then pressed a hand against the cold metal handle. A dull cracking sound came from the other side of the door. Someone was in there.
I turned the handle slowly. A warm, golden glow poured in through the growing gap, but so did an acidic stench. It hit the back of my throat like vinegar and rotting meat.
I froze.
My grip faltered, and my jaw locked tight as something unspeakable twisted in my gut. The door trembled beneath my palm, and I felt like I’d been punched in the gut.