Nonsense. We would have been fine. I would have ripped out his throat long before you died.
Tate ignored the over confident dragon as she sent Ryu a reassuring look. Reluctantly, he retracted his claws, though he still watched Tyne the way a predator would prey he’d dearly love to kill. Not that it bothered the other man.
Tyne didn’t even bother wiping his neck free of the blood before heading several feet into the tunnel. He stopped in front of a prone figure and nudged it with his toe. “I think I can guess what happened to your escort.”
The woman lay on her side, one arm cushioning her head. The other was pressed against her stomach in what must have been a vain attempt to keep herself from bleeding out. Blood covered her face and torso. So much of it that Tate couldn’t immediately see her features. It matted her hair to her head in a misshapen helmet and pooled under her body.
“Is she dead?” Dewdrop asked softly.
Tyne crouched and reached out to touch her wrist. After only a moment he stood and wiped his fingers on his clothes. “Very dead. I’m guessing as soon as the other two stepped out of the cell—if not before.”
Tate gave him a sharp look. “What makes you say that?”
He nodded at the tunnel. “This isn’t part of the old tunnel system. Look at the stone on the walls. There are tool marks. The tunnels the architects built are smooth, as if they came into being that way. A tunnel like this one would have taken weeks to carve out and the one you call Peter has been in there with us for a good chunk of that time.”
Tate didn’t ask how he knew so much about the tunnels and their architects. From the way he spoke, it sounded like he’d studied them extensively—or at least spent considerable time in them. Most of what he said fit with what she knew.
For now, she focused on the more relevant part. “There’s no way Peter has been down here for weeks. I saw him last night when the Rift was breached.”
Tyne gave her an arrogant look. “I don’t know who you saw but it wasn’t him.”
“He could have walked out without the sentinels stopping him,” Dewdrop pointed out. “It’s not like they did anything to him this time.”
Tyne sneered. “Not without me noticing.”
Dewdrop frowned, looking like he was about to argue. Tate held up a hand to stop him. As much as she appreciated the sentiment, they didn’t have time to debate this any longer. They could discover the truth for themselves when they caught up to Peter and Christopher.
Tyne’s lips twisted as he glanced at Ryu. “What are your orders? Pursue or report the prison break.”
Ryu’s expression was contemplative as he glanced into the depths of the tunnel before considering Dewdrop.
Tate understood his concern. Like her, he was probably itching to hunt down the other two. The problem was Dewdrop’s injury. Taking him with them was a gamble. Same with sending him up the stairs alone since there was no telling if there were more sentinels or attackers waiting to ambush them on the levels above. With his arm injured, Dewdrop would have trouble defending himself.
Splitting up was also out. If they were to do that, they might as well give up right now. It’d be difficult to take the other two down with only one of them.
Then there was the issue of Tyne.
Tate suspected it’d be only a matter of time before he tried something. Better to consolidate their force so they’d have some chance of defending themselves if it came down to it.
“We’ll go after Christopher. Even if we were to report the escape now, the Lord Provost wouldn’t be able to rally his people in time,” Ryu said, sounding reluctant.
His somber gaze met Tate’s. She nodded to show she understood.
If not for her and how much she needed what was inside’s Christopher’s head, he would probably make a different decision.
“Alright, let’s not waste any more time here.” Dewdrop started for the tunnel.
Ryu settled a hand on his shoulder before he could get more than a few steps and steered him toward Tate. “Tyne will go first and then me. She’ll kill me if you get a scratch on your baby face.”
Dewdrop’s mouth popped open in outrage. “Hey! My face is much more mature now. I’ve even started growing a beard.”
Tate and Ryu paused to give him identical expressions of disbelief.
“It’s true.” Dewdrop said defensively.
Tate grabbed his chin, turning his face this way and that as she studied his jaw. “I’d like to see this so-called beard. Can you point it out to me? All I see is a bunch of baby smooth skin.”
“Here. It’s right here.” Dewdrop pointed to a spot along his jawline. Tate squinted but still didn’t see anything. Making an irritated sound in the back of his throat, Dewdrop planted a hand on her face and shoved her away before hurrying several steps into the tunnel. “You don’t need to verify it. It’s there.”
