Salty tears of anguish flowed down my cheeks as darkness folded around me. Not to soothe but to mock and claim me.
You are nobody. And you are nothing—whispered the darkness.
44
Graysen
Mela and I were back on the upper level, near the edge of the chasm that cut through the catacombs, facing off against each other.
After returning from the catacombs, we’d crouched over the map with Petra and Jiao. I’d sketched the route to Yezekael’s nest and described its burrow in as much detail as I could. If we approached from the point the Uzrek had shown us, we’d have the best chance of catching the creature unawares.
Now, Mela and I argued over how to trap it.
Yet, Nelle’s dire state kept pulling at me. Her wretched emotions quaked beneath my flesh, every instinct in me demanded that I …save her, save her, save her…I suspected what plagued her, the why of it, and I knew it would test her courage, but she needed to rally and see it through.
Please, Nelle.
And if the Uzrek was right, the reason Sirro wanted this creature was because of my mother. I had to complete thismission. I couldn’t let Yezekael slip through my fingers. That’s why I wanted this done now and fast, no matter what the Vaduvas advised.
Mela’s irritation sharpened her words. “We need to be careful. The creature can’t be tipped off that we’re down here.”
“I know that,” I barked, flinging an arm wide in frustration.
“It’s not even here—”
“It could have returned by now!”
“So you want to march down there with your warband, and the moment Yezekael shows its face, pounce?”
“Well, yeah,” I replied lamely. Except in my head, it seemed better than how she put it.
“No,” she flatly refused, stalking closer. “This is what’s going to happen. We’ll allleave for home to clean up and get some sleep, while my House plans and gathers the necessary items. And it will be the Vaduvas who’ll set the trap, the way we want it to go down.”
I blinked. “Huh?” Was she thinking of taking over completely? I stabbed a finger into my chest. “This is my hunt. I’ll be sorting this out with my House. I’m the one who found Yezekael’s nest.”
“Thanks to the stone eater,” Mela tossed back, rolling her eyes.
I hadn’t mentioned the Uzrek’s involvement to anyone, not even to Mela. The ancient beast had vacated my mind soon after I’d thanked him.
Mela rubbed a hand over her face and drew in a deep breath. She took a step back and relaxed her stance. The swarm of dragonflies cast jewel-bright light across her armored figure. Her voice was gentler but still flinty. “Everyone’s tired, Gray. We have one shot at this, and we have to ensure we set ourselves up with the best chance of capturing it.” She waved a hand dramatically through the air, grinning brightly. “This needs Vaduva finesse, not Crowther brutality.”
I huffed in resentment, crossing my arms over my chest. “We can be delicate when we need to be.”
Petra sidled in to rest an arm on Mela’s shoulder, and the two women shared a quick, amused look. Petra drawled, “I’ve seen your grumpy prick of a father in action. Delicate isn’t the word I’d use to describe how he handles the crime syndicates.”
I threw up my arms, spinning away and storming toward the chasm’s ledge. Even I knew I’d lost.
I passed by Mela’s makeshift camp, where my team had trudged back from their separate searches through the tunnels and gathered to warm themselves with coffee. The soft murmur of conversation tangled with the scrape of boots on craggy rock and the distant rush of running water.
An alcove nearby held a thin sheet of water rippling down its black walls, pooling in a shallow recess before draining through a crack in the floor. Earlier, I’d scooped handfuls of it over my head, letting it sluice the stone eater’s gritty blood from my face and armor.
The tips of my boots met the crumbling edge of the chasm, and I stared down into the abyss, into the endless black nothingness. Down here in the oppressive darkness, time didn’t exist. I hadn’t checked the hour, but if I had to guess, it was late afternoon.
I shrugged off my daypack and dug out my canteen, chugging down mouthfuls of cool water. My free hand rubbed at my chest. Kept rubbing it. And no matter what I tried to infuse through the twanging, discordant threads of power that connected us both, nothing seemed to rouse Nelle from her fractured state. Her terror swelled inside my chest.
I feared what my brothers had been up to while I’d been gone. Maybe whatever she was drowning in wasn’t what I’d hoped. Maybe they’d gotten to her first in retaliation for the brunnie.
A dark thought sliced through me.
