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This would have been the perfect time to have a pair of wings.

Then suddenly, I remembered something. “The tunnel!”

“What tunnel?” Jeddak asked, furrowing his brow.

“One of the servant girls told me about a tunnel that runs underneath the wall.”

“Who? That girl Sable? You’re going to trust the person who helped the commanderpoisonyou?” His tone was incredulous.

His words hit me like a punch to the gut. Of course, Sable had made the tea. She would have complied with anything to keep her brother safe. I didn’t blame her—I would have done the same for Hen—but I couldn’t help feeling a bit betrayed.

“That doesn’t mean she was lying about the tunnel,” I argued. Though, now there was a part of me that wondered if it was some kind of trap.

“If she knew about it, you don’t think she would be long gone from here by now? Believe me, Kah and I have searched almost every inch of this city and never come across a secret tunnel.”

“I’m sorry, do you have a better plan? Because I?—”

The sound of guards approaching outside silenced me. Jeddak caught my arm and pulled me away from the stable door. The bear followed, his immense size causing the horses to shrinkback in their stalls, fright shining in their glossy eyes. Only one horse held its head fearlessly over the stall door. I watched as Jeddak pointed his finger at it. “I’m warning you. Not a sound. Not one sound.”

The black horse shook its head in protest and snorted loudly.

“Blazen beast,” Jeddak muttered under his breath. “No loyalty.”

My pulse raced as we waited for our hiding place to be discovered. I eyed the bear. Even if Jeddak and I could slip past the guards on patrol, they were bound to notice a giant Kovak bear stalking past. “You wouldn’t happen to have bought a spell to change your friend here into something smaller? Like a mouse? Or a chipmunk?” I whispered to Jeddak.

Kah’s low growl vibrated the rafters. Gooseflesh trailed up my arms, and the horses whined.

Jeddak shot me a sideways glance. “Try not to make him mad, k'da?”

Iwas the one who was going to be mad when the guards spotted his furry friend and dragged all three of us back to the mines. “Fine, but how are the three of us going to sneak past the guards to get to the tunnel?”

“There’s no tunnel!” Jeddak snapped, setting his jaw. He seemed irritated with me like I was the one who’d asked for his help. “We’re going to have to fight our way out of the gate.”

That was a death sentence. By the tight expression on his face, he knew it.

This was the closest I’d ever come to freedom, and I wasn’t going to have it ruined by these wayward companions. Never mind what I’d thought about sticking with these guys. If they wanted to face down Malengard’s armies, they were on their own.

Jeddak moved to the workbench against the wall and picked through the tools, slinging a coiled rope over his shoulder andpocketing a few other things. The bear was peering out a crack in the wall on the far side of the stables.

I scanned the area outside the back door. The guards were out of sight now.

Without looking back, I threw open the latch and ran.

20

Jeddak

“Um, Jeddak—” Kah started.

I looked over my shoulder to see the stable door swinging open in the wind. Raven was gone.

“Blazenhell,” I muttered, abandoning the workbench and taking off after her.Why did the only map I needed in all of Eastlandra have to be tied to this girl who clearly hated me?I felt like the goddess was playing a joke on me. Or maybe Sal Sahteene was.

Raven was heading away from the tower, thank the skies. A part of me was afraid she might go running back to Bloodbain.I love him. I’m not leaving him. Bain. Bain!Her words from last night echoed in my skull, rubbing on the edges of my nerves.

That wasn’t the only thing bothering me. From what I’d read, Zaviens didn’t need tunnels. Why was she adamant about finding this tunnel if she could use her magic to fly over the wall to freedom? Something wasn’t right, but there wasn’t time to think about it.

The cold air pumped through my lungs as I sped after her, keeping to the shadows of the scraggly pine trees along the perimeter wall. Kah was on my heels.