He estimated himself to be about halfway up the wall and a couple of thousand feet into the climb when he realized it was also testing his strength and endurance as his arms and legs ached. He’d spent far too much time in battle, but he hadn’t done much climbing, and his body let him know it didn’t like it.
And as he climbed onward, it dawned on him that this would be the easiest trial. They would only get more difficult after this.
When he finally made it to the top, he slid his hands onto the rocky surface and ignored the tremble in his arms as he pulled himself out of the pit. His legs wobbled, but he pushed to his feet and staggered into the wall.
He disliked touching the wall but required its support as he rested his shoulder against it. He wiped the sweat from his brow and gave himself a chance to recover.
Every part of him hurt, but strength was also returning. Feeding on Lexi earlier had infused him with a lot of power, healing him faster than normal.
When he felt a lot stronger, he pushed away from the wall and started down the passage. After another turn and a hundred feet, a golden glow emerged at the end of it.
One trial down. Unknown number left to go.
And after the tunnel, he could only imagine what those other trials would entail. Glad to be free of the unending darkness, Cole stepped into a desert wasteland stretching as far as he could see.
Lifting a hand to his forehead, he shaded his eyes against the sun as Auberon and Aelfdane emerged from two other tunnels. Cole stood in the middle of the other two dark fae who looked to him before turning their attention to the desolate land before them.
There was no sign of Eoghan, but there wouldn’t be. The young fae had met his end in the tunnel. His remains were probably already infused into the rock.
Cole studied the sand rolling out before him like a rolling sea as it swept over dunes while dipping and rising endlessly. A red sun baked the earth and roasted his skin. Though his shadow fell across the sand, there were no others here.
Just like in the tunnel, the desert would deny him the power of the shadows.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lexi heldher breath as she crept down the stairs. When one of the steps creaked, she winced and stopped with her other foot still in the air. From below, the grandfather clock ticked away the seconds as she waited for someone to leap out and demand to know what she was doing.
But no one emerged to ask her why she was sneaking downstairs in the middle of the night. When she was certain no one was going to tackle her, she carefully put her foot down and snuck the rest of the way down the stairs.
Once on the first floor, she scurried like a mouse hunting for cheese into the library. With her heart pounding, she leaned against one of the open doors resting against the wall.
She bit her lip as she contemplated closing the doors, but that would only draw more questions if someone woke to discover them locked. If she wasn’t here to open the doors and answer those questions, it would be worse.
And she couldn’t leave the manor to enter the tunnels from one of the other locations. If Sahira or Brokk saw her sneaking across the lawn, they might try to follow her, and she couldn’t have that.
At least now she knew they weren’t aware of her being up and moving around the manor. She had to enter the tunnels through the library; she could always stroll back across the grounds later. If someone saw her then, she would tell them she couldn’t sleep and went for a walk… in the middle of the night.
It was perfectly normal.
Even if it wasn’t perfectly normal, and evenifthey would be mad at her for taking such a risk after what happened with Malakai, she didn’t have any other options. Shehadto tell Orin that Brokk was here, and though she dreaded being the one to do it, he should know about his father.
Leaning around the wall, she glanced toward the stairs, but no one was coming after her. She pushed herself away from the open door and hurried across the room to the gray, stone fireplace.
It took her less than a second to find the stone that opened the entrance to the tunnel. She glanced back to make sure she remained alone before slipping inside and closing it again.
The tension eased from her shoulders as she lifted the flashlight hanging near the entrance and clicked it on. The dim glow barely chased away the shadows, and it did nothing to chase away the damp, mildew scent of the earth hanging heavily on the air.
Despite her relief over making it into the passageway undetected, a growing sense of dread escalated inside her with every step she took. Maybe Orin already knew his father was dead.
He didn’t stay locked up in the tunnels because he needed to search for more refugees and bring food back for them. Although, he would have to be alotmore careful about his travels now. He couldn’t let Brokk catch him.
She had to be the one to tell Cole about Orin being here. If Brokk discovered him first, she would never get the chance. She couldn’t imagine the betrayal they would feel if they uncovered her secret before she revealed it.
She shoved aside the ugly possibility as she descended further beneath the ground. Between the trials, Malakai, Orin, and the refugees, she already had enough to worry about without heaping something that may never happen onto her plate.
She made her way deeper into the tunnels and toward where the others normally slept. Over the past couple of weeks, Orin had gathered more refugees seeking asylum from the Lord and his lackeys.
She knew where they all were. However, Orin could be anywhere down here. Unlike the others, he liked to wander.
