Page 28 of Angel Lost

“Now what?” Chano stares him down. “If I were coming for a roll in the hay with Lorelei, it’d be in better weather and without the company. Explain what we’re doing here, screamer, and quickly.”

“J-j-just pull that blue fork handle,” Hewie says. “If you please, Chano.”

“What if I don’t please?”

“Enough.” I stride forward and yank on the handle. With a low rumble, the stone at my feet starts to move.

A secret passageway. A goddess-be-damned real-life secret passageway. I tap my foot as the ancient mechanism grinds a hatch slowly open. With athunk, it slams down the remaining distance and knocks me off balance.

Chano catches my elbow, steadying me. “How are you still so clumsy? You spent all that time with Silas training you.”

I snatch my arm back, too excited to retort, and peer into the hole. Pale gray flagstone steps disappear into a darkness so black it swallows all light.

Hewie slips a lantern from a hook on the wall and mutters a spell. It sputters to life, creating a tiny pool of light at his feet. He glances at Chano. “It’s not connected to the other tunnels, the ones the Maveriks use.”

Other tunnels? Ones Chano knows about?

Chano peers into the darkness before snapping his fingers and creating a ball of fire far brighter than Hewie’s sputtering flames. It illuminates the steps down to the point they disappear around a corner out of sight. “Good find, screamer.”

I nudge him hard.

“Hewie. Good find, Hewie,” Chano corrects, rolling his eyes.

Single file, we descend the passageway. It quickly branches into a rabbit warren. Hewie strides confidently on. I trail a hand over the rough, rocky walls. First right, then left, left again, then straight on…or was it right? Shit. I’m lost already. Hewie leads us on and on. Eventually it’s obvious we’re in a tunnel far older than the rest. The roof is lower and the marks on the walls make it seem as if this was dug by hand. No magic-blasting here. My aether thrums in my chest like an excited wasp, and I rub my sternum. Must be near a powerful ley line. I always get unsettled around them.

“It’s a dead end,idiota,” Chano growls, cuffing Hewie in the back of the head.

Past them the passage opens into a wide, sand-floored cave with a domed ceiling. Chano straightens, standing to his full height after twenty minutes of hunched walking.

“Not a dead end,” Hewie grumbles. “I h-h-hope.”

He gestures to a series of runes hacked into the rock in a rough arc. “I’ve been beyond this archway, but not the next. I’m guessing about the final room.”

Chano frowns.

“It’s a good guess, promise!” Hewie rushes to add.

I trace the runes, sounding them out. I know them individually, but together, I’m not sure what it says.

“Blood of the most murderous,” Hewie offers. “When I came alone, it accepted my blood. But…I haven’tactuallykilled, so it’ll be one of you lot.” His eyes dance. He’s desperate to know who has the most kills. Sick little gossip.

Zephyr holds his hands up. “Harmed people, yes, but actual kills, none.”

I toe the sand. “Just one. Just my foster carer. But I’d have killed him over and over if I had the chance.”

Kai sends me a wicked grin. “He deserved it. Maybe I’ll find a way to bring him back for you to do just that, killer.”

Not weird at all.

“Forty,” Farrell says. I let out a low whistle and he scowls. “I’m not proud of it. This summer with the Angel King’s little search parties…”

Chano snorts and quickly slits his palm with his knife, glancing sideways at me, apology written all over his face. “I’m a Maverik, chica. It comes with the territory.” He slaps his blood-covered hand to the rune in front of him and…nothing.

We exchange stunned looks. Chano doesn’t have the highest kill count?

Pop.

As a unit, we whirl, Chano with his knife out, Farrell belching smoke. Hewie, though, hits the ground, covering his head with his hands.

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