Page 35 of Akur

“Because they’re going right, and I don’t trust the middle path. It’s too obvious.”

Another sound that might have been a laugh rumbled through his chest. “Your logic is…”

“Brilliant? Strategic?”

“Human.”

She was going to take that as a compliment. “Yeah, well, following monster swarms isn’t usually the best survival strategy.”

“Better than capture.” A grunt as he presumably cut down another creature that slammed into him hard enough that he was thrust back against her. “Unless you prefer fighting those brutes head-on?”

The mechanical thumping grew louder, the gator-guards’ shouted commands bouncing off the walls even clearer. They were gaining on them.

“Neither option sounds great.”

She thought he’d follow his instinct. Head after the flood of creatures going right. But he did the opposite. He went left.

“Hurry, they’re getting closer.” She tried to pick up the pace, but her legs felt like lead.

“Your powers of observation continue to impress.” Despite his words, there was no mockery in his tone—only strain and something else she couldn’t quite identify.

The left tunnel proved to be a mistake. After only a dozen meters, it narrowed dramatically. Akur had to run partially sideways to fit through, his massive frame scraping both walls.

“This may have been a tactical error,” he rumbled.

“You think?” The words came out sharper than intended. “Sorry, near-death experiences make me snippy.”

The tunnel narrowed further.

“We appear to be out of options,” Akur said, but his voice was oddly calm.

“That’s twice now you’ve been ready to die in these tunnels. I’m starting to think you’re not very pragmatic.”

“I would take them all down.” His body shifted, and maybe he was looking back at her. “But I have you. I will not risk your life for just a few kills.”

His words made her lids flicker. “You’re not fighting because ofme?”

Akur’s grip tightened on her wrist. “You are more important than you realize, little human. I am fighting…foryou.”

His words held a lot more than she could process. What’s worse, it felt like they were running from the inevitable. No matter what, how did they get out of this?

“You shouldn’t have come.” Her breaths felt hot as they pressed through the narrowing tunnel. “You’re only here because you followed me.”

“So I did.” Those three words carried a weight she wasn’t ready to examine.

Behind them, the sounds of battle grew fainter, but the mechanical thumping of the guards’ equipment could still be heard. New fear unlocked.

“They really want us back,” she panted.

“You sound surprised.”

“Well, yeah. I mean, I’m just a human. There’s nothing special about me. And you’re…”

“A rebel? A warrior? A thorn in their side?”

“I was going to say a pain in the ass, but those work, too.”

Another of those rumbling almost-laughs, cut short by a grunt of pain. She’d almost forgotten that just hours before, he was near death. They needed to find a spot to hide. To rest. To recoup.

---