38. Lina
Lina
B are toes on solid stone, I rush as fast as I can down the halls. When I get to the split, I stop, panting as the realization of what I’m doing hits me.
I’ll die if I am caught.
And yet, I cannot make myself sit still and wait. I cannot let him hold my fate in his hands. If I am tortured for my rebellion, it will be no worse than I expected when I was stolen away. And at least I’ll have myself to blame if I fail.
I flex my fingers, open, closed, open, closed. Over and over as I stare at the shifting shadows of the tunnel ahead. Out there, somewhere, somehow, is a way out of here.
There has to be.
It’s been several days since the last time I explored on my own, but I’ve been out here daily, so I have a much better understanding. I remember a few of the dead ends, and the direction to the community hall.
I know there will be a guard near the community areas. And another set straight ahead.
I’m quiet and constantly listening. My life in the forests and abandoned villages, hiding from beasts, prepared me well for this.
A soft thud echoes down the hall. I freeze.
A moment later, there’s a rustle of fabric. Is that a guard? Maybe. Safe to assume so.
But then again, won’t they be more likely to guard the most important routes? So, a guard could be a good sign. Quiet and stillness probably means there is little to find.
There is a tiny dim tunnel to the left. Something pulses in the darkness, and my heart is repelled. Disgust rises up to my throat.
I press my back to the stone wall and take in several breaths, eyes closed, as I consider. How brave am I willing to be today?
How desperate am I?
Wild rebellion surprises me as it wells up in my chest. My eyes fly open, and I carefully creep farther toward the sound. When I find a small chip of stone on the edge of the wall, I carefully pull it away and hold it tightly. It’s too small to use as a weapon, but I don’t need it for that.
“Quiet night?” a deep voice says.
My eyes flare, but he’s not nearby. I release a relieved breath when another voice answers. “Too quiet. Want to play cards?”
“I wish.”
I suck in a breath. The tunnel to the right has more doors like the one to my dwelling. I don’t think that’s going to take me anywhere new. Could I use the stone to distract the guards and travel past them? Maybe. It’s risky.
The darkness in the small tunnel reaches out like a living thing, calling to me. I want, more than anything, to avoid it, and yet, there is a tug at my soul.
If only Astella were here to tell me the right direction. She would know, wouldn’t she?
I am here.
I suck in a breath. Was that an actual voice?
Was it Astella telling me the right way?
I bite my lip, considering for another moment, then I choose. I sneak down the narrow tunnel, toward the eerie pressure rising in my chest.
It’s the smell that finally stops me, every muscle frozen.
I gag but manage to keep silent. My vision shrinks, body clenching in fear and disgust. I press my back against the wall, sucking in breaths of air through tight lungs. I am alone, but I can feel his hand over my mouth, taste the decay, as if it were happening again.
My body trembles. I can barely breathe. But I know I must stay silent.
That decay, it smells like the Dread that took me. But he is not here. I am alone in this tunnel. I am okay—for now.
Finally, the panic subsides. I press both palms against the cool damp stone and reground myself.
I’m here.
I focus on the grit under my fingers, the cold stinging my toes. My eyes flutter closed.
Three deep breaths, then I force myself up straight. I can’t give up.
I do not fear death , I tell myself, despite my rapid heart and my trembling hands. And so, it’s death I will face.
No fate is worse than losing her. No fate is worse than losing myself and giving up.
My next steps are slow and small. I almost turn around and flee back to my hovel with warm blankets, where I am the property of a beast I do not understand. Instead, I press on, deeper into the dark, toward the smell of decay.
The screech of carving stone sends another jolt of fear through my body. What was that?
There’s movement up ahead. A huff. A growl. Then, silence.
My heart pounds. I know those sounds, and while fear still pulses in my limbs, I am also relieved. I walk with more purpose until I reach a pitch-black opening.
The air is cold in this new room filled with darkness.
I inch forward. When my toe touches the darkness, it curls over the edge.
I stumble back, suddenly dizzy.
It’s a cliff. I can’t see anything in front of me, so I can’t tell how deep it goes. It’s a wide-open pit. Another growl echoes through the space.
I can’t see anything in front of me, but even so, I know exactly where I am.
The drakai pit.