Page 27 of Wrath of the Fae

‘We’re close.’ I fall to the floor and feel its pull. I hear a familiar deep purr. ‘Down.’

‘There is no more down, Raven!’ she bites, slamming her foot on the solid slabs. ‘This is it!’

But I shake my head. I feel it. Same as I felt my mother’s wings. Same as I felt the power in the archway.

Down.

I’m crawling over the floors, desperately seeking a secret slab leading me downwards. I claw at any rough edge and shudder as the ground shakes from the fight above. Tessa is on the ground, too, scratching and desperate.

‘The entrance might be under the wine barrels,’ I tell her.

‘They weigh a ton! We can’t move them. And there are more than twenty of the things.’

Panic. Utter panic fills our eyes as we look at each other.

She rushes to the corner where a large stone hammer rests against the wall. She picks it up and slams it into the floor again and again. I grab the axe beside it and do the same. Our strength makes it possible, but we’re not that strong to make it easy work. We both scream as another hammer slams into the cracked stone.

‘Is there a reason we’re doing this?’ Wolf asks, driving it down once more. His blows are three times more powerful than ours. ‘Or is this your idea of fun?’

‘Down,’ I gasp, struggling to catch my breath. ‘We need-’

‘Then down is what you’ll get!’ He interrupts as he repeatedly hammers his beloved weapon into the stone without hesitation. A large chunk falls away and reveals a pit of darkness below. It takes maybe ten seconds for the slab of stone to hit the ground. Tessa looks at me with a hint of surprise.

‘You were right?’ she says.

‘It happens on occasion.’

Another strike, and more of the stone floor falls away. We step back as cracks splinter out, and before Wolf can slam his hammer down again, the floor crumbles beneath our feet. Tessa and I both stretch out our wings and grab Wolf before he plummets into the depths.

We strain under his immense weight and start to fall.

‘Drop the hammer, you imbecile!’ Tessa screams as we plummet, struggling to hold him. ‘You weigh a ton!’

‘Not on your life, lass,’ he grunts as we swirl downwards. ‘I love this weapon like a child.’

We hit the floor, landing in a pile on top of Wolf, who pushes us off instantly. He’s on his feet, weapon ready for any enemy.

There’s nothing but darkness and dust. But I feel it. The ground is almost vibrating.

‘Tell me you feel something worth feeling,’ Tessa grunts, getting to her feet. ‘Or we may as well slit our throats right now.’

‘I feel something.’ I crawl across the dirty floor, feeling the deep grooves of something carved into the stone. ‘I feel it.’ Not just the power but the carvings I saw in those memories. The curves and angles. I follow them to the very centre where they meet.

‘Light. I need light!’ I demand.

Tessa takes flight and returns with two of the torches from the cellar above. She hands one to Wolf, and they both hold them over my head, illuminating the ground.

Yes… this is it!

‘We’re in the right place.’ I sweep my hand over the carvings and blink as I realise they look similar to the markings engraved on my ring.

‘What now?’ Wolf asks.

‘What now…’ I whisper, maybe to myself. But it’s the deep voice from my dreams that answer.

A single word is all it says before falling silent.

‘It needs blood.’ I swallow nervously and look up at the pair. ‘You need to promise me something.’

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