He felt the weight of her words press heavily on his shoulders. “Perhaps that was foolish of me…” Fane could never have expected something like this would happen. Perhaps he should have been more realistic, considering the things they’d already had to sacrifice. But he honestly believed he could take out Alston and bring all of his people home safely. Hope could be a foolish guide. Fane didn’t drop his gaze, though he wanted to as he faced the high fae’s scrutiny and judgment.
“Hope is never foolish.” Lucian spoke up. “Hope helps us run into danger instead of away from it. How many times did your father tell you that those of us who can face the evil in the world must do it? We must be the ones to face what others cannot. Sometimes that means running headlong into a mountain with the possibility of never leaving.”
“Okay, that’s not the advice I would have given.” Peri glanced at her mate. “Because there is averyreal possibility that wewon’tmake it out of here.”
“What are our lives compared to that of thousands upon thousands of humans and other supernaturals unable to fight back?” Lucian challenged. “I’m not saying I like it or that I’m okay with it. I’m saying that we knew what we signed up for when we decided this was our path.”
“For some of us”—Synica looked at Fane, her eyes soft—“the possibility of death is easier to accept because we have lived very long lives. But this should not be your fate, Fane. Your life, your rule, is only just beginning. This cannot be your end. I won’t allow it.”
“That”—Peri pointed at the djinn—“is the attitude we need to have, mate. Not this martyr crap. We will not go out quietly under thousands of pounds of rubble. I’ve already been there and done that. It sucks.”
Fane looked at Synica. “What do you suggest?”
“I’m still working on that.” She tapped her chin.
Fane tried to reach out to his mate again, but he still couldn’t get past whatever it was Alston had done in order to bind his power. Fane could communicate with his wolf, but he couldn’t draw on his beast’s power.
“Have I mentioned lately how much I utterly loathe Alston?” Peri folded her arms in front of her.
We have to figure a way out of this. Fane’s wolf rumbled in his mind. The beast sounded frantic, but it was holding itself together.We will, Fane told him. He wouldn’t let himself think of any other option. Like Synica said, he couldn’t let this be his end. That would mean the end for Jacquelyn as well. And their son would grow up without his parents.NO! His wolf snarled. Fane fought the despair that tried to drag him down. He couldn’t give up hope, no matter how foolish it might be. He had to hold on to the possibility that they wouldn’t die in this mountain.
* * *
Decebel moved cautiouslythrough the tunnel. His wolf didn’t enjoy being underground. It was meant for running full speed under a full moon. His beast wanted to turn back and run straight back into the night and figure out a way to draw their enemy out.
Elle scanned their surroundings. “Does it feel like these tunnels aren’t leading anywhere?”
They’d been walking for some time and had turned down several different passageways that only connected to other tunnels. They’d yet to encounter any enemies. The only sound was their feet crunching against the dirt on the ground as they marched.
“What is the point?” Sorin questioned. “Why would Alston build all these winding tunnels?”
“Maybe the stronghold is not simply Alston’s headquarters.” Clarion offered. “Perhaps the entire mountain itself is a trap.”
Decebel froze and turned to face the djinn elder. “Did you just consider that, or was it something that you could have mentionedbeforewe decided to rush headlong into the mountain of no return?”
“It never crossed my mind until now,” Clarion said quickly. “But if that is what Alston has done… Well, it’s brilliant.”
The beta turned back the way they’d come and picked up the pace. “We need to get out of here.” Decebel tried to reach out to Fane through the alpha bond, but something blocked him. “Sorin,” he yelled back, “can you reach Fane’s mind?”
The other wolf didn’t respond for several seconds before saying, “No. Something is in the way.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means something is seriously wrong, Disir.” Decebel growled. He turned down another corridor.
“This isn’t the way we came,” Sorin called out.
“We’re going to look for Fane and his group before we find our way out. If we don’t find them in an hour, then we’ll leave. It could be they’ve made it outside and somehow the mountain is keeping us from communicating.”
“That would also be clever of Alston,” Disir said. “To set a supernatural booby trap that nullifies the supernatural powers of others.”
Elle tossed out a ball of light. It crashed into the wall, causing debris to fall to the ground. “But my power still works.”
Clarion looked thoughtful. “It could be directed toward only certain types of power.”
“It doesn’t matter. Let’s just find Fane and get out of here.” Decebel kept running. There was no point in discussing what had happened right now.
Just as they rounded another corner, Decebel heard a whistling sound. “Duck!” He hit the ground with a thud. He heard the others behind him do the same.
