25. Thalia
THALIA
M y paws slammed against stone as I raced through the tunnels, Damien trying and failing to keep up.
She was trapped. She was trapped . I needed to get to her, to run faster.
It had been faint, and we feared she’d been injured, but Damien and I had heard her reach out to us, her voice flitting across our thoughts only moments ago.
A single word.
Help.
Marcus and Alec were at the base of the stairs, searching for a way to get past the rocks barring their entrance. They were both covered in dust and blood, but they didn’t appear to be gravely injured.
“What the hell happened?” I demanded as I shifted back to my immortal form, rushing past them directly to the wall of boulders and rocks blocking the entrance.
“The damned beast tripped a ward. ”
“Yressia is still alive?” I muttered under my breath. “Lucia!”
I pressed my ear to the stone, listening for anything.
Silence.
I slammed my fist against the stone, suddenly finding myself facing the rocks that had crushed my dearest friend. No. No, this couldn’t be happening again.
“Lucia!” I screamed and pressed my ear to the stone again.
Muffled voices echoed from the other side.
“Stay back! We’ve brought help!” I called, unable to discern anything they were saying. Was Lucia injured? Her thoughts had sounded weak, shaken, and Damien had feared she might not be able to concentrate on their connection if she was trapped in too tight of a space or injured.
“Step back,” Damien said as he came to a stop beside me, followed closely by a female warrior. “Raina, can you feel them?”
She pressed her hand to the stone and closed her eyes in quiet concentration. “She’s there. One other…”
Only one other? My heart leaped into my throat. Was it Barrett? What had happened to the others?
“All others are dead,” Raina said. “The cavern is unstable; we’ll get one shot to get them out.”
Damien nodded as she stepped to the side and lowered to a knee, pressing both hands to the ground.
“You’ll have seconds,” she said, and Marcus and Alec jumped to their feet, ready to help.
“Just a little bit longer, mea luna !” Damien shouted. “Step back from the entrance!”
Raina nodded her head, and her lids slid closed. Stone groaned, the walls shaking before the boulders shifted, twitched, and then slowly rose. Raina ground her teeth together, her arms trembling as she forced them to move.
“Lucia!” Damien shouted, dropping to the ground to look under the stones as they lifted barely enough for us to get a glimpse of the cavern. They continued to rise slowly—too slowly.
“She’s not gonna be able to hold them!” I yelled as I twisted to try to make out anything in the darkness. I was greeted with the sight of the crushed remains of fallen warriors and the Featherclaw who’d gifted me this scar.
Raina grunted and let out a desperate cry before the stones rose higher, leaving a clear path. Relief flooded me at the sight of Lucia, Barrett holding her steady as they stumbled toward us.
“Hurry!” Raina cried out, blood dripping from her nose.
Barrett dragged Lucia through the opening, their boots smearing a path of blood. The boulders fell the moment they were clear, sealing the entrance once more.
Raina fell back, gasping for air, and Alec caught her .
“Lucia!” Damien rushed to her. She smiled weakly up at him, and Barrett helped steady her, his eyes never leaving her.
Something tender reflected in his steel eyes. They had never seemed so soft, so full of worry and care.
“Thank you,” Damien said, sparing Barrett a glance before scooping Lucia into his arms.
Barrett nodded, and my feet moved on their own, rushing to him at the sight of the blood painting the side of his face.
“Are you all right?” I asked before I could think better of it.
His eyes shifted to me, weary and exhausted.
“It’s just a scratch,” he said, but at the way his eyes wavered, the way his pupils expanded, I could see through the bluff.
“Thank you,” I muttered, and he blinked, his brows rising, as if he had expected me to say something else.
He suddenly couldn’t hold my gaze, and my heart squeezed as his lips parted and closed. His expression changed, hardening, and he shrugged past me. “I only did what was required.”
Twenty-three.
We had managed to save twenty-three captives. Sixteen of them were children, the youngest only five. Had I been that young when I’d been brought here?
We had lost four warriors in the end, four souls who would never return to loved ones waiting for them. Several warriors stayed behind, earth Stoicheion dismantling the fortress, ensuring nothing and no one would ever set foot in that cursed place again.
Lucia knelt before a human child, probably nine or ten by the look of her. She was just as filthy as the others, her red hair a mess of knots and curls. A strange accent I had never heard before painted her tongue when she spoke.
“What’s your name?” Lucia asked.
“Nora,” she said timidly.
“Is that the name your parents gave you?” she asked, and I felt my breath tightening in my chest.
“It is.”
I let out a sigh of relief. To hear a child made it out of that place and still had the ability to speak their true name brought me the most profound joy.
“Do you remember where you’re from?” Lucia asked.
She shook her head. “They took meh from mah home when Ah was little. Ah donnae even remember me mummy and daddy’s names.”
“Sounds like she came from Scotland,” Damien said, kneeling before the girl. “If you like, you’re welcome to go back with us.”
She glanced between them, and I could already see how she hesitated, how her body tensed.
Lucia offered her a smile. “You will never have to do anything they forced you to do here. You’ll be free. We have plenty of food, we can get you fresh clothes—whatever you need, it will be yours.”
I turned from them, walking through the makeshift camp we had set up to tend to the wounded before we made our way home.
The sun crested the mountaintops, chasing the twin moons into their slumber.
An envoy would be arriving from Erebus’ kingdom soon to collect most of the prisoners.
He would aid in reuniting them with their families—their domains.
The feather folk child, Aesos, waved to me as I passed, and Micah, who was tending to one of her wounds, looked back to offer me a warm smile.
Warmth filled my chest at the sight of it, and I drew close enough to press a kiss to his cheek before continuing toward the forest.
The air was fresh, caressing my skin and rustling my hair. Sprites danced along the branches high above me, the tiny orbs seeming curious of my presence. Tiny, furry creatures scurried about, their long ears perking up as they paused to look back at me with big, beady eyes before running for cover.
I fell to my knees before one of the trees and reached down to brush moss away from the single stone anchored into the dirt at the base of it. It wasn’t anything special, etched with simple words in the old language.
Rhyas and Kish. Beloved Mother and Father.
I reached out, running my fingertips over the rough surface, tears dotting my lashes.
“Sorry it’s been a while,” I muttered. “A lot’s happened since we last spoke.”
The sprites drifted down from the canopy, bouncing around the trunk and maintaining a careful distance from me, as if they couldn’t resist their curiosity any longer. I didn’t spare them a glance as I stared down at the stone.
“I’m doing well,” I said, my voice growing thick. “I’m, um… I’m teaching others how to fight, and…we’re making a difference in the Mortalrealm. I’ve found a family, I have friends.”
The grass rustled as the tiny, long-eared creatures scurried closer to watch me.
“I’m bonded. He’s wonderful to me. You would’ve liked him… Mom. Dad.” Something built up in the back of my throat, my voice shaking. “I mi ss you so much.”
Heavy yet quiet footsteps reached my ears, and the scent of moss and life filled my lungs. I didn’t need to turn to know who stood at my back, his towering form casting me in shade.
Silvash lowered his head, the strands of moss hanging from his enormous antlers falling over me as he gently brushed his muzzle against my arm.
I turned to him, taking in his beautiful face, his fur as rich and colorful as it had been when we had first met.
“Hello, old friend,” I said, wiping away the tears. He lowered his face, his eyes closing before I leaned against him, wrapping my arms around him in a warm embrace. “Thank you for watching over them.”
I looked back at the stone, wishing they were here with me, wishing they could see what we did.
“We saved many lives today,” I said, and I knew it would bring them as much joy as it did me when I said, “And no one will ever suffer in those pits again.”