16. Firion

Chapter 16

Firion

N ight fell even here, deep below the ground, the glow of insects overhead dimming as they rested. Shadows took the place of the light, the stairwell seeming to narrow, pressing in with a chill that sunk into the bones. Each step down carried us deeper beneath the earth.

I kept my stone knife tight in my hand. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to protect my mate.

Talia's breathing was ragged at my side, each exhale echoing in the darkness.

“Sorry,” she whispered, squeezing my hand. “I’m trying to be quiet.”

I squeezed back, not daring to speak.

It took everything I had to keep my steps light, to keep from lifting her into my arms and rushing down the stairwell. Any slip could send us plummeting and ruin our one chance of freedom.

The quiet felt suffocating, a waiting that reminded me too much of the horror of the cells above.

How was Brax’s rebellion going? I wanted to help him. I should help him. Yet I had to get Talia out of here.

With every step, the tension grew, its bands winding tighter around my chest.

Finally, we reached the base of the stairwell and the door into the enormous cavern.

We stopped to catch our breath before I cracked open the door and listened, hearing nothing but the random scuffle of tiny creatures who took over the caverns at night to hunt.

I stepped through the narrow opening and peered around, and when I saw no movement, I urged Talia to join me.

She hovered behind me, clinging to my tunic.

With the lights so dim, I couldn't see the far side of the enormous space, but darker areas pointed to the passages we took each day for mining. Silver and blue streaks edged across the rough stone walls, all that was left of the insects’ light.

It was a tomb, sealed and endless, but we would soon leave it behind.

Talia sucked in a breath and released it, stepping around me to stand at my side. She took my hand and gave me a confident smile. I loved that she was finding hope, that she held the belief that we’d make it out of here alive. We hadn’t talked much about what would happen between us once we escaped, but I trusted in my heart that we’d find a way to be together. We’d track down her sister, and I wouldn’t stop until I’d found her, but through it all, there would be a chance for us.

The gleam of resolve in her eyes matched the one burning in my chest. She might be small, her movements feral and quick, but she was determined. She squeezed my hand. It was as much reassurance as it was a signal. We needed to keep going.

We stepped into the cavern together, easing our way toward the far-right passage that Brax had mentioned. Our shadows brushed along the wall beside us, darting from one crevice to the next.

Halfway across the cavern, the faint echo of footsteps made me freeze.

Someone else was down here.

I jerked Talia to the side, steering us behind a boulder. We pressed ourselves into the narrow space behind it and crouched down, holding our breath. I moved only far enough to my left to see who was coming.

A Veerenad guard stepped out of one of the passages across the way and paused, flashing a light slowly across the floor and walls. With a grunt, he moved farther into the cavern. If he kept coming in this direction, he was going to pass us. We needed to remain very quiet and stay hidden.

My gaze met Talia’s, and she nodded, showing she understood. She pressed her forehead against the boulder and slowed her breathing to a bare whisper.

The guard’s footsteps drew nearer until he slowed to a halt where we'd stood only a short time ago. He’d have no qualms about snuffing out our lives should he discover us.

Talia shook slightly against me, a silent tremble she couldn’t suppress. Her hand clutched mine tighter, the tension between us crackling.

His armor clinked as he pivoted, flashing his light across the breadth of the cavern. Then the shuffle of his feet echoed as he continued to our right. My nostrils flared as I picked up his scent, a pungent mix of reptilian musk and dried sweat.

He must not know about the rebellion only a few stories above us, but he’d find out when he returned to the others.

We pressed ourselves further into the shadows, a harsh line of crysthron digging into my back like tiny knives.

I strained to keep my breathing even, barely daring to inhale while the guard walked only a feet away.

He stopped, his gaze sweeping over the big open space, before he moved again. He was making his rounds, and could even be bored, and his inattention could save us now.

Seconds drew out forever, the thump of my heart mirroring the pace of his footsteps across the stone floor.

His path began to align with the passage we needed to take to reach the surface.

I silently willed him to enter a different one, but he continued, ducking as he stepped inside, his light arcing off the narrow stone walls, the echo of his footsteps stabbing back at us .

His armor scraped against stone; every sound amplified as he moved deeper into the passage.

Talia’s wild eyes met mine, and she shook her head. There was nothing we could do but wait a bit and hope he either returned and entered another passage or continued through. He couldn’t know we were here, or he would’ve shouted or attacked us.

We’d take care as we followed and look for him with each step we took.

I leaned against the boulder and tugged Talia into my arms, holding her until her trembles stopped. Kissing the top of her head, I pinched my eyes closed before opening them again.

Another challenge, but we’d take it on and win.

The pulse in my ears quieted, but I didn’t release Talia. We needed this moment to remind each other of how lucky we were to have made it this far.

And how much we cared for each other.

We waited longer than I liked. The rebellion upstairs could be over already and Brax and his friends could be dead. If so, the guards would see we were gone, and they’d hunt us.

“Ready?” I dared to whisper, and she nodded. She eased out of my arms and straightened, holding out her hand to take mine.

We moved quickly to the passage leading to the surface and paused, listening but not hearing anything to suggest the guard was coming back this way.

Then we stepped into the dark tunnel, our only chance at freedom.