Page 237 of A Dagger of Ice and Intrigue
I stepped in first, dragging more than carrying her.
Her axe scraped the stone as we dove inside. I tightened my hold on her in warning.
Quiet.
The layer of ash was thicker here, swallowing my boots up to my ankle. We were slow, but the sound of our steps had also dulled, eaten up by the walls.
I delved in further, the air colder. More merciful.
The gap widened enough that I could support Nadya fully once more–only to block our path a second later.
I felt around with bloody, desperate fingers once more.
Another crevice, just as wide.
A maze.
I was once again jerked back to the wedding.
The arrows.
The screams.
My father’s blood coating my palms just like Nadya’s did now.
I struggled against the pain snaking its way into my heart.
Nadya was alive, her small pained groans in my ear, her heartbeat a flutter against my palm.
I couldn’t save my father, but I could save her.
She needed a safe place to rest while we fought off the attackers.
But where could we find safety in this cursed labyrinth?
The ceiling pressed lower. The stone brushed my hair, forcing us to bow. As if the passage was mocking us as we bled inside it.
More thuds echoed around us. Sharp knocks, patterns I couldn’t recognize and didn’t dare ask Nadya to decipher. Each sound felt like a betrayal to survival.
But the thuds were getting more frantic. A very human scream ghosted after us through the maze of rock, sending shooting terror up my spine.
It hadn’t sounded like Ryker, thank the gods, but someone had been wounded. Hopefully just wounded.
With my free hand, I took out the dagger. I needed a weapon in my hand to ground me.
I needed to return to the battle. But where to find safety for Nadya?
Where?
Where?
Gods, where?
My magic still thrummed through my veins, blazing and begging to burst out, but unable to.
Nadya’s breathing turned haggard, as if she was slipping away and fighting not to.
I needed light.
