CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO #2
Eyeing the stumps, I nervously rubbed at the film of soot still coating my face.
Considering I’d so far come up against a trench of manure, an aquamarine pool, and a river of blood, you would think that I’d feel more confident about crossing a simple ditch.
But the others hadn’t been so deep—anyone who fell into them could also climb out.
This crevice, however? It not only seemed depthless, it had perfectly smooth walls. Unless you had wings, which I did not, you weren’t getting out of that ditch.
And it was home to something that growled.
Well, it bore repeating.
Come on, you can do this.
I could. Absolutely. I’d be fine.
Without taking another moment to think about it, I stepped onto the first spire. It didn’t wobble. Relief.
Holding out my arms for balance, I moved to the next spire. Again, there was no wobbling.
There was, however, a slight crack.
Wicked fast, I hopped onto the third spire, one foot almost slipping off when I realized how slim the circular stump actually was—I could barely fit both my feet on it at the same time. Something I stupidly hadn’t noticed until it was too late.
Seeing that the fourth spire was wider, I stepped onto it. No wobbling, no cracking.
The same went for the fifth spire. And the sixth. And the seventh.
Not the eighth and final spire. It swayed like a drunken idiot. I leapt to the other side of the crevice as quickly as I could, managing to land on my feet.
Relief blowing through my blood, I hurried to the end of the passage, took the upcoming U-turn, shoved my way through hanging moss … and found only blackness.
Seriously, it wasn’t simply dark, it was pitch black. I couldn’t see anything—not even my own hand when I held it in front of my face.
The loud noise from the previous circuit had been rapidly replaced by an eerie silence. The terrible heat had disappeared. Here, the air was cool and clammy. Just the same, the smells of dust, moist stone, and decaying greenery had replaced those of smoke, ash, and burning wood.
No way was I going to try to feel my way through the circuit. Heaven knew what surprises were around. So I called to my power, using the little sparks for light.
I squinted as I scanned what I could see of the passage. The ceiling was low here, and the ground was very uneven. Moss crept along the discolored stone walls. Water steadily dripped from ceiling fissures, forming little puddles. Weeds grew between the cracks that spiderwebbed along the ground.
There were statues, but no totems or spires. Instead, there were caskets, urns, and sarcophagi. Many of which had fallen.
My breath caught as my mind again flashed to the ‘nightmare’ I’d had last night. This was it. This was the ‘crypt’ where I’d seen the little boy run.
No, no, no, no, no. It had been real. Talon had been forced to run through this labyrinth as a child. I struggled to wrap my head around it.
The freaking place was hard enough for an adult to navigate and survive. A young boy? He must have been so afraid, must have come close to dying more than once.
It could only be one or all of the Sovereigns that had made him do this. Which meant, in my mind, they were all-out evil.
A rumble raced along the ground as it abruptly heaved and shifted. Statues swayed. Pebbles shook. Urns trembled. Coffins clattered. Dust sifted down from the ceiling cracks.
My pulse quickening again, I shot out my hand, bracing it on the knobby stone wall for balance. If this wasn’t a singular occurrence, it would explain why so many items had toppled over.
As soon as the quake passed, I got moving. With only my moonlight sparks to light my way, I had to be extra careful where I stepped—especially when there so many large fissures in the ground, not to mention many fallen items to trip over.
Dust and pebbles crunched underfoot, taking away any shot I had at stealth. But it didn’t seem wise to move slowly anyway—not even in the name of cautiousness. A falling statue could easily knock me unconscious, just as a hole in the ground could easily swallow me up.
Something brushed against my ankle as a dark, small creature skittered along the ground and disappeared into the thick shadows. I squeaked in surprise, my heart skipping, my hand jerking … at which point my sparks winked out, flooding the passage in darkness.
Cursing beneath my breath, I conjured flickers of moonlight again. I had no clue what little beast had just given me a fright, nor did I care to find out. I just wanted out of here.
I walked on, splashing through puddles. I hoped the ceiling wasn’t this low throughout the entire passage, or my back and shoulders would be aching in no time from all the bending.
I frowned as a sound reached me. Echoes of hissing. It didn’t seem like that of an animal.
Please don’t be an animal.
The ground started to tremble once more. Stumbling, I placed a hand on a statue, wrinkling my nose at the feel of the scabby mold there. Okay, these quakes could get annoying fast.
The moment the ground stopped heaving, I was on the move. I couldn’t help but wince at the level of noise I made. There was nothing I could do, though; nowhere to step that wasn’t covered in dust and debris.
Soon, I came upon the source of the mysterious hissing. Not an animal. Not even close.
Ropes of hot steam were sporadically bursting out of holes in the ground.
What in the hell?
Clenching my jaw, I inwardly swore. I wouldn’t be able to skirt the obstacle. The cluster of holes spanned the width of the passage. I watched the holes carefully for long minutes, timing the eruptions of steam; trying to spot a pattern. There were none. The bursts were completely random.
I was just going to have to make a run for it and hope for the best.
What a great plan.
Nervousness pounding through my blood, I absently fisted my free hand, grunting as my nails stabbed my sore palm through the cloth still wrapped around it. Relaxing my hand, I blew out a breath and took off.
Several hisses sounded. Steam blazed right up the entirety of my left side, singeing cloth and flesh. Fucking ow.
Passing the holes, I stumbled to a halt, squeezing my eyes shut at the horrendous searing burn; my moonlight sparks blowing out.
Every part of my side from my ankle to my scalp felt like it was on fire.
My ear … Gods, my ear. It throbbed so badly it felt double its true size, but I didn’t dare touch it.
Totally. Freaking. Loathed this place.
Everything about it was the opposite of humane.
I couldn’t help but think of Talon; couldn’t help but wonder if he’d experienced these scalding burns as a little boy; if maybe his injuries had been even worse.
I stood still as I waited for the worst of the pain to pass. It didn’t come close to subsiding. It continued to blaze and pulse and make my eyes well up.
Dabbing at my tears with the corner of my sleeve, I once more called to my power to break up the darkness. Two more circuits. I had two more left after this one was done. That thought was enough to get me moving again.
It hurt so much to walk; made my scorched flesh feel like it was being stretched and scalded all over again. I tried to think past it, knowing that I needed to stay sharp.
Edging around a coffin that blocked my path, I pulled a face. I really hoped these coffins and sarcophagi were empty, but I wouldn’t put it past the Sovereigns to do something sadistic like trap the bodies of people who’d upset them here.
A rumble built in the air as the ground shook again. I plastered a hand on the wall to steady myself, barely avoiding an urn that toppled to the floor and shattered. A new crack zigzagged along the ground, and debris rained down and pattered my skull. Fuck.
My pretty sparks again winked out as I flung my free arm over my head protectively; gritting my teeth at the bang and scrape of stone against my scalp. The sensations were nothing compared to the feel of the pebbles drumming on my singed skin.
I couldn’t bite back a cry. Couldn’t even find it in me to panic that it would lead the minotaur right to me. The pain stole my focus so completely.
I felt tears trickle down my face. Felt stinging patches of my scalp become warm and wet. Great. More wounds.
A muffled scream rang out.
My eyes snapped open, and my breath snagged in my throat. It had come from somewhere behind me—not too close, but not far enough away for my liking.
Panic punched my lungs. I produced yet more sparks and hurried onwards, hating every noise I made.
Busy flapping a hand at a moth that fluttered near my face, I almost didn’t see the wide fissure in the ground in front of me. Inwardly calling myself an idiot, I hopped over the crack.
Annoyance bit at me as I saw that the ceiling was becoming lower the further I walked. I ducked under a particularly low point, shuddering as I felt the stroke of a cobweb.
Eventually, the ceiling started to creep upwards. But not quite enough that I didn’t have to—
The ground shook and dipped as another quake hit. I planted my feet to maintain my balance, but it didn’t work. The force of the quake threw me against the wall; the rough stone scraped at the skin of my side. Dust rained down on my head and neck, slipping down my tunic.
I coughed up dust and ash. Such a lovely combination. Well, at least it wasn’t my burned side that had crashed into the wall. Small mercies and all that.
Once the ground stilled, I pushed onwards, stepping over a stone head that had broken free from a fallen statue. I kept my ears peeled, listening for any indication that I was being stalked. I heard nothing. But then, I was making so much noise that it was hard to pick up other sounds.
A droplet of water slid right down my collar, startling me. I was so on edge I almost jumped—which would have made me bang my head on the godsdamn ceiling.