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“We should help her,” I say, but Mack puts a hand on my arm and shakes her head.
“No. She’s already panicking. In the water she’ll drown anyone who tries.”
I feel sick. This isn’t right. But I don’t have time to come up with a plan. In a few moments, we’ll have to swim.
Swim . . . with shoes. I lose my scarf and sweatshirt, pocket my mittens, then I bend down and rip my boots off. Mack catches on immediately and does the same, wincing as she has to get rid of her expensive Jimmy Choo’s.
Together we chuck our stuff through the cage bars. Mine barely miss a blond Fae boy’s head before disappearing above.
I’ll have to come back for those later.
The others follow our lead and shoes fly through the air, a few missing the dwindling ledge above and raining back down on us.
A giant greenish-yellow orb hangs from the top of the cage, illuminating tiny streams of water rivering down dirt walls as we’re dragged deep into the earth. The circle of light from above grows smaller and smaller, the faces of the Fae watching us becoming nondescript.
The others inside the cage are starting to group into packs of three to four.
“Here’s the deal,” Mack says, turning me to face her. “There are seven tunnels leading out from here to the lake, each with magical reeds placed along their length to let us breathe. But there aren’t enough of the breathing devices for all of us.”
A mixture of anger and fear roils my gut. “Why would they do that? Give us less than we need?”
“Because they’re the Evermore, and we’re their entertainment. The sooner you get used to that fact, the better.”
My jaw locks as anger pours through me. I’ll never get used to that idea. Never.
The trembling beneath my feet stills as the floor stops moving. Water begins to fill the space, lapping at my socks. It’s surprisingly warm. The stagnant odor fills my nose and turns my stomach.
“So how do we make sure we get a breathing device?” I ask, my eyes glued to the brackish water now swirling around my calves. Now my knees . . . my thighs . . .
The cavern is filling fast.
“Swim like hell?” She gives a nervous laugh. “Everyone knows the shortest route is that tunnel”—she nods to her left—“so we just need to be the first ones inside.”
Already, a crowd blocks that door, waiting to be first. Frowning, I scan our surroundings. A small cavern hardly larger than our cage greets me. I can just barely make out the tops of the tunnels. They must be low to the ground because they’re already underwater. Golden light flickers from each entrance, brightening the water enough to highlight its clarity.
At least there’s light to guide us. It could be worse.
Silver linings and all.
“Which one is the longest tunnel?” I ask.
She raises an eyebrow and nods behind me. “The one directly at your back. But no one takes that one . . .”
“And you’re a good swimmer?” I ask as water reaches my armpits. My long hair swirls around my body, and I regret not pulling it up out of my face before we came.
She winks. “State champion two years running.”
For some reason, that’s not surprising. I grin. “Good, then let’s take the long tunnel.”
Her eyes narrow as she works out my thinking. “It won’t be crowded . . . so we won’t have to fight for oxygen reeds.”
“Exactly. And we’re both excellent swimmers, so the extra distance won’t make that much difference.”
Her eyes light up. “Genius.”
We wade together to the door nearest the unpopular tunnel. Just as I suspected, we’re the only ones. Although I also suspect everyone is avoiding me.
When the water reaches so high I can’t touch the bottom, the cage doors spring open and swing out, and everyone surges through the doors to a tunnel.
