Zalira went to stand by her sister. “Did we know it catches on fire?”
“We don’t know anything about it,” Io said. “This is why you have to be flame-kissed, Lia. So you could wield the weapon and not be burned.”
The earth suddenly rumbled beneath our feet. We all held still, waiting, and it happened again. Louder this time. Coming from behind us.
Back near the entrance to the room, an entire piece of the cavern floor suddenly disappeared, crashing down.
“Time to go,” I said.
We all ran to the stairs, went up the steps, came to the landing, and turned ... but there was no door for us to get out. I put the goddess’s sword into my pack so that I’d have my hands free.
“But we got the sword!” Ahyana said. “I don’t understand.”
I pushed against the rock ceiling, but it wasn’t budging.
Suri elbowed her way to the front. She closed her eyes and said, “Dea Chthonia.”
The rocks above us shook and made a grinding noise. I didn’t understand why her magic was working now and I didn’t care. I put my hand on Suri’s arm. The rest of the adelphia did the same so that we were all powering her.
“It’s enchanted,” she said. “I can’t get it open.”
“You can do it,” Io said. “I believe in you.”
Suri nodded, groaning in pain as she somehow managed to tear the rocks apart, reforming them so that there was a hole large enough for us to escape through. Suri fell forward as she turned off her aspect. That had taken so much out of her.
“Dea Erinys,” I said. “Io! Go!”
I practically threw her up through the hole to safety. Zalira was next, and she was able to help pull people up as I pushed them to her. Suri was so exhausted that we had a hard time getting her on the ledge above.
“Lia!” Zalira offered me her hand and I jumped. Ahyana grabbed my other arm and they both pulled.
I had just gotten clear when the stairs fell apart, going down so far that we couldn’t see the bottom.
We all lay on the ground, breathing hard. Suri had passed out completely.
“Fortification potion,” I said to Io. She handed it to me and I drank it so that I could keep my strength up.
The one good thing was that we weren’t lost. We were standing on a mountainside, and from our vantage point, we could see the men on the ledge. I picked Suri up and carried her over my shoulder. We all began to walk down, making our way along what I presumed was the top of the cave.
Rokh flew overhead and he spotted us, flying down to tell the others that we were coming.
When we got to the cave entrance, I started handing people down to Xander. He took them quickly and then reached for me.
I turned off my aspect and fell into his arms. He held me tightly, speaking into my neck. “We felt that earthquake and I thought ...”
He had thought the worst.
“You were gone for hours,” he said.
We were? It had felt like half an hour, if that. “I’m back now.”
He held me like he wasn’t ever going to let me go again. And I adored the way that felt.
“Were you successful?” he asked as he released me.
I already missed his arms around me. “Yes. We got the sword. I want to show you but not out here. I’ll wait until we’re alone. Or until we get home.”
“Home?” He echoed the word, and there was a strain in his voice. I understood why.
