Ellie didn’t acknowledge the command. She just turned back to the mysterious orb, her fingers arching over it as if she were pulling those tendrils into herself, coaxing them to bend to her will. The ground shuddered beneath their feet again, harder. A section of the ceiling broke off. Arianna launched across the room before anyone could stop her. She let the remnants of her magic cascade over the area, filling in the cracks already spreading along the walls. She remembered what had happened when Ashling had collapsed. She wasn’t letting this place take her sister.
Arianna wrapped her arms around Ellie’s bony shoulders and tugged her back. The wall in front of them burst open. Arianna gasped when snapping teeth tore through the space. Sinister creatures clawed through the stone, their images matching those of the relics just above. Crippling fear engulfed her for all of one second, then Ellie’s hand tightened around her arm.
Arianna roared, her battle cry echoing off the stone. Hoarfrost coated the space, engulfing the creatures in a thick layer of ice. Rion’s magic flew down the stairs, lifting the floor itself. The stones crawled over one another, shoving into the holethe dark creatures had just created. Silence, then all the lights on the bottom floor blinked out at once.
The wall to her right burst open next, and jagged stones flew in all directions. Rion’s magic lifted, shielding Arianna and Ellie before crashing into the hole again. Arianna grabbed her sister and ran for the stairs.
More of the blue lights winked out, crawling up the wall, fading one by one. Her heart beat frantically as Arianna dragged Ellie up the stairs, her sister’s body nearly limp. Sive claimed the runes had protected this place for centuries. If they were the only things stopping Vairik and his monsters—
Another wall broke open, the fissure stretching all the way up to the next floor. Fangs snapped, and she glanced back upon passing Rion to watch as two of the pedestals cracked beneath the weight of the massive creatures crawling over them. One of those mysterious orbs hit the ground, bounced, then rolled beneath more clambering claws and bodies until it was gone from sight.
The Dark Fae snapped at one another. One grabbed the other’s throat, tearing through sinew. Arianna turned away.
On the next floor, the wall to their left burst open. Those creatures with massive bat-like wings filled the space. Arianna felt her face pale at the sight of their barbed tails, then she grabbed her sister, slung Ellie across her back, and began sprinting up the stairs as fast as her legs would carry her.
Raevina and Talon were already locked in combat on the next level, swords swinging and magic sparking through the air. Raevina’s shadows skittered up the walls, and the flames within the sconces burst to life, taking on the forms of small birds. The flaming wings darted into the fray, singeing everything they touched. Arianna swore some of the shadows took flight as well.
Another wall cracked. Arianna adjusted her grip on Ellie’s legs, then shoved her magic into the fissure, praying it would hold long enough for them to escape.
Sweat trickled down Arianna’s temple. The door’s lock had taken too much. Her body was already on the brink of exhaustion. Rion’s was as well. And now the very place she’d offered her magic to was crumbling against an unknown force.
But how? This place was supposed to be impenetrable. It had stood for centuries. Had the walls weakened because she’d opened it? Had Vairik somehow followed her inside and unraveled the wards from within?
Or … was it worse than that? Was he already in the palace? Had he attacked while they were searching for answers? Were his creatures feasting on the refugees above?
“Let’s move,” Talon roared over the chaos. The ice wall she’d created cracked. The first chunk fell, allowing a creature with a long snout and thick scales to slip through. Rion crushed its body with half a thought. Then they were running all over again.
Talon, Raevina, and the remaining warriors cut a path through the chaos, shoving the creatures back from the stairs as they ascended floor after floor. The mass of them grew less dense, telling Arianna they were more concentrated on the lower levels. Had Vairik quite literally dug through the stone?
Liam and his warriors met them halfway. A breath of relief left her, then the entire wall to their right collapsed. A wave of Dark Fae flooded the room, dozens upon dozens all at once, each scrambling and clawing for a foothold.
Liam let his magic fly, the greenery zigzagging across the ground, piercing the flesh of anything in its way. Saoirse jumped down from the floor above, her magic joining Liam’s. Fire exploded on all sides, consuming everything in its path. Ice frozethe creatures mid-stride, and an air current shoved them back, shattering their bodies across the stone.
It wasn’t enough.
Dozens of warriors fighting and the stairs were still blocked, forcing their small group to circle one another with Arianna, Ellie, and Rion at their center. Arianna made eye contact with Rion once. He kept his magic close. His skin was pale, and he was breathing heavier than she’d ever seen.
Cracks crawled up the walls, winking out the lights two and three at a time. Flames took on various forms, all controlled by Raevina and her comrades. The entire space reeked of burning flesh.
Another tremor and they all stumbled forward. A barbed tail pierced one of Liam’s warriors in his thigh and dragged him into the throng of writhing bodies. Rion’s magic whipped out, striking the creatures surrounding the screaming Fae, but it had reacted too late. Arianna could already see the spray of blood.
Particles of earth and sand sprang up, suddenly surrounding her body. The magic lunged for her, tightening around her and Ellie before launching them into the air. She held her sister’s legs tight as they soared at breakneck speeds, passing floor after floor. Arianna barely glimpsed the images of dark creatures as they zoomed by.
Her body jerked violently to the side, and Arianna landed on the hard stone floor, rolling and doing her best to soften Ellie’s landing. Arianna’s elbow cracked against the stone, and she bit the inside of her cheek, trying not to scream from the sharp pain.
Rion landed beside her, but he didn’t pause. The male threw his magic up again, shoving the Dark Fae back long enough for everyone to get their bearings.
He’d grabbed them all.
Rion was on one knee, his entire body trembling with exertion. He panted hard. Even so, Rion forced himself to stand. He assessed their situation, then glanced up through the circular opening above. Arianna wondered if he was gauging whether he possessed enough strength for one more push.
Panic pulsed through her when another crack, this one far deeper, spread up the wall at the rear of the room. It raced toward the ceiling, beyond her line of sight. She looked through the opening above and swallowed hard when that fracture reappeared, expanding. Then a massive chunk of the ceiling broke off and hurled straight for them.
Talon shoved them all away from the edge. Raevina, Liam, and Saoirse kept the creatures at bay, the horde notably thinner here.
The slab fell slowly, as if the world had stopped to watch its rapid descent. Arianna sucked in a breath, bracing for impact. It slammed into the topmost floor, breaking off more pieces of stone before tumbling down the staircase opening. Talon threw up a thick sheet of ice, but it shattered upon impact, sending shards flying in all directions. Arianna covered Ellie’s head with her body. Rion’s arms wrapped around them both, his back to the stairs as that chunk of ceiling slammed into structure after structure, tossing and turning as it fell.
Arianna heard the creatures below howl in terror before a large portion was silenced forever. An earth-shattering boom rocked the entire place. More rocks fell from above. Rion pulled his arms away, and Saoirse ran for the opening, glancing up quickly before turning back.
