Page 59

“No.” He paused. “There is, however, an unnatural heaviness about a mile in. The stone around it is not responding.”

“A mile huh?” Lugh said. “I’ve done worse.”

“As long as there’s no bats,” I muttered. “I can’t handle bats.”

Cynwrig pushed away from the rock and flexed his fingers. “I thought it was only rats you hated?”

“Bats are just winged rats, in case you didn’t know.”

“No,” Mathi said. “That’s pigeons.”

I snorted and returned my gaze to the cave. “If we’re ready to go in, I’ll call down the sword.”

“Why can’t you leave it circulating until we discover if there’s a forge or not?” Lugh said. “It’d probably be safer.”

“Probably, but I’m not sure what sort of control, if any, I’ll have over the wind that deep underground.”

Lugh nodded and motioned me to proceed. I pulled on my silver-lined protective gloves, then raised a hand and called to my storm, asking her to release the sword into the wind’s grasp and deliver it to me.

Black metal arrowed down, accompanied by a high-pitched scream of fury wrapped in the wind. The sword, expressing its displeasure.

It had barely slapped into my hand when the mage attacked.

ChapterSeven

The wind roared around us,so loud it sounded like a jet plane. Air tore at the sword in my hands, trying to wrench it from my grasp. I held on tight, countering the invisible fingers of wind with my own, tearing them off my skin and the weapon as fast as they were placed.

Thunder rolled, a deep and resonant sound of displeasure, and lightning split the sky, striking the earth not far from where we were standing. Stone and dust flew skyward, and the fierce air swept toward us, the sharp shards tearing into our clothes and cutting flesh.

I raised a hand, trying to counter, trying to create a shield of wind to at least ease the force of the mage’s attack but as soon as it was created, it was torn apart.

As we would be if we didn’t find shelter soon.

“The cave,” I shouted. “We need to get inside the cave.”

My words were torn from my lips and tossed away, but Cynwrig obviously had the same thought. He lunged for the cave’s mouth, pressed a hand against the side wall, and forced the rock apart to give us greater access.

“In,” he shouted. “I’ll seal it once—”

He got no further. A whirlwind caught him, raised him, and tossed him away. As I sent air chasing after him with the order to cushion his fall, Mathi was yanked off his feet and tossed in the opposite direction. I sent more wind after him.

Then Lugh rose.

I wasn’t going to lose my brother. No way, no how.

I jumped forward, wrapped my arms around his legs, and caught the edges of the mage’s whirlwind, sending it spinning away. My own wind swept in under it and I quickly arrowed us into the fissure.

Too fast, too high.

We crashed into a wall six or so feet in, slid along it for several more, and then fell in a tangled and bloody mess on the ground. The sword slithered from my grip and skidded toward the entrance almost of its own accord. I swore, detangled myself, and lunged after it.

But just as my fingers touched the hilt, the whirlwind picked it up and tore it skyward.

I sent wind chasing after it, but it was already too late. The mage, his storm, and the sword had all disappeared.

I punched the ground in frustration. All that did was bruise my hand. I turned and scrambled back on hands and knees to Lugh. He was conscious and sitting up, but more than that I couldn’t say because I couldn’t see. I swung my pack around, dug inside for the headlamp, and put it on. Given I’d crashed on top of my pack, it was a damn miracle the thing even worked. Its bright beam chased the immediate darkness away, revealing the tunnel’s rough walls and the odd patches of moss that hung from the ceiling and dripped down the walls.

Just the sort of place bats loved.