22. Gwyneira

22

GWYNEIRA

I f we made it out of here, I’d never go underground again. Forget mines. Forget caves.

This was enough for a lifetime of nightmares.

“Oz!” Clay shouted. “Can’t you do something to—” He cut off, ducking out of the way of a falling boulder.

Ozias didn’t answer, and I couldn’t either. But Ozias was helping. Our connection vibrated like a bowstring with the magical effort he was expending to keep the earth from crushing us all.

It was him versus countless tons of rock above us. Even he couldn’t beat gravity forever.

I pulled on Niko, urging him to run faster. Where were Valeria and her humans? They were supposed to be watching the surface, guarding against anyone trying to attack from there.

“Dammit, I thought we took out the security station!” Lars shouted like he’d had the same thought.

One of the guards scoffed. “We have backup stations and eyes everywhere . You traitors will never get away with?—”

Norbert backhanded the man, sending him flying into the wall. The impact destabilized the already crumbling stones, sending them cascading down and crushing the man before he could get to his feet.

Holy gods.

Norbert just grinned and kept running.

A cold feeling undercut my panic. After how he’d treated Niko, there was no doubt in my mind Norbert was trouble. Or maybe would be trouble once we got out of here.

If we did.

We rounded a corner, racing toward the junction. Four other tunnels led off from there, including one to the mineshaft and the lift that would get us out. But all around the support beams holding up the exit, symbols glowed on the dark wood.

Dread gripped me. Those hadn’t been glowing when I came down here…

In the lead, several giants faltered at the sight, but they were helpless against the stampede of others fleeing behind them. Shoved forward, they fell past the glowing support beams.

No screams rose. Nothing about the beams changed.

Okay…

I braced myself, racing after the others past the beams.

The symbols grew brighter.

A tingling thud passed through the air.

The tunnel behind me came crashing down, boulders and gravel roaring to the ground. A cloud of dust rolled out into the junction, turning the air into a brown fog.

But the destruction didn’t continue onward.

I covered my mouth with my sleeve. Around this intersection of tunnels, I could see other symbols glowing through the fog.

More support beams, this time for the other tunnels—two of which were clogged with crumbled stones as well.

“So, uh…” Clay began. Through the fog, I saw him cast a worried look at Ozias. “I take it those glowing things are keeping the collapse at bay, yeah?”

Ozias grunted, eyeing the beams distrustfully.

“Great.” Clay nodded mostly to himself. “But since they didn’t work so well on the tunnels themselves, how about we keep moving?”

“We still have to help the prisoners,” Niko said.

Clay frowned, his eyes going to Norbert like he was debating that.

The massive giant never even looked our way. Grabbing two of the guards before they could make a run for it, he sneered as they struggled in his grip. “This way, worms.” He hauled the men toward an open tunnel, several other giants doing the same behind him. The rest brought up the rear, with a few of them glancing over their shoulders as if questioning whether we would follow.

“Seems like they’ve got it under control,” Clay said. “We should just go.”

“They’re starving and weak,” Niko replied, lowering his voice like he didn’t want anyone else to hear. “If we leave them, they may not all make it out of here.”

Clay’s jaw worked around. Beside him, Lars seemed torn, while Byron avoided everyone’s eyes entirely.

What was wrong with them?

Roan started walking toward the tunnel, not waiting for anyone else to agree. “We’ll be fast,” he said over his shoulder. “We can’t leave kids.”

Clay sighed. “Okay, fine. Good point.”

“Keep an eye to the walls,” Dex ordered as he strode after Roan.

Dread returned, making my heart sink.

We have backup stations, the guard had said. And we have eyes everywhere .

If those backups were the reason for the tunnel collapse…

I hurried after Dex. “Do you think they can see us somehow?”

“Byron?” he asked shortly.

The scholar flinched. “Wha— Right. Yes.” Clearing his throat, Byron scanned the walls. “The magic mirrors at the guard station must be connected to a sight spell, but…” His brow furrowed. “I’m having trouble tracking it.”

“Thing is,” Lars offered from the back of our group, “the exit is open, right? So maybe we should go make sure it stays that way while the giants get themselves out.”

Niko gave him an incredulous look. “We can’t leave them. Kids, remember?”

Lars winced. “Yeah, but who knows when there might be another?—”

Rumbling suddenly carried through the floor.

“You just had to jinx it!” Clay protested to his brother.

Crashing sounds came from the mineshaft.

“Run!” Dex shouted.

There was only one way to go. We raced down the tunnel after the Erenlians and the guards. Dust filled the air behind us, and the roar of falling stones was so loud, I couldn’t hear what the others were shouting.

And if the guards brought the entire mine down on top of us…

My body vibrated with the need to shift and move faster. I was already in danger of outdistancing my men with my vampiric speed. But if I got ahead of them and then something happened…

Gods, panic made me want to scream.

We rounded a turn and the other giants came into view. A long row of bars lined one side of the tunnel, the thick metal poles driven into the floor and ceiling far above. The giants we’d helped were standing beside them. Norbert had a guard in his grip as he snarled something at the man that I couldn’t make out over the collapsing roar.

Behind the bars, countless giants stood.

I gasped, throwing a glance back at my men as the rumbling slowed behind us. The ceiling overhead remained intact. Maybe we had the support beams around the tunnel entrance to thank for that.

For the time being, anyway.

“Are these all the other prisoners?” Dex asked Niko behind me.

Before he could answer, Norbert snarled at Dex, “Shut it, human.” Turning his attention back to the guard, he pressed the man harder against the bars. “Open the lock or I break your neck like the last guy’s.”

Confused, I looked around. The crumpled form of a guard lay beyond Norbert’s feet.

My stomach sank. No, those Aneirans weren’t good people. But Norbert looked like he wasn’t going to stop with just the guards.

And we all looked human too.

“It won’t matter.” The guard was trembling so hard, his voice shook. “They’ve taken the shaft down. We’re trapped here until the queen comes.”

My blood went cold. “What?”

Norbert ignored me, smashing the man harder against the bars. “Open the damn gate.”

“Answer me,” I insisted, my tension rising. “The queen is coming here?”

Norbert’s hand clenched on the guard so tightly, the man’s neck broke with a crunch. Tossing him aside, the giant turned to me. “Shut it, bitch. No one needs to hear from some human whore?—”

In smoke form, Casimir slammed into him, whipped around his torso, and then flung Norbert to the ground. Reforming swiftly, he pinned the massive giant with one foot, his vampire strength holding the Erenlian down. “Speak to her like that again and I shall introduce you to the taste of your own liver, is that clear?”

Norbert roared with fury. The other giants backed away from Casimir, eyes wide.

Except one. Standing on the far side of the bars, a single giant didn’t move a muscle. Older than some, he had his beard tied by a leather thong, one of the few adornments anybody here possessed. Likewise, his clothes were in better condition than the other prisoners’, and he seemed better fed. His eyes narrowed at Casimir pinning Norbert to the stone floor, but there was no fear in his expression, only calculation.

He reminded me of some of my father’s lords. The unscrupulous, power-hungry ones.

“ Fuck ,” Clay whispered under his breath. “He’s here too?”

I threw a glance over my shoulder. Both he and Lars had their eyes locked on that giant. The sickened, angry looks on their faces were like nothing I’d ever seen from them.

Casimir ignored them. “What lies down that tunnel?” he asked the guards, gesturing to the curving tunnel that continued past the barred prison cell.

The guards scowled at Casimir. “You think we didn’t plan for this, freak?” one snarled. “You think the queen didn’t plan for you all to come save this pathetic?—”

Ozias reached out, grabbing the man and hoisting him into the air. At his side, Ruhl flowed forward and reformed before the other guards, his teeth bared.

“No insults,” Ozias growled at the human in his grip. “Just answers.”

The man trembled. A stink rose as moisture soaked through the front of his pants.

“Lovely answer,” Casimir commented. “Anyone else care to be more helpful?”

Shaking, the guards remained silent.

I frowned. I could order the guards to speak. Maybe they’d even listen. But it would mean revealing everything.

Dex muttered a curse like he’d come to the same conclusion. “Byron, do what you can to open that gate. We’ll get the giants and then just get the hell out of?—”

Running footsteps came from the tunnel ahead.

Clay swore vehemently and grabbed for his sword. Around him, the others did the same.

Soldiers rounded the turn. They aimed their crossbows straight at us.

And they didn’t hesitate.

Crossbow bolts shot through the air.