“Hanne.”
“You said someone pushed you in. Who?”
It was hard to answer, to accept the horrible truth even though I’d watched it with my own eyes. “King Vulgaris.”
His dark eyes retained their hardness, no hint of empathy. “Why?”
Whoever these people were, they didn’t know the kingdoms or the people. They knew nothing of my world. “Because he wanted to be a dictator, and I tried to stop him.” This man hadn’t rushed to my aid, wasn’t the type of guy to care about a damsel in distress, so I knew he wouldn’t care about my tale—just the highlights. “He discovered my treason and banished me here.”
All four of them stared with equal intensity.
“Who—who are you?” I took in each one with my eyes. They all seemed to be the same age, one with black hair like midnight like Morco, one with lighter brown hair, and another with blond hair that was lighter than mine. They were all dressed similarly, but their clothing didn’t sport a crest of a kingdom, not that I would recognize it anyway.
Morco disregarded the question and addressed the others. “We’ll figure this out later.” He passed me and stepped farther into the narrow cavern. Across his back was a heavy sword, the hilt black and reflective. He kneeled down and lit a torch by making a spark between a flint and a rock and then stood upright, the flames immediately illuminating the cavern, all the jagged edges and the deep pockets of shadows. “Let’s move, just in case the dogs smell us.” He turned back to us, looking over his shoulder. “Put her in the middle.” He faced forward and began the journey through the cave, his cape behind him. “Kill her if she tries anything.”
“If I try anything?” I asked. “I have no weapon and no armor, and I just almost drowned.”
He turned back to me, his eyes showing his ferocity. “Continue to demand my pity, but you will receive none.” He faced forward again and started the journey, holding the torch high to light the path for the rest of us.
One guy moved in front of me and got behind Morco.
The other two stayed behind me. “Move,” one of them ordered.
I fell into line, dead center in the caravan that moved through the tight passageway. I had a lot of questions about this new place and these people I’d come across, but I also needed time to process everything that had happened up until this point. My life had been in danger every step of the way, and it might still be in danger now.
We continued down the path, making our along the narrow channel that only allowed us to move in a single-file line. The stalactites that came down through the ceiling were sharp like icicles. The rock had a red hue to it rather than jet black. They held lines of texture that I could distinguish every time the torchlight illuminated it.
Much later, the passage opened into a small cave, and that was where Morco decided to stop. He stuffed the torch into a crevasse in between the rocks so it continued to burn without being held.
I surveyed the guys, unsure what would happen next.
One of them opened a pack, pulled out several canteens, and passed them around.
Everyone got one but me.
Morco took a drink, and without looking at me, he handed his over.
“It’s okay.” I already felt like a burden, felt their palpable annoyance at having me there. They’d already potentially saved my life. I didn’t want to take more than I needed.
He continued to hold out the canteen. “We’ve got a long way to go.”
“It’s okay?—”
“This kind of stubbornness will get you killed.”
I stared into eyes the same color as the abyss, before I took the canteen.
He didn’t wait for me to drink it before he turned to his comrade and took the food that was offered.
I took a drink, and the second the water hit my tongue, I realized how thirsty I was. The adrenaline in my heart must have evaporated the water from my body.
One of the guys passed me a ration of food.
I felt bad taking it, but I did so without argument.
They took seats with their backs against the rock, all spread out to enjoy their rest.
I didn’t know where to go, so I sat on the ground with my back against nothing, the only place to sit that wasn’t directly next to any of them.
