Page 218 of Empire of Shadows

Adam grasped her hand and tugged her out of their hiding place. They raced across the swarming, squealing chaos of the cavern to the base of the ledge, and then threw themselves against the shelter of a stalagmite.

“I’ll give you a lift,” Adam said as he extended his hands.

Ellie quickly stepped into them. She scrambled for a grip as Adam pushed her up along the wall of the ledge. Her fingers closed around a crack in the stone, and her boots scrabbled until her toe found a hold. With a grunt of effort, she reached the top and promptly sprawled onto her back.

A vast, black shape swooped over her, close enough for her to feel the wind of it as it passed.

Ellie rolled over and skidded closer to the wall for cover.

Adam’s head popped over the side as he scaled his way up. He joined her, tucking in under a natural curve of stone.

They gazed out over their destination—the place where the ledge broke away under the blocked opening to the outside. The air around it was swarming with bats. The animals obviously remembered where their way out was supposed to be and were infuriated to find it blocked.

Ellie blanched.

“How are we supposed to do anything out there other than get ourselves mauled?” she protested.

“I told you. I’ll keep them off of you,” Adam assured her, pitching his voice to be heard over the whirlwind of outraged monsters.

“And the cover?” she pressed. “What’s your plan for that?”

Adam lifted her hand and slapped something into her palm. Ellie stared down at it.

“A rock?” she blurted.

“You have a better idea?” he shouted in return.

“I don’t even know if I can throw that far!”

“If you can’t throw that far,” he shot back, “then you’re going to have to fight the bats whileIthrow. Which job do you want?”

Ellie swallowed thickly.

“I’ll take the rock,” she conceded.

“Then let’s go!”

With a tug on her arm, Adam propelled her out of their hiding place and bolted onto the ledge. Ellie ran after him, and then skidded to a stop at the end of it.

She froze with shock.

Bats whirled around her, screeching with panic and hunger. Adam had dropped the torch by their feet, which freed his hands to hold both the copper knife and his machete as he stood behind her, facing the maelstrom.

This was fully, completely insane, Ellie determined numbly.

“Bit more throwing would be nice, Princess!” Adam shouted to her as he slammed the butt of his machete into a bat that swooped down at them. The blow sent it screeching off in protest.

Ellie eyed the sagging, half-rotted cover overhead. Steeling herself, she brought back her arm and launched the stone into the air.

It arced out before her… and then fell, missing the cover. Her missile disappeared into the whirling animals.

“I lost the rock!” Ellie shouted.

Adam swung at another bat.

“So find another!” he yelled back wildly.

Ellie dropped to her knees to scrabble through the dirt and guano. Her fingers clasped around the curves of another stone.

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