Page 25 of The Iron Vow

“Noted,” I said with a nod. “We’ll stay close.”

The assassin turned and vanished gracefully down the chute, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Varyn glanced at us and made a gesture for us to follow.

“Go ahead,” he told me. “We’ll bring up the rear and guard your back. There are still Nightmares roaming around. Wouldn’t want any of them to grab you if we’re not there.”

“Hmm, scary Nightmare monster behind me, or creepy assassin with a knife—not sure which one I’d prefer.” Puck’s voice was a challenge, and I frowned at him. “Also, it’s cute that you think we need your protection. Why don’t you head on down first? We insist.”

In the shadows of his hood, Varyn’s lips curled into a smirk. “If you’re afraid, I can tell Nyx we need to take the long way down.”

Puck snorted. “Please. I’ve jumped into more deep dark holes than you’ve stabbed things with a knife,” he returned. “I’m just a little leery of you coming down behind me. In case you ‘accidentally’ stab me in the back.”

“Oh, don’t worry.” Varyn’s tone was suddenly dangerous. “When I stab things, it’s never by accident.”

“What is happening here?” I asked, drawing both their attention. “We’re wasting time. Puck, this isn’t getting us any closer to Hollownest.”

“Sorry, princess.” Puck grinned, not sounding the least bit apologetic, and gestured at the chute. “After you.”

I stepped forward, gripped the edge of the stone chute, and peered down. The slide dropped away into complete blackness. With Varyn’s comment about us needing protection still fresh in my mind, I hopped into the chute and pushed off without hesitation, beginning a fast slide through utter darkness.

After what felt like far too long, the chute came to a sudden and abrupt end. My heart sprang up and lodged in my throat, but thankfully, innate faery reflexes took over. I dropped several feet before landing in a crouch on solid ground, managing not to fall or break my ankles on the hard dirt floor. Straightening, I took a deep breath and waited for my heartbeat to return to normal.

“You made it.” Other Nyx stood several feet away, perfectly blending into the shadows except for her eyes and the faint glow of her silver hair. “Good.” She glanced at the hole above me, and a faint smile crossed her face. “You might want to take a few steps back before the others come through. I’ve had a couple instances where I didn’t move fast enough, and Varyn nearly landed on my head.”

Quickly, I backed away, gazing around to see where we had landed. It appeared to be a simple tunnel, a large tube of earth and stone running into the darkness in both directions. Smaller tunnels branched off to either side, reminding me of a large termite nest or anthill. I imagined huge grubs or insects appearing in those tunnels, pale bodies and black shiny jaws gleaming as they squirmed or skittered toward us.

I shivered and pushed those visions aside. Nyx had mentioned that Hollownest was home to several insect-like fey, so I should be prepared to see them. The idea did creep me out the tiniest bit, however.

A few moments later, Ash and then Keirran came down the chute, each landing gracefully on his feet at the bottom. Puck and finally Nyx followed, the former hitting the dirt with a grunt, the latter making no sound at all.

“Well, that was fun.” Puck dusted off his hands and looked back up the chute, wrinkling his nose. “Better than Splash Mountain at Disneyland.”

Other Nyx blinked at him, obviously having no idea what he was talking about. Our Nyx just shook her head. I remembered the words up top, the sudden hostility between Puck and Varyn, and hoped it would not become a thing. Whenever Puck took a dislike to something, it was usually for good reason, but it also tended to stick. We couldn’t afford that here.

The rest of the assassins joined us, with Varyn being the last to drop in. Straightening, he turned to Nyx with a solemn, respectful nod. “I checked the tunnel before coming down,” he told her. “It’s clear of Nightmares. And the hatch is locked. We should be good to go.”

“Wrong Nyx, Varyn,” our Nyx said quietly.

Varyn stiffened and glanced at the assassin leader, then back to our Nyx. With a frown, he turned and strode toward Other Nyx, leaving our Nyx gazing after him with a strange, almost mournful look on her face.

This earned a scowl from Puck. With a few strides, he walked over to our Nyx, slipped an arm around her shoulders, and leaned in, whispering in her ear. I didn’t know what he said, but whatever it was, a faintly exasperated look crossed Nyx’s face as she shook her head.

Varyn’s expression darkened even more. “Something you want to say to me, Neverfey?” he challenged.

“Oh, so many things,” Puck responded, an evil smirk creeping across his face. “But they can wait until we’re out of danger. Don’t worry, though,” he went on. “When the time comes, I’ll be sure to tell youeverything. When you’ve earned it.”

I stifled a groan. Too late. It had already become a thing.

“Let’s go.” Other Nyx, sensing the obvious tension rising between the two faeries, turned and beckoned for us to follow. “Kyn and Ayaen will scout the path ahead. The rest of the unit will follow at a distance so we don’t have any Nightmares surprising us from behind. Everyone stay together, and keep alert. It’s a long walk to Hollownest.”

10

HOLLOWNEST

Moving through the tunnels, I quickly realized Other Nyx was right; it was a gigantic labyrinth down here. Without her guiding the way, we would’ve become hopelessly lost. Everything looked the same: earthen tunnels snaking their way into the shadows, roots hanging from the ceiling, and dead vines clinging to the walls. The ground was peppered with pale white-and-brown mushrooms that pulsed with a subtle light, keeping the passages from being completely black.

As we turned a corner, Other Nyx abruptly stopped, raising a hand for the rest of us to halt as well. We paused, listening, as the sound of shifting earth began filtering into the tunnel. Something was coming toward us down one of the side passages—something large. I dropped a hand to my sword, feeling Ash move close, as the noises grew louder and a pair of huge, shiny black eyes emerged from the tunnel, then blinked at us in surprise.

I repressed a shiver. The thing looked like a cross between a faery and a giant pill bug. It had an oval, segmented body, huge eyes, and a pair of thin antennae that waved curiously in our direction. But four of its “legs” were actually extremely thin arms with long-fingered hands at the ends, and its shiny black gaze observed us with sleepy intelligence. A pair of mandibles wiggled, and a soft, almost clicking voice emerged between them.

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