Twobble spun around. “No such luck. We've got shadow bats on our hands.”
“Please tell me they're not different than regular bats.” I stared at Twobble.
“Maeve, I would never lie to you.” Twobble tipped his chin up.
“Shadow bats are unpleasant, but it's not the end of the world,” Nova explained. “But there is a high possibility they'll go back and report our whereabouts.”
I shook my head. “No.”
Nova lifted her brows, and her green eyes stayed on mine. “No?”
“There has to be a spell to stop that,” I explained.
“Well, there is a No-Tattle tea,” Stella explained. “But I can't imagine getting bats to drink it would be very easy. Not to mention I don't have the ingredients on hand.”
Twobble chuckled and stopped himself when Keegan eyed him.
“I’m sorry. I just thought this would be the most direct way…” I started, but was quickly interrupted.
“No apologies needed,” Nova assured me.
Twobble let out a small, offended grunt. “You’re all missing the very obvious solution.”
I glanced at him. “Which is?”
“We don’t let them leave,” he said, as if that were the simplest thing in the world.
Another round of squeaks echoed through the tunnel, louder this time, closer, and whatever light the thin lines of gold had been offering seemed to dim just slightly as shadows began to shift along the ceiling.
Keegan’s arm tightened around me as his gaze lifted upward, tracking the movement we couldn’t quite see yet.
“That’s not a plan,” he said.
“It’s the beginning of one,” Twobble shot back.
Nova stepped forward just slightly, her attention fixed on the narrowing stretch of tunnel ahead of us. “If they report back, the Priestess will know exactly which path we took.”
“I gathered that,” I said, my voice quieter now, because the sound above us was changing, shifting from scattered squeaks into something more organized.
More intentional.
Stella adjusted the sleeve of her coat, her eyes narrowing just a touch. “Then we keep them busy.”
“That’s not going to work,” Twobble replied. “They’re not distracted by shiny objects or clever insults.”
“That’s unfortunate,” she said.
Another flutter of movement passed overhead, this time enough that I caught a glimpse of it. The wings, dark and fast, cut through the dim light in quick, sharp arcs, and my pulse kicked up.
“Okay,” I said under my breath. “That’s not just a few bats.”
“No,” Twobble agreed. “It’s a gathering.”
“Of course it is.” Keegan shifted slightly, guiding me back a step as the sound grew louder, the air itself beginning to stir with the wings' movement.
“We need to move,” Twobble said.
Nova nodded once. “Forward. Not back, though.” She cleared her throat. “We must press on.”
