Varren knew the way without hesitation or doubt, as if he had traveled it many times…even though he had probably never crossed through this forest from this direction. Fate pulled him back to where he’d escaped his worst nightmare.
Finally, he came to a stop before a cave entrance, chest heaving despite their walk being a relatively easy pace.
Eira rested her hand on his shoulder, patting it once. “Thank you for getting us here. You should go through the forest to the town. Get a ship ready for us.”
“I’ll take you inside.” His voice quivered.
“You’ve taken us far enough,” Eira said gently but firmly. “We’re going to need that boat for when Adela comes to collect us by dusk tomorrow.” She let her eyes drift to Lavette, hoping the woman heard her.
Go. If we’re not back. Go and get yourselves home, was what Eira was really saying.
Lavette must have heard. “Thank you,” she whispered. Then, stronger, to Varren, “I think Eira is right. And since she’s letting us make our choices, I think we should go.”
Varren still lingered. “Are you sure?”
He wanted to go. It was in his tone. His eyes. The way he held himself. But he still forced himself to stay. Varren must have been one of the bravest people Eira had ever had the pleasure of knowing.
“I am. We’ll be fine,” she said.
“That way.” He pointed. “Head straight and don’t look back. You’ll get to the town without issue. We’ll meet you all there.”
She smiled and nodded one last time before the two went off into the woods.
“You sure that was wise?” Ducot asked softly. “He knows these tunnels.”
“We have you and the most talented groundbreaker I know. We have a man who can sense the slightest of breezes. And my skills with ice. I’m not worried about navigating through a tunnel or sneaking through these mines.” Eira exuded confidence. She didn’t want her friends to be afraid or worried. The last thing they needed was hesitation. “So let’s go.”
“Now? Do you want to wait for nightfall?” Cullen asked.
Eira shook her head. “I might not be worried about navigating the tunnels, but I also know it might not be fast to do so. I’d rather get through and then stay hidden until night than risk being held up and emerging at dawn.”
“Seems sensible,” Alyss agreed.
“Alyss, you take the lead. I’ll be right behind you. If I need to widen your channel again, I can.”
“It’d be magnificent if you could do it permanently.” Alyss batted her eyelashes.
Eira chuckled. “Perhaps someday.” Adela could maintain sorcery across the known world with little more than a thought. Perhaps it would be possible for Eira to one day pin a channel open—or closed—with little more than her mind. “But I’m not there yet.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
“Ducot, you’ll be behind me. If we need you to scout ahead, you can get between our feet and then take front,” Eira decided. “Cullen, the rear.”
Alyss fearlessly led the charge into the vine-curtained and damp cave. It was cramped and impossible to walk anything more than single file. The tunnel pitched down, and very quickly all light vanished.
“I’m going to make a sort of railing in the wall,” Alyss said. She quickly lowered her voice as it echoed across the cramped space around them. “That way, when we have to rush back, we can use it as a guide.”
“Good thinking,” Cullen praised from the back.
Running her hands along the walls—her right in the divot Alyss was making and the other flat against the opposite wall—Eira sent her ice skittering over the rock with her left hand, quickly evaporating it so it didn’t interfere with anyone else’s power. She could feel the other pushes and pulses of magic as her friends worked to get their bearings. Alyss moved slowly andmethodically. The ground beneath them groaned and shifted as she smoothed out any tripping hazards without risking the overall integrity of the cave.
Eventually, they reached a fork in the path. As they came to a stop, the sound of their breathing was loud in the deafening, cramped silence of the cave. All their magic continued to pulse.
“Thoughts?” Eira whispered when it seemed like everyone had stopped their inspection.
“We’re too deep, still. I can’t sense any fresh air,” Cullen said.
“Ithinkthe vibrations are coming more from the right,” Alyss reported.
