Page 13

“No, you’renot!So keep moving, goddammit!” Darien shoved him faster as they tore down the tunnel, unable to see a damn thing, forever in danger of tripping or running into a wall they couldn’t see.“Faster!”

Another thirty feet, and he heard the roar of white noise. He followed the sound, using it to guide him. Smelled something fresh.

Water. That was a waterfall he was hearing. Water he was smelling.

They rounded a sudden bend, smacking into the curve of the tunnel with surprised shouts. They rebounded off the shifting wall, ripping their fingers and feet free of the grasp of the vines, and kept running.

Fresh air kissed his face. With renewed energy, he sprinted toward it, right on Roman’s heels?—

And finally, they were out.

He blinked in disbelief as he thumped to a slower pace—as the darkness abruptly lightened, turning from pitch black to dark gray.

“Holy shit,” Darien breathed, squeezing his eyes open and shut. He could see.

He could finallysee.

Roman let out a sob that echoed, his legs visibly shaking in relief.

They’d made it. They were still far from the surface—from safety. But they’d made it this far. That had to count for something.

But fuck, was he ready to drop. His lungs were begging for oxygen, his mouth metallic from all the running. He allowed himself a minute to catch his breath, bending to brace his handson his shaking knees. Roman did the same beside him, his legs still wobbling, too. They both needed the break. They’d been on the move for hours. Without rest. Without food or drink.

And they had no Venom left.

Roman gave him a little smile, strands of dark, sweat-damp hair hanging in his face. “Close one, hey?”

“Close one,” Darien agreed, still panting. Still exhausted as hell. He rallied his strength—his will—and shoved off his knees.

They were in a cavern that was even bigger than the Basilisk’s habitat. In the center of the space, tumbling down out of nowhere, was a giant waterfall, the rapids emptying into a deep pit.

Darien stepped up to the edge, tipping his head back to glimpse the top of the roaring falls.

The overspray was refreshing. He shut his eyes, beads of water pattering against his tired, filthy face like rain. The sound reminded him of the ambient videos his mom used to put on to help him fall asleep. Rain and ocean waves were her favorite. His, too.

He opened his eyes to the scuff of Roman’s boots as he walked over to join him.

“Think that’s coming from Spirit Terra?” Roman asked. He squinted up at the raging torrent, his pulse still thrumming in his neck.

Darien swiped the water off his face. “I’d bet money on it. Which meansthat—”He pointed at the pit looming near the toes of his boots. “—could lead there too.” If they fell in there, who knew where they’d end up. Somewhere in the Void, probably. Which would suck.

They skirted the pit so they could see past the wide waterfall—to the other side of the cavern. There was another tunnel over there—just one—but it was stuffed with shadows from the Void.

“That doesn’t look inviting,” Roman said, his mouth quirking with dark humor.

“No, it doesn’t,” Darien agreed. “But we’re fresh out of options.”

“Dark, foreboding tunnel…,” Roman mused, weighing option one on his left hand, “or Spirit Terra.” He weighed option two on his right.

Darien pursed his lips in thought. “Is it bad if I want to say neither?”

Roman was about to reply when claws scraped against stone.

“Shit,” Roman muttered as they whipped around. “We’ve got company.”

Monsters were pouring out of the tunnel in droves. While some crawled on the walls and ceiling, others stalked forward on all fours—snapping at the air in a show of claim.

Darien lifted the sword with a steady hand. He took up a defensive stance, one foot behind the other, Roman guarding his back.