Page 36

Jude

The boy is a thorn in my side…and yet I cannot help but respect him. I often equate him to a little brother, although our relationship is, at most times, strained. I want him to succeed. Maddox is a worthy soul. If only he’d realize that, too.

Unmailed letter from the capital of Sciona to unknown recipient, year unknown

It was well into the next day when we reached an impasse.

This particular tunnel was unlike all the others, filled with jutting levers and odd hooks, the passage considerably narrower than the ones before.

The walls were veined in red, the glaring streaks marring the white marble. Crushed bones were scattered throughout, the only trace of the explorers that had ventured this far and failed. The farther we went, the fewer remains we had found.

It wasn’t a good sign.

“I say we send Ki and her shadows in first,” Jake said, earning a glower from Liam.

“How kind of you, Jake,” Kiara said with a sigh. “I so adore being used as the battering ram.”

I interrupted before Jake could open his mouth and damn himself further. “Something is off about this one.” My insides warmed, seeming to confirm my hesitation. “I…I have a feeling her shadows aren’t going to cut it.”

“Could it be a puzzle?” Liam scanned the route with keen interest.

“You and your puzzles.” Kiara ruffled her brother’s hair, Liam swatting at her hands. “But no. I think this is the final section before we reach the palace, and I doubt the Moon God would play fair and provide rules.”

From what I’d pieced together, the placement of the various levers didn’t have any rhyme or reason. There were no obvious crevices in the stone, and everything flowed seamlessly together.

“Standing here is wasting time we don’t have.” Kiara traveled forward, making it three steps before Emelia huffed and trailed after.

A line formed, all of us placing our feet exactly where Kiara stepped, mindful of any creaking sounds or shift in the air. Not even a wind blustered.

Kiara’s darkness soared ahead, caressing the stones, pressing at the levers with care. Nothing fired at her or sliced off her head, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t gritting my teeth and clenching my fists.

She can handle her own , I reminded myself, but it took considerable effort to keep the protests from leaving my lips. Caring about someone would be the death of me. Not gods or magic or sinister temples. Just a girl who’d bewitched me. What a way to die.

Halfway through, Kiara twisted around, smiling as though she’d been gifted a fresh cup of coffee. She waved about the passage and said, “See, nothing is happening—”

The floor shifted. Moved.

Lifted .

Liam shrieked as the patch of ground he stood upon launched straight into the air, faster than a hawk in flight. His cries echoed as the three-foot slab climbed higher and higher, and the flailing lad did everything he could to stay balanced, to keep from teetering off the precarious ledge.

At the back of our procession, I could only watch as Kiara rushed in his direction. I screamed her name a second before the ground in front of her dropped .

Time froze as the marble split and a cloud of snowy dust choked my lungs. Kiara dove to the right, grasping at the smooth wall and narrowly avoiding slipping into the growing crevice.

Suffocating fear made a home amidst my heating magic. That had been far too close, and I immediately regretted allowing her to lead, however insolent that made me.

Every muscle ached to move. To do anything but stand still, watching uselessly.

Observe, then act.

It was what Isiah ingrained in me, but fuck if I didn’t want to dive headfirst for Kiara and damn the consequences. I had to remind myself I’d be no good to her if I triggered another snare and fell to my death.

As I inched toward Kiara, the earth beneath Finn and Emelia rumbled. Dimitri wrapped his arms around the pair, holding on tight as the slab of stone they stood on lifted, rising higher than Liam’s platform.

“Stay where you are!” I shouted, seeking a way out of this mess. Again, I couldn’t discern any grooves or seams on the ground and the walls—

Wait.

I made out nearly imperceptible holes, no larger than the size of a pea. And of course, every member of our group was stationed before one.

“Update?” Emelia barked from her position above. She gripped Finn’s torso for dear life, Dimitri practically a human band of steel around them.

They had about three feet to work with, and Finn was a large man. It wouldn’t be long before one of them went plummeting off the side.

“There are sensors in the wall,” I said calmly, more so than I actually felt. I donned the role I’d grown familiar with, shoving down the panic battling to break free.

Poring over the slats for signs of additional hidden triggers, I gingerly crept forward. “I’m not sure how they work, but they don’t seem to be triggered by Kiara’s shadows.”

“That’s not very helpful,” Jake groused. “Any good news, Commander? Or are we all just winging it here? Because as someone who typically enjoys winging it, I can say with all confidence I’d prefer not to at the moment.”

“I second that!” Liam shouted.

Kiara had gone rigid, but her eyes…they were wide and shifting in every direction.

I recognized that look. It both thrilled and terrified me.

“I have an idea,” she shouted, a spark of cunning igniting her gaze.

“Hurry!” Liam griped. “You know I hate heights.”

She gave him a pointed look. “You’re like six feet off the ground—”

“Not the point.”

She studied the rest of the corridor as her shadows rolled off her shoulders in black waves. Her magic slithered ahead, lingering before each sensor, endeavoring to activate the next trap. When nothing happened, she squeezed her lids tight in concentration, her nose wrinkling. I watched with pride as her shadows spun with a golden sheen. A soft heat entered the space, and I recognized Raina’s gift working alongside her darkness.

With my enchanted sight, I noted how her breathing turned erratic, her pulse point thumping wildly.

An ominous click sounded. The floor below her outstretched magic collapsed, a gaping abyss at least five feet in width blocking the path to the temple.

“I think it’s activated by warmth. Body heat!” She grinned, the gold in her shadows flaring in triumph.

Gods, my girl is brilliant.

“Yay.” Jake groaned, his body trembling against the wall he leaned on. I made my way to him, slowly , and peered over the rift. There didn’t appear to be a bottom…or not one I could make out.

Kiara’s combined magic snaked out and through the hall, each burning tendril swaying from side to side as she concentrated on using the foreign fire of a goddess. Her arms trembled with exertion, all of her attention aimed at commanding her newfound abilities. It truly was a sight to behold, and the scar across my chest fluttered pleasantly.

An arrow whooshed into the air.

It flew through her black and gilded clouds and struck the stone with a resounding ping. Three more arrows blasted free, all clanging harmlessly against the opposite wall. The next sensor she triggered shook the entire cavern, and I realized too late what was happening.

“No!” she screamed, her head twisting my way.

The walls were closing in . Moving to crush us. We wouldn’t have time to trip all the sensors safely. We didn’t have time to be careful.

We had to move. Now .

No longer hesitating, I sprinted to Liam’s swaying platform and offered him my hand. Jake cautiously peeled away from the wall he leaned against, and ran to Emelia and her men, his movements jerky and panicked.

Together, we worked as one unit, communicating only with our eyes. Fear had united us, but it would not lead to our defeat.

I opened my arms wide and allowed my thrashing magic to take the reins.

It did so eagerly.

A shimmering light bled from my skin, my entire frame glowing like my mind was sharpening with painful focus. Every muscle burned as energy tore through me, and the more it saturated my blood, the brighter the passage became, my body emanating light like a star in the night sky.

Whatever we’d soon face, I would be ready.

Jake’s eyes flashed to me, the blue of his stare sparkling under the blanket of my power.

His lips parted, but his hands never faltered, steadying Emelia as she descended from the platform. Finn came next, trailed by Dimitri, who required the encouragement of all three in order to take their hands and make the leap.

It was chaos. The marble walls fractured as they slid closer together, stealing the precious space we’d need to make a run for the next corridor and to safety. From what I could see, the walls were solidly in place, only this hall working as a trap.

With Kiara on the other side of the gap, I was the closest to Liam, and his only chance of survival. My muscles burned as I ran toward him. I threw out a hand when I was near enough, ignoring how his hesitation upset me.

“Take it!” I commanded, struggling to snatch his shaking hand. His platform never ceased trembling, and it rocked uneasily back and forth, making it impossible for him to gain secure footing.

“I can’t!” He squeezed his eyes as if he might shut out the world. “I’m going to fall. I—”

“You’ll die if you don’t move,” I said roughly. My body pulsated in time with my heartbeat, time dangerously ticking by.

Strength infused me, a rush of adrenaline I used to shove at the wall closest to me. It halted, even moving back an inch or so.

Gritting my teeth, I said, “Either jump or be crushed to death. But decide now.”

Immediately, Liam lowered to a crouch on weak knees. Letting go of the wall, I took my shot, leaping to snatch his wrist. With a hard yank, I brought him down. Before we collided with the stone, I propelled us into a roll, using my body to take the brunt of the fall as I cradled him. Liam landed on my chest with a muffled grunt.

“The walls are getting closer!” Kiara urged, her shadows spiraling out from her back, her face twisted with anxiety. She stood across the splintered rock, waving us on, shouting for her brother and me to run.

The passage was tapering, closing in at a much faster pace, leaving but a few feet on either side. Footsteps pounded at my back, the others running to catch up. With Liam’s hand in mine, I navigated the traps that had already been set off.

When the chasm lay before us, I brought Liam to a stuttering halt. Even with my added light, I couldn’t make out the bottom.

“You better jump with me this time,” I threatened, and Liam made a distressed sound of protest.

I squeezed his clammy hand in mine and took the leap, compelling him to follow. His echoing scream pierced my eardrums, his grip painful.

We landed gracelessly on the other side, both of us tumbling, scrambling for purchase. I heaved him to his feet as the walls groaned, taunting us with those final inches of life. Another foot had been lost.

Emelia nimbly bounded across the gap, and Dimitri and Finn joined her, though Dimitri lost his balance, sending himself careening into Jake. I heard a distant crack.

“After me!” Kiara was sprinting, her shadows leading by only a couple of feet. More arrows flew as the end neared. We were almost safe, nearly out of harm’s way—

Arrow after arrow fired in front of Kiara. Each glistening point whirled by mere inches from her face, and I swore I died every time.

All I could do was hold on to Liam. He fought with me, braving his fear and struggling to reach his sister as he neared the corridor. But he wasn’t fast enough.

When he stumbled, I leaned down and dug my shoulder into his stomach. Heaving him up and over my back, I continued racing against time.

Three feet of room remained, the walls once again picking up speed. After lunging into the connecting hall, I gently lowered Liam and whipped around. My light washed across Emelia as she dove forward, safe.

The walls scraped at Finn’s broad shoulders as he wriggled to safety. His linen-clad arms grew dark with blood, the smell of copper potent.

“Dimitri!” Finn called out from the protection of the adjoining tunnel. He screamed into the darkness. “Where are you, mate?”

He should’ve been here by now. Had he tripped? Did a rogue arrow hit him?

With my blazing sight brightening the dim tunnel, I finally spotted a slim form limping through a cloud of dust, his foot dragging behind his body.

Shit . I thought I had heard the sound of a bone snap a minute before.

“Dimitri’s injured,” I said numbly, rushing to the closing walls and attempting to pry them open, just as I’d shoved the wall back when rescuing Liam. This time, my magic waned, the power running low. Sweat slid down my forehead as I grunted with effort, but the stone refused to stop. If anything it felt like they were moving faster.

Without warning, Dimitri stopped .

He stopped running, and…stood there, staring straight ahead, straight at me, the remains of my magic casting his gaunt face in an eerie glow. Chills raced down my spine when he began to whistle a familiar tune, the sound broken. Two tears dripped down his stubbled cheeks. Two tears for two souls lost.

He wasn’t giving up. He was accepting his fate. Dimitri wouldn’t have made it, even if he tried.

Kiara screamed as Dimitri was crushed, his eyes still upward, his lips forming names I couldn’t hear but knew. Bones crunched and blood sprayed , a macabre burst of red that would paint these walls for eternity. He never lowered his head.

With a heartbreaking thud, the passageway closed, sealed together without a crease.

The Fox collapsed to her knees, a soft keening sound leaving her. Finn grasped her shoulder, wetness in his eyes.

I prayed the man had returned to his lost family. Praying was all I could do.

The temple had finally taken a life, and I couldn’t help but sense it was hungry for more.