Page 20 of Echoes of the Raven
My eyes rove around, trying to find a spark of something in their expressions. Nothing.
Kadewyn shakes his head. “There are only two exits and both of them are blocked.”
“Um,” Aodhán mumbles hesitantly.
I turn to face him. He’s a young fae of eighteen, born here in Castella. He was orphaned when he was twelve, and practically raised by the veilfallen.
“What?” I urge.
He cocks his head to one side, hesitant. “I think there’s another exit, but… I don’t know if I can find it. When we first came here, I got lost and found a narrow opening. Light was streaming in, and I was able to squeeze through it. It put me out by the river.”
“Lead us to it then,” I say.
Shaking his head, he says, “I really don’t know if I can find it again.”
I put a hand on his shoulder and shake him slightly. “You have to.”
He nods.
“Conall,” I point at him, “go to the south exit, fetch those who fight there and bring themhere. Hurry!”
He runs out, moving as fast as the wind. We wait for several minutes, no one saying a word. Calierin fumes in one corner, casting angry glances in my direction.
Faster than any other veilfallen, Conall is back. He is breathless and coughing as he speaks haltingly.
“A few are behind me. Most are dead. The humans have started a fire there. Smoke is traveling quickly.” Just as he finishes, a gray haze starts to form above his head.
I gesture toward Aodhán. “Lead the way.”
Feet leaden, he walks out of the alcove. I follow close behind. Ahead, he pauses, head down. I allow him time to think. After a moment, he veers right toward a tunnel I know leads deeper into the catacombs.
Five others join us as we make our way out. They are coughing and red-eyed, their faces blackened by soot.
“Fucking humans!” Calierin barks. “They’re trying to flush us out like rats. They’re going to pay for this. Also, that fucking queen and her sister. I will put their heads upon a spike, andno onewill stop me this time.”
I cast a glance over my shoulder. “You try that, and I will gut you. They hold the key for our return to Tirnanog.”
“So you say.”
Kadewyn pulls on her arm and glares, his pale gaze flicking toward the males and females around us. His message is clear. He’s trying to tell her to show a unified front, to respect their chosen leader. And if my goals had not changed, I would make sure to deliver the message myself, but right now, all that matters is getting out of here alive.
Aodhán, who had paused, resumes moving forward. We walk hunched over, trying to avoid the smoke floating above us. The acrid scent burns my nostrils, and a bothersome scratch is building in my throat.
We veer toward a tunnel never traveled. I snatch a torch from the wall and hand it to Aodhán. He holds it aloft and leadsthe way ahead. Hesitating at a junction, he starts to turn left, then shakes his head and goes right.
I feel impotent and have to control my impatience. Pushing him will not help him think clearer and retrieve his memories of this other exit.
Sharpening my focus, I take mental notes of every turn, every new passage we traverse. I am tempted to ask if we are going in the right direction but hold my tongue.
When we enter a large alcove populated by a massive tomb built from mortar and topped with a long slab of rock, Aodhán looks at me and nods. Not showing my relief, I nod back, my expression letting him know I trust him.
We take many more turns, nearly obfuscating my mental map. A moment later, our guide stops, shining the torch all around at what turns out to be a dead end. He faces me, looking at a loss.
“I knew it!” Calierin exclaims. “This was a fucking waste of time.”
Aodhán lowers his head in shame.
I take the torch from his hand and do a second inspection that yields the same results. My jaw clenches. I take a deep breath and address Aodhán.
