Chapter 39

39

K yrie

I lean over the pool and drink my fill.

Damon does the same. We’re in a chamber made out of rock in the middle of the tunnel system under the mountain.

After hours and hours of walking, we made it here.

“We’re about halfway,” Damon tells me, his face dripping with water.

I hold back a groan of frustration. Halfway. It feels like we’ve been stuck down here for days.

“I wish I had a skin or two to fill,” Damon says.

“That would be helpful.”

“Drink some more,” Damon tells me. “You might not get the chance for a while.” He leans in and drinks again.

I look around at the space. It’s beautiful. The pool is a bright blue and looks deep. The water is cool and refreshing. I dip my hand in, washing my face and drinking some more, even though my belly feels quite distended already.

In this larger cavern, the walls are adorned with glittering mineral deposits that sparkle like jewels.

“We need to get going,” Damon tells me.

I nod. “I’ll be happy to feel the wind on my face again. I don’t like caves.”

“I know what you mean.”

We get to our feet and start walking. The tunnel ahead seems endless, but we know that it’s our only hope for escape, that we must keep moving if we want to survive.

The floor is uneven and covered in loose stones that crunch under our feet. It’s a good sign – it means we are getting closer to the surface. At least, I hope that’s what it means.

The first squeak is innocuous enough.

Damon stops walking. His hand tightens over mine. We both hold our breath.

Then a whole chorus of squeaks sound from within the dark of the tunnel behind us.

“What’s that?” I think I know.

Damon sighs. He looks at me; worry is evident on his face.

“It’s the cave rats, isn’t it?”

He nods. “They’re blind but have an excellent sense of smell and hearing. They hunt in large packs, and they’re bigger than normal rats.”

“Of course they are.”

The squeaks are getting louder.

“Do we run?” I already know the answer.

“No. I will fight them. I will try hard not to use my magic. If I do, Snow will know where we are and send her army to guard all the exits to these mountains. We’ll be caught when we emerge. It’s a given.”

“Better than being eaten alive.”

“If it’s necessary, I’ll save us with my magic.” He cups my cheek.

“Do you have a weapon for me?” I ask.

He nods, handing me a dagger and the lantern. He kisses me softly on the lips. Then he turns, unsheathing both his swords from scabbards on his back.

He steps forward while I move a little back, wanting to block my ears from the sheer volume of the squeaks.

In the next moment, they spill out into the tunnel. There are so many of them that I am momentarily stunned.

They’re huge, coming up to about mid-calf, dragging tails the size of my finger. There must be at least a hundred of them, and they’re coming for us at a pace.

I grip the dagger tightly in my hand, my heart pounding in my chest.

With a battle cry, Damon lunges forward, his swords slicing through the air as he fends off the rats. Their sharp teeth gnash, and their claws swipe at him, but he moves with a fluidity and grace that would be wonderful to behold if not for the circumstances. I hold up the lantern.

A rat lunges toward me, and I stab out with the dagger, catching it in the side.

Yes.

Stabbing works. I hope I get to tell Thesha.

The rat screeches in pain and falls down, its body twitching, but more take its place. Damon fights valiantly.

I stab a few more of the creatures that make it through Damon’s defense. It isn’t enough. Any second now, we’re going to be overrun. Damon’s sword clashes against the rock as he swings wildly. Rats screech and die.

Many more take their place. There are hundreds, maybe thousands of them. They keep spilling into the tunnel. We’re never going to get out of this. If Damon uses his power, we’ll be caught at an exit. If he doesn’t, we’ll soon be overrun and eaten. We can’t win.

We’ve beaten everything that has been thrown at us, including Snow, and yet this could be the end. I feel anger grow inside me, and with it, something else, a buzzing in my veins. It’s the same sensation as when Snow was hitting me with her bolt of magic. I look at my hands, and they’re glowing.

I think it’s magic.

It has to be.

Damon is about to be overrun. He slashes frantically to and fro.

I run toward him, screaming. As I pass him, I let loose a torrent of bright white light. It shoots from each of my fingertips, widening as it leaves me. It engulfs the rats, turning them into smoking piles of ash in the blink of an eye. Their screeches turn to short, agonizing cries before falling silent. The rats further to the back of the tunnel turn and flee, screeching in terror. I dust my hands off, looking down at them. They look the same as before. They’re not glowing. It’s like it never happened. If not for the many piles of ash and smoldering bodies, I would have a hard time believing it.

I turn, and Damon’s mouth is gaping in shock.

“What…what just happened?” he asks.

“I don’t know.” I shake my head.

Damon scratches his jaw. His eyes narrow and then widen. “Kakara’s cat.” He smiles.

“What is it? You know, don’t you?”

“Snow fell to the floor after she shot you with her magic. She kept on saying something about something being stolen from her. I think some of her magic must have gone into you. Maybe even all of it…I don’t know.” He shrugs.

I look down at my hands again. “I don’t feel anything. Maybe it was a one-time thing.”

“Perhaps.” He doesn’t look convinced. He’s looking at me strangely.

“What?”

“You did it, love.” He smiles. “You saved us.”

“You could’ve saved us just as easily.” I get a thought that has me worried. “Do you think she could feel me use the magic like she can feel you if you use yours?”

Damon sighs, his eyes turning hazy with worry. “I don’t know. If she did, then they’ll capture us when we leave. If not, she won’t have a clue where we are, so she’ll keep checking the usual routes.”

“I messed up, then. I shouldn’t have done that.”

He takes my hand. “You didn’t mess up, Ky. I was about to blast them myself. We know she can definitely track my power. At least with you, we have a chance.”

I giggle. “I can’t believe it.” I look down at my hands. I think about magic. About power. I look for that buzzing sensation, and my hands start to glow as the feeling hits my veins.

Damon chokes out a laugh.

“It’s there,” I say. “I could do it again if I wanted to.”

“You might have to if we’re ambushed out there.” He points down the tunnel. “I don’t think we have too far to go.”

Not too far turns out to be an age. My legs are wobbly, my thighs ache, and despite the cold, sweat has beaded on my brow by the time we see murky light up ahead. We’ve walked all night.

“This is it,” Damon says.

We creep along the edge of the tunnel. I strain to hear anything outside but all I get is the soft patter of rain. My eyes adjust more and more to the light as we get closer.

If they’re there, they’re being very quiet. I don’t hear the sound of horses’ hooves or the familiar snorts and nickers of the beasts. Perhaps they tied them up away from the cave entrance.

We look at one another for a few long moments. Damon nods once and takes my hand as we emerge from the cave.

There is nothing but desolate landscape before us. There isn’t a living soul.

“I don’t think that she could feel it,” Damon says. “She should have. You used a ton of power. You killed most of those rats in one go.”

“She can’t sense me,” I whisper.

“No, she can’t. That makes you a powerful weapon, Kyrie. Powerful indeed.”

I’m powerful.

I feel giddy with the knowledge. “Yes, she messed with the wrong person when she took me on.”

Damon chuckles. “Yes, she did.” He leans in and kisses me.

“All we have to do is find a few more lost kings, and we can get to the business of war.”

“I like how you think, love.” He laughs.

Then we start the long journey to join the others with the knowledge that the fight has only just begun.

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