Thea ran through the labyrinthian tunnels, breath like an ice shard in her throat, with Bevil close on her heels. Now and then they could hear the low tone of the horns, always sounding closer.
She heard Bevil let out a startled breath as Brom glided silently to her outstretched arm. She stopped as the hawk relayed information to her. "There are more of them up ahead," she told Bevil, her voice breathless but firm. She had suspected as much from the steady beat of drums that pulsed against her senses from that direction. It had been growing steadily louder.
She had to think. There had to be another way out. She vaguely remembered another passage that led to the surface. Gods, this place is a maze. She forced her racing mind to focus.
Behind them, the deep timbre of the horn rang again. She could now make out the chittery sound of claws against the stone.
"This way." She had to find it. There was really nothing else they could do. Frantically, they zigzagged through the tunnels. If they were going to die, she'd be damned if they would do it while standing around paralyzed with indecision.
Gods, where is it? Where is it? She knew she should be able to smell fresh air by now. The only thing she smelled was the dank odor of wet stone. Something was wrong. The next turn confirmed it. She felt the wall of collapsed rock even as Bevil let out a curse. She heard him slap his hand desperately against the wall. His ragged breathing spoke more of fear than fatigue.
"We're trapped," he said anxiously. He was looking to her to make a decision. She could feel his helpless stare. The stench of his fear was like a cloud. How in the hells was she supposed to know what to do? I should never have brought him down here, she thought as guilt raked at her heart. I should have told him to stay up there, told him to keep watch or something…
A strange whistling made them both whip around, weapons half drawn, just in time to meet the sting of darts. She heard Bevil cry out just before the sharp bite in her thigh and the accompanying numbness knocked her to her knees. She grabbed her leg, a useless gesture since she could already feel the warmth of the poison moving through her blood. Her last thought as the sounds around her faded was the fervent hope that Brom had escaped.
***
She first became aware of something wet and cold against her temple. Then the slow and steady ache of her body. So, I'm alive then. With relief, she realized she still wore the mask. She tried to move her fingers and they seemed to respond. She tried wiggling her toes. They also responded. Slowly, she pushed herself up to a sitting position. Her mind was still in a fog. It was difficult to gauge where she was. She could hear the lizardfolk close by. The clicks of their claws against the stone floor and the quiet hiss of their conversations were muffled by some kind of wooden structure, probably a door. Propping herself up against the wall, she concentrated on getting her bearings.
Bevil was here. She could smell him nearby. The space around her felt much like the tunnels. She suspected they were still below in the catacombs somewhere. Almost as an afterthought, she felt for her weapons and cursed. They were gone. Hells!
But this wasn't over yet. As long as they weren't dead, they had a chance. Brom was nowhere near but she took comfort knowing the bond between them was not broken. He had gotten away somehow.
She wasn't sure what Daeghun had been thinking sending Bevil with her. It would have been easier coming alone. She gave a mental sigh. She loved her friend dearly, but he was not cut out for this kind of thing. Now he was trapped here with her, and the weight of guilt lay heavy on her heart. Decisions were more easily made when you were the only one who need suffer the consequences.
She heard Bevil groan as he woke. "Thea…?"
"I'm here," she said softly. She scooted over to him and helped him sit up.
"Gods, my head." He rubbed his temple. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," she replied, then more quietly: "They're just outside the door. Not sure if they can understand us."
He slumped against the stone wall. "Wonderful."
"Bevil, I'm sorry about this-"
"You don't have anything to be sorry about. It wasn't you who sent us on this fool's errand."
"Daeghun would not have sent us if it wasn't important."
"Why do you always defend him?" he whispered fiercely at her.
"And why do you always attack him? Look, there's more going on here than some simple raid. Do you really think those things just chose us at random? They were looking for something."
"I'm not an idiot," he said angrily. "You think I didn't figure that out already?" He fumbled about for his weapons and let out a low curse at their absence.
"Then stop acting like one," she whispered back just as angrily. She was unaccustomed to this side of him. This was no time for anger or despair. They had to think of something and fast.
"I didn't think this was how I was going to die," Bevil said quietly.
"We're not dead yet. And they left our armor on."
"And your mask." His tone was unreadable. After a moment, he added: "I'll never understand why you let him put that thing on you."
She didn't know what to say so she remained quiet. This was a subject she thought he understood was off limits.
"What happened - with Lorne - it wasn't your fault. Don't let Daeghun blame you for -"
"Bevil," she warned. "Don't."
"Please, just let me say this-"
"No!" The word exploded out, so desperate a sound that she could scarcely believe it had come from her.
"Tell me this," he said, turning toward her. "There's a chance we won't get out of here alive, isn't there?"
"There's also a chance we will."
"I need to tell you this. In case it goes the other way."
Thea turned her face away, heart racing. He must have taken her silence as acquiescence because he went on: "It wasn't your fault. I don't care what anyone says. I don't care about your face or any of that. I never blamed you, okay? I just need you to understand that I never blamed you. And that I loved … that I love you."
She felt his hand on her shoulder. At his soft hesitant touch, her chest painfully constricted as if the weight of the entire ruins sat atop her heart.
"I'm not expecting you to say anything to that. I just …wanted you to know. In case I don't get a chance to tell you."
She nodded, still unable to meet his gaze. After what felt like an eternity, the sound of the door opening saved her. She was almost grateful.
