“Been worse,” Erzur sighs. I feel her eyes on me. “You should see the creatures. I ran them through like stuck pigs.”
A smile quirks at my lips despite the gruesome imagery. “I’m going to get us out of here.”
“How?” Erzur scoffs. She spits. “Leave me be. Take Altair for yourself—if you make it out.”
“Are you always so obstinate?” I hiss, rolling my wrists as I try to work at the bonds. “Can you just shut up and say thanks once in a while?”
Erzur swallows thickly, musing. “No.”
I close my eyes as she falls silent. I listen to her labored breathing. If I can't get her out of here, she'll die from the beating she took—if the creatures don't eat us first. My throat goes dry at the thought. The creatures tied a rope around my ankles and wrists. The knots are tight and complicated. I hiss, trying to tug a hand free. But the cords don't budge, and all I get is pain. I take a deep breath. I mustn't panic. Panicking would doom both me and Erzur.
I burrow deep inside myself, searching for the depths of my magic. I find it and coax it from the darkness into the light, where I can manipulate it. Slowly, my magic responds until I feel it like a vibration in the air and a tingling in my fingertips. Clumsily, and awkwardly, I draw a rune on the stone, hoping the rune will work even if it isn’t visible. I think of Cleo and her lesson on runes. Feel it, she told me, let your fingers drift the way the magic wants.
When I complete the symbol, I feel heat flush through the air for an instant. The bones on my wrists slip away, loosening enough for me to pull my hands free. I sit up quickly and untie the knots at my ankles. Adrenaline flushes through my system, mingling with the fear to create an intense urge to run. I feel like I have boundless energy like I could run entire marathons trying to escape these creatures and my death. I crouch over Erzur and fumble with her bonds. She groans as if waking from sleep.
“What are you doing?” She moans.
I untie her, tossing the ropes aside. “Getting us out of here. Can you stand?” Blindly, I search for her shoulders. She hisses when I run my hands over her breasts, but I ignore her. I hoist her to her feet and she sways, knees buckling. “No,” I snap, mostly to myself.
“You’re going to carry me out of here?” Erzur laughs bleakly.
“Just walk, tell me where to go—I can’t see,” I demand, draping her arm over my shoulders and tucking myself into her side.
“To the right,” Erzur says.
I sidestep, and we shuffle forward. The Fae woman is heavy, despite her lean frame. She's all muscle, and taller than me. But I push forward, leaving the stinking room behind. My thighs burn as we hit an incline and I know we're going in the right direction. I feel something crawl down my spine just as the snarling of the creatures reaches my ears. I move more quickly and Erzur stumbles, hissing in pain.
Ahead of me, the daylight breaks through the stone, slipping into the tunnel. Relief floods through me and I feel tears prick at my eyes. I thought we were dead. Erzur seems to gain strength at the sight of the sun, and she picks up her feet. Blood from her wounds drips down my shoulders and arms, hot and sticky. She’s moving more quickly, and I wonder just how well Fae healing works. I grit my teeth. If there was ever a time for Fae healing abilities, it’s now. Behind us, the creatures howl, and I know they’ve discovered our absence.
I rush forward, bursting into the sun just as scratching sounds in the tunnels. “They’re coming,” I pant, careening forward. Erzur and I rush for the path leading down the mountainside and into the trees in the valley beyond.
“Verity?” I hear Altair’s voice, like a beacon in the night.
My body seizes, trembling. “I thought you left,” I murmur, as Altair, Thal, Sadal, and Serus come into view.
They slink out from behind the trees, swords drawn. Altair reaches us first, but it's not me his eyes are on. He takes in Erzur, leaning on me. Altair reaches for her and she sags against his shoulder, sighing. Her blood soaks my cloak and leather armor. Her face is swollen, covered in purple bruises and small gashes. Blood mats her hair where one of the creatures cut her skull. My lips twist into a grimace at the sight of her. Erzur's sword is missing, lost in the tunnels or stolen by one of the creatures.
“We should go,” Thal says, glancing towards the tunnels.
Howling reaches my ears and I feel a shiver of fear slip down my spine. Altair slips an arm around Erzur’s waist and sweeps her into his arms. I feel a pang of jealousy at the way he holds her close to his chest. Another screech from inside the mountain distracts me. We sprint down the slope towards the tree line as the creatures breach the tunnel. My heart is in my throat, arms pumping as I try to keep pace with the fast-moving Fae. Even Altair, burdened by Erzur, is moving more quickly than me. He overtakes Sadal quickly until I’m bringing up the rear.
I hear the creatures behind me, crashing through the undergrowth. I leap over a root, knowing that if I fall, there won’t be another opportunity to escape. It will mean death. Thal drops back beside me, his sword already in hand. His green eyes dart towards me, filled with concern. He holds out a hand wordlessly and I take it. He closes his fingers around my hand, and suddenly I'm running faster than I ever have. We trample through the forest together, a few feet behind the others.
And then I see it;
