I squeeze her hand back, and hers loosens, like she only just realised how hard she was clinging.
A faint flicker of light winks at me through the black. Finally. It could be the main tunnel. Could be the crew, or a way out.
“There’s an orange glow up further.”
Odi’s warm, relieved breath brushes my arm. We push on, shuffling through the narrow throat of rock until it finally spits us out into open space. My boots slide on slick stone as we spill into the chamber.
I suck in a breath and release it, along with the tension in my shoulders. The glow is brighter now, licking shadows up the walls above us, but it isn’t sunlight, or the crew. “Fuck.”
Odi whirls to face me. I can see her clearer now. “What is it?” she asks, her brow pinching.
“It’s the torch we dropped earlier. We made it back to where the floor dropped out, but we’re further down.” I mutter.
She twists, turning her attention to the glow that rests on the thin ledge halfway down the far wall. It’s only slight, but I catch the way her shoulders drop in disappointment.
Not an exit.
The orange light’s enough to see the rest—the dark water creeping higher, kissing the edges of the rock floor, inch by inch. The sound of it is slow, deliberate, like it knows we’ve only got so much time.
I finally release her hand, moving across the room towards the flame. The absence of her warmth doesn’t sit well withme. I want to spin around and find my place beside her again, but I won’t let this room be our coffin. “We need to get up on that ledge.”
The water ripples, and then Odi is beside me. “But we’ve already been up there.”
“Exactly, it will take us back to the main chamber,” I say with as much confidence as possible.
She shakes her head. “It’s the first place anyone stuck here would try to get out. You really think they didn’t design this place with a trap for that? That passage is probably sealed by now.”
I fold my arms across my chest, glancing down at her. “And what if it’s not?”
Her brow lifts, her arms mimicking mine. “And what if it is? We waste time, we burn what air we’ve got left, and we’re right back where we started.”
I don’t have the answers, but I don’t want her to think I have doubts. There’s no room for that here. Doubt will get us killed. “Then we'll have to come back this way?”
“And hope the temple hasn’t decided to slam that door in our faces too?”
A gentle sigh escapes my lips. “I’m not asking you to like it. I’m asking you to trust me.”
Odi runs her gaze over me, lingering on my mouth before she spins on her heel and walks towards the torch holding ledge. “How are we even going to get up there? Not even you’re tall enough.”
I glance about the room assessing my options, which are next to none. I hadn’t noticed it when wefirst came in but now my eyes land on some thick roots growing from the cracks in the stone wall like bones from a giant tree. “We will climb them. You can get on my back.”
She shakes her head. “This is a bad idea, Rune.”
I spread my arms out wide. “Or . . . we can just wait until the water rises and swim up there if you like?” It wouldn’t take long, but it would seal away any other options if she’s right.
“Fine, just hurry up,” she says, her voice doing little to hide her concerns.
A small grin rolls across my face. I didn’t think she’d like that option. Though I can’t help but wonder if that’s exactly how the temple was designed to be used.
I move to the boney roots where Odi waits for me. “Get on,” I tell her, crouching low.
There’s a beat of hesitation, then her legs hook around my waist, snug and warm, her arms sliding around my neck. She’s lighter than she looks, but strong—the kind of grip that says if she’s not holding a weapon, she’ll become one. The press of her thighs is distracting in ways I don’t dare to admit right now, and in the dark, I’m glad she can’t see the grin tugging at my mouth. If I recall, she had her legs wrapped around me once before, but this time she’s not trying to kill me—thankfully.
We climb, my boots finding holds in the damp rock, her weight shifting with every pull upward. When we haul ourselves over the lip at the top, I let out a sharp breath. “See? Totally fine.”
Odi slides off my back, her boots echoing off the stone ground as she lands. She tucks a few damp, loose strands ofhair back into the pile on top of her head before she stoops to collect the glowing torch off the ground. A stone shifts strangely beneath it. “You’re luc—”
That’s when the sound hits—low at first, then a deafening roar. The ground trembles beneath us.
