Page 282 of Scarlet Wars
My mouth curled into one hell of a weird smile. “Of course you do.”
James stepped past me into the dark corridor, his shoulders brushing the frame as he moved. The chill hit instantly, a cutting cold that coiled under my skin and tightened the air in my chest.
I followed close behind, my focus sweeping the length of the hall. Dim lights flickered along the walls, casting creepy shadows across the cracked stone floor.
James’s head tilted slightly as he scanned the corridor. His muscles were taut under his shirt, his movements precise and controlled.
“Left or right?” I murmured.
James didn’t bother to answer. He just kept walking, his hand brushing along the wall, tracing the uneven surface like it would tell him something.
The only light came from the faintest glow of moss along the rock walls, enough to make out the jagged turns before we slammed into them. Our feet pounded against the uneven ground, every step echoing through the narrow cave like a warning bell.
James was ahead of me, moving fast even though we’d been chained to a ceiling less than ten minutes ago.
I caught up to him right as we hit a fork in the tunnel.
He hesitated so abruptly, I nearly ran into him.
“Are youlost?” I hissed. “In your owntorture cave?!”
“No,” he bit back. “I’m…orienting.”
“Oh good,” I snapped. “Glad you’re taking your time to find the scenic route while we’re being hunted.”
Behind us, the sound of distant footsteps echoed: low, fast, and closing in.
“Left,” he said suddenly, veering hard.
I followed without thinking, ducking under a hanging rock that nearly took off the top of my head.
“I swear to the fucking Gods,” I muttered, panting, “if this leads to another locked cell, I’m going to rip off your head androllit North.”
“I’d like to see you try,” he said, grinning through his teeth. “You don’t even know which way is up right now.”
“I know which waydangeris,” I growled. “It’s behind us. Withvery loud feet.”
Another turn. Another staircase. I didn’t know how far we’d come, only that the air was warmer now, like we were getting closer to something that wasn’t meant to be found.
We slowed near a bend, listening.
Nothing.
No footsteps. No voices. Just the sound of our breathing and the dripping of water somewhere ahead.
“Okay,” I whispered, the word barely disturbing the air. “Now would be a great time to say you know where we’re going.”
James glanced over his shoulder, eyes catching what little light there was, glinting faintly in the dark. “I have a vague idea.”
“Fantastic,” I muttered. “Exactly the level of confidence I look for in a travel guide.”
He slowed abruptly. Went still.
“There’s movement ahead.”
Every muscle in my body locked. My hand drifted instinctively to my side—toward where my Chela should have been—only to hit empty air. If only I could translate it into existence.
James’s posture shifted. “Be ready.”
