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Lawson didn’t know what to do. He was wasting time; the longer he stayed in the light of the oculus, the greater the risk that Romulus would see him there. He hesitated, and while he was vacillating, the oculus came back to life and a low, powerful voice rumbled from hidden depths.
“Speak your name, hound.” It was a command. Romulus.
Lawson backed away from the light, trying not to panic. The voice filled him with fear and loathing, and it took all his strength not to run. So far, it seemed that Romulus had not recognized him. But he had to get out of there.
“Speak your name.”
Think.…He had to say something…or it would become suspicious…he could not stall for longer…he had to do something…say something…he waited too long…
The oculus went dark and as the earth opened up beneath him, he was thrown into the void.
Lawson was falling, tumbling through a dark cavern filled with sharp rock, and when he landed, he crashed hard on the stone ground.
“Ugh,” he groaned. He heard the shuffling of feet and looked up to see his brothers standing at the edge of the pit, looking down at him.
“Oh great, just great,” Edon said when he saw Lawson lying there. “Did you have to get caught? Did you do this on purpose?”
“Not funny,” Lawson said, trying to stand up. Thank goodness his body healed quickly.
“Ah, you’ll survive,” Rafe said.
“I don’t think I’ve survived thi
s yet, genius,” Lawson snapped. “Come on, guys, a hand?” He knew his brothers were enjoying this a little too much. At least he was upright. Now he just needed to get out of this hole. “Where’s Mac?”
“You dead yet?” Malcolm asked, peering over the edge.
“I keep trying, but the universe won’t seem to oblige. Any ideas on how I can get out of this one?”
Malcolm was quiet for a moment. He disappeared from the edge of the pit only to return a moment later with a broken branch. “Rafe, can you take this? I’m not sure I can support his weight.”
Rafe took the branch and held it over the side. “Lawson, can you climb up some of those rocks and then grab hold of this?”
Lawson flexed his arms and legs. Nothing seemed broken, and his bruises would fade quickly. He scaled the walls of the cavern and then grabbed the branch, letting Rafe pull him to freedom.
“We have to get out of here,” he said. “Mac, how you feeling?”
“Bad,” Malcolm said, and Lawson could see his face was pale, greenish. “They’re heading back to the oculus now. A small unit, two or three.” Malcolm shook his head and clutched his stomach. “I think I need to puke.”
Edon hustled them to the car. “No time. Let’s go, let’s go. I’m driving.”
Lawson didn’t argue and took the backseat next to Malcolm. Edon drove the car quietly and carefully back down the dirt road, then gunned the engine once they were out on the highway.
“So what did you see in there?” Malcolm asked when they had put some miles between them and the oculus. The youngest boy had color back in his cheeks, a good sign.
“I heard Romulus,” he finally admitted.
“Are you sure?” Malcolm asked, paling at the name of their fearsome general.
Edon whipped around. He slammed his hand on the steering wheel. “Did he see you? Did he know you were in the oculus?”
“I don’t think so. He kept asking my name. I don’t think he recognized me,” Lawson said. He hung his head. “You were right, it was a mistake to come.”
“Whether or not he knew who you were, we’ve got to move.” Edon glowered.
“Not yet,” Lawson said. “There’s something else.” He told them about the girl he’d seen, the one with the brilliant red hair and sad green eyes, the tracker, Romulus’s spy. “I sent her an image of the butcher shop. She’s going there now. Take me there.”
“You want her to find us?” Malcolm gaped.
