Page 40 of Midnight Reign
“Yeah, but not in the middle of a fucking forest where anyone could see us, not to mentionherlusting after you all and enjoying it,” Addy hisses.
“Hey,” I say, taking her hand from Corvus and giving it a squeeze. “You can’t let her stop you from doing this.”
“She is going to stop me. I know it.”
“How?”
“She is in my head. She knows stuff.”
“Stuff like what?”
“Like everything. She will find a way to stop this if this is the way to stopher.”
“We won’t let her.” My reassurance falls on deaf ears. Adelaide has worked herself up into a state which I’m sure has nothing to do with the act but that this Crimson bitch will be watching. “Look. Forget all that right now. As interesting as this revelation is, we should probably concentrate on finding our way back to the surface. We’ve been down here for hours, and someone’s bound to notice we’re missing soon.”
The others nod in agreement, though I can see the worry still etched on Addy’s face. Her eyes are distant, and I can see the gears turning in her head as she processes everything we’ve learned. I give her a reassuring smile, hoping to lighten the mood. “Don’t worry, Addy. We’ll figure it all out. But first, let’s get out of this musty old library, yeah?”
Zephyr consults the map again, “Trouble is, how do we get out of here?”
“This way,” Addy murmurs and turns from us to lead us deep into the cavernous library.
As we make our way through the towering shelves of the hidden library, I feel a sense of awe. The sheer amount of knowledge contained here is staggering. Ancient tomes line the shelves, their spines adorned with scripts I can’t even begin to decipher.
We reach what appears to be a dead end. “Here?” I ask.
Addy just shrugs.
“If Crimson lead you here, should we even trust this?” I mutter.
Zephyr runs his hands along the wall, muttering under his breath. His fingers trace invisible patterns, and I can feel the subtle shift in the magickal energy around us. Suddenly, there’sa click, and a section of the wall swings inward, revealing a narrow passageway.
“Either way, it’s out of the library,” he states and walks through.
“Well done,” Zaiah murmurs. The djinn’s form shimmers slightly, as if he’s not quite fully in our reality.
“You okay?” I murmur as he passes.
“Feeling a little out of sorts. Need to get out of here.”
“Agreed.”
We file into the passage, with me bringing up the rear. I summon a small flame to my palm, providing light. The tunnel is cramped and damp.
Then, the flame in my hand flickers and dims, struggling against some unseen force. I frown, focusing on maintaining the fire, but it continues to sputter.
“Wait,” I call out, my voice echoing off the stone walls. “Something’s not right.”
The others pause, turning to look at me. Concern is etched on their faces, illuminated by the wavering light of my flame. “What is it?” Addy asks.
“The air is changing. Getting thinner, I think.” I focus, trying to intensify my flame, but it remains weak and sputtering. As a fire elemental, I’m acutely aware of the air around me, and right now, all my instincts are screaming that something’s wrong.
Zaiah’s eyes narrow, his gaze becoming unfocused as he taps into his djinn senses. “He’s right. I can feel it, too. It’s like the oxygen is being drained from the tunnel.”
Panic starts to set in as we realise the implications. We’re underground, in a sealed passage, and we’re running out of air. I can see the fear creeping into Addy’s eyes, and even Corvus looks uneasy. I’m not entirely sure if he needs to breathe, but the rest of us fucking do, probably even Adelaide.
“We need to move,” Corvus says urgently, his vampiric instincts kicking in.
We pick up our pace, moving as quickly as we can in the narrow confines of the tunnel. I can feel my lungs starting to burn, each breath becoming more laboured. The others are showing signs of distress, too, their movements becoming sluggish. Zephyr’s shadows seem to be thinning, less substantial than usual.
