Chapter 12 #3
I nodded, glanced one more time at Garran, then moved on.
The tube’s light played across the tunnel’s black walls, making it appear that thousands of tiny stars danced ahead of me.
The ground underfoot was smooth and even, but that wasn’t surprising if this tunnel had been created for past monarchs.
Couldn’t have royal toes being stubbed, after all.
Once I’d moved past the tunnel that Makki had used to get into my room, the floor and walls got rougher but remained wide enough for me to keep a good pace.
I quickly came across my first cross tunnel and went right, as directed, then dug the receiver out of my pocket and flicked it on.
The arrow wavered for a few seconds and then settled on a northwest point. I was going in the right direction.
The air temperature increased the deeper into the mountain I went, and sweat started trickling down my spine and forehead.
As much as I wanted to, I didn’t take my jacket off, simply because it was protecting my arms and shoulders from the occasional section where a rockfall—no doubt caused by the tremors that continued to plague this area—had severely narrowed the tunnel.
I soon lost all track of time in this world of darkness and dancing stars, but did, after what seemed like ages, finally reach the three-pronged intersection.
I jumped over the small stream, slid briefly on a dark patch of moss I hadn’t seen, then caught my balance and headed into the middle tunnel.
It, like the previous one, was unexpectedly wide, making me suspect that at some point in our history, before the presence of these tunnels had been forgotten, an earth mage had been sent in here to work on them.
I eventually reached the evacuation tunnel that ran from Esan into the East Arleeon foothills.
It was semicircular in shape and wide enough to comfortably accommodate the bovine-drawn carts that would be used for the evacuees who couldn’t walk.
I stopped in the middle of it and swept the tube’s light to the right, seeing nothing, hearing nothing.
Nor could I sense anything hiding in the shadows beyond the light’s reach, and yet instinct stirred uneasily.
Rishi had only sensed three weights, but it would be pretty easy for someone to hide their presence if they remained closer to the evac caverns.
Aric knew what I was, what I was capable of. He wouldn’t take the chance of me being willing to kill Damon in an effort to take him out. He’d have backup, even if it was only a couple of extra men.
I swept the light across the darkness one more time, the sense that I wasn’t alone growing stronger.
Use my sight , Kaia commented. I see for you. Done before.
That we had, but generally when I was flying with her. You’re not physically here. It won’t work.
Try .
I took a deeper breath, smelling the sweat, fear, and frustration that rode me, then deepened the link between us. The cavern spun briefly around me but quickly righted as her presence in my mind became more dominant. My gaze narrowed, the two of us as one as we stared into the darkness.
No see , she said after a moment. Need my eyes, not yours .
The queen is not always right, it would appear , I said, amused.
She harrumphed. Should flame.
I’m running low on fire, Kaia ? —
Know. Use my fire.
You may need it ? —
I fed, now rest. Use my fire.
It was an order, not a suggestion. I rolled my eyes, deepened our link, then mentally reached into the flaming heart of her, where the tempest of her flames burned, and drew them forth.
Fire surged through our link, thick and fierce and angry, and I quickly raised a hand to unleash it.
Flesh was not meant to contain such a force for very long.
A mass of fiery energy leapt from my fingers, forming an orb as it tumbled down the tunnel, growing ever wider, ever angrier, until it spanned from wall to wall.
Footsteps fleeing, then screams that quickly fell into silence. The fiery wall faded, leaving me in darkness aside from the starry light coming from the tube.
I stay linked , Kaia said. May need more flames.
I didn’t argue. I may have drawn on her strength rather than mine, but the fires had still channeled through a body that was reaching its limits of strength and endurance.
I turned left and strode on, quickly coming across what amounted to a forest of stalactites hanging from the ceiling, though the tunnel floor remained smooth and clear.
I stopped again, sweeping the light across the wall to my right and spotting the smaller tunnel.
My footsteps echoed as I moved in, no doubt alerting the man who waited at the entrance long before the light did.
The inner tension climbed with every step I took.
I found the fracture and stopped; when Rishi had said it was narrow, he hadn’t been kidding. How they’d squeezed Damon through, I had no idea, because the rough rock was definitely going to shred my coat as I squashed through.
Of course, given there was likely an earth mage waiting in the dead spot, it was also possible this entrance had been deliberately narrowed to inconvenience me and make the task of ambushing me that much easier.
I tossed the light tube into the tunnel; it bounced on the hard black stone and rolled several feet farther on, casting crazy shadows across the walls and floor. There was no response from whoever waited on the other side. He was as silent as a ghost; I couldn’t even hear him breathing.
But he was there. Of that, I had no doubt.
Burn , Kaia said.
I smiled and took her advice, this time making sure there was no chance to scream. As the flames snuffed out, darkness fell, and I shook my head at my own stupidity. I’d forgotten to narrow the blanket and had melted the damn light tube.
I created a small fire orb and cast it into the tunnel, then eyed the narrow entrance critically, trying to find the easiest was through without any of the razor-sharp stone teeth that conveniently lined its rim cutting into my coat and down into skin.
Unfortunately, there was no such thing as a path of least resistance.
I sighed, then turned sideways and carefully pushed through.
The teeth did indeed make short work of the coat, but, despite the odd trickle of warmth, didn’t slice down into my flesh as badly as I’d feared.
To the left of the entrance, close to the wall, was a small pile of ashes.
Humans really didn’t amount to much when flesh and bone were cindered.
I glanced at the deeper darkness still crowding the end of the tunnel, then raised my voice and said, “Nice try at ambushing, Aric.”
A chuckle rolled up toward me. “I guess it was too much to hope you’d be caught so easily. Come on down, Bryn, or your dear husband will pay the price.”
“How do I know he’s even alive?”
“Oh, he is, I assure you. Suffering, but alive.”
“Forgive me if I refuse to take your word for it, Aric, but deceit is one of your strong points.”
He chuckled again. A few seconds later, Damon said, “Here, drugged, in noose.”
Fury rolled through me, but I clenched my fists, digging my nails into my palm in an effort to maintain control. Aric wanted me rattled and angry because he wanted me to act rashly—it was the only possible reason for him allowing Damon to give me that much information.
Well, two could play that particular game.
“Please, do continue on down the tunnel,” he added. “We await your royal presence.”
And my royal presence couldn’t wait to burn his ass.
I pushed my orb out to the limit of my range, sweeping it from side to side as I did to ensure there was no one else in this tunnel. It might not hold all that much heat, but it could certainly set hair or clothes on fire.
I walked on. “I have a question for you, Aric.”
“Do you now?” Amusement laced his reply. “Then by all means, ask.”
“Are you working with the Mareritt and the riders?”
He laughed. “What insanity makes you ask a question such as that?”
The orb’s light now washed across the entrance into their cavern, but I couldn’t yet see them. “Your actions have led many in Esan to believe it so, especially after your fortuitous return so soon after our war room had been blown up.”
“Gayl foresaw it. It was too good an opportunity to waste.”
Anger ripped through me, but I somehow resisted the urge to unleash my flames. I needed to be closer. Needed to watch his ass burn close up rather than from a distance. “I don’t suppose you thought, even for a second, to warn my parents?”
“I don’t suppose I did.”
“Then, in many respects, you utterly deserve what has now happened, Aric, even if your people don’t.”
“And what might that be?”
I drew my sword. “Zephrine has been attacked, and your city burns.”
He laughed. “Do you truly think I would believe such a lie? I was in constant contact with my son, and they have seen no sign of the riders or indeed even the Mareritt.”
“You’ve been in these tunnels for days, Aric, and I know for a fact quill pens do not work this deep in the mountains. The riders never truly intended to hit Esan; their target was always Zephrine—the Rayabar we captured confirmed it. Apparently, they have already divided the spoils of war.”
“You lie.” It was ground out, disbelieving.
“I have no reason to lie, as it will not change what happens here tonight. A good third of your city has either been destroyed or lies under the rubble of multiple landslides.”
“Not possible,” he growled. “We were ready for them.”
“You ordered the fortress walls fortified, Aric, not the entirety of the city.”
I was close to the end of the tunnel now; light danced warmly across the lake’s shoreline, but I remained unable to see either him or Damon or even the earth mage hiding in the dead zone. I had no doubt that he—and whoever else might wait there—would attack the minute I stepped into that cavern.
“Drop your sword, Bryn. Now.”