chapter Seventeen
There was a sound like the crack of a whip and Lawson collapsed to the ground, bleeding from a gaping wound on his side, the blood gushing in dark red bursts: a thick, viscous river.
"They got him with a blood spell!" Edon yelled as Rafe pushed Malcolm away, enveloping him in a hug and shielding his eyes.
"Don't look!" Rafe told the younger boy.
Arthur worked frantically, whispering as he waved his hands over the hole in Lawson's torso. Lawson's face was gray and he wasn't breathing, Bliss saw. She stood paralyzed until Rafe pulled at her hand. "Come on!" he yelled, leading her to the far end of the cavern. He was carrying Malcolm on his back.
She could hear muffled howls from far away and thought she saw shadows that weren't theirs flickering on the walls as they ran down the long stone ramp that circled through the cave. "Where are they?" she asked, her heart thudding in her chest.
"If they sent a blood spell, it means they were able to break down the wards," Rafe replied grimly. "They'll be inside soon."
"Damn Lawson to Hell," Edon said. "Romulus saw him in the oculus - he must have. Led them right to us."
"Lawson did?" Bliss asked. "But why?"
Edon ignored her question. "Or maybe it was you. Maybe you are a tracker after all."
She wanted to slap him.
"Stop it, Edon! Lawson said she spoke Hroll. She can't be one of them," Malcolm huffed.
Edon shut up and they ran in earnest. They were running so hard and fast that Bliss hunched momentarily from a leg cramp. She shook it off, irritated by her human limitations once more. When they reached the end of the curve, Rafe said a few words and the rock face opened on a hinge. A secret door led to a small tight corridor. "Can you see in the dark?" he asked.
"I don't know."
"Hold on, then," he said, and Bliss grabbed the tail of his T-shirt.
Behind them, she could hear Edon scrambling, and she heard Lawson scream - he wasn't dead yet - as Arthur performed his healing, and then heard an echo as a powerful force thundered against the cavern door, making the earth shake underneath their feet. Her heart was beating a million times a minute.
"Don't worry, they won't be able to get in, not that way, at least," Rafe said as there was the sound of another hard thud, and the ground rumbled again. It felt as if the whole cavern was on the verge of collapse.
"Can they pass through stone?" she asked as they scrambled forward in the dark, the passage sloping downward.
"Yes. But it'll slow them down. Hold on to this side," he said. "Or you'll fall off the cliff."
"What about Lawson?" she asked, wondering why she cared so much about a boy who'd just tried to kill her. She barely knew him, barely knew any of them. And if the hounds were here, shouldn't she be running toward them instead of away?
"I don't know," Rafe said, his voice tight. "He's never been like this. He always heals so fast, always."
They kept running for what felt like miles, and there was a sound of clattering footsteps behind them. Malcolm whooped when they saw that Lawson was bringing up the rear. He still looked pale, but through the hole in his shirt she could see that his skin was smooth and the blood had dried.
"It wasn't a blood spell. It just felt like it was. It was just an exploder," he explained, leaning on Arthur, who was holding a torch and looking grim. "But they broke those wards like they were made of glass."
"They've gotten stronger," Arthur said. "How unfortunate."
"You didn't feel them coming, Mac?" Lawson asked.
"Not soon enough. Not until it was too late." Malcolm shook his head, looking ashamed.
Malcolm was about to apologize again when Lawson clamped a hand on his mouth. "Shhh!" No one dared to speak. Bliss watched Lawson. He was counting. She swallowed and held her breath. The room was so still they were frozen. She was conscious of her own pulse, the air around her face, and the temperature of the cave.
"Four heartbeats," Lawson whispered. "Inside. Two in the scullery now, the others somewhere around the dioramas."
Edon nodded. "Sounds about right. I can't feel any more."
"Reconnaissance team, most likely," Lawson said. "Hurry. We can outrun them."
"Why can't we jump?" Malcolm asked. "Make the circle?"
"You know why." Lawson shook his head. "I can't take that risk again, not when there's so little time." He had taken a few steps forward when he turned around and froze. His brothers did the same; the four boys stood with their noses in the air, sniffing like dogs.
"They've found us," Malcolm said, shaking a little.
"We can take them," Lawson said. "Arthur - take Mac and Bliss down to the car. Don't wait. We'll meet you at the rendezvous point."
He turned to Bliss, held her arm. "Don't let them touch you," he warned. "Otherwise you'll be dragged down to Hell with them."
Then Bliss heard the three older boys chanting under their breath and saw a blue crescent appear on their faces; Lawson's throbbed above his right cheekbone.
But before they were done, the hellhounds came out of the walls, howling for blood.