Rallorival punched her before she could scream again.
Lena crumpled, her last thoughts reaching to Vor.“Find me! Vor, I need you!”
Chapter Forty-Eight
Vor
Commander Vor was covered in sweat and dirt. As he had left the stronghold, Tech had come to him. It had shown him the way back to Lena. Under its guidance, it had only taken Vor an hour to build his machine. That alone was a miracle, but the machine itself could change everything. It was similar to the enormous digging machines his ancestors had built to find the Source of Technology—the wyrm engines. They had created the tunnels of his world. But this engine was much smaller, and the tunnels it dug wouldn't threaten the underground. Source assured him it would be safe.
The machine was only a foot wider than Vor, with a conical front piece grooved to bite into rock and soil. A vacuum sucked the debris through the machine and then out through an extension tube to be dumped outside the tunnel. With the machine ready, Vor wasted no time in plotting his course to the surface. Tech guided him, reminding him of the escape tunnel Paradefense had used to infiltrate the fortress. He didn't need to make miles of new tunnels. All he had to do was branch off an existing tunnel to connect it to the escape tunnel. It was brilliant, and his team of trusted soldiers, including Lieutenant Greis, agreed.
Vor's soldiers helped him carry the digging machine through the Nethren tunnels to a location that was closest to the fortress's escape tunnel. Vor typed in the trajectory, set the tip against the packed dirt wall, and pinned the end of the debris tube to the tunnel wall. At the push of a button, the machine rumbled to life, its toothed cone burrowing into the wall while dirt and ground stone shot out through the tube. Within minutes, the machine had disappeared into the wall, and Vor followed, helping to extend the debris tube and monitor the digger. His soldiers crawled through the new tunnel behind him, laden with weapons.
It went faster than Vor expected. He had to extend the debris tube every thirty seconds while the digger forged ahead. An inset screen showed Vor their progress, with a red dot for the machine and a green line for the escape tunnel. The grinding of rock and soil drowned out the whir of the scanner. Closer and closer they went until the machine breached the escape tunnel. As soon as Vor crawled free of the smaller tunnel, a horrible feeling washed through him.
Lena needed him!
With shaking hands, Vor turned off the digger and then closed his eyes to analyze the strange feeling that had come over him. Obviously, Lena needed him, or she wouldn't have activated the tracker. But this was more than her desire to be reunited with him. She was afraid. His Lena was in danger.
Vor left the machine behind and ran down the length of the tunnel, not toward the exit, but toward the fortress.
“Commander!” Greis ran after him. “What are you doing? We'll never get past the ward.”
“Tech is guiding me,” Vor said. “The war will be down. There's no reason for it to be up now that they've driven us below. Their focus will be on the tunnel barrier.”
“But you can't be sure.” Greis glanced back at the eight men bringing up the rear.
“If the ward is up, we'll see it soon. We'll turn around if that's the case, but I don't think it will be.”
Everyone went silent as they ran through the tunnel. It wasn't long before they came to a metal door. The air before it was clear, no shimmer of a ward. Vor grinned at Greis as he opened the door without issue. The fools hadn't even thought to secure it.
“Holy Tech!” Greis hissed.
“Indeed, it guides us. Tech is with us.” Vor exchanged determined looks with his soldiers. “We're going to the hangar. I can fly an erial. We'll need a large one to carry all of us. Just keep quiet, palm your darts, stay alert, and follow me.”
“Yes, Commander!” they said in unison.
Chapter Forty-Nine
Lena
Lena woke up starving and uncomfortable. There was something tight around her face. She brought a hand to her face to find a leather strap gagging her. Lena sat up and felt for the back of the gag, but couldn't undo it. It had a lock on the side and double straps at the back to conform to her head, making it impossible to pull off. With an internal groan, she recalled the gag from her dream.
The memory of Rallorival punching her immediately followed, and Lena tested her face for swelling. Nothing. Huh. He must have used a med device on her while she was out. Was it before or after he gagged her? Lena couldn't help comparing Rallorival to Vor once more. Vor had never struck her, not even when she screamed horrible things at him. He had struck the wall instead of hitting her. Yes, she had struck Rallorival first, but that was in self-defense while he hit her to make her shut up.
Something shifted in the darkness. Lena spun toward her left and found Rallorival beside her, eyes open. He was lying on his side, his wings folded behind him, but he sat up when she met his stare.
“Will you promise not to scream if I remove the gag?” Rallorival asked.
Lena nodded. No, she wouldn't scream. Not until she needed to.
“I'm sorry I hit you.” He leaned over and lifted a key that hung on a chain around his neck. The lock clicked, and he removed the gag, careful not to pull her hair.
Lena rolled her eyes at his show of concern.
“Are you hungry? You must be.” He climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom, the gag hanging from his grip. “Cira is making breakfast. I'll just be a minute.” He closed the door.
Lena climbed out of bed and set her bare feet on the rug. Bare feet! Where were her boots? A quick scan of the floor found them neatly lined up beside the bed. Heart racing, she grabbed the right boot and felt inside for the disc. It was still there. Relieved, she pulled the boots on and sat on the bed, rubbing at her face where the gag had irritated her skin.
