I glanced at the red drenching the front of his shirt. “We should check that.”
“Not yet,” he said. “Grab a pack. Kane may not fit through that hole, but he may be able to remove the rubble and follow us—we need to be deep within the cavern system before that happens.”
Holding the lantern with one hand, my husband grabbed one pack and slung it over his shoulder, and then I grabbed the other. Along with supplies, there was a short sword, one that I could swing easily. The handle was made from wood, so I could extend and control it better.
I gripped the sword belt and wrapped it around my waist, my fingers trembling to buckle it closed. Crispin gently pushed my hand away and looped the belt buckle, securing it tightly.
“Are we really going to make it?” The shaking continued through my teeth, through my spine, through my thoughts.
Sliding his hand to the back of my neck, Crispin tilted my head up toward him. “Stay focused, and we will survive.”
Crispin had been more than a husband but a best friend. I stepped on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his, savoring his touch, terrified that this would be the last time we would ever kiss.
His mouth met mine in a sweet response and then too quickly pulled away.
Kane roared outside, slamming into the cave as if he could force his way inside.
“Will he be able to get through?” I asked.
“No. I don't think so. We need to move to the first chamber. Do you have the map?”
I nodded and then opened the satchel to pull out the parchment we had so carefully created. It had taken us almost six months to map the cavern system, and that was only the safe areas. There were many stony paths we dared not travel in.
“Okay, stay close.” Crispin held up the lantern and we began walking.
Even though we were surrounded by darkness, this cave system had become familiar to us. We'd spent many hours checking different exits and a few nights sleeping under the stalactite-covered sky.
This complex cavern system was another reason my grandfather had picked this valley. He had thought of everything. Not just making sure we weren't near any villages or that we had fresh water, but that there were multiple escape routes.
I wondered how he was. It had been a year since he brought us here.
As we walked, I replayed that day, remembering everything he sacrificed for me. Every time Grandfather traveled to sell goods, he was searching for a safe haven for me, knowing that if he helped me escape, he would be thrown in jail or worse. I would never know what repercussions happened or what he would have told my parents or the priests.
Not like any of them would care.
When Kane never showed up on my sixteenth birthday, the priests figured it was just because fae didn't go by our time, and then a year passed and another. Then the rumors started, manybelieving Kane had seen me and found me unworthy of being his bride.
I reached up to my right eye, tracing the star-shaped pattern around it. It had been a blessing and a curse. Once the priests realized Kane might never come for me, the reins and noose around my neck slowly loosened just enough for me to slip away under the cover of night. Though I didn't know if I ever would have left on my own if Crispin hadn’t agreed to come with me.
He walked ahead, steady, his feet true.
Crispin, son of one of the temple guards, had been one of the few children to never make fun of me, and as we grew up, I often imagined what it would have been like if I hadn’t been born with this birthmark–the only thing signifying me as the “child of prophecy.”
I had tried so hard to fight against my budding feelings for Crispin, but then, when Kane never showed, I allowed myself to feel and hope that maybe I would have a normal life, that the prophecy was nothing but the words of old men.
The lantern haloed around Crispin, highlighting the golden hues of his light-brown hair. In the summer, it would turn almost pure blond, and it highlighted the little flecks of gold in his blue eyes.
Eyes I'd spent all our days staring into.
We were going to make it.
I had to believe that. We were prepared. It didn't matter that Kane was a dragon or an immortal or commanded the shadows like it was part of him. He didn't have what Crispin and I did.
We had hope and trust in each other and a very thought-out plan.
The cavern curved deeper, the slow drip of water sounding from unseen places. Soon we would reach the first inner chamber, which was one of my favorite places due to all the stalagmites, amber-hued crystals, and glowing mushrooms.
Crispin stumbled, grabbing the wall for support.
