“But forward leads us deeper into whatever this is,” I pointed out.
“Back leads us to where we’ve already been seen,” she replied. “And farther away from the stone.”
Fine. That settled it.
Twobble clapped his hands once, the sound sharp in the tunnel. “Right. We run. We run straight into danger and out the other side.”
“That’s your plan?” I asked in surprise.
“It’s a very effective plan,” Twobble said. “It involves not getting bitten because we’ll run at the speed of light. There’s nothing like running as if your life depends on it.”
I eyed him. “Well, that’s a silver lining.”
Twobble nodded. “Fear is often a good accelerant.”
Keegan didn’t wait for further discussion. He pulled me forward, and the rest moved with him, our steps quickening as the flutter above turned into a rush.
The bats dropped lower, but it wasn’t all at once.
It was merely enough to make their presence known as dark shapes cut through the air around us, their wings brushing the tunnel's edges, their squeaks sharper now, more focused.
“They’re tracking us,” Nova said.
“I gathered that,” I muttered, trying to keep my footing as the ground dipped slightly beneath us.
Twobble darted ahead, weaving through the uneven path like he’d run it a hundred times before. “Keep up!”
“I am keeping up,” I said, though my breath had already started to shorten.
Stella moved beside Nova, her pace steady, her expression far calmer than I felt. “If we survive this, I’m adding something new to my menu. Something to light the fire under us that will provide a proper recovery.”
“Let’s focus on surviving it first,” Nova replied.
Another swoop came closer this time, a whoosh of air brushing past my cheek as one of the bats cut low, its presence cold and wicked before it disappeared back into the shadows above.
I flinched and nearly tripped.
“I’ve got you,” Keegan said, his voice low and steady.
I nodded as the tunnel curved ahead, opening just slightly before narrowing again.
Nova’s footsteps behind me slowed just enough, and I turned to see her hand lifting as she glanced at all of us.
“Keep moving,” she said. “I’ll handle this.”
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Buying us time.”
Twobble skidded to a stop just long enough to look back. “Make it quick.”
“I’m aware,” she said.
The air shifted, and Nova stepped to the side of the tunnel, her hand brushing along the wall as she whispered something too soft for me to catch, her voice blending into the hum of the space itself.
The gold lines in the stone flickered before steadying…but then a slow and deliberate stone behind us began to lower, and it looked like the tunnel itself was closing off a section of its path.
The bats immediately reacted with a more frantic race.
