Melité, whose eyes turned fully black with rage at Vaughn’s flippant nickname, heaves a huge sigh that tests the structural integrity of her dress’s thin shoulder straps, then follows. I cannot lie, I feel uneasy with her in our midst. I’m not certain why she insisted on coming along. Thus far, she has contributed nothing to the mission except the occasional haughty comment and aloof look.
I watch her hips sashaying out of sight behind Vaughn before Yara, Harpina, and Bretiax follow her down the spiraling steps. I know I should go, too, but my boots remain stubbornly rooted in place. My throat is tight with fear as I stare after Pendefyre. I do not want to part at all, but certainly not like this. Should something happen to either of us…
This cannot be our goodbye.
It is wrong, all wrong.
Whatever else has changed between us, one thing remains the same. One thing will always remain the same. Pendefyre owns a piece of me—one I have not gotten back. One I am not sure I will ever get back. His pain is my pain.
Even when it is pain I’ve caused.
His gaze moves to mine for a brief moment, then shifts to his men. “Cadogan, Farley, take point. Mabon, Jac, at their backs. I’ll cover the rear.”
They fall seamlessly into step—Farley shooting me a quick farewell grin, Jac waggling his brows, Mabon jerking his chin, Cadogan winking. My answering smile wobbles as they turn away.
“Pendefyre,” I call after them.
He jolts to a stop and looks back at me, brows lifting.
“Please, be safe. Please…don’t do anything reckless.”
The agony in his eyes flares bright, then fades. He does not say a word. He does not have to. I know him well enough to recognize he is in the process of locking down his emotions, shoving them deep inside where they will not distract him from the task at hand. Ever the master of self-containment.
In this scenario, perhaps that is a strength, not a detriment. My own conflicted feelings are tearing me from the inside out.
When the Dyvedi contingent disappears out onto the ramparts, Soren and I follow the rest of the Llyrian faction down the low-lit steps. There is nothing to break the shadows besides the occasional torch flickering in a bracket along the walls. Smoke hazes the stifled air, burning down my throat with each inhale. I swallow the urge to cough as we descend deeper and deeper.
Gods, I hate this.
No light, no air.
No wind.
“Breathe,”Soren orders silently.“It will stave off the fear.”
My nod is shallow.
I try to take measured breaths, to keep my heartbeats steady and even, but my pulse spikes in alarm when we reach the bottom and find ourselves in a dim, cobwebbed corridor. Waterdrips from the damp walls. The scent of dust and decay presses in on me.
“Pretend you are in the clouds, skylark. Feel the wind on your face, in your hair. You are not here. You are flying free.”
His words bolster me as we move down a short passage, then turn a corner. We make it only a handful more steps before the way forward is blocked by a thick door.
“Locked,” Yara declares, jiggling the handle.
“There goes our element of surprise.” Vaughn grimaces. “This is going to make a racket.”
He gently steers Yara aside, then braces his huge hands against the hinges. Loosing a muted grunt, he applies one short burst of pressure. There is a metallic groan, a splintering of wood. The door falls inward with a resounding thud that makes us all wince.
“Show-off,” Yara mutters.
Vaughn merely grins and bows her onward. “Ladies first.”
A silent Harpina trails close on Yara’s heels. Bretiax reaches up to pat the half-Titan on the shoulder as she passes over the threshold. Alaric hurries through after them, followed by Melité, who seems in no hurry at all. Soren gestures for me to go before him, bringing up the rear with a hand at the small of my back. I’ve scarcely stepped into the next corridor when Yara’s anguished howl splits the musty air.
Her petite body jerks, then sails backward into Vaughn. A thick arrow is embedded in her side. It is bleeding profusely.
“Yara!” I cry, racing for her—only to run straight into the immovable barricade of Soren’s arm.