Page 100 of The Sacred and the Tormented

Warriors exploded from the wall to her right, their swords drawn and magic tugging at their loose clothes in an angry frenzy.

Saoirse didn’t wait for a command or explanation. She spun through the Fae with all the speed and precision she could muster. Now wasn’t the time for arrogant swagger. No, this was the time to destroy everything in her path.

Another group of Fae emerged, pushing Zylah back.

Saoirse attacked, forcing those before her to go on the defensive. Zylah stepped back again then Saoirse saw the door. No, not a door, an opening in the wall, the structure crumbling from the top as if someone had blasted through it. Had Zylah done that? Had it always been there?

Zylah stepped back again. Chains rattled and Saoirse saw a renewed sense of fear cover her mate’s face. It sent Saoirse into overdrive. She fought, kicked, let her magic burst out and pierce flesh. Even so, the very air turned against her and Saoirse hit the ground, scrapping her leg against a sharpened blade.

Saoirse ignored the blood and fought to stand. She’d let a thousand blades shred her to pieces before she let Zylah be captured again.

One of the Dark Fae lunged for Zylah and the female’s foot slipped over the edge. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment. Fear, so much fear, then Zylah disappeared over the ledge.

Saoirse roared again, fighting through the bodies blocking her path. Magic and blades tore through her flesh, but she didn’t stop, even as she felt herself fading.

Chains rattled to her left. Someone stepped forward, but she lunged for the male, sinking her teeth into his throat and tearing his artery out before trying to run again.

Someone else reached for her arm, but she spun away, ripping the iron chain from his grasp. She wrapped it around his neck, yanked until his bones snapped, then kept moving.

Her vision blurred, fading, but Saoirse just kept listening for Zylah’s final scream. Kept waiting for their bond to shatter.

Then iron clamped around her wrist. A foot collided with her knee from behind. Something in Saoirse’s leg cracked, then blinding pain flew through her head and darkness engulfed her.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Arianna

Arianna sucked in sharp, uneven breaths, her legs burning as she continued pushing forward. Ellie was always just beyond her reach, waiting around corners or at the end of corridors that seemed to stretch on forever.

Arianna kept calling her name, begging Ellie to stop, but she never did. Was Ellie leading her somewhere? Kirian was the only logical explanation. Perhaps the male was being held somewhere Ellie couldn’t access. Maybe he was hurt and there wasn’t time to explain. Or maybe Vairik was watching her little sister, just as Niall had been watching Gavin back in Ruadhán. Arianna recalled the male’s visceral fear at the prospect of being caught by his uncle.

The lighting within the halls remained dim, but her surroundings shifted from a cold dungeon to a space covered in lush rugs with pictures lining the walls that spoke of a history she knew nothing about. Heavy curtains hung over windows, effectively blocking the light from outside.

Arianna tried not to look at the pictures where eyes seemed to follow her every move. Childish fears resurfaced and she briefly wondered if the painting might actually be alive. Perhaps they reported everything they saw to Vairik and his council.

Arianna shook her head and shoved those fears aside. Something like that wasn’t possible.

She hoped.

The halls kept shifting in their structural makeup, as if the designer couldn’t settle in one artistic method of creation.

Some halls contained high arching ceilings while others were so low she could nearly touch them. Some corners weresharp while others were more rounded. Some were narrow others wide.

She passed under one of the high arches and briefly glanced over her shoulder. Her heart sank.

She’d lost everyone. Even Rion, who had been on her tail and who had always managed to outrun her.

It didn’t make sense and she couldn’t even pinpoint the moment he’d disappeared. It was as if the world had risen up to swallow him. One minute he was there, the next he was gone.

But she wasn’t alone. Ellie was here. Once she caught up to her sister and freed Kirian they could formulate a plan and escape.

Could she run to Saoirse and initiate the evacuation process early? Would it give Rion and the others enough time to escape?

Arianna nearly slid around the next corner. She caught herself on a dusty side table then found a large set of double doors closing just ahead.

Ellie.

Arianna lunged forward, gripped the thick brass handles, then swung the heavy doors open.

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