30. Pallas

Tori's face went blank. I had expected her to panic or yell orders, anything. Instead, her face grew cold and blank, like the statues in the gardens of Koron. She rose from the pallet, making Spinner slide off her lap, and walked out of the tent without saying a word. Avlyn spun to follow her; Jun and I scurried after them.

Theprincess walked slowly but deliberately towards the tunnel opening tucked into the rock walls. She didn't say a word, which was the most unnerving part. I had never heard such silence from her, and I knew it was wrapped around a force unspeakably dangerous.

Avlynkept trying to grab her, telling her to wait for more troops. She did not stop or slow; she just kept walking. Her gaze remained fixed on the rocky mountain where the cave containing Abraxas lay hidden.

"The tunnel isn't clear yet, Princess; we will need to—" Avlyn tried to say, but Tori just kept walking. Jun looked at me in dismay, but we both just followed behind like lost puppies. We reached the cave, and a small group of soldiers were working on the blocked path with pickaxes and shovels.

"Move." It was all that Tori said, and it wasn't even loud, but it echoed unnaturally, shaping the sound into something deeper and hostile. The soldiers didn't need to be told twice. They scrambled away from the wall, and I grabbed Jun's hand and pulled him a few steps back. Avlyn seemed torn but decided to join us in our retreat.

Toriplaced a hand over her heart, and then I felt a surge of magic more powerful than anything I had felt in centuries. Green fire erupted from her hands, and she shot at the rock wall with such force that even as I slammed my eyes shut, I was blinded. The tunnel shook with a deafening quake, and the wall exploded.

Myears rang, and no matter how much I blinked, I couldn't see. Slowly, the tunnel came back into focus, lit with an eerie green glow as the dragonfire continued to circle Tori's arms and hands. The rock had been blasted to nearly nothing, and I could see a faint glow where some of the rock was freshly melted by the power of her rage. She slowly turned her head back to us, and her eyes were completely green, glowing like the fire that danced on her fingertips.

"Stay here." She turned back to walk down the tunnel.

Avlynstarted to object, but Jun got there first. "You don't need to do this alone, Tori."

Shehesitated, and I saw the stone-cold exterior crack. The flames at her command flared, and she set her resolve.

"I know what I have to do. I have to destroy it all. I won't be able to if you are there. Stay here. Stay with Pallas. Protect the beach." A slight grin lifted the corners of her mouth. "AndI won't be alone. The commander and I have a score to settle."

Withthat, she walked down the tunnel, and darkness surrounded us. Jun made to follow her, but both Avlyn and I grabbed his shoulders.

"Not this time, Nightingale." Jun scrunched his nose at Avlyn's new nickname for him. They laughed, "Let's see how effective those powers of yours are against boats, shall we?"