Chapter 28
Arina
“Ophis Isle is just east of here. If they survived the collapse of the tunnels, that is where we will find the Rhiza. We will take this ship with a skeletal crew there, and meet you in Spoikos within three days.” I'm barely listening as Raiden and Gideon say their goodbyes.
The weight of the Smog crashes down on me. There is an ache in my chest that's what I imagine it feels like to be pierced through with a blade, and it's all I can do to keep my feet steady beneath me.
Panic envelopes me, and my vision spins. It's as though nothing is staying in place. Objects that should be solid slip and slide as they come in and out of focus. I find the closest railing and collapse to the ground, wishing the waves would stop just for a moment so I can think straight.
Raiden whispers softly in my ear, “You're okay. This is the last time you will have to experience the weight of this curse. We are going to end it. We are going to save our people, Arina. Together.”
The encouragement gives me strength, and being able to focus on his words instead of the curse is grounding. My thoughts slow along with my heartbeat, and I am upright once more.
It's not long before the ship is docked on Ophis Isle, and I'm finally able to see where my father grew up. It's beautiful here, and I feel something take hold of my soul, pulling me from the ship and into the city.
The docks open straight into a road that leads to homes situated along the cliff that appear to be carved into the rock towering above us or made from dried mud and stone.
They are stacked one after the other, and it's difficult to tell where one structure ends and the other begins.
The outer walls of each are thick and painted white. It's beautiful.
But there is not a soul to be found.
Curtains hang in some of the windows, tattered and torn, and covered in a layer of filth, but as ghostly as it feels, I know there is life here. I can sense them.
Raiden takes my hand and beckons Lavinia to follow us. “Are you ready for this part?” he asks, and I know he's worried I won't be able to handle whatever heartbreak we may face once we find the Rhiza.
If we find them. Though, I am still certain there is someone here, but I refuse to say it out loud. Afraid that somehow, I could ruin the possibility by giving voice to my gut feeling. That my words might alter the outcome, and all we will find is bodies.
“I'm ready,” I whisper.
He leads us up the steep mountain path, stopping about halfway to the top at an unassuming door hidden in the rock that I would have missed had he not been with us.
“If they made it, they will be here,” he tells us as he swings the door open, allowing Livvy to lead the way within.
She stops just inside, unaccustomed to the dark. “I love you both, but not enough to sacrifice myself by going first,” she jokes.
Raiden just grunts and takes the lead, Lavinia follows him, and I take the rear.
The never-ending passageway takes us deep into the mountain before there is any sign of life. The further we go, the less likely it seems we are going to find them. My chest aches, and my legs are screaming at me to take a break.
The torches lining the walls have all been out, up to this point. Up ahead, an orange glow sends my heart into a frenzy. Hope so powerful it almost makes me sick.
“Raiden!” I whisper-shout over Lavinia's head.
“I see it,” he answers, and we all pick up our pace.
Just after the first illuminated lantern, the tunnel curves to the left, and I think I'm going to burst from the anticipation.
“It's not much farther,” Raiden tells us, and I wonder again if he can't read my godsdamned mind.
We're just about to turn another corner when Raiden trips forward. It’s so fast that I don't register what's happened until he lets out a curse.
“Fuck!” He's been snatched up at the ankle by a snare, his large frame dangling awkwardly in a half somersault because the rope—and whatever it's attached to—isn't strong enough to lift him fully off the ground, and the tunnel isn't much taller than he is in the first place.
“It's not my fault you were being sloppy. I heard you coming from leagues away.” The voice sets my nerves on edge.
“Shreya! Get this off me. Gods fucking damnit!” Raiden yells
“It's really you! You came back?” The shock in her voice offends even me, and I brace myself for Raiden to start a fight, but he doesn't. Instead, he waits for her to cut him free, and Lavinia and I try our hardest not to laugh at the sight of him as his legs crash to the ground.
“We came back,” he says, pulling his ankle from the rope. “Of course we came back.”
Shreya regains her icy composure, but there is relief in her eyes. “Well, we will be glad to have your help.” She heads further into the tunnel, but shouts over her shoulder at us, “Reset that trap, won't you?”
I resist the urge to mock her or stick my tongue in her direction, if only because the last time I saw her, she had tried to murder me, and it seems she has bigger things to worry about now. I do not wish to provoke her into remembering how much she hates me.
“I take it we know her?” Lavinia asks as we help Raiden set the snare.
“That is the female who tried to kill me,” I explain on a whisper.
Lavinia gives me a look of understanding, but her eyes are wild with curiosity. “Right! The one whose mate you … well, you know.”
My stomach rolls. “That's the one,” I say, trying not to allow the image of Dolan's face as he realized he was going to die enter my mind.
I cover the rope with a bit of dirt from the ground, attempting to camouflage it, and then press my hands to my thighs to stand.
“She seems to have gotten over that rather quickly, don't you think?” Livvy says my own thoughts out loud.
Raiden's chuckle as he ushers us after Shreya is in no way comforting. “We'll see.”
Raiden
“CREWS ARE WORKING in small shifts to clear the tunnels as much as they can without drawing attention,” Baltas tells us.
The five of us are gathered around a table. There's a large map of the tunnels sprawled out before us, and we've spent the last several hours discussing strategy. It was a relief to lay eyes on my friend, but the true gift was when we discovered Konnor was unharmed in the attack.
Though the relief was short-lived when I realized Arina and I would have to explain things to Konnor, and until we did so, it meant I could not touch her. It was taking more effort than I had expected.
“How much longer until the tunnels to Spoikos are clear?” I ask, working to keep my eyes on anything other than Arina.
Baltas grins. “If you're helping, it will go a lot faster.”
Right. The fun is over, and it's time to get back to work. I don't know that I ever believed we would be this close to the end, but all the sleepless nights and every life I took along the way have nearly paid off.
“The Clestrayan armada is sailing around from the back.” I point to the spot on the map where Gideon is leading his soldiers. “The hope is to ensure Invidia cannot escape.”
“Is it safe enough to move those who want to fight back to the Underground?” Arina asks, her glowing green eyes boring into mine.
I look to Baltas and Konnor for an answer, but doing so takes great effort.
“This is all we've ever wanted. This is the whole point of our rebellion. These warriors do not care if it's safe or not. They will go with you, and they will fight for you, no matter the cost,” Konnor says.
I don't trust myself to speak, so I bow my head, hoping he knows just how much all of this has meant to me.
“You will stay here to protect those who wish to stay behind? And those who might flee here for refuge, depending on how things go?” Arina asks her father.
He nods once, and then says, “I wish that you would stay, Arina. I know it's not in your nature, hells, it's not in mine either. But I wish I could protect you from this.”
She reaches across the table and grabs his hand. “I do not need your protection. You taught me how to save myself.” Her words are choked, and a single tear streams down her cheek.
Gods, my mate is astonishing. I have never wanted something so fervently. This curse is standing between me and everything I’ve never allowed myself to dream of. And the closer we get to breaking it, the more terrified I become. I do not wish to lose her.
“When can we leave?” she asks, looking at each of us while she waits for an answer.
“The sooner, the better,” I say.
We all rise from the table at the same time, and Konnor directs us to a larger room where Shreya has already gathered what is left of the Rhiza, along with the inhabitants of Ophis Isle, who welcomed Konnor and our people with open arms.
“There are so many of them,” I whisper so only Baltas can hear me.
“It's a good thing they're all on our side,” he jokes.