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My gaze went from the large pool of light in front of me to the doorway. I couldn’t actually see the men, which meant they had to be sitting in the rear section of the room and would have a good view of the corridor beyond the pool of light.
Leaving me with two options—turn around and try to find another exit up the other end of the corridor, or risk trying to get past the guards.
I looked over my shoulder, contemplating the darkness. If there was an exit at the other end, then it would more than likely be guarded as well. My father had said all Raziq had Razan, and while I’d only felt two, I had no doubt there would be more.
Besides, the longer I remained in this hall, the greater the chance I’d be discovered. It was better to risk this patch of brightness than backtrack and risk the unknown.
I closed my eyes and gathered the remnants of my strength. I could do this. I had to do this. There was no way I was going back to that cell.
I sprinted forward as lightly as I could. The TV was loud, but even so, the sound of my footsteps seemed to echo above it.
My body hit the light. I kept my gaze on the darkness beyond it, my heart in my throat and determination in my limbs.
I could do this. I would.
But just as I hit the shadows, one of the men in the room swore and scrambled to his feet.
They were coming.
The realization sent a surge of fresh energy through my limbs. I kept running, following the wall, hoping against hope to find some sort of vent or shaft that would offer a way out of this tunnel.
But there was nothing.
Still, the air seemed fresher and came with a tantalizing hint of rain. Freedom was out there somewhere. I just had to find it.
Awareness shimmered across my battered body. Though I heard no sound, the men were behind me. I could feel the heat of them, smell their anger.
Somehow, I ran faster, but it wasn’t enough. It was never going to be enough. Before I knew it, one of them grabbed a handful of shirt and yanked me backward. I didn’t fight it, allowing myself to pulled back into a body that was well muscled and lean. But before his grip could shift and secure me more tightly, I lifted my elbow and jabbed it—as hard as I could—into his midriff. He hissed in pain and his hold loosened. I spun around, raised my other elbow, and smashed it into his face. His nose shattered even as the force of the blow sent him sprawling backward into the other man. Then I turned and ran.
They were after me all too quickly. But the smell of rain was growing, and in the distance came the steady trickle of water. If the rain was getting in, then surely that meant there was some sort of storm water opening ahead. I hoped so.
Hoped that I could get out through it.
But the men were once again closing in fast and time wasn’t on my side. Panic surged, but this time, there was no answering rush of energy to accompany it. My body had nothing more to give.
Azriel, I thought again, where the hell are you?
Fingers reached for me—something I felt rather than saw. But this time, it came from the front rather than behind. I slid to a halt, but to no avail. A hand grabbed me and yanked me forward—not i
nto capturing arms but behind a body that blazed with heat.
Azriel.
He took shape, his sword dripping blue fire as it arced over his head, slicing the air with a scream. Slicing the throats of the two men as easily as a hot knife through butter.
As their bodies and severed heads dropped to the floor, Azriel turned, his blue eyes as bright as the blaze of his sword.
“We must go. The Raziq will have felt the death of their creatures. There are far too many of them here for me to battle.”
I nodded, unable to speak, my breath rasping and body shaking with fatigue and reaction.
“Risa,” he said, my name sounding oddly sweet on his lips. “We must go.”
“I can’t,” I said, the words forced and hoarse. “No energy to change.”
He said something I didn’t understand, the words musical but oddly vehement. “Wrap your arms around my neck,” he added, then glanced over his shoulder. His sword seemed to blaze brighter and began emitting a soft hum. “Hurry. They come.”
I didn’t argue. I wasn’t in any state to face the Aedh, and I sure wasn’t about to argue if Azriel felt no inclination to do so, either.
