We don’t hesitate.
A sound carries faintly from somewhere ahead, uneven and wrong in a way that does not belong within these walls.
Colsar's hand closes around mine.
We move quickly, our pace controlled but urgent, Syle guiding without looking back, his path direct as he leads us through turns that narrow and angles that cut away from the main corridors.
Once, a figure appears at the far end of a passage. A servant or a guard, I cannot tell which. They go still when they see us in a way that feels less like respect and more like calculation. For a moment I think they will move toward us.
They step back instead, disappearing into a side passage without a word.
We keep moving.
The air changes as we near the east wing, cooler, less traveled, the structure older, and the passage narrowing as Syle turns and presses his hand against a section of wall that looks no different from the rest. At first nothing happens.
Then something shifts.
The wall opens, revealing a narrow descent behind it, darkness waiting below.
We step through.
The passage closes behind us, sealing out the last of the light from above, leaving only the dim glow lining the descent. The steps angle downward, uneven in places, forcing me to focus on each placement as the weight I carry pulls against my balance.
Syle moves ahead of us, guiding the path without hesitation as the passage curves and narrows, his presence the only constant in the dimness. Colsar adjusts his pace beside me without comment, his hand in mine, his position shifting slightly to account for each change in the terrain as though he has already mapped it without needing to see it.
We descend in silence, the sound of our movement carrying farther than it should, each step echoing faintly through the enclosed space.
Then Syle slows. Subtle at first, just enough that I catch the change in rhythm ahead before he comes to a full stop. He turns, his expression unreadable in the dim light, but his attention fixed with a clarity that leaves no room for misunderstanding.
He stops and turns, meeting my eyes.“This is where I leave you.”
I look at him briefly then pull him into a hug. "Thank you, cousin." He smiles at me sadly and says "We will see each other again. And Enovar will meet you soon?—”
“I am funnier than him anyway.”I jump as Enovar appears next to him.
Colsar snorts at that, an exceptional show of warmth from him.
Enovar looks between us once, something passing through his expression that does not fully surface, then steps back, giving space rather than taking it. "The path will hold," he says. "Follow it as it bends. Do not deviate unless forced. The first safehouse is not far once you reach the lower passage."
Colsar nods once.
Syle's attention returns to me."Use as little power as possible. You are easier to find than you realize."
"I know,” I say aloud.
For a moment no one moves. Then they disappear.
The passage stretches ahead of us, narrower now. Colsar's hand tightens slightly around mine as we continue forward. The air feels different the deeper we go, closer, carrying the faint trace of something I cannot place. The path bends again, widening just enough before narrowing once more, the uneven ground forcing me to stay aware of every step as the weight I carry pulls against me.
For a time there is nothing but the sound of our movement.
Then something changes. It is a difference in the way the air carries, in the way my awareness shifts without clear cause. I do not slow, but my focus sharpens, reaching outward in a way that feels more instinctive than anything else. Colsar senses it at the same time I do, the change passing between us without the need for words. His hand adjusts around mine, carrying a heightened awareness, his attention aligning with mine as we move.
No one speaks as we continue forward, our steps falling into a quiet rhythm that draws us deeper into the passage.
Ahead, somewhere beyond the reach of what we can yet see, something moves.
CHAPTER 41
