“What happened?” Raine shouted.
“Someone slipped.”
The tunnel made a sudden turn. Ava was slammed against the wall as the next passage pushed them faster, the angle even steeper. There was no way to stop it.
“Where the fuck is this going?” Raine yelled.
“There’s no telling but be prepared for anything!” Casimir shouted back.
Ava scanned the passage for traps or other dangers. They continued their slide, and her eyes caught on an opening in front of them.
“Get ready!” she yelled.
“For what?” asked Raine.
“I don’t know!”
They free fell into a large cavern. Ava flailed. Screams andshouts echoed as they dropped into the dark abyss. With a smack, Ava hit the surface of a body of water, the impact so great stars danced across her vision.
Pitch black enveloped her, the icy water stealing the breath from her lungs, fingers already going numb. So cold, so cold, so cold.
She couldn’t see and had no way to discern which way was up. Kicking her feet, she tried to swim, reaching for something. Anything. Thrashing, she tried not to give in to panic as she desperately searched for the surface.
Tight fingers wrapped around her arm and pulled. She kicked in the direction she was being led, and her head broke the surface with a splash.
Ava let out a gasp, treading the icy water. The hand was still there, and she turned to find Gisela holding her. “Thank you,” she panted.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes,” Ava said, teeth already chattering.
Dim torches lined the space, illuminating the dark chamber. Like the tunnel, the walls and ceiling were completely smooth, and the water went to the very edges. There was no shore, nothing to hold onto to get out of the freezing trap.
There was no way out.
Ice floated on the surface and Ava was already having difficulty feeling her extremities. “We have to get out of here. We’ll die if we don’t hurry.”
Imsel tried to grow rocks from the wall again, giving them something to climb, but they immediately disintegrated.
“There must be a way out,” Jareth said, ice forming on his eyebrows and eyelashes. “We’re missing something.”
But the only thing Ava could see was the tunnel they had emerged from. High up on the wall and out of reach.
“Perhaps it’s below the surface. One moment,” Imsel said before they disappeared, swimming beneath them. Soon, theyresurfaced, gasping. “There’s an underwater tunnel. We must swim.”
“How long is it?”
Imsel shook their head.
Casimir scanned the group. “Is anyone not a strong swimmer?”
Jareth and a couple of soldiers raised their hands.
“Then you all stay in the middle. That way someone can pull you along if you’re struggling.”
Jareth looked relieved at the statement.
“Imsel,” Casimir said. “Can you lead?”
