I listened and pushed on. Following her into the dark tunnel, fighting against the instinct that was clawing inside of me to panic. To shut down.
Dark, tight places reminded me of before. And I swore I’d never go back there. Never even talk about it. Or even let myself think about it. I had to focus on the plan. No— I had to focus on my future. On Odessa.
“I think I can feel something,” Nat called from ahead. “It feels like– like a button.”
“Don’t push it—” I said, but a moment too late.
The entire area around us began to shake and then everything collapsed.
Chapter 22
Odessa
The floor slid out from underneath me, and I found myself tumbling down into a dusty tomb, entrapping me behind several large boulders and muffling the screams of Dex and Nat.
No, no, no! My fingers dug against the rough edges of the rocks, trying to claw my way out. But the bits of bone and rubble continued to slide and what little light there was snuffed out, plunging me into total darkness. My body ached from the fall, and a stinging sensation spread up my legs, letting me know that I was bleeding.
How could I get out of here?
My power surged inside me as soon as that thought crossed my mind, almost on instinct, pushing against the rockslide that threatened to bury me alive. I couldn’t tell if it was doing any good, but it was better than doing nothing.
My heart pounded like a drum was shoved behind my rib cage and sweat gathered along my brow. How long would it take for me to run out of oxygen? I’d expelled so much of my power yesterday saving myself and Dex that I didn’t know how much I still had in me. With minimal sleep and a shitty breakfast, I was feeling weak and run down.
Something scurried along the ground near my feet, making me shriek in terror. Was that a rat? Gods I hoped not.
Was this how I went? Trapped beneath rock and bone, eaten by rats until my bones were a permanent fixture of this cursed place.
“Please,” I pleaded, with tears gathering at the corners of my eyes as my fingers desperately scraped against the bits of loose limestone, hoping that something would give way. My power felt distant as I attempted another surge, pushing against the rock, but nothing but a whisper of magick came out.
Dammit!
The rocks stopped sliding, and I found my body wedged between a slab of limestone and what felt like hundreds of bones. There wasn’t anywhere for me to move, and the weight felt unbearable. Like I was being squeezed from the waist up. I kicked and kicked, only managing to get stuck further, with the rocks pressing in against my ribs, making it hard to breathe.
Air. Air! I needed air!
Were Nat and Dex in the same predicament right now? Clawing against heavy boulders hoping that they weren’t stuck forever. Or were they crushed to death by the heavy bits of tunnel that had collapsed on us? We’d already lost so many people along the way, and the thought of losing Dex too filled me with an emotion that I was too scared to put a name to.
I knew Nat shouldn’t have touched that button. If the gods were watching us right now, I hoped they knew how much I hated them for this.
“Odessa?” Dex’s voice penetrated through the darkness.
“I’m here!” I called back with a cough, relieved to hear his voice. He wasn’t dead. “Is Nat, okay?”
“I don’t know. Nat?” I listened closely for any signs she was okay but heard nothing.
“Can you see anything?” Dex asked after a moment.
“No. It’s pitch-black, but I think there are rats in here.”
“Okay. I’m going to try and move some of the bones.”
“Okay.”
I readied myself, hoping that he might be able to get me the hell out of here. The air felt thin and dusty as I waited. Then, there was a rumble of movement, and a deluge of bones fell away from me, dropping me further until I crash landed on solid ground. A moment later and another firm body crumpled next to mine with a groan.
“Nat?”
“Fuck, I shouldn’t have touched that button,” she said.
