AllFreeNovel
Share Us
And part of me understood. We all would much rather be somewhere else, and I expected when this was over, we would part ways.
“I suppose we’ll all have to get used to this.” She coughed when a cloud of black smoke enveloped her. If Anaria’s magic wasn’t so dangerous, I’d suggest she light the way with her starry power, but I didn’t want her touching that cursed magic ever again.
I couldn’t forget the sight of that long, black mark marring her creamy skin. A dot on my face was no great loss, but on Anaria…it was a fucking crime.
A fucking crime that could not continue, because if I saw one more fucking inch of black on her, I would tear this world apart with my bare hands.
“I hope you’re all ready for two days of darkness.” With a grin, Dane disappeared into the darkness, his torch barely illuminating walls.
“I can’t fucking wait,” Tristan grumbled, following Tavion, leading both his mount and Anaria’s gelding while I brought up the rear, black smoke from the torch billowing behind me.
I spent that entire first day convincing myself we hadn’t made a fatal mistake, listening to Dane’s increasingly embellished stories, and praying we’d make it to the next point where he promised fresh water and a fresh stack of torches before we ran out of light.
By the time our last torch was flickering, Dane finally muttered, “We’re here.” Then the torch spluttered and went out.
The roar of rushing water rang against the rounded walls of tunnel, moisture dripping loudly from the ceiling above us, and the muddy floor beneath us was puddled, water splashing as the horses nervously stomped and pranced.
“Hang on, there’re more torches…Where the fuck are they? Oh, here they are.” In a matter of minutes, Dane had the small area lit and we headed to fill our canteens from the underground river running along the path.
“At least it’s cold.” Anaria dropped to her knees gratefully and dipped a handful from the fast-running rapids. “And fresh.” She swallowed gulp after gulp, her slender throat bobbing. Out of the corner of my eye, beneath the water’s rippling surface, something dark flashed by.
Something big.
Or just a figment of my imagination after hours down here in the darkness. I frowned at the water, trying to see through the current. I hated being off my game, and being underground was definitely throwing me off.
She peered up at me. “What’s wrong, Raz? You look like you’ve seen a—”
I yanked her backwards as an enormous mouth rimmed with sharp teeth erupted from the water. The ribbon-like creature had smooth, black skin and was big enough to drag Anaria down beneath the water; it would have, if I hadn’t spotted the threat a second before the attack.
“Fucking hell…what was that?” She fought for breath, trembling against me as I searched the water for movement. Predators usually didn’t give up so easily, especially if they were hungry.
“Goblin Eel.” Dane skidded to a stop at the edge of the river, searching the water as he pulled his blade free. “They don’t usually venture this far down from the mountains, but food’s been scarce since the purges.”
“Aren’t you a bit close?” Anaria asked breathlessly, her final word turning into a scream as the eel speared out of the water in a long, wet lunge.
Graceful, if it wasn’t so hideous.
In the blink of an eye, I saw everything I’d missed before—the tiny white eyes meant for seeing in the pitch dark, the long spiked fins jutting out from the sides, the skin not totally black but different shades of mottled gray.
The double row of teeth heading straight for Dane’s throat.
I was almost rooting for the thing when Dane swung his sword up and cleaved its body in two, both halves slapping wetly against the tunnel floor for longer than was natural. The eel’s flesh was a gelatinous white, a small amount of blood pumping out and staining the puddles blue.
When the creature was done moving, Dane bundled each half in a blanket and slung them over the sides of his horse. “Did I mention Goblin Eels are a delicacy in Caladrius? This little bastard will make this trip worthwhile.”
The bastard had the fucking audacity to wink. “You know, since I’m not getting paid?”
In that moment, I could have killed the arrogant bastard.
Could have crossed the scant distance between us and buried my knife in his heart and felt good about the outcome. But we needed Dane to get us to the other end of this tunnel, wherever that was.
“The fucking thing nearly ate Anaria.” My voice didn’t even sound like my own, Tavion and Tristan both inching closer.
Dane scratched the back of his neck. “Well, like I said, they don’t get up here that often, so I didn’t think to warn you.”
“What else is down here besides demonic fish?” I demanded. “You said this would be—and I quote—‘a walk in the park.’”
Dane grinned sheepishly. “Parks around here tend to be dangerous places.”
