Roque’s sword was halfway out of its sheath before he caught himself.Yakim’s hold on him was painful, but Roque leaned into the pain.He needed it.He had to focus on what Berith wanted him to do, not what his instincts were screaming at him.His job had always been to protect his prince, but this time, he couldn’t.
“Yield,” Ramiel said, clearly ready to continue fighting.
Berith looked up at him.Blood trickled between his fingers, dripping on the floor.For a moment, Roque thought the prince might surrender, but Berith couldn’t.It wouldn’t only mean his death.It would mean the death and probably torture of everyone in the palace, including Mel and Cyarea.
Berith smiled, showing his fangs, and Roque remembered why he loved and admired his friend so much.
“Never,” Berith said.
He attacked.
Chapter Thirteen
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THE TUNNELS WERE QUIETagain.Dimri moved forward, raising clouds of dust with every step he took.His eyes strained to pick out details in the near-absolute darkness, but they hadn’t reached the enemy yet.His team was behind him and moved in almost complete silence.
They’d left Jorik and Thorne with the palace guards at the entrance of the tunnels, but they’d had no choice but to return to the tunnels.They couldn’t afford to ignore that the danger wasn’t over yet.
“How many more do you think?”Vex whispered.
“There’s no way to know.Too many, if I have to guess.”Dimri paused and listened.He could hear the sounds of battle from above their heads, but he couldn’t afford to think about what was happening in the palace.“They’ll know we’re here now, so we can’t afford to let them regroup.”
“Something’s moving ahead of us,” Keth whispered.
They fell silent but didn’t stop moving.They couldn’t.
They approached carefully.The tunnel opened into one of the old storage chambers Dimri had spent a lot of time in when he was younger and new to the palace.He’d felt safe in the circular room because it had multiple exits and because people didn’t seem to know it existed.
Dimri was thinking about how he and his team should move when he heard a voice he recognized.“I told you they knew about the tunnels.You should’ve listened to me.”The demon spoke with authority, even though she’d only ever been a maid.Dimri wondered what the demon she was scolding thought of that.
The spy they’d captured a few days ago had been released.Dimri wondered who had done it and how they’d gotten to the cells.Was there another spy in the palace, or had one of Ramiel’s demons somehow managed to find one of the tunnels that led to the cells?It was a possibility.The tunnels snaked under the palace, covering almost all of its surface.
“You’re not the one giving orders here, Thessia,” another demon growled.“Ramiel is, and he was clear.I could tell him what you think he should have done if you want.”
Dimri exchanged glances with his team.He didn’t care much about what happened to Thessia, but they couldn’t allow any of these demons to reach out to Ramiel or one of his underlings.Ramiel was no doubt busy fighting Berith right now, but he had a second in command.
He signaled his team to get in position and leaned closer to the entrance to the room.He could see five demons there, one of which was Thessia.She had a short knife in her hand, but she didn’t look like she was about to use it.Pity.It would make Dimri’s work easier.
“We need to leave the tunnels,” Thessia said.“Before everything comes down on us.”
“No one is going anywhere,” the demon standing in front of her said.“We still need to place the explosives.”
Dimri frowned.He’d assumed that Ramiel was planning on taking over the palace if he won, but it didn’t sound like it.Instead, it sounded like he’d destroy it, no doubt after killing everyone inside.
Even if Berith won—and Dimri had to believe that he would—the explosives would be there.That meant that he and his team had to put a stop to this before someone got hurt.It would be dangerous, though.It sounded like the enemy soldiers still had the explosives, and they might decide to use them if they were attacked.
What would Roque do?Dimri knew the answer to that question.Roque would go in hard and fast, trusting his strength and his skill.He wouldn’t stop to plan.He wouldn’t hesitate.
Maybe it was time to try that approach.Dimri felt he’d spent enough time with him to be able to do that.He drew one of his knives out and stepped into the room without giving himself time to think about it.If he did, he’d stop, and he didn’t think that would be useful right now.
“Hello, Thessia,” he drawled.Hereallywanted to find out who’d let her out.If there was another spy or even just an ally, Dimri would need to root them out.
Thessia turned toward him, her yellow eyes going wide.She seemed frozen after that, but she was the only one.The demons with her reached for their weapons, and the one who’d been talking to her pushed her hard against the wall to get her out of the way.Dimri doubted he was doing it to save her.No, he seemed more bothered with trying to get to Dimri.
He charged Dimri with a roar.Normally, Dimri would have eluded the demon, maybe drawn him toward the rest of his team, but instead, he met him head-on.
He sank his knife into the demon’s throat before the demon’s sword got close enough to hurt him.The demon went down instantly, leaving a place for the other three.The one right behind the dead demon hesitated, and it cost him his life.Keth’s claws opened his chest before he could even scream.
