Page 25 of A Spell of Bones and Madness
Then it came. Three flashes of fire light from the tower. Their work had only just begun.
It was just as she remembered. Damp. Dark. Dusty. Even after countless months of her traipsing through the tunnel, its condition never improved. Katrin only hoped the spiders were more frightened by them than she was of the scurrying creatures. Leighton panted behind her, carrying the additional weapons for the men that went in with Chloe. Yet it was Farah who complained every step of the way.
“Was this not my idea in the beginning? But we sent those men and Chloe in anyway. It was far too much of a risk,” she snapped from behind.
“Don’t start acting like the princess means something to you, Farah,” Leighton snorted.
“Hardly, Nauarch, that feral creature probably has fleas.”
Katrin could barely contain the smirk that formed on her face. Denial. The same thing that had laced every word she spoke about Ander. Until—until she was honest with herself.
“Well, that risk paid off. We would not have known if anyone guarded the entrance, or if the tunnels had been sealed off entirely. Now we can meet them at the intersection that leads directly to the dungeon entrance.” Katrin turned to look at the sweating princess.
“And how is it that none of the guards—the elite Spartanis soldiers—knew of these tunnels? Especially after you were kidnapped not once, but twice.” Farah’s brow kicked up.
“The Spartanis may be skilled, but other than the senators, they are not the most intelligent bunch. Plus, the tunnels are a Drakos secret. Kept well.”
Farah just rolled her eyes. Padding feet echoed off the tunnel walls, labored breaths twining with the stomping sound. One finger flashed up to Katrin’s lips, her other hand began to faintly glow, a tiny ball of starlight swirling around her palm, flickering in and out. Shadows began to creep along the walls, stretching toward the three of them. Leighton drew his sword and Farah gripped her spear.
“Put that ball of fire away, Katrin,” a woman’s voice whispered.Chloe.
Light faded from Katrin’s skin as she rounded the corner to face the princess and the other soldiers.
“You made it,” a choppy rasp came from behind. Farah stood motionless, her amber eyes flaring.
“Of course we did. Seriously? You all underestimate my powers of persuasion.” Chloe bowed to them all, wiggling her eyebrows. “All I had to do was act pious and grateful and a little bit sultry. Two of which are the complete opposite of how I act. Care to guess which one it is, Princess?”
Farah glared at her, but her chest rose a little more with her next inhale.
“Can you two hush? We need to focus on what’s important right now,” the nauarch’s voice was silencing.
“Alright, alright, Leighton. What are we to do next?” Chole stuck her hand on her hip, smirking at him. “Who put you in charge anyway?”
“No one put me in charge, but you all seem to be distracted by each other.”
He wasn’t wrong. But Katrin was grateful for the small bit of lightheartedness the two dueling princesses brought with them. If not for the brief laughter, she might fully descend into a well of nerves and, even more, might vomit the entire contents of her stomach. Ander had been down in these dungeons for weeks. She wasn’t sure what state he would be in, or if he would even still be here. King Athanas and King Edmund could have very well moved him and that would lead to a whole other set of problems.
“Leighton, we will need one of your soldiers to stand guard at the entrance to my chambers, one at the entrance to the tunnel in the woods, and one manning where the tunnel leads out by the dungeons,” Katrin ordered.
“You heard her, men. You three, return toThe Nostosand inform Cal and Kristos the first phase was successful, but to stay on guard.” Leighton nodded to his crew and they took off with their respective orders, now dressed in their normal leathers, weapons to match.
“Chloe, I’m going to need you to stay shifted now. The guards know what you look like and if they realize you are still here it will set off all manners of alarm.” Katrin rested her palm on the princess’s shoulder. “We almost have him back.”
In a blink of an eye, the silver-coated wolf stood before her, those icy blue eyes ablaze with determination behind the streak of black fur.
“And, Farah.” Katrin turned to Kohl’s sister who still stood with her arms crossed and a snarl across her face. “Please just try not to do anything rash.”
“Oh, because I have a habit of it?”
“Yes,” Leighton and Katrin both said at the same time, earning a slight twitch up of Farah’s lips.
They began to descend down the other side of the tunnels, ones Katrin could easily navigate in the dark. They would exit into a small broom closet across the hall from the doors that led to the dungeon; a hidden lever behind one of the bricks would allow them back inside if they returned. There would usually be two guards posted at the door, and one at the bottom.
Each time they passed a doorway out of the tunnels, Katrin held her breath. The castle was silent, more so than usual. Festivities had died down and now even the servants disappeared to their quarters. She could only hope the guards had done the same.
A crack ran along the hidden door in the back of the broom closet, just wide enough that you could see the shadows of movement outside or outlines of figures standing guard—at least, that was what Katrin usually saw. Instead, the faint purr of snoring came sounding through the door. Raising her finger to her lips once more, Katrin pointed at herself with her other hand then held her palm up to the others. She needed to go first.
Leighton shook his head before whispering, “You are not going out there alone.”
