He dematerialized and shot off across the land and over the ocean to the spot where he’d been hit with the arrows. He reformed midair and dove into the sea, swimming underwater, searching for an eddy, anything resembling the whirlpool gateway to the sorcerer’s realm…
* * *
Leya came to as groans and creaks echoed in an otherwise deathly silent place, the dusty darkness broken by a faint orange glow.
Moaning, she wiped the wetness dripping from her brow. God, every inch of her hurt as if she’d been dragged across gravel and had her head slammed against a rockface.
She squinted, unable to discern anything except for the flickers of flames licking through the massive chunk of rocks that had fallen into the chasm.
Pain strumming her hips, she tried to move, and the rubble covering her fell off. She shoved at a large boulder blocking her—
Debris careened down at her.
Her heart in her throat, she scurried to a crawl space under a protruding rock. She covered her head and shut her eyes. All she could do was pray Aerén would come back for her before the massive rocks above her collapsed, too.
Minutes passed.
The ominous silence had her opening her eyes. The faint flicker of light from the flames still burning in the abyss highlighted the thick dust covering everything.
Pulling the neck of her t-shirt over her nose so as not to breathe in the dust, she carefully pushed loose rocks out of her way, then crawled out of the narrow space. She rose—
With a choked cry, she fell, landing on all fours, her ankle and calf screaming with pain. Panting, she huddled against the granite rockface, aware she’d sprained or broken her ankle.
“Aerén, please, please come and find me. Please…” Tears of despair burned for release, but she refused to let them fall. Then it would mean she’d failed and would die out here…if the sorcerer didn’t come back first and finish her. She had to find a way out of there.
Leya focused inward and tried to feel for the voice that led her here… Only silence remained within her.
Where are you?
More minutes passed, and nothing.
She glanced around, looking for anything to show her the path they used to get here in the first place…
Your life is forfeited.
Her heart pounded against her sternum in terror at the faint whisper.
The Sorcerer. Probably tormenting her with whatever black magic he used in this place.
She had to get out.
All around, debris covered everything, and filled the crevasse with chunks from the broken volcano. Sparks shot out through gaps in the detritus. The ledge she was on hadn’t faired too well. A misstep, and with her luck, she’d fall and stake herself on a rocky spine jutting out of those evil bits of flames flickering through the rocks.
She pulled the sliding neck of her t-shirt back over her nose, pushed up to her knees again, and crawled, searching for the entrance, pain throbbing through her ankle. Adrenaline was all that kept her going…
Voices drifted to her, and Leya stilled.
Two dark shapes clambered over the piles of fallen rocks a short distance from her.
“Lupa,” the thin one spat the moment he saw her. “We lost theishkhenbecause of you!”
Shit. She recognized him with that mole on his brow. The same rebel who’d attacked them in Dregarus.
Leya grabbed a rock and pitched it hard, nailing the jerk in the face. He snarled as she crawled away, but there wasn’t any place to hide.
A twang echoed.
Agony splintered her back, and she keeled over sideways, her head slamming against the rock. God, even breathing hurt.
