"Alive?" Kaelen demanded. "What could possibly be down there if they are having to dig to get to it?"
Flynn looked at the Dragon Prince, and the fear in the Wolf’s eyes was absolute.
"I think," Flynn whispered, "it's a piece of the Titan the Citadel was built on. A bone or something? I don't know. But it's bleeding energy, and this woman seems to be trying to draw something from it or is feeding it to something."
"They aren't waiting for a replacement," Elias said, his voice hollow, staring into the middle distance as if watching a tragedy unfold on a stage only he could see. "They are accelerating the growth. They are trying to force-grow a god-killer using the remains of a dead Titan."
The silence in the cavern broke.
Flynn spun to face Elias. "What in Zeus' name are you talking about, brother?"
"We don't have time to explain, but we have to stop them," I said, pushing away from Kaelen. My exhaustion was gone, burned away by a cold, white-hot panic. "If they make... whatever that is... using my... my… my…" I tried to get the wordsout to say eggs, blood, tissue, anything, but all that came out was stomach bile as I turned and retched once more.
Flynn went as white as a sheet. He might not have been there for the conversation, but he was smart and had at least an inkling of what was going on.
"We will," Kaelen said as he rubbed my back waiting for my heaving to stop. His sword was in his other hand, the dragon fire already licking along the steel blade. "Flynn, how far?"
"Twenty minutes at a run," Flynn said, drawing his stolen dagger. "But there are guards. Cultists and loyalist Keepers working together. It’s a mess."
"The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Elias quoted bitterly. "Until they decide to eat each other."
"Skal," I said, turning to the monster.
It lifted its head, mandibles clicking.Command?
"Hunt," I said. "Protect the Pack. Consume the rest."
The Skal rose to its full height, towering over us, a nightmare of black armor and green eyes. It let out a shriek that vibrated in my teeth.
Hunt,it agreed with sadistic glee.
"We move," Kaelen ordered. "Now."
We started toward the tunnel, weapons drawn, magic flaring to life. But as I passed Flynn, he reached out and grabbed my arm, stopping me.
"Aria," he said softly.
I looked up at him. "What? We have to go."
"Are you okay?" The tenderness in his eyes almost broke me.
"Not in the slightest. But right now I don't have time to process any of that. Now I have to kill a bitch before she does something profoundly stupid."
TWELVE
Aria
The tunnel blurred into a nauseating streak of grey stone and damp shadows as we ran; the air growing colder with every meter we descended. The urgency in Flynn’s pace was infectious, a frantic, predatory rhythm that my exhausted body simply couldn't match. My lungs burned as if they were filled with crushed glass, each breath a ragged gasp that tasted of stale dust and ancient decay. My legs felt as if they were made of lead, heavy and unresponsive, betraying the years of drilled stamina I had prided myself on.
I stumbled, my boot catching on a raised lip of jagged rock. The world tilted violently, and the ground rushed up to meet me.
I didn't hit it.
Thane was there before gravity could claim its due. He didn't break stride; he simply scooped me up in one fluid motion, cradling me against his chest like I weighed no more than a dry autumn leaf. The sudden shift in perspective was dizzying; the tunnel walls rushed past even faster now. Being held by the Bear Prince was like being carried by a moving mountain, implacable, steady, and terrifyingly strong.
I instinctively clutched at the fabric he had fashioned to cover himself, my face pressed against his chest. Beneath it, his heart beat with a slow, powerful rhythm that seemed to mock my own frantic pulse. He smelled of deep roots, pine needles, and rain-soaked earth, a scent of grounding and safety that cut through the metallic tang of the cavern and settled the panic fluttering in my throat.
"I have you," Thane rumbled, his voice a low vibration against my ear. It wasn't a question or a boast, just a simple, immovable fact.
