Sitting up, I stared at it.
Another crack appeared, and with it, a small shower of rock.
“New cracks.”
Both men jerked around and looked at the ceiling where I was staring. As we watched, another crack snaked into existence with the shower of rock.
“What the hell…” Roran whispered.
The first crack spiderwebbed through the ceiling, and a tremendous roll of thunder from an explosion rumbled through the stronghold.
“What the hell—”
A keening wail started sounding through the corridors, and our door slammed open. Crow stood there for just a moment.
“Exceptions have been made for this,” he snapped. “Get out of the room and follow everyone else.”
“What’s going on?”
“We’re being attacked, and the shields are failing.”
Lord Cato slammed through the door. “Get the hell out of here. This is the side that’s being bombed.”
It suddenly occurred to me that we should be moving and not discussing this. I jumped off the bed and followed Lord Cato and Crow out the door.
“Why are your shields failing?” I snapped as we hurried through the halls. “Where is your druid to maintain them?”
Lord Cato glanced at me briefly. “Dead.”
“Dead? Did you kill him?”
“I didn’t say that.” Glancing down the hall, he shook his head. “I don’t have time to explain this. I have to get back to the command center.”
“Let us help,” Rilen said.
I didn’t expect that from him.
“There is nothing you can do.” The lord began to walk away.
Roran grabbed his hand. “Your druid-made shield is failing. We can rebuild or fix it as it needs. My twin and I are druids, and Kimber is the Breaker. She’s the whole reason we’re here.”
“She should not be out of her room, out of protective bubbles.” Lord Cato did not look happy with the twins, and he turned that anger on me.
The mountain we were in shook from the impact of an explosion. Everyone in the hall stumbled a bit, and I grabbed a wall to steady myself.
“Fine. Fuck. Go do what you can. Phoenix! Show them where the king stood when he set up the shield!”
We turned to run, but he grabbed my arm.
“Donotget yourself killed. I’ll disembowel your remains and feed them to the jackals.” He disappeared in a burst of speed through the crowd flowing around us.
Phoenix motioned to us and headed down the hallway against the flow of the people. We only headed that way for a short time before he turned off and took us down a side passage.
A set of stairs at the end led up to the next level, and he led us through the maze that was the stronghold.
Another half-dozen explosions rocked the mountain, and when I touched the wall again, I could feel the rock trembling.
“How bad is the shield?” I called to Phoenix.
