Page 75 of Tell No Tales
"Gods, I think it was better when we weren't friends." Vadim grinned at her. "He had me any way he wanted me whenever he wanted me."
Martiz hadn't moved from his spot, facing the corner, but Klaus hoped he choked on Vadim's happy memories. Martiz had tried to hurt him, but he hadn't kept him from enjoying life and love.
"And then Hesse was gone."The sadness that came through their open link with that statement nearly broke Klaus's heart. Vadim had loved, and he had lost.
"I'll never leave you. I promise."
"You can't promise that. No one can."
"I won't willingly leave you. You said that to me once."
"That was before…"Vadim didn't finish his sentence.
From Nola's order to the wind weavers to land, and the sensation in the pit of Klaus's stomach, they were descending at a rapid rate. Finally, he heard a splash of water beneath them, though he still couldn't see beyond the interior of the little air ship.
The crate shook and bounced once before coming to a stop. Blades of dry grass tucked themselves between the bottom and sides of the crate. The fog wasn't as thick here, but Klaus couldn't see the green, nor the large building before them, until he climbed out of the box.
"This is when it would have been nice to have Devon," Nola said once she and Yvette freed Martiz from the box and tied his legs and feet together so he couldn't run far if he broke free.
"Do either of you have earth?" Nola asked the twins.
They shook their heads.
"All right, then." She turned to Vadim. "Do you think our little ship will fit in this tunnel of yours?"
"Yes." The first hundred yards of the tunnel also functioned as a storm drain to keep the lake from flooding the lower levels of the tower. With Klaus's help, Vadim thought he could sense another tunnel, one he hadn't known had existed, straight into the tower, rather than the roundabout way he knew into the main building and around through the basement rooms.
The boys packed the sail inside the crate for later, and then Klaus and Vadim helped them carry it to the tunnel entrance while Nola explained exactly what would happen if Martiz tried to escape.
"This is so strange," Yvette said once she, Nola, and Martiz joined them in the tunnel. "No echoes. No one's here."
Klaus closed his eyes and reached out with his power again, searching for individual weavers beyond the old weaves in the walls. "They're here," he confirmed. "They're not outside."
"Everyone stay close and be careful." Nola patted Vadim on the back. "I'm glad you won't be hindered by your gloves anymore. You're free to kill Martiz if he gets out of line. He's our prisoner, and you have my consent."
She walked away, leaving him frozen in place.
"She wanted to kill me after Melham Island."
"Now she knows the truth."Klaus sighed, knowing how contrite his next words would sound."It's always best to tell the truth."
He linked arms with Vadim and dragged him along the corridor to the strange glowing runes on the wall. They looked like a balance scale. "Can you all see this?" he asked. "I think it's the doorway to another tunnel."
"Is it one of those special symbols only Beatrice can see? Too bad we don't have a spectral weaver with us," Yvette said.
"What if it isn't spectral?" Klaus asked, repeating the question Vadim had asked in his head. "What if it means balanced?"
"None of us are balanced," Nola said. "What good is that?"
"I am." Vadim's smirk made Klaus's heart beat faster. He stepped up to the wall and touched his fingers to the symbol he could see, thanks to his link with Klaus. For once, Klaus was good for something. He might not be a weaver, but he could share his sight with Vadim.
The wall split in two and opened into a dusty corridor. It stank of mildew and earth, but the stairs leading up were clear of all but cobwebs. No one had disturbed the path in a long time.
"Most of the people are that way, in the tower," Klaus said.
"For now," Vadim said. "They'll return to their dorms this evening. We'll need to be careful."
"The books are this way," Yvette pointed toward the original tunnel. "Split up?"
