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Hel stood on the other side of the cavern, opposite of them, having just cut through every gargoyle in here. She didn’t like him so far away. The first gargoyle rolled together in front of her and before its head even came back on, its huge arm backhanded her and crushed her into the wall. The back of her skull hit hard, and darkness flitted across her vision. “That hurt!” she snarled and struggled to stand up. She couldn’t stay down. They’d keep coming. Warm wetness trickled down the back of her neck. She touched it and her hand came away bloodied.I’m bleeding. Shit, I’m bleeding.

Presco was suddenly swarmed by them, swinging his clawed hands while taking hits. Hel appeared in front of her and scooped her up around the middle and they rose high and hovered above the gargoyles.It seems they truly cannot be killed,Hel said in her mind. He touched the back of her head, and the warmth of his magic began to heal her.

If there’s no way out… Hel, what can we do?She gripped the collar of his suit and swung her other arm around his neck.We can’t die down here.

I’ll think of something.Still holding her close,his wings beat steadily, his eyes scanned every crevice and every dark corner of this cavern. “There.”

“The way opened over there!” Caliban shouted pointing left to a brick tunnel opening once again. “Hurry!”

Hel tucked his wings and dropped into a dive until his feet hit the ground at the tunnel’s entrance. He pushed her inside and turned, blocking the attack of a gargoyle. Her chest of journals flew in right after her and hovered at her side.

“Presco!” Layala shouted. He was still under siege by several and looked to be tiring.

“I’ll get him, just go.” Hel vanished and reappeared beside Presco. He threw another blast of ice, from his palms, freezing the gargoyles, but it was only moments before popping and snapping echoed around the cavern as they broke free. Hel shoved Presco toward the tunnel and ran behind him.

“Come on!” Layala hollered, waving for them to hurry. Presco made it in, but the brick wall appeared in an instant, leaving Hel on the other side.

“Hel!” Layala slammed her fist against it. “Open it!” she shouted at Caliban. “Open it now!”

“It’s too dangerous,” Caliban said, stepping into the torchlight. “And Hel was the one who started the wars against our realm to begin with. He might do it again.”

“You were the one who closed the way, weren’t you?” She snarled and brought the tip of Darkbringer’s blade at his throat. “Open the fucking wall.”

“You won’t kill me,” he challenged. “You need me to get out.”

Panic swelled in her chest to the point it ached. “OPEN IT!”

Hel, are you alright? Tell me you’re alright.He couldn’t fight those gargoyles forever. They’d just keep regenerating until he eventually ran out of stamina and energy.

Silence.

Layala gripped Caliban by his suit jacket and lowered the blade. “We may need you to get out, but you don’t need your pecker to do that.”

“He’s her mate, Caliban,” Presco said, gently. “She won’t survive his death. Open the door.”

Caliban ground his teeth, swore, and then the bricks in the wall fell apart, creating an doorway. The smell of loose dirt, and damp earth filled the corridor. Layala took a step forward to peer into the cavern, ready to rush inside to help him. He stumbled through with the edges of his clothes torn and parts shredded. “They got much faster once the wall closed.”

The bricks shifted again, closing the gargoyles off in the cavern.

Layala sighed with relief and threw her arms around his neck. “Are you alright?” she backed off a step and patted his dusty shoulders. “Why didn’t you answer me? I thought… You better answer me next time.”

“I’m fine.” His mouth twitched as if he held back a smile.

After that, Caliban took them on a straight shot to the main door of the treasury vaults. “Is there really an alarm sent out to your family? Will they be waiting outside?” Layala asked.

“Soon, if not already,” Caliban said.

Layala took a deep breath as the big metal door opened with Caliban’s touch. All they had to do was get outside and Hel could use his magic to get them out in an instant. The hallway was clear. No one waited to arrest them.Thank the Maker.

When the door swung closed, the group seemed to let out a collective sigh. The hallway was lit with torches and a skylight at the end let in plenty of light. Down at the far side, the archway opened up to the main area of the treasury and was still busy with patrons and workers alike counting money. They appeared to have no clue the treasury had intruders or that anything was stolen.

“That was intense,” Caliban said, running a hand across his sweaty brow. “Honestly, the most excitement I’ve had in a long time, minus the stabbing and almost dying part.”

“Thank you for getting us out,” Layala said. She pushed off the wall, heartbeat steady once again. “How can we repay you for your help? For your silence?”

Hel let out a dark laugh. “I’ll tell you how we can repay him.” In the blink of an eye, Hel shoved his magical sword straight through Caliban’s chest. Layala squealed in shock, and then slapped her hand over her mouth. “You closed us in there on purpose. You tried to have us killed.”

“Hel, he got us out,” Layala whispered. “He—”