The entire company spun around.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Elena ran toward the guards.
“Elena, don’t!”I cried as I ran after her.What in the dust was she doing?
The smell of ozone and citrus hit me so hard it was like a punch to the face.To my utter amazement, it wasn’t coming from Darion but Elena.
A wooden scaffolding ran along the building just in front of the guards.Elena grabbed a supporting leg and broke it free with one sweep of her arm, sending the entire structure toppling down in a mass of splintered wood that blocked the entire street.The shell-shocked guards pulled up just in time to avoid being buried in the rubble.They watched in amazement and horror.
Elena turned and shrugged.“I probably should have told you.I have a few secrets of my own.”
I yelped out a laugh of surprise, staring at my amazing and apparently powerful little sister.“I can’t believe what I just saw!”
She smiled, but her tired eyes betrayed the cost of using her Ember.
A loud shrieking sound came from all directions.The Sentinels must have detected that large burst of Ember from Elena.They’d be on us in no time.
“Let’s go!”Darion yelled as he raced down the road with us in fast pursuit.
We turned left at the next alley, and then Darion led us down a darkened staircase beside a nondescript building.We danced around rubble strewn along the stairs until a collapsed passageway barred further progress.Darion reached into a hole in the wall and turned his wrist.Something behind the wall clicked, followed by a low rumble like the grinding of gears.The wall parted along a seam, revealing a passageway lined with flickering lanterns extending as far as the eye could see.We all hurried in, Darion glancing up the empty staircase one last time before ducking inside.He activated a switch on the other side, and the door slid shut.
We all took a moment to breathe, safe for now and relieved that we’d made it unscathed.
“Elena, that was incredible,” I said.“So you have an Ember that makes you strong?”
She nodded.“To be honest, I didn’t even know if I could pull the scaffolding down, but I had to try.”
“How long have you known?”
“A couple of months,” she said.“I’ve been practicing here and there, but once you warned me about the Sentinels, I stopped.”
“You were right to stop, but thanks for saving us back there.”
“Elena,” Darion said.“Do you think you have a bit more strength left?”
“I think so.Why?”she asked.
“This entrance is compromised,” he said.“If Sentinels find it, we can’t let them get in.Can you destroy the gears of this door?”
“I can try.”
And try she did.Elena reached into the machinery and bent inch-thick iron rods as if they were made of straw.The metal groaned and snapped.In moments, the mechanism looked broken beyond repair.
Darion grinned.“Impressive.Okay, let’s get a little farther, and then we can rest for a bit and talk.”
Elena smiled, but it melted away quickly, and she nearly collapsed.I raced to steady her.
“You okay?”I asked.
After a moment and a deep breath, she nodded.“Yeah, I’ll be fine.”
Darion guided us through the mazelike tunnels of the Underworld, turning confidently at each intersection as if he’d walked this route a hundred times before.He stopped in front of a large archway leading into darkness.
“We’re safe enough now to pause for a moment,” he said, then turned to me.“First things first.”He wrapped me in a hug.I was still on high alert, so the intimacy caught me off guard, and I stiffened.But that didn’t stop him.
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Darion whispered in my ear.His gentle voice had a calming effect on me, and I melted into his embrace.He kissed me on my forehead, then nuzzled his nose against mine.“Watching you go through the Trials has been hell.”
I smiled and let out a quick laugh.“It hasn’t exactly been easy for me either.”
