Kane gave an arrogant huff. “I don’t have that kind of magic. Yes, I can produce flame, no I do not ascribe to your academy’s silly ideas about arcanum.”
Erinna balked at the condescension in his voice. The academy and its understanding of magic was a source not only of Tarthan pride, but worldwide prestige.
“It is not a silly notion of magic. Those are some of the most powerful mages on the four continents,” she said, and was met with another disapproving grunt.
“Really? You know a mage from the Great North?”
“I’m sure someone from the north has enrolled.” Erinna was less confident in her statement. In fact, she didn’t believe it herself. But she didn’t want to give Kane the satisfaction of being right.
“You defend them too quickly,” Kane sneered.
Must have touched a nerve, she thought. Erinna couldn’t blame him. The academy did not deserve a place in her heart. They would rip her apart for persecution or mere academic intrigue if given the chance. She was no more welcome than he was.
She shivered and wondered what the fate of Nama and Ivan’s daughter would have been. Or what would happen to them if they were caught.
Not every mage was bad. She thought of Damien, and her hand went to the bracelet around her wrist. She hoped he was managing well, all things considered.
Erinna let the silence fall again. She didn’t need to know anything more about the pirate. The faster they went through the mines, the faster she would be rid of his companionship.
After a few more turns, Erinna finally found her mark. Two small lines etched into the stone. Both a warning and a reminder that she was close. Erinna slowed her pace.
Kane leaned in close, noticing her shift in gait. “What’s wrong?”
“We’ll have to put that fire out soon. An arcanum line was cracked some time ago, and the shaft was never cleared, just abandoned. You’ll light us up like human torches.”
“So, the rest of the way will be in darkness?”
“Only a few paces. Just until we make it to the next passage.”
Kane tapped on the wall in thought. His eyes narrowed, like he was inspecting the rock and didn’t like what he found.
“How close are we to the passageway?” For the first time, Kane sounded like a captain. His tone left no room for discussion.
“Close, perhaps a hundred yards away.”
There was a groan in the distance that had Erinna’s hair standing on end.
Kane sucked in air through his teeth. “When was the last time the wards were checked?”
It was standard for witchstone mines to be warded. The raw stone could store arcanum for decades…and release it too. In ways not even academy professors completely understood. Yet abandoned mines were rarely the top of the academy’s priority.
Erinna froze.
Her breath caught in her throat as Kane’s carefree facade finally faltered. The way his eyes hardened and jaw set—it was concern.
The air hummed with static. A flare was on its way. The leather cord around her wrist warmed at the oncoming arcanum. Damien was right; it would warn her when a magical attack was headed in her direction.
Kane held Inez tighter and extinguished his flame. It was then that she heard the scraping of stone on stone. Something was headed their way.
Kane pressed his hand to the small of Erinna’s back and pushed. “Run.”
Chapter
Eleven
Their loud huffing breaths echoed off the walls as they rushed toward their best chance at safety.
Without Kane’s fire, they moved in pure, suffocating darkness.
