“You…you can’t get out,” she rasped, her courage growing. “There are too many. It’s over.”
“I say when it’s over!” His fingers dug into her wrist. He dragged her toward an elbow deeper in the tunnel. Dim voices still echoed from the central space of the cave, but they weren’t following. The footsteps ahead echoed louder. Someone was running toward them. A light barreled closer.
The sentry from before. The one who’d gone back to check the orchard door. It had to be. She needed to do something fast before Gryphon killed him.
“Here!” she screamed. “I’m here!”
Gryphon’s fingers dug into her wrist with a death grip, and he yanked her so close, the air whooshed out of her lungs. The sentry’s boots skidded to a stop.
Whatever fear she’d felt before was replaced with determination. She wasn’t going to go willingly this time. She had let Orpheus drag her to this colony. She’d spent her life hiding. But not anymore. This time, she was in control.
She jerked hard on Gryphon’s arm. “No! I’m not going any farther with you.”
Light from the sentry’s lantern ahead curved around the bend, illuminating the cave and Gryphon’s enraged eyes. Behind her, toward the main chamber of the caves, voices dimmed as if they’d heard her too. An eerie silence settled over the space, followed by the squawk of a radio from the sentry frozen around the corner.
Fear raced down her spine, but she held her ground. And when Gryphon muttered, “Stupid female,” and his grip tightened on her wrist, she didn’t even think, she reacted.
She wrenched her arm from his grip. Electricity raced down her arm. The force of it hit the rocks at her feet, vibrated through the floor of the cave. A great cracking sound echoed.
“Dammit,” Gryphon muttered, glaring into her eyes, taking one menacing step forward.
She braced herself for his fury, for the first time not afraid of what might happen to her. Energy rippled through her limbs, into the rocks beneath her feet. But before he could reach out and grasp her again, a rumble echoed through the tunnel.
Gryphon stopped. Looked up and around. Voices echoed through the cramped space. And Maelea took the opportunity to strike.
She thrust her arms out full force. “No, you son of a bitch.”
Her palms connected with his chest. Energy shot from her into him, from her legs into the floor. He stumbled back a step, lost his footing, started to go down. Then an ear-shattering crack echoed through the cave.
As Gryphon hit the ground with a grunt, dim voices grew stronger. Boots clomped over rock. And Orpheus’s voice rang out strong. Calling…her name.
She turned toward the sound. Screamed, “I’m here!”
But her voice was drowned out by the roar of rushing water. Rushing fast.
“Maelea!”
She looked back over her shoulder where Gryphon was pushing up from the ground, trying to come after her. Her eyes flew wide. Another burst of energy rippled through her body. Followed by an earth-shaking roar just as the ceiling opened up and a wave of water poured into the tunnel.
The force knocked him off his feet. He slammed into her, kicked her legs out from under her. She hit his chest hard, gasped as water sprayed her face, filled her lungs. Gryphon’s fingers dug into her biceps, dragging her with him down the slippery cave floor, rushing in a river of water right for Orpheus and the others racing in their direction.
She tried to catch her breath, tried to twist away from Gryphon. Through blurry vision, she saw lights ahead. People coming their way. Orpheus’s face.
“Hang on to me!” Gryphon yelled over the thunder of water.
No. Never. She fought against him. Lashed out with her arms, tried to kick away with her feet.
Another crack resounded. Her eyes grew wide. Locked on Orpheus and Nick skidding to a stop. Then the rocks gave out beneath them.
She managed one bleating scream. And felt nothing but air.
***
Atalanta was in a time crunch.
She glanced at the calendar mounted to the wall as her frustration grew exponentially. “Galto!”
The clacking of nails against stone echoed through the room, followed by a raspy voice at her back. “Yes, my queen.”
She turned to glare down at the three-foot-tall, scaly, goblinlike creature she’d dragged back from the Underworld when she escaped after following Gryphon and the daemon spawn out. “What news of my doulas?”