“Right,” Laine said, stepping close to me and brandishing his sword.
Eldon looked at the others. “We move quickly. If it’s a trap, fall back.”
He darted forward, staying close to the ground. I watched as he reached the two bodies, his hand sweeping across the ground, looking for the hidden tunnel. He paused, finding a crack, and then heaved a massive circular opening upward, using both hands. Judging by the size of that opening, even the most massive of ogres could have entered Riverfield.
He nodded at the others, and then quickly descended the stairs. The other Swords followed, leaving Laine and me alone. Laine looked out over the woods, his eyes narrowed dangerously, his hands firmly gripped on the hilt of his sword. As we waited in uncomfortable silence, my eyes fell on his cloak again. Suddenly something else came to mind. I hadn’t really thought anything of it earlier, but now that I thought about the dates, it didn’t make any sense.
I frowned. “Uncle Laine, when did you say you sent the kids to Grandma’s?”
“Friday,” he said distractedly, looking around the woods. “Why?”
“Why did you send them away on Friday? Nothing had happened yet.”
Uncle Laine glanced at me, looking confused.
“I was worried,” he said. “I had a hunch.”
There was something odd about the way he was reacting. Like he was nervous. I couldn’t even believe I was thinking it. But there was something else that didn’t add up.
“Why would the monsters take Tom?”
Laine snorted. “Who knows?”
“I do,” I said quietly. “They took him because he’s a Shadow Sight.”
Laine stiffened for a moment. I would have missed it if I wasn’t watching so closely. I felt my stomach turning in disbelief. It couldn’t be.
“How did the goblins get in the house?” I asked quietly.
“I don’t know,” Laine said, growing agitated. “They just did. What is this about?”
“You scouted this tunnel,” I whispered. “You insisted you alone watch the house. You brought us to Riverfield in the first place.”
Uncle Laine looked really agitated now. “So?”
“What happened on that mission? The one where you were taken prisoner?”
Laine looked away, shaking his head incredulously. Then, without warning, he started to run. He would have gotten away, but I was ready. I stuck the hammer out and tripped him, and he toppled into the grass. I still couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
He turned and looked up at me, his eyes wide. “I was never going to hurt you,” he said, almost pleading. “Or Tom. You have to believe me.”
“Why?” I whispered.
“They tortured me. I broke. I wanted to get back to my family. So I made a deal.”
“What deal?”
“I told them about the other tunnels,” he said, his eyes welling with tears. “I told them they could use them to invade Derwin and the other realms. The war would be over in a day.”
“Why would you do that?”
“The humans were losing the war anyway. It was only a matter of time. Months. Maybe a year.” His voice cracked. “I’m losing my job, Laura. My house. I pleaded with Eldon to let my family move to Derwin, but he refused. It was the stupid rule about surface humans not being allowed to live in the Under Earth. Dungan made me a deal.”
“Dungan?”
He paused, and for the first time in my life, my uncle looked afraid. “The leader of the monsters. A troll. Trust me, you don’t want to meet him.”
He slowly climbed to his feet, leaving his sword on the ground.
“They promised me Arnwell for my own. A whole castle, Laura. I had to take it. All I had to do was bring them Tom. I know most of the tunnels to Derwin, but I don’t know the secret pathways to the other realms. They needed a Shadow Sight.”
“You were with him,” I said. “When he saw the tunnel in the woods last year.”
“I knew right away that he was a Shadow Sight, but I didn’t tell Eldon. I don’t know why. It was the first time it had ever happened, a surface human having the Sight, and I thought the secret could be valuable. And when I was captured…I used the information. When I told the monsters about Tom, well, I knew I had to get him to Riverfield. I was just going to try and have him over for a weekend, but when your Dad said you wanted to move, I figured it was worth a try to see if you would get the house. Then he would just be here, and I could take him when the invasion was ready.”
“And me?” I asked, feeling sick. “What was my part?”
“Just an unfortunate add-on,” he said quietly. “I had hoped Tom would get your room. I didn’t want you involved.”
“So you lied to me…when you said you thought I had what it takes.”
“Laura…you’re just a little girl. I didn’t want you in this war. When the invasion—”
“What invasion?” I asked darkly, gripping the hammer.
Laine hesitated and looked away. “They’re invading Riverfield tonight. There’s an army gathering at the entrance to another tunnel, up by the hydro towers on the north side of town. Dungan is with them. They’re going to use Tom to show them the secret tunnels across Riverfield, and then they’re going to invade Derwin.”
“They’ll burn Riverfield to the ground,” I whispered.
Laine shifted uneasily. “They said they wouldn’t—”
“You’re the one who took Tom from my house,” I said, stepping toward him.
“I wanted to do it,” he said. “I knew I could make sure he was safe—”
“What about my parents?” I asked softly.
“They’re safe in the house,” Laine said. “I would never hurt them—”
“How could you?” I whispered.
“I had to do it for my family,” he said weakly. “I didn’t have a choice.”
He looked toward the tunnel.
“Eldon will kill me when he finds out,” he said softly.
I looked at him for a long moment, the hammer in my hands. A part
