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Arianna

They zigzagged through the passages, running at breakneck speed, everyone following her as she made her way through the halls and back up the stairs. Alarms blared in the distance.

It was the very sound they’d feared might signal their capture and defeat. Now it was a countdown to destruction.

Arianna wasn’t certain exactly what had happened. She only knew her magic had been digging into the earth for some time. She wondered if the creature within her, Laoise, had known about the fire that rested within the earth.

She gritted her teeth. A lot of good it’d done. Even if they destroyed Ashling, they still had Vairik to contend with. And that was if they even got out of here alive.

Talon had moved Ellie onto his shoulder. Someone else had slipped an iron bracelet around her wrist. Saoirse was nearly running on her own, though her limp was heavy. Even so, she looked more determined than any of them.

Arianna faced forward, refusing to meet The Demon’s gaze.

Fae ran in all directions, scarcely passing them a glance as they sprinted down the halls, carrying things they deemed important enough to risk their lives for. She wondered if Vairik would punish them for leaving the items behind.

The ground rumbled beneath her feet and Arianna nearly tripped but righted herself again. Emotion welled in her throat and she clenched her teeth knowing the Fae they hadn’t rescued were all about to meet a gruesome end. She wondered how far it would spread, if the slaves she’d vowed to rescue would be caught up in it too.

They ran up another level and she nearly breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing sunlight through the far window. An explosion echoed from behind. The walls splintered and several cracks raced along the stones. A blast of heat surged from down the hall, nearly knocking Arianna off her feet again. She saw The Demon grab Saoirse’s arm, keeping her upright as they continued running.

Arianna pushed faster and scented The Demon’s magic at work as he held the walls up around them. She didn’t know why she’d saved him, nor why he bothered helping at all. He’d rendered her little sister unconscious and hadn’t killed her, almost as if he cared. Her magic had reacted of its own accord, reaching out for him as if he were something it desperately needed. Maybe their survival depended on it.

Now wasn’t the time to ponder his reasons. Not when a portion of the ceiling crumpled before her. The Demon’s magic shot out again, holding the rest of it up as she jumped around the fallen stones. Arianna glanced behind her for a brief moment just to ensure everyone followed.

She continued toward the sunlight, then a wave of molten rock exploded from around the corner ahead. Arianna skidded to a halt, throwing her magic down the hall to stop it in its path. She could already feel the scorching heat.

The Demon slammed his hand through the stone to their left, opening a new path. Sweat poured down the sides of his face as he met her gaze again before jumping through. They all followed, racing forward as they jumped through wall after crumbling wall.

She kept knocking chunks of it away, determined to keep herself and her friends safe.

They kept running, kept pushing. Arianna dodged around another piece, then the entire ceiling came down around her. She used her magic to quickly shove Talon and Ellie out of the way, then something slammed into her back. Her chin hit the floor, her leg cracked, and Arianna didn’t even have time to scream before her world went black.