Chapter 6
Ara
The tunnels were worsethan I expected. Laera and Ryvin sent fae lights ahead, illuminating the crumbling path, but it only highlighted the instability of the dirt around us.
Holes had been eaten into the tunnels, burrows and nests for various creatures that I didn’t want to think about. Something crunched under my sandal and I looked down before I could think better of it, wincing when I realized I’d crushed a small skull.
“Are there any animals we should be mindful of meeting?” I asked, trying not to think of the massive serpent that almost killed me.
“It shouldn’t be anything dangerous,” Bahar said.
“We encountered a few angry badgers,” Kabir said.
I noticed he was walking more naturally now. I had to admit, dragons really did heal quickly.
“You forgot the part about how we were poking their homes with sticks,” Bahar added.
“Yeah, but we didn’t do anything to upset the bats. Or that lynx,” Kabir added.
“That was one time,” Bahar defended.
“I think we could handle some badgers or a lynx,” Vanth said under his breath.
“With all this chatter, we’ll tip off my father’s men before we even arrive,” Laera hissed.
The joviality of the conversation ceased and we all descended into silence. Our footsteps crunched over rocks and bones, and the sounds of something skittering through the holes in the walls occasionally followed us. We paused at a massive spider web that spanned the entire tunnel and even though I wasn’t the one to tear it down, I still felt like my skin was crawling with insects when I walked through the space it had occupied.
Our little procession continued, with Bahar and Kabir in front, followed by the scribe carrying the map. Laera was in front of me with Vanth and Ryvin taking the rear. I couldn’t explain it, but I could tell when they traded places. I could always feel when Ryvin was the one directly behind me, even if I didn’t turn to see him.
We reached an intersection, the tunnel we were in continuing, along with four other tunnels that branched out in different directions. We’d come to turns before, but never with this many options. Two of the tunnels were collapsed, rocks and dirt blocking our progress.
“Which way?” Bahar asked the scribe.
He examined the map he’d drawn, and I watched as the wrinkles in his brow deepened. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple. “I’m not sure. I don’t recall this on the maps I studied. All the other tunnels were intersections of three or four, I never saw one with more choices.”
“Maybe one of these was never a finished tunnel,” Bahar offered. “It wouldn’t go on a map if that were the case.”
The scribe shook his head. “I saw dead ends listed. The entire system was done in an organized grid. It’s why I thought I could navigate us. But if the maps I saw weren’t accurate…” His whole face glistened with sweat and his bronze completion took on a green tint. “What if they were wrong? What if I got us lost? We could be trapped here forever.”
His voice was high-pitched and terrified, his breathing rapid. He was in full panic.
“Then we’ll kill you before you starve to death,” Laera said with a shrug.
“Nobody is killing anyone,” I stepped forward, putting myself between Laera and the scribe.
His wide eyes were locked on the princess as he backed closer to the dirt wall behind him.
“We’ll figure it out,” I said. “Where do you think we are on the map? We’ll make a guess. That’s all we can do. We had no promises that the tunnels we needed were even going to be accessible. We could have encountered collapsed tunnels at every turn,” I reminded him.
He finally looked at me, then swallowed hard. The map was in his grip at his side.
“Go ahead, Doren. Nobody is upset, we’re going to be just fine,” Bahar said, his voice calm and comforting.
Doren nodded, then lifted the map, taking a long moment to review it before looking up at the rest of us. “I think we should be using that tunnel, but it’s not accessible.” He pointed to the far right tunnel, one of the two that was caved in.
“So we take the one next to it,” I suggested.
He shook his head. “I think that one might lead to an underground river. But I can’t know for sure.”
“Which tunnel then? Just tell us where to go. I’m getting bored down here,” Laera said.
He pointed straight ahead. “We continue on our path and take the next tunnel we see on the right.”
“Good work.” Bahar slapped the smaller man on his back. “I knew we could count on you.”
I fell into line behind the others as we continued forward, but each step had me feeling more unease. “You sure this is right?” I whispered. “Something feels wrong.”
“I feel it too,” Laera said.
“Do you think it’s a warning?” Vanth asked.
“I think we need to turn around,” Laera said.
“I agree.” I couldn’t explain it, but there was something disturbing about this tunnel.
Suddenly, the ground gave way and I plummeted, falling into darkness. I screamed into the void, fear making my insides turn to ice. Almost as quickly as I fell, I hit the earth hard, knocking the breath from my lungs. Stars exploded in my vision and my head spun. My entire side was aching from the impact, but I was lucky I’d landed on my shoulder and hip instead of my head.
Scrambling to my feet, I looked up, and thankfully, I could see the flicker of fae lights above me. Too far above me.
Anxious cries reached me, all my friends yelling for me at once. “Ara?” Their voices were a panicked cacophony.
“I’m alright!” I hollered, hoping they could hear me. I started reaching out around me, feeling for anything I could use to climb out of the hole. Loose dirt sprinkled down from each attempt. I was trapped.
“Ara, we’re going to get you out of there,” Ryvin yelled down.
From somewhere behind me, I heard something hissing. I wasn’t alone. “Hurry please. There’s something else down here.”
I reached for my necklace, brushing my fingers over the cool metal for comfort, when I remembered the other item I was wearing around my neck. Attached to a leather cord was the small pouch my mother gave me. There were times I obsessed over what it could be, and times I forgot about it completely.
I wondered if this was it, the time I was supposed to open it and find out how it could help me.
Then I felt the shadows wrapping around me, tightening their grip like an embrace. I made a surprised startled sound as my feet rose from the ground. Staying impossibly still, I held my breath until I was up, free of the hole.
As soon as the shadows released me, Ryvin’s arms were around me, a large hand weaving into my hair while the other held me tight around my waist with a possessive grip.
“I’m safe,” I assured him. “You got to me in time.”
“I thought I lost you,” he whispered.
“I’m alright. I promise. Just a few bruises.”
“Can we leave this tunnel now before anything else happens?” Laera demanded.
“I think that’s a good idea,” Vanth said.
“The shifter is agreeing with me. That tells you that nothing good can come from us staying here,” Laera snapped.
Everyone murmured in agreement and we backtracked to where we’d come from. We could see the opening for the tunnel when suddenly, the ground shook and rocks and debris began to rain down on us.
“Run!” Someone yelled.
I didn’t wait. Grabbing Ryvin’s hand, I raced forward, all of us sprinting toward the exit.
Rocks pelted from above, and I lifted my arm over my head to protect myself. Dust rose in clouds, making it harder to see where we were going, but we were so close to the exit. As soon as I emerged from the tunnel, I dropped Ryvin’s hand and wiped my eyes before turning to see if everyone made it out.
The entire group was gathered just beyond the collapsed entrance, everyone panting and covered in dirt. Vanth coughed, then shook out his tunic. Laera was scowling as she wiped the dust from her arms and face. Bahar and Kabir were glaring at the tunnel as if it had personally attacked them. I suppose, in a way, it had.
Dread surged. “Where’s Doren?”
Everyone glanced around before we all turned our attention to the pile of rocks and earth that had been the entrance to a tunnel just moments ago.
Bahar and Kabir started to dig. Vanth joined in. There wasn’t enough space for anyone else to join them, so Ryvin, Laera, and I watched. I think we were all holding our breath.
With each pile of earth they tossed aside, more fell from above to fill in the gaps. It was endless, the piles of dirt and rocks continuing no matter what they did.
Just when a weight of hopelessness settled into my gut, I saw a foot. They dug faster and Ryvin stepped forward, pulling on Doren’s leg as the others continued to dig him out.
When they finally uncovered the rest of him, my heart sank. We were too late. He’d likely been crushed before we even started digging.
Bahar and Kabir knelt next to the fallen man and the two of them began whispering in a language I didn’t recognize. Bahar closed the man’s eyes, then Kabir placed a coin on each eye. They might be from Drakous, but our traditions in death were so similar.
“Very interesting,” Laera said.
I shot her a look, trying to tell her to be more sensitive with my expression.
She shrugged. “We’re all thinking it. It was a trap, clearly. You set something off when you fell in the hole. It probably triggered the collapse. It was designed so that if you could climb out of the hole, you’d still be stuck in the tunnel.”
I glanced at the other two collapsed tunnels. “You think that’s what happened to the others?”
“Probably. If so, it means there’s likely only one way out of here.” She sighed. “I’d rather not die buried underground.”
“Nobody else is going to die,” Bahar said as he stood. “You.” He pointed at me, then moved closer.
Ryvin stepped in front of me. “Careful, dragon.”
Bahar stopped moving. “She could feel it.” He pointed to Laera. “You did too.”
“He’s right,” Vanth agreed. “Both of them felt like something was wrong right before Ara fell.”
“So?” Laera demanded.
“So, you can help us choose the right tunnel. And if either of you so much as get an inkling that something is off, we flee,” Bahar said.
“Maybe it’s their magic,” Kabir suggested. “Something they can sense.”
“I don’t have any magic,” I blurted automatically.
“Well, you’ve got something. Maybe it’s like the human oracles, or the priests that occasionally see the future,” Kabir replied.
“Ara, you felt something. Whatever it was, it was a warning,” Ryvin said. “You too, Laera.”
“Why is it always up to the princesses to save the day?” Laera rolled her eyes. She grabbed my upper arm. “Come on. Let’s go see if it’s safe for the big warrior men.”
I fell into step beside her and we walked toward the nearest tunnel. We paused in front of it, then waited. After several long moments of awkwardly standing there, I looked at her. “What am I supposed to do?”
“Do you feel anything unusual?” she asked.
“No.”
“Me neither.”
“That must be the correct tunnel, then,” Kabir said.
“Hold on,” Vanth interjected. “Let them try the others.”
It felt ridiculous, but Laera and I went and stood in front of each tunnel, waiting to see if we felt anything. None of the tunnels gave us the same sinister feeling we’d gotten from the first one.
“Maybe they’re all safe,” I suggested, not believing it myself.
“Maybe we need to take a few steps inside,” Laera grumbled.
“No, not happening,” Ryvin said.
“We’ll turn around if we feel anything strange,” I said. “It’ll be easier for the two of us to get out in time. Besides, if something happens, you can dig us out.”
Ryvin crossed his arms over his chest. It was clear he didn’t like the suggestion, but he didn’t argue when Laera and I took a few steps into the nearest tunnel.
“Anything?” Laera asked.
I shook my head, then left the tunnel. We silently walked to the next one, and with a glance at each other, we knew there was nothing wrong with this one, either.
“I’m not sure this theory works,” I said. “Maybe we felt the immediate danger when we triggered the trap.”
“Probably,” Ryvin agreed.
“Try the last one, and if it’s the same, we’ll just guess,” Bahar said.
Laera and I exchanged skeptical looks before stepping into the final tunnel. We were only a few steps in when the shaking started. Eyes wide, I launched forward, grabbing Laera’s hand and tugging her along with me.
As soon as we were free, she yanked her hand from me. “I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“Sorry.” I coughed, then brushed off the fresh layer of dirt.
Ryvin was next to me in a second. “No more going in without me.”
“We were fine,” Laera snapped. “She’s alive, isn’t she?”
Ryvin’s jaw was tight, but he didn’t respond.
“Oddly, I didn’t get any bad feelings so that theory is invalid. We’re going to have to guess,” Laera said.
“Or we split up,” I suggested.
“No,” Bahar said. “That’s a terrible idea.”
“The point is to sneak up on the king and try to end him,” I replied. “Isn’t it?”
“We need strong magic to make it happen,” Vanth explained. “I watched so many fail to kill him.”
“He can’t withstand dragon fire,” Bahar said.
“And Ryvin’s got the power of two gods,” Laera said. “Plus, I might be able to get into his head and delay his reactions.”
“So we stay together,” I conceded.
“This way,” Bahar said. He had the abandoned map in his hands.
“I thought he said that was the wrong way?” I asked.
“We have to try something,” he countered.
“Let’s go. But if anyone gets any urges to flee, we all run, got it?” Laera said.
“You can stay close to me, princess,” Kabir said in a seductive tone. “I’ll watch out for you.”
“You couldn’t handle her,” Vanth warned.
“I like a good challenge,” he quipped.
Ryvin laughed. “Go for it, we’re probably all dead after this, anyway.”
“I’d rather take my chances with the badgers,” Laera said before marching into the tunnel.