I hold back emotion as I tuck a vial of water in each and every one of their breast pockets. I take a moment to check their gear. Kiss their mouths. I’m almost at full strength, only lacking the final link in the circle. Bunny’s betrayal has weakened me—us—in a way I didn’t know was possible. It helps me understand the pain the Morrigan felt when Cu tossed her aside at the river. Sympathetic, even.
We stand before the tunnel and the Ravens enter. Dylan, Sam, Damien…Clinton waits for Bunny to enter but I tug my betrayer by the sleeve and say, “Go first,” to Clinton. He narrows his eyes and hesitates.
“He’s a traitor.” Clinton makes no effort to lower his voice. Damien looks over at the sound of his voice.
“He is and I’m going to deal with that. That’s my job. You all have a different one.”
“Deliver the cure,” he replies. “It won’t matter if Bunny fucks it up.”
“It will matter. But that’s not all I need from you. We’re going to need to build an army.”
“An army?” He laughs. “Where the hell are we going to get one of those?” I don’t reply and finally he sighs. “We should bomb this place and never look back,” he says, finally stepping into darkness.
“What was that?” Bunny asks.
“No questions. Follow orders. Remember that?”
He silently nods.
I grip his arm tighter, my nails threatening to spike. “The choices you make today will determine your future, Bunny. Don’t fuck that up. Not again.”
His eyes burn with pain and I release him. He’s not the only one that will have regrets by the time the day is over.
*
One of Nevis’ men leads the way down the long tunnel with a torch doused in oil. Once my men have travelled deep, I allow them to get a bit ahead. When no one notices, I stop abruptly. Bunny crashes into me and whispers quietly in my ear, “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” The air shifts near me, turning cool. Bunny tenses behind me. He feels it. I reach out my hand, searching for the wall that should be there—and was moments ago. Now there’s an empty gap.
“What?”
“Turn right.” I glance over my shoulder. The faint light of the torches fades into the distance. My voice is barely above a whisper. “Now.”
He does as I say, his toes clipping my heels. There’s the faintest sound of grating stone. I reach back and the opening is gone. I count to ten and Nevis appears, holding a torch.
“They can’t find us?” I ask her.
“No. And I’ve barricaded the entry into the caverns as well. There’s only one way out and that’s through The Nead.”
“Good,” I tell her. “Bolt that door, seal it or destroy it. Whatever it takes, and no matter what, do not let them back in.”
“What have you done?” Bunny asks. His forehead is furrowed in confusion.
“That tunnel will lead them back to The Nead. Sue and Davis will intercept them.”
“And what about us?” The fear in his eyes tells me he already knows. He shakes his head in disbelief. “No. This is not a good idea.”
“It’s the only idea,” I tell him, gesturing to Nevis to lead the way. She takes us to a ladder bolted into the cavern walls that leads straight up into a dark hole. “It’s the only one I’ve had since I gained passage into this realm. I never intended on going back.”
“You didn’t?”
“No. My goal was to come here and save them.” I stare at Bunny in the flickering torch-light. His glasses reflect the flame. “Do I have your trust, Bunny?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Then get ready to earn back mine.”
Chapter
Clinton
I feel rather than hear the shifting of rock against stone. I spin, looking down the passage behind me. It’s pitch black and I know instinctively that Morgan is no longer behind me. Neither is Bunny.
“Morgan?” I call. The only response is the echo of my voice.
I feel along the walls, searching for a hidden alcove or exit. The floor is clear. She didn’t drop a thing along the way. I want to blame Bunny but I know that it’s greater than him. Morgan has been calm and controlled since she saved us from the dungeons. She’s changed since we’ve been gone.
Footsteps and heavy breathing meet me from the opposite direction. Dylan holds a torch and pushes it in my direction.
“She’s gone,” I confess. “Right from behind me.”
“And Bunny?” Sam asks.
“Gone too.”
Dylan’s face clouds over and he kicks the wall, sending rocks flying. Damien begins examining the passage. When he finds nothing, he returns and says, “What did she say to you before you got in the tunnel? I saw her whisper something.”
Three faces wait eagerly for my answer. I think back—it hadn’t meant that much to me, I was too pissed about Bunny. Too worried about her.
“She said we needed to find—build--an army.”
“Those were her last words?” Dylan asks.
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Fuck,” he mutters, running his hand through his hair.
“You think she’s gone,” Sam says. It’s not a question. “She took off.”
“She left me at home. Taking Anita with her—locking up Marcus in her cell. She’s been different. Losing you all changed her. Her relationship with Hildi has been tense, and Hildi’s partner, Andi, is sick. She feels responsible about more than just the virus. I have no doubt she think she can fix this on her own.”
“If she can do it on her own, then why does she need us to gather an army?” I ask. “Why would she take Bunny and send us back home?”
Dylan’s eyes shine in the torchlight, his cheeks hollow and sharp. “Because she knows she’s going to lose.”
Chapter
Morgan
“You knew all along it would come to this.”
“I suspected as much,” Bunny admits. “But it’s never what I wanted.”
“That’s why you did what you did, you took everyone and locked me out. You didn’t want me to come here, but the Queen wanted something and you thought you’d give her Anita.”
“I needed you weak. Dylan, compromised.” His eyes are on the stone floor when he says, “I won’t let her destroy you.”
“You tried your hardest—just in other ways.”
He’s silent.
“Why didn’t you come to me? Tell me? Why did you think trickery was best?” I ask, watching him closely.
“Would you have listened? Taken the time away from the others?” The muscle in his jaw tics. I feel the bitterness rolling off him in waves.
“You don’t understand me very well, Bunny. Don’t blame me for your weakness. Your jealousy.”
Knowing my Guardians are on their way back to The Nead frees me to focus on the plan ahead. Despite our tension, I give Bunny the specifics of how I want this to go down, handing him my sword and allowing him to bind my hands. We enter the castle through a grate on the floor hidden beneath a heavy woven rug. It’s impossible not to ignore the wide swipe of blood covering the floors. Casteel’s blood, if I had to guess.
“Go to the throne room,” I say in a quiet voice. “Don’t you dare hold back.”