One moment, I was climbing the narrow staircase behind Kailin, my hand at the small of her back, and the next, Ravel was shouting and slamming into us like a battering ram.
The world spun, Kailin cried out, and I caught a glimpse of stone rushing up to meet us. Then we were falling, tumbling down the steep staircase in a tangle of bodies and limbs.
Training kicked in, and I twisted, trying to shield Kailin and cushion her fall, taking the impact on my shoulders and back.
The explosion came mid-fall, and the blast sent us flying. The concussive wave felt like a giant hand shoving us from behind.
Stone rained down. Chunks of masonry bounced off the walls, off the steps, off us. One piece hit my temple hard enough to make lights flash across my vision. Another caught my shin, and pain exploded up my leg.
Then we hit the bottom.
Bodies piled on top of me, driving the air from my lungs. For a moment, I couldn't breathe, couldn't think, couldn't do anything but lie there stunned while my ears rang and dust filled my mouth and nose.
Gradually, sound returned. Groaning. Coughing. Someone cursing in Elurian.
Codric. He was alive.
I pushed at the weight on top of me, trying to make sense of the tangle of limbs. Someone's elbow was in my ribs. A boot was pressed against my thigh. Pain was everywhere.
"Is anyone hurt?" Ravel's voice was rough and commanding even through the chaos.
"Kailin!"
Terror cut through the pain and confusion. Where was she? Was she beneath me? Had I landed on her? Had she been crushed?
I struggled to move, to find her, my heart hammering.
Ravel lifted a glow stick, and suddenly I could see. I found her pressed against the wall where we'd finally stopped tumbling. Her face was pale, streaked with dirt, her eyes widewith shock, and her hands were bleeding, but other than that, she appeared unharmed.
Relief flooded through me so intensely it made me nauseous.
"I'm okay." She coughed. "I think. You're bleeding!"
"It's nothing." I reached for her even as I registered the warm trickle of blood running down the side of my face. I found her arms and ran my hands over them to check for broken bones and injuries. She seemed intact.
Thank Elurion.
Around us, the others were extracting themselves from the pile. Morek sat up, blood streaming from a cut on his forehead. Shovia cradled her wrist against her chest, her face twisted in pain. Codric seemed mostly unharmed, just dazed. Saphir was already sitting up, somehow looking composed despite the dust covering his formerly pristine robes.
Ravel was favoring his left leg.
I pulled Kailin closer, needing to feel her warm and alive against me.
She was trembling. "Someone tried to kill us," she whispered. "Again."
I couldn't refute her claim. I might not have extensive military training, but I had enough to recognize a well-placed explosive when I experienced one.
Someone had known where we'd be and had planted a bomb designed to bring the stairwell down on our heads. A trip wire must have been hidden under the layer of dust covering the stairs, and the dim light from the glow sticks hadn't been enough to reveal it.
"Help is on the way," Ravel said. "Onyx is organizing a rescue. They'll have us out in no time."
I knew that it wouldn't be as quick as that. We were trapped underground with who knew how many tons of stone between usand the surface. I fought down the surge of claustrophobia that threatened to overwhelm me.
Focus, Alar. Assess and adapt.
I had no serious injuries. The cut on my temple was superficial, and the bruises would make themselves known later, but nothing was broken. Kailin was unhurt. The others had minor injuries that seemed manageable. We had air, light from the glowstone, and most importantly, we were alive.
If not for Ravel's quick response, we might not have been so lucky. Then again, he must have been the one who had tripped the wire. He should have been paying more attention.
