Page 155 of Emperor of Wrath

Kenzo.

A bolt of lightning jarring my heart, I whirl, my eyes scanning the dimness. By some insane miracle, the bulb hanging above is still lit, the shadows dancing crazily over the stone walls as the bulb swings all over the place.

My whole body tenses up as my eyes land on him.

No.

I scream his name, though I can’t hear my own voice over the whining ring in my ears. I stumble toward him, almost falling twice. But I keep moving, staggering closer on unsteady legs before I drop to my knees beside him.

“Kenzo…”

My own voice comes through my ears at last, dull and muffled, sounding far away.

“Kenzo…”

He’s on his back, his clothes singed and covered in rock dust, his eyes closed. Blood oozes wetly from a hole in the side of his chest.

Oh God.

“KENZO!”

When I shout his name again, I wince as the blockage in my ear cracks, the ringing melting into the background and sound filtering back into my senses.

That’s when I hear it.

At first, when I raise my eyes, I’m not sure what I’m looking at. We’re in the tunnel just off the main room where Valon was holding me. And as I stare through the brick archway leading back to it, the floor looks like it’s…moving.

Breathing.

Melting.

There’s no sign of Valon, but before I can even worry about that, the floor suddenly surges and buckles. I gasp, grabbing Kenzo to yank him back. The ground in the main room bulges, and then crumbles entirely. Black liquid surges out of the cracks before the rest of the floor caves in with a crashing splash.

…of water.

Holy fuck.

The rushing sound fills the room, like a dam has given way. Kenzo blinks slowly, his head lolling to the side as he swims in and out of consciousness.

The water level is rising.

“I got you!”

I grab him under the armpits, gritting my teeth as I try to shift his weight. Slowly I drag him away from the main room, tugging him across the floor and down the tunnel in the direction he came.

This has to be the way out. And if it takes every fucking ounce of my strength, I am getting him out.

I barely make it five more feet before I look up, and my heart drops.

The tunnel’s caved in.

No.

I drop Kenzo’s arms and run forward, clawing and yanking at the crumbled brick and rock. After I clear away the initial rubble, my hands scrape against giant, immovable chunks of concrete and metal rebar.

A choked sputter behind me whips my attention around.

“Kenzo!!”

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