“Ten,” I replied.
He smiled thinly. “Five.”
Tamsin and I slipped down the left branch together. The tunnel narrowed, and the water grew colder. Our breathing synced without us trying. That happened a lot with her.
She glanced at me. “Did you ever think you’d be back here for this?”
I snorted. “No. I thought I’d die in a ditch somewhere and that’d be that.”
She didn’t laugh. She just said, “I’m glad you didn’t.”
The words hit deep.
We reached a bend where the wall had collapsed inward, leaving a crawlspace above the waterline. I tested it with my shoulder. Solid enough.
“Clear,” I said. “This’ll spit us out past the bad stretch.”
“Good. Let’s head back to the others and let them know,” she said with a nod.
When we returned, Elias’s eyes flickered with relief.
Together, we funneled through the crawlspace and came out into a wider tunnel beyond the compromised area.
For a while, it was quiet. Before long, I could see the light at the end of the tunnel, marking the exit.
Then there was a clatter ahead. A hissed whisper. Boots splashing in a puddle somewhere.
“Get down,” I whispered.
We dropped behind a low wall as four shapes rushed into the light. They weren’t feral wolves. They weren’t soldiers either. Just human scavengers with mismatched gear and hunger in their eyes.
One raised a rifle.
I moved.
Quickly.
I closed the distance while Griff drew their attention and Elias flanked us and took down one himself with a quick blow to the head. Bishop disarmed one cleanly and swiftly. Tamsin moved fast, knocking the rifle aside and putting her knife against the third’s throat. I smiled. I’d taught her that move.
“Don’t,” she said.
The man froze.
The last one ran.
I let him go. Noise would only bring more.
We bound the three left behind, took their ammo and gun, and sent them the other way with a warning they’d remember.
Once they were gone and the tunnel went quiet again, we didn’t linger.
Eamon was already moving, crouching in front of Tamsin before anyone said a word. He checked her hands, her arms, as well as the line of her jaw where she’d taken a hit during the fight.
“Any pain?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “I’m good.”
He nodded, satisfied, then glanced at me. “You?”
