Page 56 of The Fallen Kingdom

Before she can reply, the hallway shudders again, this time more violently. The stone around us groans. Something crashes. I whirl to see a chunk of ceiling has fallen and shattered to the floor. And when I look up...

Thick vines crash through the roof, bearing thorns as sharp as blades.

CHAPTER 26

KIARAN GRIPSmy arm and pulls me so hard I almost lose my balance. “Run!”

We fly down the hallway, our boots pounding through the dead leaves. Something tugs at my foot to hold me back, but I surge forward. Another tug, harder. Another. Another. Something grasps me hard by my ankle and when I look down, my stomach lurches with alarm.

Vines. Bursting up through the onyx slabs and growing fast around my legs. Holding me in place.

Oh, god. A burst of panic brings back unwanted memories of the mirrored room where Lonnrach kept me. The vines there held me in place, tightened if I struggled. Held me while his teeth bit into my wrists. My arms. My shoulders. Neck—

“MacKay.” I just manage to whisper.

“Shit.” Kiaran seizes my hand again with a rough yank.

The vines snap, but I still can’t move, can’t think, can’t do anything.Move and it’ll only hurt worse. Move and the vines will cover my mouth to muffle my screams—

Kiaran’s hands are rough around my waist as he pulls me. “Kam, you have to run!”

You’re not there. This isn’t the mirrored room. Go!

I try. God, I try. Vines sprout around our feet, rising from the floor. They grab for my ankles, but I break through. I rip. I claw. I tear. But when the vines wrap around my wrists, I can’t fight anymore. My limbs slacken.

Can’t. Can’t, can’t, can’t. Teeth at my wrist. Teeth at my throat. Half-moon marks. Don’t move or it’ll hurt more.

I’m consumed by my memories. I couldn’t fight back. It feels real. Itisreal.

Teeth at my wrist. Biting down. Drawing blood. Breaking into my mind.

Can’t move. Can’t scream. Can’tthink—

Kiaran jerks me forward, slashing his blade through the growth. “Kam!” His hands are on either side of my face. “I’m here. I’m right here with you.”

“It’s her fear,” Sorcha pants from behind us. “The Morrigan read her.”

“I’m here,” he whispers again. “I’m here.”

That’s all it takes to get me moving once more. Kiaran’s touch anchors me. It reminds me that I can still fight. I’m not a prisoner.

Somewhere behind us, another chunk of the onyx ceiling crashes to the ground. Another, another. Vines spring up on either side of us, closing us in. Trapping us.

Aithinne wipes at the bleeding gash on her face. “If anyone has any ideas, now might be a good time to share with the rest of us.”

Kiaran shakes his head sharply. “We’re going to have to force our way out.” He looks behind us, assessing.

“Kadamach,” Sorcha says, raising her palm, “wait—”

Kiaran rounds and slams his fist into the wall. An impact that should have shattered the bricks to dust.

His hiss of pain startles me. When Kiaran pulls his hand back, his knuckles are bleeding. The wall broke his near-invulnerable fae skin. How on earth is that possible?

Amid the chaos, he stares hard at Sorcha. Though his gaze is calm, I can see something simmering there. Something wild again. His expression is dark and slightly on edge.

“Kam,” he says slowly. “Can you blast this wall apart?”

Aithinne steps in front of me. “I’ll do it—”

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