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"Tanael!" I called out to him in my head across the city.
"Where are you, Myrina? We're looking for you everywhere! Are you all right?" His voice sounded worried.
I breathed a sigh of relief. It had worked!
"I don't know where I am. This person chased me until I could hide under a staircase in an alley. But now I can't find my way back. The streets are like a labyrinth," I gushed.
"Don't worry. We'll manage together," Tanael reassured me, and he didn't know how much strength his words gave me.
"Do you see a street name anywhere?" he asked.
"Wait, I'll see if I can find anything."
Fortunately, the streets were dimly lit. I walked further, searching for street signs, until I finally spotted two.
"The street I'm on is called St. Francis, and Al Rosol Lane branches off from it," I explained, hoping he knew where that was.
"Good, it's not far to the Wailing Wall. So, listen to me, I'll guide you there. When you're standing in front of the alleyway, walk down St. Francis on your right until you reach Christian Quarter Road," he described the route, and I followed his instructions. He led me through narrow and wide alleyways, tiny underpasses, and streets that seemed to be small markets during the day until I finally had to descend a large staircase where Tanael was waiting for me. Opposite this staircase was the famous Wailing Wall in the moon's light. But I only had eyes for the angel who was waiting for me.
Relieved, I jumped the last few steps toward him and threw my arms around his neck. "Thank you, you were an absolute lifesaver," I whispered softly in his ear as he hurriedly pulled me into the shadows of the nearest building.
"Are you all right?" he asked anxiously, carefully checking every inch of my body with his golden eyes. When satisfied that I was all right, he cuddled me in his arms.
"Suddenly, when the footsteps were heard, you disappeared. We looked for you everywhere in the immediate vicinity but couldn't find you. I was afraid you might have been picked up," he whispered into my hair. I had never seen him so distraught.
"Thank goodness you came up with the idea of contacting me." He gently kissed my hair. Then he laughed softly. "I'm an ass, aren't I? I could have done the same, but you're obviously better at dealing with crisis situations than I am."
Now, I had to giggle, too. "I was anything but calm. Panicked would be a more appropriate word."
He looked at me tenderly. "But luckily, you're back with me now." Light as a feather, he breathed a kiss on the corner of my mouth.
I could have spent ages with him like that in the shadows, but time was running out, and we were both aware of that. At the same time, we broke away from each other and took a step back.
"Where are the others?" I asked, trying to distract myself from the kiss that had been far too small and far too far away from the center of my mouth.
Tanael cleared his throat slightly. "They're waiting for us at the tunnel entrance. Come."
He took my hand and led me along the edge of the building and up a ramp. My fingers intertwined with his, and it felt incredibly good like my whole body was nestled in his palm.
His thumb gently stroked my hand, and he smiled knowingly as if he knew exactly what I felt.
At that moment, we heard voices coming from across the square. Tanael stood before me in a flash and pushed me through an open archway, continuing to protect me with his body.
But I had already caught a glimpse of the large square before the Wailing Wall, and I felt sick. Since we had fled to the underworld, the Brotherhood seemed to have raged more than before. There were so many pyres in the square that it was impossible to count them. Stakes with the charred remains of those who had been condemned to death lined this sacred site. The stench of burnt flesh still lingered over the place like an ominous omen.
"Quick, keep running. We're almost there," Tanael whispered, urging me to keep going.
The outlines of Edward, Sam, Stephan, and Aspasia appeared before us, waiting for us with a torch. Behind them, I could see the entrance to the tunnels.
"Someone's coming; turn off the torch and run into the tunnels. We can hide there in case we are discovered," whispered Tanael.
At that exact moment, the light went out and became pitch black. The angel gently urged me to move on into the unknown blackness, which made me suspect something terrible.
CHAPTER 28
We stumbled forward almost blindly. There were only small light sources here and there, but they didn't illuminate the entire tunnel.
Thankfully, the voices had stopped, and it seemed we weren't being followed. Nevertheless, Tanael kept close behind me, our fingers intertwined. He gave me the security I needed to keep running. I wasn't afraid of the darkness, but deep down, I had a premonition that nothing good awaited us.
