1. Stuck in a Pit

In the last month, I've slept in a handful of new places, but the bottom of this pit is the most uncomfortable—and the noise might have something to do with it.

"I see why the miners locked the mole trolls in the depths of this cave," Lukas growls from nearby.

That's what we've started calling the monsters—mole trolls. Lukas said it first, and though it's not based on any scientific fact, the name stuck.

Right now, our mole troll friends are beating at the boulders with their pikes, trying to find a way into our miserable sanctuary. They don't want us, though. They want the dragon that Gregory is currently nursing back to health. We've been trapped in here for two days.

We're hungry. The dragon is hungry. Tempers are short, and the only thing we have to show for our time is a single Tilloran tolbit. When Felicity discovered it, we assumed the treasure was nearby. But we've been through the pit several dozen times, searching every nook and cranny, and have found nothing.

Thankfully, we won't die of dehydration. Rainwater enters through the fissure in the spire above and collects in pools. Who knows if it's safe to drink on its own, but that isn't an issue. Father taught me how to sanitize it when I was young, which is a helpful enchantment to know when you don't have a way to boil it. I never thought that would be an issue—but I never expected to find myself trapped in a cave.

"Do you think they'll get in this time?" Felicity asks from across the fire. She's not even trying to sleep. She stares into the flames, her legs drawn to her chest. Her long auburn hair is tied back in a ratty ponytail, and there's a smudge of dirt on her cheek.

We all look a little homeless right now.

"Not unless they quickly learn about levers and fulcrums," Lukas answers, making me smile despite the situation.

"A no would have been sufficient," she says tartly.

Like the rest of us, the thief is on edge. She's paced the pit"s perimeter so many times; I'm surprised she hasn't worn a path in the rock.

She and I have called an unspoken truce while we're stuck in the cave, but that mostly means we ignore each other.

The dragon wheezes a soft, whimpering moan in her sleep. You don't have to be beast whisperers like Davyn and Lukas to know she's dying. We have no idea how long she's been down here, but her wing is in bad shape. It began to heal after it broke, but not correctly. If Gregory can't fix it, she'll never be able to fly to the top of the pit—and that's the only way to get her out.

Even if the mole trolls weren't gathered on the other side of the cave-in, we couldn't squeeze her through the small opening we crawled in to access this cavern. She's a common dragon, quite a bit smaller than her male mate, but still roughly the size of a horse—and that doesn't include her wings. Our options are limited.

I shiver when a cool breeze passes through our cavern prison and sit up to tend the fire. With no fuel source available, I've been forced to feed the flames with magic. There's a surplus in this cave system, but it's still exhausting.

Gregory is currently asleep, his energy spent from tending the dragon. I'm worried about him, especially in these conditions. He's working himself ragged. Even more than the rest of us, he needs warm bedding and food.

Roasted rat sounds like a fine delicacy at this point, but they don't venture this close to the dragon, possibly because she's already picked off all the brave rodents, and their companions are now wisely wary.

After I feed the fire, I look at the crescent-shaped opening above us in the cavern ceiling. It's still dark, but I can't lie here any longer.

I force myself onto my feet, stretching my legs. Lukas follows me to the one small opening we've found in the tunnel. It's just large enough an adult could squeeze through on their belly if they were to crawl, but it would be a tight fit. As I've done half a dozen times, I shine a magelight into it.

"I think we should try it," Lukas says. "It might lead outside."

"What if we get stuck?"

My hunger has nearly trumped that fear, but it's still clutching my lungs and making it hard to breathe.

"If it leads outside, we can return to the main camp and get supplies from Loric."

"It could come to a dead end."

"We'll never know if we don't try."

"I'll go," Wilder says from behind us, making me jump.

Lukas must have sensed the mercenary approaching with his gift because he doesn't even flinch. "Are you up to it?"

Gregory healed the injuries Wilder sustained when the mole trolls attacked, but he hasn't recovered his stamina yet—and he likely won't if we don't find him something to eat.

"I'm fine," he lies.

Lukas turns to me, his eyes earnest. I don't have to be an empath to know I won't like what he's about to say. "Wilder and I will go."

"No."

I'm terrified that if Lukas disappears into that tunnel without me, I'll never see him again.

"Then come with us," he urges gently. "It'll be an adventure."

I used to like that word, but I've had enough excitement in the last month to carry me for a while. I can sense Lukas's determination, though. He's going.

"Fine," I give in. "But let me squeeze in first and see if it goes anywhere."

Lukas's eyebrows lower, his expression becoming shielded. He worries about me like I worry about him.

"My magic will be easier to wield in a small space than a physical weapon, and I'm smaller," I remind him. "If I can't make it, you two will certainly get stuck."

He finally nods. "Just be careful."

Sending my magelight ahead, I crawl into the crevice, fighting back the claustrophobic feeling that squeezes my chest. Rock embraces me on all sides, and dusty grit presses against my forearms as I worm forward. The top of my head brushes against the low ceiling, but thankfully, the opening is wide enough that my shoulders slip through without resistance.

The smell of musty mineral dampness fills my nose, making me worry this tunnel only leads to more tunnels.

After about ten feet, the passage opens to a small space. It's only about the size of a broom closet, but it gives me a little breathing room. Unfortunately, this is also where the tunnel comes to an abrupt stop.

"It ends," I call back as I crawl to the rock wall, nearly crushed by disappointment and hunger. Then I look up, realizing the tunnel opens above me. It's a small opening, but wide enough that even Lukas and Wilder could pull themselves through. "Or maybe not."

Cautiously, I stand, poking my head through the opening and hoping I don't come face-to-face with something unfriendly. But all I find is more dark, musty tunnel.

The ledge is about shoulder height. Normally, I'd be able to scramble up on my own, but my body is sluggish and weak thanks to our lack of food.

"I need some help," I call back to Lukas and Wilder, keeping my voice low and hoping it won't travel too far, just in case there's a nest of mole trolls nearby.

Then I lean against the tunnel wall as I wait, closing my eyes as a wave of dizziness blurs my vision. It passes after a second, and I brush the sand off my hands, focusing on the dirt and not my empty belly.

Lukas appears a few minutes later, scooting on his stomach, using his forearms to propel himself forward.

"Where's Wilder?" I ask.

"He went back to tell Davyn what we're doing. He'll be here shortly."

Which means we have a moment to ourselves.

As soon as Lukas reaches me, he sits with his back against the wall and his legs extended. Once settled, he holds out his arms, inviting me to join him. Immediately, I crawl on his lap, wrapping my arms around his neck. He holds me tightly, squeezing me against his chest.

"We're going to be all right," he promises, the words rough and gritty.

I nod, not trusting my voice. Though I want to believe him, things are beginning to feel a bit dire.

When we hear Wilder shuffling through the tunnel, I reluctantly leave Lukas's lap.

"Take a minute," Lukas says to Wilder when he reaches us.

The mercenary nods and slumps against the rock. He's out of breath and looks far too pale in my magelights. "Sorry." He closes his eyes. "It was a tight fit."

His shoulders are a little broader than Lukas's—I'm sure he struggled in the narrow passage. But it's not his exhaustion that's worrying me as much as the sheen on his forehead.

He coughs suddenly, turning his head and covering his mouth. "Dust," he explains, clearing his throat.

But that didn't sound like a dry, tickle-like cough. It was congested and ragged, and I don't like it.

With a frown, I walk on my knees to Wilder's side. "Are you running a fever?"

"Possibly," he admits. "I'm a little chilled."

I wince when I press the back of my hand against his forehead. "You're burning up."

"We need to get you back to Gregory," Lukas says.

"Gregory can't do more than he already has," Wilder answers, his tone resigned. "Not in his current state."

We all know he's right.

I wish I'd brought my pack with me when we went looking for Alvaro—I packed a tincture that might help. But it's back in our bluewood camp.

Wilder opens his eyes with a weary sigh and looks at the opening above us. "Let's keep moving."

Lukas gives me a boost, and then he and Wilder follow me up.

"I see light." I drag myself to my feet, hurrying through the twisting, narrow passage. I go another twenty feet, and an opening appears in the rock. Bushes block it—glowing bushes.

Disappointment makes me pause. I'd hoped the tunnel would lead outside.

"It's the bluewood," I call back, my voice weary even to my own ears. We can't be far from the cave-in or the monsters surrounding it.

"It's better we discovered this passage and not the mole trolls," Lukas points out, reading my mood. "And if we're careful, maybe we can return to the camp by the waterfall."

"But if the monsters spot us, they'll realize there's another way to get to the dragon," I point out.

And Davyn, Gregory, and Felicity.

It's dangerous. But we can't leave everyone to starve, and Wilder needs medicine.

"Do you know how to cloak?" Wilder asks me.

"I don't," I say, though now that he mentions it, it's a spell I wish I had learned.

"I know how to cast a basic one, but I haven't had any success with it," Felicity says from behind us, startling me. "If I tell you how to do it, maybe you can make it work?"

"What are you doing here?" I demand.

"Davyn sent me."

"What about the Prisoner's Snare?"

"He asked Gregory to remove the spell yesterday." She casts a scowl behind her. "I think he was worried he might die in the pit and I'd be trapped."

"No one's dying in the pit," Lukas says. "And I don't think a cloak will work anyway. The mole trolls live in the dark. They sense things through smell and sound, so masking our visual appearance won't help."

I try to think of a way to work with that, but my brain is fuzzy.

"Do you sense anything nearby?" I ask Lukas.

His eyebrows dip low as he ponders it. "I don't think so. Nothing close anyway."

"They must all be gathered at the cave-in," Wilder says.

I'm hesitant, but we have no choice.

"All right." I push through the bushes that obscure the opening. "Let's see if we can get back to camp."