My hand landed on her shoulder. “This isnotyour fault. That asshole attacked you. If anyone is to blame, it’s him.”
Our friends appeared, and Andre pulled Diana into his arms.
Diana released a long breath. “All I know is that we need to move. I’m almost positive that the blade he cut me with was dipped in a turgeo potion.”
“Oh shit,” Sam whispered.
“Yeah. ‘Oh shit’ is right,” Diana agreed. “Especially considering where we are. If I don’t get the antidote in an hour or so, my whole body will swell. I won’t be able to fit through any exit holes if they’re the same diameter as the entrance ones.”
I didn’t question how she identified the potion. Diana excelled in Potions and Poisons, and had independent study with Professor Bane, who taught the subject at Spellcasters.
“We have to get going then,” I said, all too aware that now three fourths of my team was injured or ill. “Can you crawl?”
“I’ll try my damnedest,” Diana replied.
“I saw Francis escape out of an exit hole. It’s right over here.” I pointed to where I’d seen the vamp dive into the rock wall just as a scream emanated from one of the entrance tunnels.
Someone was in trouble.
My stomach clenched. I liked the other teams, but this was a competition. Plus, if we didn’t get Diana out of here fast, who knew what would become of her? I shivered, and not just from the persistent chill.
“Let’s go,” I said, making a choice. “Before anyone else catches up and clogs up the hole. I’ll lead.”
Andre pulled Diana to her feet and helped her to the exit.
I bent down, murmured an illumination spell, and peered inside. My insides chilled.Sweet holy universe, is it my imagination, or is this tunnel even tinier and darker than the first?
Another sound came from the opposite side of the cavern, and I gulped. Even if this was the smallest and blackest tunnel in existence, we didn’t have a choice. This was the way out. It had to be, or else Francis wouldn’t have taken it.
To bolster my willpower, I imagined that on the other side of this tunnel, light and fresh mountain air called to me. A spark of hope ignited within me, and using that as fuel, I crawled into the darkness.
The exit tunnel was largely identical to the entrance tunnel. Or at least, it was until about ten minutes in, when I encountered a freaking fork in the mountainside.
I did my best to hurl a ball of light down the fork to the right, but considering the cramped conditions, it didn’t make it that far. All I could see was darkness and more darkness. Everyone on my team trailed behind me, and could see even less.In that moment, I would have given anything for a shifter’s sense of smell, or a vampire’s keen eyesight. I bet the damn vamps could see the outside light from inside the cavern.
I never thought I’d think this, but being a witch sucks right now.
I paused for so long that Sam, who had been bringing up the rear, asked what was going on. Her voice wobbled, like she was terrified too. Realizing that sticking in one place wasn’t doing anyone a bit of good, I made an executive decision.
“Go left when you hit the fork! Pass it on!” I yelled, and was reassured to hear my words echoed down the line.
My hands and feet had long since gone numb from the cold, and my arms ached from all the scratches on them. Needing to reaffirm my strength, I ducked my head to turn inward as I crawled and began reciting my mantras.
You can do it.
You can do it.
You can—
My head collided with hard rock. “Ouch!” Rubbing my head, I extended my hand and bid the light in my palm to flare.
A solid wall of rock stood in front of me.
I’d run right into a dead end.
Tears filled my eyes. “No, no, no.”
Moving forward through the tiny-ass tunnel had been hard enough, but moving backward?
