Page 45 of Tethered Thrones

“Where are you?” I demanded.

“There!” Clem said, pointing to one of the cracks along the side.

We rushed to it and Bracken started to dig frantically again, until Hadi spoke, and we realized that he was below us at an angle.

“I seem to have found some sort of abandoned passageway,” Hadi said. “I don't know where it leads.”

“Stay there!” Bracken shouted down to him. “We are coming.”

He began to dig with renewed vigor, but Hadi didn't say anything for a minute. When he eventually did, we couldn't hear him over the sounds that Bracken made.

Clem placed a hand on his arm, stilling him.

“What did you say?” he called into the crack, and we strained to listen and hear Hadi's voice.

“Sun says that it is an old abandoned military passageway... apparently it follows the river above. There should be an exit.”

Relief flooded me for more than one reason. Sun was okay. He was awake and talking. That was a very good sign.

“We will follow the river above,” Bracken said firmly. “You follow it below.”

I nodded.

“If you get to the entrance first, wait there. The last thing we need is to lose you again.”

“And if we reach it first, we will enter the passageway to find you.”

“We're going now,” Hadi's muffled voice said.

“Go fast,” I said. “And Hadi, keep Sun safe.”

There was a long silence.

“I give you my word,” he said. “Now go! I don't know how much time he has left.”

Every cell in my body protested leaving them behind.

Right here, at least we could talk to them. Right here, I knew where they were even if I could do nothing for them. It was wrong to walk away and it was our only choice.

The same conflict was clear on both Clem and Bracken's faces as we turned to each other.

“There is no time to waste,” Bracken said somberly. “I will fly us along the river.”

Clem lifted into the air and flapped his fluttery wings to Bracken's shoulder, taking a seat on one and lacing his arms around his neck.

“Go fast,” he said. “Avoid getting hit.”

Bracken nodded and offered me his other arm.

I slithered to him, putting an arm around his other shoulder, and wrapping my tail around his waist.

Looking down at the fallen earth that blocked us from Hadi and Sun with one last regretful look, he leaped into the air with a gust of wind from his broad wingspan.

We shot into the sky like an arrow, up into open blue as the moon finally released the sun and the world was doused with bright sunlight again. Through the humans who still fought against each other, we went. I did not know who was winning. I hoped that it was our side, but caring about that detail didn't matter right now. All I cared about was Sun and, I realized, Clem, Bracken, and Hadi too.

We had leaned on each other for long enough that there was no way I could disentangle my feelings from them now.

I had blamed Sun for making me care so much, but perhaps this was a natural development. We were all one, revolving around Sun, but doing it together.

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