Page 59 of Ember and Eclipse
“Hunting men is just as easy as hunting witches,” he said evenly, but he was looking at her carefully for her reaction.
“But why?” Why would he do that? Why would he take her word on it? Why did he even care?
“I’ll explain more elsewhere, but we need to—”
He cut himself off, turning his head to look back over his shoulder at something in the dark. Then his gaze traveled the stone above them as if he could see through it.
His lips formed a silent curse before he grabbed her hand. Extinguishing the lantern, they suddenly stood in pitch black. She couldn’t hear what he was hearing, but his palm in hers was warm, and she focused on how it felt. He squeezed her hand before stepping off again. Moving quicker now, he navigated the dark expertly. The lantern had been for her comfort and sight, not his.
She didn’t dare speak or ask him to slow down. Instead, she focused on not tripping over her feet or stepping on his heels. Though they were in the tunnels for some time, her eyes could not adjust to the oppressive darkness. Occasionally, there would be a sliver of light from some crack in the stone, but otherwise, their journey was into the black.
Yet Devdan was sure-footed, his hand a warm tether. And though she had to focus on not stumbling in the darkness, she found her mind wandering to the future of possibilities if they survived.
What seemed like endless hours later, she considered asking to rest before she potentially collapsed, but then he halted them.
He let go of her hand, moving away from her without warning. Rel wouldn’t say she was naturally afraid of the dark, but being alone in it made her imagination run astray. Just as she grew concerned, Devdan returned, grabbing both of her arms. She startled but relaxed as he bent to whisper in her ear. “We are beneath the temple now. I’ll lift you through the hidden compartment and then follow behind.”
He worked carefully to make no additional noise as he tried to get the door loose. Dust and small chips of stones fell around them. A scraping noise that seemed too loud for the space preceded the dimmest of lights filtering through.
“Ready?”
She nodded and stepped closer to him. “What—”
But his hands were already around her waist, easily lifting her up over his head. Once her upper body was through the opening, she tried to find purchase, but the floor was mostly smooth. His hands moved from her waist to her hips to her thighs as he did far more work than she did to get her through.
Crawling forward, she turned to help, but he was already sliding the packs across the floor. Then he pulled himself up effortlessly. Crouching beside her, he quickly scanned the room before looking at her.
“Good?”
“Yes.” She didn’t mention her back or her severe exhaustion. It wasn’t worth it. The pain was far better to suffer than what awaited her if somebody caught them.
He moved the stone slab back into place. When he offered her his hand again, Rel took it without hesitation.
They were in some sort of storage area. Crates of wax candles and slim boxes of cypress-scented incense lined the room. Moonlight filtered in through several high windows, giving the space a gray cast that conjured visions of tombs.
Devdan led her through the room to the archway at the far end. When they stepped through it, her breath was stolen from her. Out here, the center of the open-air temple was brighter. Pristine white marble columns served to hold up the divine structure. White candles lined a stone altar in the middle, and the statue of a goddess sat atop it.
She knew which goddess it was even before they fully rounded the altar.“Athena.”
“The priestess may still be around. I’m going to check if the outside is clear. Stay here.” He didn’t give her an option as he let go of her hand, dropped the packs beside her, and strode across the temple, disappearing in the shadows between the outer columns.
Rel turned and let her gaze travel up the goddess’s marbled form. The artist had been so detailed that Athena looked as if she were alive, merely encased in a layer of marble. She bore a shield and spear, and her armor was meticulously detailed and chiseled. Her fierce gaze looked out across the temple.
It was said that such statues held a piece of the soul of the god or goddess it represented. It was the closest most mortals could ever be to the divine. Rel pressed her fingers against the stone platform.
“Please.” The word was a prayer and a plea. She couldn’t say all the things her heart desired.
A hand smashed over her mouth and nose, and she was pulled back. She struggled immediately, blindly, but the arm around her torso squeezed until she was certain her ribs would break. The panic only worsened when she couldn’t breathe.
“Stop, or I’ll make this even worse for youandthe traitor.” The voice was gruff, and she didn’t recognize it. But she was willing to bet that it was a Lunae.
Her thoughts racing, she slackened in his excruciating grasp. The knives were still on her, tucked into the waistline of her pants. She just had to make him think she was docile and compliant.
He removed his hand from over her mouth. The man reeked of incense, and his dark gray sleeve was similar to the garb the temple priestesses wore—to conceal his actual scent, she guessed. He handled her roughly, picking her up around her midsection as he moved through the temple.
Did she risk warning Devdan?
Or had he already been caught? Were they waiting for him outside? Her mind raced with the sudden realization that if they failed, it would be his life for certain, and she’d be tortured all over again.
