Page 202 of Tale of the Heart Queen

Herric stands on his platform watching us while his world falls apart. Our gazes catch for another second. He thought he had us. But we proved to be more formidable opponents than he could have possibly imagined. Nadir tugs on my hand, bringing me back to the present. We run to the edge and slide down the mountainside, the smooth surface making for a quick escape.

My feet slam into the floor, and the dome’s walls fall away as we run, diving into the bowels of the Underworld and into a network of tunnels lit with a bioluminescent glow.

We run while the cavern shakes, more stones raining down on us. The whole world feels like it’s splitting at the seams.

“Which way?” I ask.

“There was an entrance,” Nadir shouts. “That’s how I got in here.”

“Where is it?”

“I don’t know,” he answers as we keep running. The ground shakes so hard I’m having trouble keeping my footing.

“Nadir, we’ll be trapped here!”

He comes to a stop. “Do you hear that?” he asks.

I strain to listen, and a moment later, the sound of barking dogs echoes off the rock far in the distance. Nadir puts two fingers in his mouth and belts out a sharp whistle. We continue running in the direction of the sound when Morana and Khione come flying around the corner.

I’ve never been so happy to see these furry monsters in my entire life.

Without pausing, we toss ourselves onto each of their backs, and then they’re off, streaking through the caverns as rock and debris rain over our heads.

I keep my head down and covered, trusting in the ice hounds, their feet sure and confident as they race through the rocky tunnels against the echoes of their howls. They duck around corners, weaving back and forth as more stones attempt to crush us. Their senses are preternatural, anticipating danger seconds before it finds us. With my hands clutched in her fur and my thighs pressed tight, I whisper to Morana to go faster. That she can do this.

“There!” Nadir shouts, and I look ahead to a wide opening and the cavern that lies beyond. “That’s the exit!”

“Hurry!” I shout, and the ice hounds kick up their pace, digging into the recesses of their speed as piling rocks threaten to block our exit. Just as we approach the barrier, they leap smoothly over it, landing us inside another tall cavern.

Their pace never wavers as they sprint across the rocky floor.

“Stop!” I shout when we make it to the other side. I slide off Morana, feeling the deep rumble of the Underworld dissolving under our feet. “We should make sure it’s sealed off!”

I prepare to aim for the high ceiling with a blast of magic when I notice Nadir has gone completely still.

He’s staring at a figure standing in the opening.

The Aurora King watches us with the saddest, most defeated expression on his face. He’s like an entirely different man from the one I know.

I look at Nadir, who still hasn’t moved, frozen in shock.

The world shakes around us, and more rocks fall, blocking more of the doorway.

“Nadir, the whole thing is coming down!” I shout.

He looks at me, his mouth closing and then opening, clearly at a loss for words.

I wait as father and son stare at each other, and then the Aurora King does the last thing in the world I expect. Pressing a hand to his chest, he tips his head forward before looking back up and mouthing the words “I’m sorry.”

Nadir steps back, shaking his head.

More rock falls, nearly obscuring our view of Rion, who continues to watch his son like he’s become the only thing in the world that matters.

“Nadir!” I shout. “We have to go. Now.”

He looks at me and nods, and then, with one more glance at his father, we both mount Morana and Khione before they race up the path.

Behind us, I hear the roar of the cavern collapsing in on itself, forever burying the Aurora King.