Page 76 of Veiled Fate
Lycaonus coughed and spat. “Finally found someone gullible enough, did you, K—”
“Shut up,” Kiel snarled. His fingers tightened ever so perceptibly.
Then he dropped my hand, grabbing the sword from Lycaonus’ still limp hand.
Lightning forked across the ceiling, and the emerald ball of energy ballooned in size. Chunks of rock the size of our head were blasted from the ceiling.
“It’s going to explode,” I said. “Kiel, the shard of Fate is free, and I think she’s mad. We need to gonow!”
Kiel shot a glance upward as the emerald light went crazy.
“You know, I think you’re right.”
Without another word, he plunged the sword through Lycaonus’ chest, pinning him to the rock beneath.
Then, together, we ran for the exit.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
The trapped Alpha’s furious howls about revenge and how painful he would make our deaths were swiftly drowned out by a much more dangerous rumble. It wasn’t a noise but a thrumming vibration that shook the entire mountain.
“The whole thing is coming down,” I gasped as we raced through the tunnels, having found a flickering torch courtesy of a wandering Wulfhere soldier who we had left in a heap behind us.
Kiel grunted. “What the hell happened back there?”
Our bare feet slapped against stone as we ran on. I desperately hoped Kiel remembered the way out because I was so delirious on the way in that I couldn’t remember a thing.
“Oh, you know,” I said between breaths, “I stabbed myself with the sword, so I could bind Fate to it.”
“The explosion, I mean,” he grunted, sounding a bit labored, which was unusual for him.
“Are you okay?” I asked, sparing him a glance, only to see he was holding his side.
“I will be,” he assured me, frowning in concentration. “Just hurts like a bitch right now, that’s all. But not fatal. Go left.”
We banked around a corner and ran onward. Up ahead, I could spy light, so I tossed the torch aside, using both hands to speed myself along.
“Hurry,” I shouted as the mountaingroaned.
Then it jumped, the ground literally moving. We crashed off the ceiling and then were slapped to the floor.
“Ow,” I moaned, rolling onto my back, fresh blood trickling down over my eye from a wound to my brow. I was sure I would have a nice bump to go with it. “Kiel?”
“Here,” he said. “That hurt, in case you were wondering.”
“Nope, I wasn’t. 'Cause I felt it, too,” I said, staring up at the ceiling, trying to figure out why my brain was screaming at me. What was it trying to say? Something about how the roof of the tunnel had been painted?
A section of stone broke free and plunged toward my head.
With a cry of surprise, I half-rolled, half-flung myself out of the way, everything suddenly snapping into focus with shocking clarity.
The entire tunnel was going to collapse. On top of us if we didn’t get out of its way.
“Get up!” I cried, scrambling to my feet.
A strong arm hauled me up and propelled me forward. “Already up,” Kiel added as we ran on, the exit getting larger by the second.
Unfortunately, the tunnel behind us was growing smaller as it caved in. I risked looking over my shoulder. It was a bad idea. The tidal wave of rocks wasrightthere.
