Page 124 of Faerie Hunted

The hallway grew tighter, the stench of must and wetness assaulting my nostrils and burning my lungs with every inhalation. I stooped down until my back ached and panic pressed close.

This was what it must feel like to be buried alive.

The moment I thought about it, hysteria set in and the sweat seeping out of my pores took on an acrid stench I couldn't ignore.

Shit, I definitely shouldn’t think about being buried alive. Or what might happen if the tunnel closed in on us, like the staircase disappearing.

Onyx breathed heavily and behind me Noren whined.

Did I make a blanket statement that it was going to be okay? Even if we knew it was a lie?

Someone swallowed loud enough for me to hear.

At once, the tunnel opened up and I heaved a sigh of relief as I straightened, clenching at the walls to steady myself Only to lose the plot when the sconces showed nothing but a firm wall of granite ahead of us.

“What the fuck?” The curse came out before I could stop it. “There has to be something else.” We couldn't go back, and forward was a dead end.

The gravity of our situation pushed me down into a pit of shock and pathetic denial. The panicky kind that causes horses to bolt when there is nothing wrong.

Reality swept in, kicking my ass along the way, and then settled.

“I don’t remember any of this. I never had to come this way,” Onyx said with a frown.

A strange jittery twitch settled in my veins. “You said you knew where we were going.”

“I remembered the path to get here, but the insides must change because when I was in the temple, it wasn’t a cavern. It was an actual ruin. Like something you’d find in a desert or something.”

Onyx pushed his hand against the stone and waited for something to change. When nothing did, he jammed his shoulder to the granite, Livvy moving to help him while the rest of us stood by.

“A real dead end,” he offered unnecessarily.

My gut sank, feet rooted to the floor and my knees locked to keep me upright.

“Impossible,” I blurted. “You said this is the way in. You couldn’t have come out of the Abyss through rock.”

His brows screwed together. “It’s a little blurry. The details. But you’re right. I didn’t come out this way.”

“Did we take a wrong turn somewhere?” I asked. “I mean, did we miss something?” I turned too fast in a circle and the dizziness sent me back against the wall.

“We don’t have time to waste retracing our steps.” Livvy fumed and stalked forward. She swept Onyx back with one arm. “We’re going to blast our way through. I refuse to let this stop us. We’re close.”

I barked out a laugh. “Come on, Livvy. We’re not strong enough to bore through granite.”

“You are capable of so much more than you think. Both of you. I know you’re tired and afflicted. I know you think the pain is never going to stop, and you’ll never be normal again.” She bit out the words, then shoved a hand through her hair, smearing sweat and blood and dirt across her skin. “We’re doing this together. Now give me your hand.”

She held out her palm for me to take and I stared at it.

How would it feel to actually work together on this? To do something with my mom that would make a difference? Her resolve was implacable.

I took her hand before I thought of the thousands of reasons why she was asking for the impossible.

“We’re getting through this,” she repeated for my sake.

Magic sparked where our skin touched. The connection between us, the tether not just with power but with blood, burst to life and dissolved through the wall keeping me separated from my own power.

Finally.

I had my access back. Mom’s energy gave me strength to fight against the blood sickness.

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