Page 83 of Twisted Bonds
In just seconds, the darkness of the tunnel fades to the last light of day. I fall into a pile of limbs on the ground. Callum and Bobble are beneath me as I yank Mira from the portal. I watch as it shimmers in the dusky light before fading away completely.
“I had no idea you could do that,” Callum says. His voice is pure awe as he marvels at the disappearing shimmer. I almost grunt an agreement, but decide better of it. I don’t want Mira thinking Tairyn is right. That I’m just a brainless beast.
“Where are we?” she asks, as I pull her to her feet. She looks over her shoulder too many times, a slight quiver in her voice. I don’t need to channel my Chroma to feel the cocktail of nervous energy radiating from her.
On the ground, I see a smudge of what appears to be a slime, the different colors of our Chroma mingling into a stain of brown with swirls of yellow, blue, red, and green. I bend down to inspect it, knowing it’s the same slime stain that Tairyn left the day he found us in the woods.
Green, though. I had not had time to consider the color of Callum’s Chroma. I’ve yet to see him channel, even as the portal swallowed us in those last moments.
Interesting.
“Gross,” Bobble says from behind me, pointedly staring at the sludge beneath us. “What do you think, Sunder? Do you recognize this place?”
Standing, I scan our surroundings for signs of life or a notable landmark. When I hear the rushing sounds of the river, I know I’m finally home.
“We’ll sneak in through the underground tunnels. We never patrolled them before, lest we brought attention to our escape route.”
“And then what?” Callum asks, but it’s Mira who catches my eye sitting on a rock looking wistfully to the West. Towards him. The way she touched his face before we left is burned into my memory like a searing dagger. How can she miss him? He’s a slimy eel who took her captive, lied, and manipulated.
But of course she does. It’s Mira. The woman who forgave me despite all the awful things I did in the beginning. The awful things I continue to do. I slide onto the rock beside her, wrapping her with my arm. I let myself open my blue Chroma to her, let myself feel her feelings.
The weight of grief crashes over me like a tidal wave, knocking the breath out of my lungs and nearly sending me toppling backwards. My gut twists into a knot of guilt and regret, threatening to tear me apart from the inside out. And yet in the middle of that turmoil, a small light, warm and radiant, burns bright like a lighthouse cutting through the midnight fog.
Nuzzling into her neck, I breathe in her scent deeply. It calms me, a balm to the storm swirling inside. My voice nearly cracks as I whisper against her skin. “I’m sorry we had to leave him.”
“It was the right call. We can’t trust him.” Though her voice remains steady, the rapid beat of her heart echoes in her chest, a chaotic symphony strumming the notes of her turmoil.
A thoughtful hum rolls from my chest as her feelings of self-doubt wash through me. “Have I ever told you that you are the bravest person I know?” She finally turns that critical eye on me. “Allowing yourself to be vulnerable again. Knowing the risk and choosing to accept it. That’s true strength. I’d fight a hundred wars before I let myself risk emotional pain. I’m a coward. But that trust comes naturally for you. It’s one of the things I admire the most about you.”
Her face twists into bemusement, but she remains silent. I press a soft kiss into her shoulder before I return to where Callum and Bobble stand ready.
“Once we’re in the castle, we will find Cor’than.”
“And just knock on his bedroom door?” Callum asks with arms over chest, eyebrow cocked. My shoulders tense at his tone. I can barely keep the sneer from my lips. Before I can snap, Bobble saves him.
“Yes, let’s come up with a more detailed plan. First of all, if we do encounter guards, subdue them but no injuries. I doubt Cor’than will take that well if we come kick in his door, figurative guns blazing.”
“Cor’than will be staying in our parents’ old bedroom. There’s a balcony overlooking the river. We find a window on the floor below and scale the stone wall. Bobble will scout ahead in cat form to keep us undetected.” I say with more confidence than I feel.
Callum doesn’t argue, but his face says he’s not convinced. My eyes brush over Mira once more, not listening to our bickering and a hundred miles away in her thoughts.
It was the right thing to do, so why do I feel so awful about it now?
It doesn’t take us long to find the old storm drain outside the city walls that lead to the larger escape tunnels beneath the castle. My fingers brush against the hilt of my sword, a comforting weight at my side. “Keep close.”
Bobble is already scouting ahead of us for any signs of life as we move slower than molasses through the pitch black tunnels. But any light might give us away. So, with one hand sliding along the stone wall, we creep further and further towards the main thoroughfare.
“This place doesn’t feel right.” Mira says into my back.
“There are some ancient wards here, placed long before my family ruled. Long before this was even called Valenfall. They only react to the use of magic, though. Just be on your guard and only use Chroma if it’s life or death.”
“Comforting.”
I pull on the subtle thread to Bobble, feeling his direction. As soon as my mind brushes the soft thread, I’m struck by the intensity of his nerves. I yank back as if I’ve been burned, nearly stumbling into Mira.
“What is it?” she hisses in my ear. I shake my head before I remember she won’t see the gesture. As blind as I feel right now, I know her human eyes are showing her even less.
“Nothing.” I lie. No need to worry her. As we come to a crossroads in the tunnels, I know the way to the castle is left, but Bobble is to our right. I push down the slight annoyance. I’m sure he’s just being thorough. Definitely not lost.