The caves seemed endless. We’d been wandering them for hours. At every turn and every new cavern, hope filled the faces of my people. “Have we finally reached the end of it?” they would ask, their words echoing through the vast space.
And yet we would come to nothing but another turn, another cavern, another terrifying cliff that led into the doom far below.
When we arrived in a large cavern that had a fresh spring running through it, I motioned for Gaven to stop so the civilians their children could rest. Most of the Endirian fae had never left their city before. The mists had kept them trapped behind their walls, so they were not accustomed to walking for miles. As they sat heavily on the stones and drank from the stream, I went to where Gaven was examining another wall of those golden carvings.
“We need a way out of here,” I said to him. “Our people are hungry and cold.”
“I know these tunnels no more than you, my king.” Gaven sighed, weariness tightening the skin around his eyes. “I thought the carvings might lead us out. If people were once down here marking up the place, then surely there must be some kind of path.”
I glanced around, searching for Druid Balfor. His familiar hunched figure was by the stream with the others. The bottom of his robe was filthy and he shuffled his steps, but there was a sharpness in his expression that unnerved me. He was playing at being tired, but he was as alert. More alert than Gaven. Fuck, he was more alert than me. It was as if the exertion was child’s play.
“He’s hiding something,” I said.
“I’ve never trusted the Druids.”
I turned my attention back to Gaven. The golden carvings almost seemed to glow, casting a bronze hue across his dark brown skin. “Why not?”
He thought for a moment before speaking. I’d always liked that about him. “They say they want to live a peaceful life worshipping the forces of nature, that they don’t want to be involved in politics and war. And yet, where is Druid Balfor every time we need to discuss politics and war? Right in your war room. He always has an opinion.”
“Hmm.”
I thought back to my recent battle against the storm fae. I’d called for him to ask if we had any valerian, and he’d said no. Later, he’d admitted he’d lied. At the time, I’d thought little of it. I’d been annoyed, yes, but I’d assumed Balfor hated war. That assumption was quickly proving to be wrong.
A fae quickly crossed the floor, heading toward us from the tunnel we’d just exited. Shorter than most fae and as pale as an albino rat, he wore a black cloak and padded boots to soften his footsteps. I recognized him as one of my scouts. He was an expert at stealth. I’d never seen him look so frightened.
“Cathal?” Fenella asked as he ran by her. Frowning, she followed him, grabbing Toryn’s arm. Tessa spotted the commotion and fell into step beside them. The four of them quickly approached.
Cathal reached me, his breath ragged, his cheeks as red as blood. He bowed. “My liege, I have a report.”
“Go on, then,” I said grimly.
“The gods found the entrance to these tunnels. They’ve followed us, my liege.”
“Fuck,” Fenella barked. Her voice echoed, spreading through the hushed cavern. Almost instantly, frightened murmurs spread through the crowd. She winced.
I ignored her and focused on the scout. “All of them?”
“I saw four,” he said, his voice trembling. “There was one in front of the other three. A woman with red hair. She was ordering two of the others about like they were her servants. Then the fourth, he was in the back. Tall with white hair.”
I nodded. “And did they see you?”
“I don’t think so, my liege. No one ever sees me.”
“Good work, Cathal.” I firmly gripped his shoulder. “I’m going to ask you to do something now. Something extremely important to the survival of these people. But it’s risky, and you might get trapped in the caves for a long time. You can say no if you don’t—”
Cathal bowed lower so that the strands of his wispy hair hung into his face. “I will do it.”
“All right. Good lad.” I looked around at the people crowded in the cavern, fae and human alike. Children perched on rocks, where they were palming water from the stream to drink. Men and women huddled together to warm themselves from the cold. And every one of them watched us, even if they couldn’t hear our words. They knew something was happening, and they were trusting us to lead them to safety.
I looked back at Cathal, hating myself for this. It should be me, not him. But I was the king, and I had to lead my people out of here. “I want you to create a diversion. Draw the gods down other tunnels, away from us. It might give us long enough to get everyone out of here safely.”
Cathal’s reddened cheeks paled. His hands began to tremble. But he nodded. “I will do it, my liege.”
I gripped his shoulder tighter. “If we win this war, you will rise in the ranks and hold land. Itchen needs a lord.”
Cathal glanced up, his eyes widening. “You would give me Itchen?”
“A city like Itchen should only go to the bravest among us. To me, that’s you.”
