Page 58 of The Road to Hell

“Oh, sure. Let’s let our enemy lead us to an enclosed space where his buddies can jump us,” Eliza muttered. “Remind me why we’re doing this again?”

I shot Eliza a wry look. “Because I have brain damage and make terrible life choices.”

A momentary silence fell over the group before Eliza snorted, then started laughing. “Well, glad you’re self-aware at least.”

Rathiel, however, didn’t look amused as he stared at Calyx. “We’re not going anywhere you suggest.”

“You wound me, brother,” Calyx said. Then he smiled brightly. “But fine. Lead the way.”

I sighed and turned back to Rathiel. “What do you want to do first? Feed or find somewhere safe?”

He seemed to consider his options. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, “I’m not going to leave you all here while I hunt.”

I gestured toward my shoulder, still freely bleeding. “Help yourself.”

He shook his head. “I will not take blood from you here. I won’t risk weakening you like that. We’ll find somewhere safe, and then I’ll feed.”

I could argue, but honestly, where would that get us? He wouldn’t bend, not on this. “All right then.”

His gaze turned toward the cliffs in the distance, his expression calculating. “There’s a network of caverns past those ridges. We used them before—back when we still had a rebellion.”

Calyx hummed. “And they’re still standing? Impressive.”

I ignored him. “Will they still be empty?”

“Only one way to find out,” he said.

I weighed our options. Staying out here was a death wish. And we couldn’t go back to the cave littered with corpses—not unless we wanted to deal with whatever creatures were attracted to the smell of blood.

Rathiel was right. The caverns were our best shot.

I nodded. “We head for the cliffs.”

Eliza groaned. “Great. More walking. I love that for us.”

“We could fly,” I suggested. “Me with Rathiel, you with Calyx?”

Hysterical laughter burst free of Eliza. “You’re kidding, right? No thank you. I’d rather walk for all eternity than let him fly me anywhere.”

I shared a glance with Rathiel, then shrugged. Once we all had our packs on, we started moving. Rathiel fell into step beside me and Calyx trailed behind, hands tucked behind his back. He was the picture of casual ease.

Vol scurried up to my shoulder. “Hey, Meat Sack,” he muttered, his tiny voice dripping with suspicion. “You sure about this?”

“Nope,” I muttered back.

He grimaced. “That’s reassuring.”

I almost smiled. Instead, I threw a glance over my shoulder at Calyx. He caught me looking and winked.

Yeah. This was a terrible idea.

The journey to the caverns was slow and brutal. The land sloped upward in a cruel incline, forcing us to climb over crumbling ledges and drag ourselves up unstable ridges that threatened to collapse beneath our weight. The ground was brittle in some places, sinking slightly underfoot, while in others, it was so hard packed it felt like walking on solid iron. No wind stirred the air, only the occasional tremor rumbling beneath the surface.

Eliza wiped at her forehead, her fingers coming away stained with dust. “If I have to climb one more of these death traps, I’m throwing myself into the nearest lava pit.”

I chuckled. “The offer to fly is still there.”

She huffed but kept walking. I guess that was my answer.

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