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It opened like the maw of a great beast, revealing nothing but darkness. Even the waves around them seemed to cease their crashing as they all stared into the void.
“This looks…” Manny began.
“Foreboding?” Killian finished for him.
Elyse suppressed her own anxieties, as she knew they were all looking to her for assurance. She’d walked this passage before. It was harmless. But the way the tunnel seemed to swallow the sunlight was, indeed, foreboding.
“Where exactly does this go?” Sera asked.
Elyse’s eyes traveled to the top of the cliff.
“Isn’t it obvious?” Jaime drawled. “Up.”
He was right. On the other side of the door was a daunting staircase.
“See that?” Elyse asked, taking a step back and pointing to the side of the cliff.
Everyone joined her in lifting their gazes, shading their eyes from the sun as they peered up at the cliff. A staircase carved into the rocks switchbacked its way to the very top of the cliff.
“There are stairs in the tunnel,” Elyse explained. “It’s about ten flights before the tunnel opens up, and the rest of the hike is outside.”
Her already sore body screamed at her in protest, knowing the pain that was about to follow as she trudged up the countless stairs. She shoved that nagging down; she couldn’t afford any weakness.
“Well,” Killian said decidedly, “let’s get on with it.”
And he stepped into the void.
Elyse followed behind him, Jaime at her heels.
The tunnel was stifling, the rocks trapping the humid air. They grasped at the walls to guide themselves, until they finally reached the stairs. Sweat formed on Elyse’s brow, on her back, her thighs, between her breasts. It might have been distressing if she weren’t more concerned with her footing.
No one spoke, but the staircase echoed with their panting breaths. Elyse couldn’t reach the open air soon enough.
Every step she took, all she thought of was getting that damned angel’s blood. It was her only chance at redemption. It was the only way to make things right—for the people she had let down in De Vesalis. For the woman that had fallen to her death, all because Elyse had been bested.
Her friends had at least halted their pitying looks, no longer treating her as an invalid. She wondered how much they had seen before rescuing her. Had they spotted the bodies in the street? Had they seen Ymaritis’s speed and power? Did any of them truly know what they were facing?
Finally, after what felt like hours, the staircase opened up, and sunshine replaced the rocky ceiling of the tunnel. The group let out a collective breath, followed by a deep inhale of fresh air.
They still had a long way to go. Elyse tied her hair up to keep it off her neck. Ahead of her, the sweat seeped through Killian’s shirt. It clung to his back, accentuating his muscles. Just two nights ago, Elyse had raked her nails down that back. She wondered if she left scratches.
No—she couldn’t think about that. It had been wrong to be with Killian. It was certainly what he had wanted in that moment, but she knew it had been a masochistic decision—for both of them. She should have been strong enough to deny him, to walk away before he made such a regrettable choice, but she had been selfish. Their anger with one another had been underscored with such passion, made sharper by the words hissed at one another, and the words still unspoken. She had given in to it, and now she couldn’t help but worry that she was only hurting him more.
She tore her eyes away from Killian’s powerful back to check on the rest of the group, and nearly jumped when she saw how close Jaime was to her. He smiled up at her earnestly.
Ignoring Jaime, Elyse called down to Sera and Manny. “It’s just a bit farther!”
Manny used the back of his hand to wipe sweat from his forehead while Sera paused to remove her jacket and tie it around her waist.
“I know back at Jaime’s, you said it would be a hike,” Sera called back, “but you didn’t say anything about stairs.”
Elyse smirked. “Aren’t you glad I talked you into borrowing a pair of my boots?”
Sera had almost worn a pair of what she called “sensible heels” until Elyse badgered her into choosing something more reasonable. She wondered how long it would be until Sera caved and tied up her long, dark hair.
They continued up the stairs, the wind beating them relentlessly. It was little relief; more of a nuisance that kept blowing Elyse’s hair in her mouth and eyes. Still, she didn’t complain. She would walk a thousand flights of stairs if it led her to the angel’s blood.
After nearly an hour, the stairs finally ended, and they crested the top of the cliff. Everyone stopped, doubling over and panting.
