He sprang upward, while Ivy braced her feet against the railing and hauled with all her might. The iron groaned as Richard’s weight landed on it, then blazed white as it touched skin. He gasped and convulsed — but in the same moment Ivy dragged him over, and the two of them landed in a heap on the floor of the adjoining tunnel.
‘ Ow,’ Richard breathed, rolling away from her and pressing one hand to his stomach. Dizzy with relief, Ivy sat up and crawled over to the railing to untie her rope. She coiled it up, slung it across her body and reached for the thunder-axe again.
‘Come on,’ she told him. ‘We’ve got a long way to go.’
‘This is incredible,’ murmured Richard. ‘Is that silver?’
She’d told him to stay close and put his hand on her shoulder, so she could keep her glow dim. Not only because she feared they’d be seen if she shone more brightly, but because no outsider should ever see the treasures of the Delve. Unfortunately, the faery’s night-vision was a lot better than she’d thought. ‘Stop it,’ she hissed, quickening her pace. ‘Keep your eyes down.’
He obeyed, or at least kept silent, until they turned the next corner. But then he made a disbelieving noise, and Ivy knew what he’d just seen — the thousands of tiny gemstones embedded into the tunnel walls. Only total darkness could have hidden them, and she didn’t dare extinguish her light or they’d never get anywhere at all. But hearing Richard’s intake of breath and slow, wondering exhale made Ivy feel even more like a traitor than before.
She hugged the thunder-axe closer, arm muscles burning with the strain of carrying the heavy pick so long. She didn’t dare try shifting it to a more comfortable position — if she dropped it, the crash would be loud enough to wake the whole Delve. Richard might be willing to take it from her, but she hated to appear weak, and she didn’t trust him enough yet to hand him something he could use as a weapon. Besides, she was almost home now, so she’d be able to put it down soon enough…
She’d only taken a few more steps when a loose stone spiked into her heel, throwing her off-balance. With a gasp Ivy staggered sideways, bumping into the tunnel wall. The thunder-axe’s head tipped away from her, and she felt the haft twist out of her grip -
Richard leaped forward, his hands locking over hers and catching the pickaxe a mere hand-span from the floor. For a few uneven heartbeats the two of them stared into each other’s eyes, breathing hard. Then Ivy drew herself upright, gave him a shaky nod, and hefted the pick again.
By the time they reached her family’s cavern, all Ivy’s nerves were jangling. Little shivers ran over her skin as she crept inside to put the rope away and prop the thunder-axe in place, and she felt horribly sure that at any moment Mica or Cicely would fling open their curtains and confront her. When her brother stirred and mumbled just as she was lowering the pick to the floor, she had to clamp her teeth shut on a scream. But then the familiar snore started up again, and she managed to quell her panic and carry on.
‘Done it,’ she whispered to Richard as she slipped out, easing the door closed behind her. Then she grabbed his arm and hurried up the corridor. She couldn’t bear to creep and skulk any more; it was too unnerving. Better to make a bold rush for the exit than waste any more time on secrecy.
They’d just passed the Narrows and were starting up the Hunter’s Stair when Richard seized her wrist and jerked her to a stop. Shocked by his rudeness, Ivy was just about to order him to let go when she heard it. Voices.
There was no time to discuss a plan. Leaping down the stair, Ivy pulled Richard into the only hiding place she could find — a shallow curve of the tunnel, barely wide enough for the two of them. Flattening him against the wall with one outstretched arm, she pressed herself next to him, extinguished her glow, and fervently willed them both invisible.
‘…doesn’t mean he won’t be back again,’ said Feldspar’s voice from above. ‘Next time he’ll bring others with him, and we’ll have a battle on our hands.’
‘You think so?’ That was Gem, boots clomping as he headed down the steps. ‘I can’t see it. We’ve always kept our heads down when their kind were about, and we haven’t lost a hunter in years. Excepting young Keeve, of course. But he always was a wild one, and I wouldn’t be surprised-’ He stopped. ‘What?’
‘Hush a minute.’ Feldspar sounded tense. ‘Did you hear something?’
Ivy’s heart was pounding so hard, she felt sure it would smash right out of her chest. She closed her eyes, pushing all her concentration into holding the invisibility glamour steady. Any second now the two hunters would pass by, their combined glows banishing every shadow, and if she let the illusion falter even for a moment…
‘What’s to hear?’ asked Gem with a snort. ‘You think a spriggan could follow us right into the Delve? If he’s that crafty and we’re that blind, we may as well surrender and hand over our treasure right now.’
Richard’s chest rose sharply against Ivy’s arm, and she could practically read his thoughts: Treasure? Her lips flattened. If he turned out to be a spriggan after all, she’d never forgive herself.
Above them, Feldspar chuckled. ‘All right, I’ll quit trying to prank you. But I’m not joking about there being more of those creatures. Two sightings in a week — that can’t be a coincidence. And who’s to say that killing one won’t just make the rest of them angry?’
‘Ah, you’re a twitch-nosed rabbit. We’re safe enough in the Delve, so let ’em come, is what I say…’
Still lost in friendly argument, the two hunters continued down the steps into the Narrows, passing so close to Ivy that she could feel their glows warming her skin. But they never broke stride, or looked around. And soon the sound of their footsteps faded away.
Ivy relaxed, but her mind was still racing. So Gem and Feldspar had been out all night looking for spriggans. How close had she come to meeting them when she’d gone out earlier? Had they heard the scream that had startled her into flight?
Richard gave a little cough, and she realised she was still pinning him against the wall. Embarrassed, she dropped her arm and let him go.
‘We’d better hurry,’ she whispered as she stepped out into the corridor, rekindling her light. ‘It should be safe now, but there isn’t much time.’
When Ivy and Richard climbed out onto the surface the moon had vanished, and a light rain was falling. Ivy rubbed her bare arms, but Richard flung his wide as though to embrace the sky.
‘Finally,’ he exulted. ‘I thought I’d never breathe fresh air again.’
This was the moment Ivy had dreaded. He was stronger and faster than she was, even in his weakened state; if he chose to betray her now, she’d be unable to stop him.
‘You taught me to fly,’ she said. ‘Now I’ve set you free, as we agreed. But there’s one more thing. Swear to me that you’ll tell no one what you saw in the Delve tonight. No one.’
‘A good mouth-filling oath?’ Richard turned, his smile fading to seriousness as his pewter-grey gaze met hers. ‘I swear it,’ he said. ‘By my blood and by my name. My true name.’
Ivy’s apprehension eased a little. Maybe she could count on him after all. ‘But you still have to take me to my mother,’ she said. ‘I’ll come as soon as I get the chance, but-’
‘You’re not coming now?’
‘I can’t.’ It hurt to admit how badly she’d miscalculated, but she couldn’t deny it now. ‘If I don’t get home soon, my family will wake up and find me missing. And when they realise you’re gone as well…’
‘They’ll think we’ve eloped?’ said Richard with a quirk of the eyebrows, but when Ivy glared at him he relented. ‘My apologies. They’ll think I’ve taken you hostage, of course.’
Ivy nodded. ‘That’s why I have to go now. But…’ She drew in her breath. ‘I risked my life for you tonight, and I hope you won’t make me regret it. Promise that when I call for you, tomorrow night or the next, you’ll be here.’
A muscle jumped in Richard’s cheek. He wrapped his arms around himself, as though he’d only just remembered he was only half-dressed. ‘Tomorrow or the next, you say. And if you haven’t come by then?’
‘Then you’re free to go.’ She couldn’t expect him to wait forever, after all. ‘But if you leave a note telling me where my mother is, I’ll be able to look for her on my own. And then you’ll have kept your word to both of us.’
Richard gave her a narrow look. ‘Not to the letter, which is how we faeries make our bargains. But perhaps Marigold will see it differently. As you wish.’ Without another word, he turned and walked away.
‘That’s gratitude,’ called Ivy after him, but the faery didn’t look back. Telling herself it was foolish to feel hurt — what more could she expect from someone who wasn’t even a piskey? — Ivy swept the bracken aside and ducked into the Delve.
