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Judas’s recitation of the prophecy given to the Crimson Kres. For once, that damned prophecy gives me a spike of hope, a surge of adrenaline. I’m meant to make a difference. I’m meant to overcome the enemy.
“When do I start?” I ask calmly.
Kaspias grinds his teeth. “Now.”
He shoves me forward until I’m tumbling to my knees, scraping them against the sharp-edged ground. The torn skin stings my kneecaps, forcing a grunt from behind my bared teeth.
But I don’t wait to recover. I’m up, jumping forward as if I have all the energy in the world. My bare feet shoot out in front of me, leaping into the air to break out into a sprint. Immediately, the blindness makes me angry. I can't throw my hands up with caution, preparing to run into something, someone, a set of metal bars, a stone wall.
But I remember the hallway in front of me is long and wide. I should get a decent amount of distance between Kaspias and me if I just run in a perfectly straight line.
He said I was at the farthest end of the prison. How do I know which way to go? I know I need to take a moment to think, to find a way to map my escape. But my blood is rushing like a waterfall to my ears. My breath is ragged and frantic. And my mind is spiraling, thinking of my last words to Dessin, Ruth’s face, Niles’s hugs.
I have to make it back.
DaiSzek needs me.
Chekiss is all alone.
As I glide down the hall, I’m not sure how much distance I have left to cover before there’s a fork in the road, before I
Stone. Unmovable. Unfazed by my face smacking into its cold, uneven surface. I gasp as the impact shoots up my nose, rattling my brain. Blood spurts from my nostrils. Tears run down my cheeks. And the pain stabs its teeth into every nerve above my collarbone.
“Fuck!” I choke, wincing at the tenderness across my nose, hoping nothing is broken.
The sound of rustling chains, heavy footsteps, and guttural grunting sets my spine pin straight. The Blood Mammoths must be gathering behind me to catch my scent like Kaspias said. I won’t wait around to find out. I’ve never heard of these beasts, never had the chance to learn their strengths. How fast they run. How efficient at tracking they are.
I’m blind.
But my legs still work, so I follow the feel of the hallway, veering right and keeping the side of my foot against the wall to keep myself from slamming into anything else.
I want to call out to Dessin to find out how far I am from my cage. But that might get me caught sooner.
Think, Skylenna.
There’s a frenzy behind me. They sound more like wild animals than actual human beings. Based on the vibrations through the ground, I can tell they’ve started running. Heavy, thumping footsteps. It sends a jolt of fear through my stomach. Another dose of adrenaline.
I have to run faster. I have to figure out where I’m going. But those footsteps grow louder, rumbling the metal cages with each stomp.
Shit, they’re fast. Longer legs, maybe? Longer strides.
The war drums of my demise pound in my ears. Focus, Skylenna!
Only, I can’t. A large, bumpy hand grabs my wrist. A death grip. It tries to heave me backward, followed by a demonic, gurgling snarl. I act on instinct. Every move Kane taught me in the Red Oaks. Every maneuver. They flood my mind with possibilities.
My leg kicks back, bucking out and upward like an angry horse. The bottom of my raw foot makes contact with a groin, I think. The mangled oomph is the only indication that the Blood Mammoth is down.
They’re on my heels, no matter how fast I try to run. My ribs scream with each breath I take. My nostrils are swollen shut. I’m in bad shape.
But the void nudges me, brushing up against my skin the way a cat would rub against its owner. I hesitate. I can’t go in there right now. What if I stop running? What if my body goes limp, and the Blood Mammoths devour me on the spot?
With a sharp breath, I don’t go in, but I do expose myself to it. Allowing that vast openness to find me.
“Take a sharp left…now!”
The voice is bold yet feminine. It’s a whisper so close to my ear, I can practically feel her breath skimming my cheek.
My feet do as they’re told. I pivot to the left, wishing I could reach my hands out to make sure I don’t run into the cages along my side.
