Page 33 of Devoured By the Stormbrought

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SILAS

Anya turnedto continue her search, leaving me standing right where I was.

She hated me, and she wanted me to know it.

Coming to that realization felt like swallowing a hot coal. It sat in my gut, burning me up from inside, making me squirm uncomfortably when I came upon her standing proudly over a strange hole in the ground. Off to one side was a large iron door that had been pried open at some point recently. The brambles and weeds that had grown over it had been disturbed, filling the air with the scent of fresh earth, and the rain had coated the stairs leading down into the darkness with moisture.

"What are the chances you can summon a little bit of Re'Utu's fire?" Anya said, staring bleakly down into the darkness.

Closing my eyes and tipping my head back, I whispered the prayer, seeking the tiniest sliver of stray energy to call to myself. Then I cupped my hands in front of my mouth and breathed slowly, directing my focus into forming a tiny flame.

"Hang on," she said, and she reached down, wrestling with the brambles until she pulled a little tuft of dried grass free. "Do it again."

This time, the little flame I'd summoned caught on the grass and she dropped it into my hands hurriedly, pulling her singed fingers back.

"Go. I'll be right behind you."

I nodded and took the first steps down. I didn't love the idea of her behind me, unprotected, but her anger was still heavy in the air between us, and it didn't seem wise to try and change her mind. We walked until I was sure we had to be close to the outer walls of the palace. The tunnel was almost entirely straight, aside from its slight slope downward.

It came to an abrupt stop, and I stood facing a door, barred from the outside with a thick wooden beam. I moved aside so Anya could see it too, and she rushed forward. Planting her shoulder up under it, she grunted and tried to lift it with her whole body, but it was no use. It was too heavy, and she was too tired.

"May I?" I asked, trying not to incense her any further.

To my surprise, she merely stepped aside.

"I'm going to have to put this out," I said, looking into the tiny fire that flickered and swirled in my palm. Across from me, it lit up her face, filling her eyes with starry reflections and giving her skin a gorgeous glow that reminded me so much of what she'd looked like when I was inside her and she was pleading for me to bring her to climax.

Swallowing hard, I looked away, fighting the reaction in my groin at the thought. I opened my palms and let the last remnants of the grass fall to the ground, putting themselves out on the moist dirt before she could notice how hard I'd gotten. Thank Re'Utu we'd be going in blind after this.

With a heave, I lifted the beam and moved it aside. Then, I threw my shoulder into the door and forced it open as it grated on rarely used hinges.

When the opening was wide enough for the both of us, I slipped through and waited until I heard Anya nearby. Then I began walking with purpose, eager to find the sanctuary and get everyone to safety.

"You're not just going to leave it like that, are you?" she asked from somewhere behind me. She hadn't been following me after all.

"What would you rather I do?" I asked with exasperation.

"Um... don't you think if someone took the trouble to lock the door after they escaped, there was a reason? What if they're still close and they come back? They could lock us in here and then this whole thing would have been for nothing."

I ran a hand through my hair, trying not to let my irritation get the better of me. She was right. Again. Always the practical one.

"I'm asking again. What would you like me to do? I can't just carry that beam with us."

I didn't have to see her to imagine her rolling her eyes at me in the darkness.

"Why don't you bring it in here and lock the door from this side? That way we can make sure we're not being followed, and we can get out when we're sure it's safe."

"Oh."

I retraced my steps, feeling my way along until I practically ran into her. I waited until she was well out of the way and then found the beam, hauling it through the doorway. I fought the door closed once again and then hoisted the beam into place to secure it.

"Happy?"

"No," she snapped unapologetically. "But at least I won't be stabbed in the back, so that's something."

This time, I rolled my eyes. Nothing I did would ever be enough for her to overlook my title.

Fortunately, there were few obstacles standing in our way, now that we were inside the palace proper. Hurrying ahead, I pushed my way out into the sanctuary, arriving directly behind Trydan's throne on the dais.

I almost choked at the stench of so many bodies crammed together. The holy sanctuary had been defiled. But I didn't have time to survey the extent of the damage because Ember was on her feet and running toward me.

"Is he with you?" she gasped, nearly collapsing into my arms.

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