They walked on for another ten minutes before Alek shouted for everyone to stop. He approached an odd formation of rocks on the side of the volcano and tapped on the stone a few times until he seemed to find what he was looking for. He pulled a small, flat tool from out of his back pocket and began to wedge it into a seam in the rocks. Once it was fully embedded, he began to push it toward the right with all his strength.
“I could use some help here.” Kai came up beside him, and together, they shoved the tool into the rock face as a chunk of rock shaped like a door popped out from the cliffside. Once a space was formed, the two men pushed their fingers into the opening and yanked the door until there was enough of an opening for all four of them to fit through.
By the time they had made it to the hidden entrance, the sun had already started going down, and once they were inside, the loss of any light was immediate. Everything was bathed in darkness. Fortunately, Kai could see everything clearly.
“There’s a long passage to our left. It looks like our only option.”
Alek clapped Kai on the back and said, “Since you’re the only one with vision in the dark, lead the way. Ask questions if you need my guidance.”
Yet, the passage seemed to have a clear path. They continued down several sets of stairs and a few more hallways, traveling at a slow pace to accommodate everyone except Kai. He was growing impatient at the snail’s pace.
“Can we move any quicker?”
Natalia said, “We’re moving blindly here. Cut us some slack.”
Yet, Kai knew they were getting closer because the smell of sulfur and the blistering heat were both growing stronger. He was so close to finding Hollyn, and the pace was killing him.
He just hoped she was okay. She was such a badass, but he knew, sometimes, Grigori had a way of making her doubtherself. When this was all over, he was going to tell her every day how strong and smart and beautiful she was. He’d never let her forget it.
He felt a hand on his shoulder, and Coral’s soft voice said, “Listen!”
They all stopped, and Kai heard muffled voices nearby. One sounded so familiar.Hollyn!
He bounded down the remaining stairs and slipped quietly into a thickly hot, giant cave of a room with lava pools dotting the floor. Grigori and Hollyn were trading volleying shots back and forth at each other, both hiding behind rocky outcroppings scattered between the lava.
Alek, Natalia, and Coral finally caught up to him and took in the sight of the ongoing battle.
Coral whisper-shouted, “We have to help her!”
Kai said, “I’m open to ideas.”
In that moment, Alek stepped away from the others and slid around the room, along the outer wall, avoiding pools of lava as he went. Natalia gave a nervous squeak, but Alek waved her off.
Once he was well away from the others, he stepped along a small rocky bridge between two lava pools. He paused and raised his arms.
“Grigori! This has to end!”
19
Hollyn paused her attack as Alek stepped out of the shadows. She was surprised to see him, but also horrified that she now had to worry about her uncle.
“It’s time to let Jasenya and Hollyn go and stop this insanity, brother.”
Hollyn registered what Alek had called Jesse. Her Russian name was Jasenya, and the memory of that came back to Hollyn in that moment. Grigori had called her Jasenya when he was upset with her, so Jesse had asked Hollyn to never use the name. So much of her childhood was tainted by bad memories covered by the good people around her trying to protect her from the horrors.
Even now, as she caught sight of Kai, Natalia, and Coral, still hidden at the back of the room, Hollyn knew she needed to get a hold of her fear. She was afraid of losing these people who meant something to her now, people who had become an integral part of her life. How would she go on if anything happened to any of them?
Failure was just a lesson learned. If she gave herself up and agreed to give Grigori what he wanted, she might be able to bargain for the release of the people she cared about.
She stood up from behind the rocky outcropping where she’d stayed protected from Grigori’s assault.
“Here I am, Grigori! I’m all yours, if you let the rest of them go.”
Everyone turned their attention toward Hollyn, and she heard the protests.
Kai shouted, “No! Absolutely not!”
Coral’s quiet voice carried to Hollyn, “You can’t do that!”
