Alex’s voice was in my mind for a moment, reminding me to hit that third button on the side three times.
Light flared around me, and I had to blink because it was so blinding after the darkness. When my eyes finally adjusted, I was surprised to see that I was in a hallway much like the one I’d walked out of in the school, just a little darker, with stone rather than brick and paneling.
Curious, and burning to know where Nolan and Jordan had gone, I started down the long corridor only to find it end in a steep staircase. I hurried down it, counting the steps--one hundred and seven--then found another short corridor, followed by another staircase. An entire labyrinth probably existed here, hidden deep beneath the school, and when I finally reached a fork in the road, I knew there was no way I was going to find the guys on my own.
I ran through my options, dismissing them one by one, until I was left with what I thought was probably the best one. The best but still not great.
Ugh.
Lifting the device that had provided me with light, I scrolled through to Nolan’s number.
I need your help.I typed quickly.Stuck in tunnel you used and don’t know which way to go at the fork.
Sweat trickled across my brow, and it wasn’t because it was hot in here. My nerves were getting the best of me. What if there was no service or connection down here between palm readers? What if I was lost in here forever, or at least three days before I died from dehydration.
“Violet!”
His low voice just about sent me through the ceiling, but I thankfully managed not to scream. “Nolan,” I gasped, pressing a hand to my chest. “You could have given a girl some warning.”
His glare looked even more ominous than normal with shadows coating half of his face.
“What the fuck are you doing in here?” he hissed. “If someone had seen you…”
I snorted. “Uh, you’re in here, and judging by the wound you got last time, you’re in more danger than I am.”
Nolan reached out and hauled me closer, and then a second later, a black cloth was draped over my head, blocking my vision for a second before I found the eye holes.
“What?” I garbled, shifting the material until the mouth hole lined up as well and I could speak clearly. “What is this?”
For once, Nolan looked dead serious as he held me tightly, his hands wrapped around my biceps. “You have no idea what you’ve stumbled into, new girl,” he murmured. “And since I don’t trust you not to follow me again, and possibly find even more danger, you’re staying by my side.”
Yanking a similar black mask over his own face, Nolan reached out and took my hands. “Stay close to me; don’t say a word. Thank god you’re wearing black and will blend. ”
Of course, the moment someone told me not to say a word, I wanted to say them all. Starting with “Why do you have two masks?” Maybe he’d grabbed one after I messaged him. Or maybe he was just really really prepared.
Nolan started to lead me through the network of tunnels, and I shook my head as we took one turn after another after another. I would never have found this on my own.
“How do you know the way?” I finally whispered, pressing close to his back. His hard muscles stiffened even further, and I backed up a little in case I was making him uncomfortable.
Nolan spun and, taking my face in his hands, he tilted it up so I was almost looking at the ceiling. “See those white arrows?” he said, voice right beside my ear.
It took me a second, but I found the small white arrow pretty easily. “You follow the white arrows from Arbon. The other colors are for different starting locations.”
He started moving again, and this time he was pressing into me, herding me along in front of him. Now that I’d been shown the arrows, it was easy to spot them, and I no longer needed directions.
The noise hit me before anything else, and as we rounded another turn, there was a huge burst of light allowing me to turn off my palm reader. Nolan switched our positions one more time, blocking me from view.
“Remember what I said, new girl,” he said, so low I could barely hear him. “Never show your face, and don’t say a word to anyone.”
“Got it,” I shot back.
I was no longer paying attention to him, though, because a sound was distracting me. The sound of steel on steel, weapons clashing together. The sound sent a thrill of excitement through me. My fingers itched and flexed as I let myself get lost in the moment. It had been so long.
Too freaking long.
I’d thought I would lose my mind without the release of fighting, but maybe, just maybe, I was going to find it here in Arbon.
“Are you fighting tonight?” I asked Nolan, and even though he was wearing a mask, I knew that he was glaring at me as his head shot around.
