“There’s a storm drain nearby,” says Taran, following a trickle of water with his magic. I light it with the torch so the others can see. It leads to a low grate, barely large enough to crawl through.
Seth shudders. “Absolutely not. There’s no way that’s sanitary. I say we take our chances from the last junction.”
“Stains will be the least of your problems if we don’t get out of here soon,” says Larus, using his magic to break the bars as we hear the sounds of boots crashing through the tunnel we’ve just come from.
“I’ll go first,” I say, tossing the torch ahead to see where we’re going. “It opens up after a dozen feet or so.”
I crawl through the narrow opening on my hands and knees, trying not to think about what’s in the water. At least we’re not in the sewers.
Yet.
The passage after the narrow section requires me to drop down into a natural cave. My legs ache from the impact with the ground. “Be careful. It’s further than it looks,” I call back.
No response.
I can sense Ronan still back near the collapsed tunnel. He’s tense, his anxiety rising.
And then I feel the fight begin.
“Fuck!” I climb up the slick, jagged stone of the cave wall, trying to make my way back into the drain, but it’s nearly impossible to keep my grip. Steel clashes in the passage beyondas I struggle to hold on to the ledge, kicking my boots against the wall to throw myself up and over.
I peer up and come face to face with Typhon.
“Go, go, go!” he says, his bald head hurtling towards me faster than I thought he could move.
I pull myself back down and drop to the floor once more as he comes flying out of the passage headfirst, his hand slipping in its attempt to hold on.
“Oh, gods!” he screams as he falls.
My shadows reach out automatically, wrapping around Typhon’s flailing figure. His tunic flies over his head as I hold him suspended upside down, revealing his soft stomach.
Gently, I turn him over and lower him down to the ground as Larus, Seth, Taran, and finally Ronan climb down into the cave. Ronan grabs my hand, healing the scrapes from my climb as he leads us into the cave.
“Nithyrian soldiers. One of them got away. We’ve got to make a run for it.”
We race through the cave, our pounding footsteps echoing on the walls as we follow first the water and then daylight to the exit.
“Any ideas where that leads?” Ronan asks Taran.
“No idea. Hopefully outside the walls.”
The cave does lead beyond the walls, but unfortunately, we’re near the shore, far to the east of the stables we were hoping to find.
“There,” says Taran, pointing at where we were meant to come out.
The stables are engulfed in flame, along with half of the buildings on this side of the walls.
And more than half on the other side of them.
Ronan staggers forward, gripping his knees like he can barely keep himself upright. “Godsdammit,” he says softly.
The devastation in incomprehensible. The city rising up beyond the walls is practically in ruins. I’ve never seen so much fire, so much smoke, so much rubble.
Typhon’s hand covers his mouth in shock. Larus shakes his head solemnly, spitting at the group. Taran’s mask of perfect calm slips, his hands shaking as he lowers himself to the ground.
Even Seth, to his credit, has nothing smart to say. He rests a hand on Taran’s shoulder, and I’m nearly as stunned by the kind gesture as I am by the scene before us.
I blink the tears from my eyes and go to Ronan, pulling him up into a tight embrace. He sobs into my shoulder, and it tears the heart right out of my chest to hear it: his anger, his pain. To feel the hopelessness that pours out of him.
