“Then let’s split up,” I say.
“No,” Orion snaps. “I just told you. Draven?—”
“We’re still in the same place. Just opposite sides of what is basically one massive room.” Shifting the barrel into one arm, I pull out the pocket watch Kath gave me. My heart leaps when I see what time it is. Looking up, I meet all of their gazes while trying to swallow a sudden flash of alarm. “And besides, we don’t have much time.”
Their faces pale when I show them the time.
Since the humans didn’t need to deal with the distraction, they could just run straight into the secret tunnels at the edges of the palace grounds without interference. But we not only had to make it all the way to the middle of the castle, we also had to fight our way through a tide of panicked dragon shifters who were running in the other direction. It has taken much longer than Kath and the others estimated that it would.
Orion curses under his breath but jerks his chin down in a nod. “Fine, we split up. But we all meet back here before we leave so that no one gets left behind. The four of us leave together or not at all. Understood?”
“Yes, Mom,” Alistair says, a teasing grin on his mouth.
Orion shoots him a warning look. But before he can start to threaten him, Isera speaks up.
“How are we supposed to set these on fire at the same time if Alistair isn’t there?” she asks while casting a stressed glance down at the pocket watch.
“Oh, good point,” Alistair answers, and carefully sets down his barrel.
Then he walks over to the nearest bookcase, grabs one shelf and rips it out. Books tumble down on the floor in a heap, loose pieces of paper fluttering around them. I wince, but Alistair just stomps his foot down on the wooden plank, shattering it into smaller pieces. A small flame appears in the palm of his right hand while he picks up three pieces of wood with his other. They catch fire with a whoosh as he brings his hand towards one side.
“These will burn through pretty quickly, though,” he says as he hands each of us a burning stick. “So better hurry.”
“We’re supposed to set the rope on fire in four minutes,” I say, nodding down at the pocket watch, which we only have one of. “So count out four minutes in your head and then set it on fire regardless of where you are. Then we all run like hell back here. Agreed?”
“Agreed,” the others echo.
After exchanging a long look, which confirms the apprehension we all appear to be feeling right now, we take off in opposite directions.
My heart pounds as I sprint down the corridor.
If I remember Lavendera’s map correctly, there are supposed to be several twisting halls and storage rooms spreading out on all sides down here. Ideally, we will all be able to reach the edges of the space so that the explosions come from every corner. But we don’t have much time left now.
I draw in a sharp breath as the corridor splits into two up ahead.
Shit. Left or right?
Going on just pure instinct, I choose the left one.
The liquid splashes around in the barrel as I veer left and dart down the next hall. I make sure to keep the small barrel in my left arm while carrying the makeshift torch in the others, so that Idon’t accidentally blow myself up. But the fire is creeping farther down the wood with every passing second.
I cast panicked glances between it and the pocket watch that I keep wedged between the wood and my palm. If the fire reaches the end of the wooden stick before it’s time to set the barrel aflame, I’m screwed.
While willing the fire to burn slower, I sprint down the next corridor.
A ripple of stress shoots through me when another fork appears in the path. Two more doorways. Since I took a left last time, I take a right now. While hoisting the barrel into a better position, I turn right and rush in through that doorway.
And come face to face with a solid wall.
Skidding to a halt, I narrowly manage to stop myself from crashing right into it.
With my pulse thrumming in my ears, I whip my gaze around the small space I’ve ended up in. A few empty crates are stacked along one wall, but other than that, the room is empty.
Indecision flashes through me. Should I set the explosion here or turn back and try the other corridor?
Making a split-second decision, I dart back out and then take off down the other corridor instead. I need to make it as far in this direction as possible to make sure that the explosions really take out the support structure.
Several rooms open up on either side of me as I run, showing more crates and piles of everything from linen to food. I ignore them all and keep going. More forks in the path appear, and I chose the directions randomly. While casting stressed glances at the pocket watch, I try to remember each turn I take so that I will be able to make it back in time for?—
