Page 67 of Crownless Heirs

“Help me up!” Kyron’s voice was tight with panic.

Sorcha pulled hard, trying to keep her grip steady. Kyron scrambled, feet kicking against loose rock. With one final desperate yank from Maelan, they hauled him over the edge just as the first glowing eyes appeared in the distance.

Dozens of them, charging straight at them.

“We have to get inside that building,” Sorcha said, turning toward it.

They took off running. Their footsteps thundered across the rubble and Sorcha risked a glance over her shoulder, she saw them closing in. They were fast, leaping off building and over one another. She knew they wouldn’t make it. Digging her heels into the ground, she turned facing them head on. Her hands moved, as fingers traced patterns through the air as she whispered the words under her breath. Magic stirred at her fingertips, heat swelling in her palms, but the creatures were nearly upon her. A moment later, fire erupted from her hands. The explosion of flame and light blasted through the air, sending a shockwave outward. The creatures shrieked as the force slammed into them, bodies thrown back in a tangled mess of limbs. Smoke and embers rose from the scorched ground where the fire had struck.

“Run!” Maelan’s voice cut through the haze, and she turned, feet pounding against the stone as she caught up with them.

They reached the stairs, Sorcha nearly tripping in her haste as she slammed into the door, fists hammering against the wood.

“Open!” she gasped, throwing her weight against it. “Please!”

Kyron and Maelan shoved at the door desperate to get inside. Maelan let out a yell as one of the creatures latched onto his calf. He gritted his teeth and tore his rapier free and plunged it straight through the creature’s eye. The thing let out a scream as Maelan ripped it free, taking the eye with him. But more were coming still, swarming up the steps. Sorcha unsheathed her sword lunging forward when suddenly the ground beneath them gave way.

30

Library

They tumbled downward into a blur of darkness before they slammed into the depths below. The impact sent up a thick cloud of dust as old books scattering beneath them and moths burst into the air in a frenzied flurry.

Coughing, Sorcha blinked up at the floor above them. A severed arm twitched where it had been reaching inside before dropping beside her. She recoiled tumbling and sliding down the slide of tomes.

Her eyes took a few moments to adjust to the dimness. The air was thick with the scent of dust and old parchment. Maelan groaned as he shifted, summoning a small glowing orb, casting flickering light across the space. Distant slamming and screeching echoed from above.

Sorcha eyes found Maelan’s orb, he sat beside it, letting out a curse and clutched his calf. She scrambled to his side, kneeling beside him. Blood seeped from deep puncture marks, dark against his torn pants. He was lucky. A little deeper, and the creature’s bite might’ve taken more than just skin.

Kyron tore the sleeve from his tunic and knelt beside them, wrapping the cloth around Maelan’s leg. He pulled it tight above the wound like a tourniquet, then used the remaining fabric to bind over it. The scent of blood was strong in the enclosed space.

“Thanks,” Maelan exhaled, attempting to stand. His foot wobbled beneath him, and he fell to his knees with a wince.

Kyron moved to help, but something warm pulsed against Sorcha’s palm. Startled, she reached into her pocket and felt the smooth surface of a stone, a faint glow radiating from it. She lifted it into the light and let out a quiet chuckle. It was the rune stone Kyron had given her weeks ago at the tea shop.

“Ordinary,” she murmured, shaking her head.

The glow caught their attention. Kyron’s eyes flickered from the stone to her face, his expression softening.

“You kept it?” His voice was low, almost disbelieving.

Sorcha nodded and moved toward Maelan, placing the stone against his wound. The warmth of the magic seeped through her fingers, tingling against her skin.

Kyron made quick work of healing the wound as best he could with just the stone, the skin stitching itself together enough for Maelan to walk.

Kyron smirked. “We’re even now.”

Maelan let out a chuckle and nodded, now standing with his arm over Kyron.

Kyron handed the stone back to Sorcha, who placed it back into her pocket, adjusting the bag on her shoulder. She quickly went through her items, ensuring she hadn’t lost anything. Once she was satisfied, she closed the bag and slid the rest of way down the pile of books, dust rising in soft clouds around her moved.

“Where are we?” Maelan asked, examining the vaulted ceilings, shelves stacked with tomes and scrolls locked behind wooden gates. Columns upon columns of books and papers lined every inch.

“We must be in the basement of a library,” Sorcha responded as she explored the space. Her voice felt small in the vastness of the room.

The library groaned and walls shifted, an opening within the walls appeared.

“Over here.” Kyron waved to them from a far corner. “There are stairs.” He stood in the darkened archway.