The corridors flashed by in a haze. There were no signs of the impending threat, but some awareness of it lurked in the back of Rella's mind.
They reached the room where Kara was preparing the weave to enter the Realm of Shade. When Talin burst through the door, she turned to face them.
"Why are you disturbing me?" she demanded.
Talin thrust the young monk forward. "Repeat what you said just now."
At first, the young man looked around wildly, but then he gathered his wits. He repeated what he'd said before, perhaps a bit more clearly. As Kara listened, she showed no expression, but as soon as the monk finished, she jumped into action.
"We aren't going to have time to prepare this weave now," she said. "Our attention turns to escaping the Church."
"But why would the Church want to harm us?" Rella asked.
"Because the monks used to be part of the church," Kara said. "But we broke off when we realized the true power of the Church was Vardin. They consider us heretics. Anyone found to be a Monk of Duran, or to be associated with them, is executed with no trial."
Rella's heart pounded fiercely. "Then what do we do? How can we escape them?"
"I know these tunnels well," Kara said. "Stick close to me. I don't think it's a coincidence that they're coming after us now." She held up a hand. "No, I don't think anyone here betrayed us. Not even Atarin." Her gaze became sad. "I hope it wasn't Bradin. I've always liked him."
"There's no time for these questions," Talin said. "Lead the way."
Kara turned to a nearby monk. "Assemble everyone in the entry chamber. We're going to have to put up the best fight we can. You need to hold them off long enough that we can escape."
"It will be done," the monk said before sprinting out of the room.
"All right," Kara said, turning back to the party. "Follow me, and be prepared to use all the Fireweaving talent you have. I hope we can stay ahead of them, but we may not."
"We'll be ready," Talin said.
Rella swallowed against the dryness in her throat. She didn't feel ready.
Kara led the way, setting a brisk pace. They rounded corner after corner, descended a few sets of stairs, pushed through countless doors. Soon Rella lost her way. No one spoke. They were all focused on their task. Still, Rella heard no signs of danger. What if that monk who'd stormed into the entry chamber had been lying?
But why would he do that?
They passed deeper and deeper beneath the library. The corridors became dark, with only a few scattered Sunlamps that looked on the verge of going out. At last, Kara stopped before a stone wall that looked just like everything else.
She sent a pulse of magic at the wall, and it began to rumble open a few seconds later. Then she motioned for them to enter. Rella filed into the tunnel beyond, staying just behind Talin and in front of Kae. Atarin and Karik were in the lead of the group. Kara took the rear, using a similar pulse of magic to close the door behind them.
They were plunged into darkness. Reflexively, Rella cast Yellow, and light glowed in her palm. The passage they'd entered was old and dusty. The air smelled stale, and spider webs clung to the corners. Rella didn't like spiders, but she had much greater concerns at the moment.
The tunnel flashed by, growing darker and darker.
"How long are these tunnels?" Rella asked.
"Don't worry about it," Kara said. "Just keep going."
Rella didn't like that answer, but she would get nothing better. Soon the tunnel opened into a much larger space. Sunlight streamed into the space from above, revealing that it was a massive cavern. Stalactites clung to the ceiling, and stalagmites formed a treacherous series of obstacles for them to navigate.
They kept a quick pace, and Rella was growing short on breath. She pushed through it, though. She couldn't slow the group down.
But something else made them stop in their tracks.
Silhouetted in the weak sunlight were the shapes of more than a dozen monsters. These monsters had the forms of large but wingless beasts, their cruelly curved beaks perfect for tearing into skin, and on top of those monsters were men and women wearing the uniforms of Sun Guards. But that made no sense. The Sun Guard had no authority in the Sardek Empire.
"There they are!" shouted one of the riders. "Kill them."
"Well, that certainly simplifies our choices here," Atarin said. For a moment, Rella could have sworn she heard humor in his voice.
"How do we get out?" Talin asked.
Kara squinted into the distance. "They're blocking the only exit."
"Then we fight," Atarin said.
"There are six of us and about fifteen of them," Rella said. "And they have monsters."
Atarin chuckled. "I never said it would be an easy fight."
"There may be a way around them," Kara said. "I haven't explored every passage in these caverns. Rella's right. We can't fight that many. We'll have to weave shields." She glanced to the left. "This way!"
Everyone took off at once. The monsters and their riders charged toward the party from the other side of the chamber. On the large beasts, the Sun Guards closed the distance quickly. The passage Rella and the others were trying to reach was still too far away. There was no way they could make it in time. It felt foolish weaving a shield.
A shield wouldn't protect them from the monster's claws.
"We need to fight back," Rella said. "We can't outrun them."
"But we also need to keep our shields going," Kara said. As if to prove her point, lightning surged from the Sun Guards, coming together in a massive storm that battered the shields they'd all woven.
They kept running. The pounding of clawed feet grew louder and louder. Shouts came from behind them. Fire surged in the air. Lightning crackled. The ground beneath them began to tremble. Rella jumped to the side moments before a hole would have opened beneath her. As it was, she still struggled to stay on her feet.
The passage was at least sixty paces away. The soldiers were much closer than that.
Rella turned to face them, letting her shield drop. As she did this, she felt Kara extending her shield to protect the rest of the group. Rella, Talin, and Atarin all faced their pursuers.
"Fire," Atarin said.
Rella, Talin, and Atarin performed the weave together, combining their fire to create a massive firestorm that swept toward the riders and their monstrous mounts. The monsters recoiled upon seeing the flames coming toward them. The riders tried to get control of the monsters, but the monsters turned and fled.
"I think it's working!" Rella said, running as she focused on her weave.
Talin's gaze was fierce as he kept his weave going. "I wouldn't count on that."
To Rella's horror, he was right. The riders regained control of their monsters and somehow led the monsters through the wall of flame. This time, the monsters looked enraged. They crashed toward the party with even more speed.
"We bought ourselves some time," Atarin said. "That's all we need."
"We have to keep fighting," Rella said. "It wasn't enough time." She kept running, struggling to navigate in the dim chamber. Uneven rocks jutted out everywhere. The ground continued to tremble as the Sun Guards directed weaves at it.
A hole opened beneath Rella's left foot. She tried to keep her foot from landing in the hole, but her momentum carried her there. As soon as she hit the unstable ground, more of the rocks slid away. Her leg slipped into the hole, and when she tried to pull it free, it felt as if the rocks had closed around her. She was too stunned to let out a scream.
Most of the party had continued running, leaving Rella behind.
At the mercy of their pursuers.
But Atarin had seen her distress. To her surprise, he shouted for help from the others and threw himself to the ground, where he started to pull at Rella's leg.
He grunted with exertion. "This isn't going to work."
Kara and the others had stopped close enough that their shields extended around Rella and Atarin. But the riders
were close as well. Too close. Talin and Kae faced the riders, unleashing another firestorm. But would it be enough?
"We're both Firelords!" Rella shouted. "We need to do a weave to get my leg free."
"We don't have time," Atarin said, sweat pouring down his face. The riders were within a hundred paces now. Ninety. Eighty.
No matter how hard Atarin tugged at Rella's leg, it would not budge.
"Leave me behind," she said. "Give yourselves a chance to escape."
For a long moment, Atarin glanced toward the nearby passage. It was too narrow for the monsters to enter. Surely he was thinking of escaping through that passage, of leaving Rella to die by the claws of these vicious beasts.
But then he shook his head, gritted his teeth and started the Yellow/Green weave. Rella didn't feel comfortable performing this weave herself, so she lent him some of her reserves. He nodded his thanks but didn't say anything.
Slowly, the rocks shifted around Rella. The riders were within forty paces. Thirty.
"Jump!" Atarin shouted, and Rella did so. At first her leg refused to work, but then she managed enough force to propel herself out of the hole. Short on breath, she took off running. Pounding steps came from behind, growing closer. Fire and lightning pummeled their shields, which they now wove together. But would even that be enough?
Kae and Karik were the first into the passage, followed by Kara. Rella, Talin, and Atarin funneled into the opening last.
"Get down!" Talin shouted. He and Atarin exchanged a quick glance, as if they could communicate without words. A few moments later, the cave trembled violently. The rocks above the opening of the passage came crashing down, shaking the floor as they hit.
A few of the smaller rocks hit Rella. She grunted in pain and crawled along the ground, unable to stand amidst the trembling.
"Come on, Rella." It was Karik offering her a hand. She took it and staggered to her feet. When she glanced back, she saw that the rocks had shifted enough to block the passage.
"It won't hold forever," Talin said. "But it should give us time to get ahead of them."
"I don't know how we're going to escape," Rella said, feeling on the verge of tears. She took a few deep breaths, willing herself to remain calm. If she lost her head, she would never escape this. She'd survived a lot already. She just had to focus.
The people around her were capable, and she wasn't bad herself.
After taking a couple of moments to recover, the party started through the narrow passage they'd entered. Shouts came from behind, but they ignored them. The passage sloped gradually upward, and footing was tricky at times. Rella kept glancing back, expecting to see their pursuers, but the wall of rocks must have held.
After all, it was much easier to make rocks collapse than it was to move them out of the way. Even many Sunweavers would have to do the latter by hand.
But what if there was another entrance to this passage?
No. Rella couldn't think about that. She had to focus on the moment, had to trust the people around her. Had to trust herself.
They raced through the passage, and soon they came to a higher part of the chamber in which they'd just been. Now they were crossing a narrow bridge suspended above the floor far below. A few pillars of rocks held the bridge up, but it didn't seem stable.
"Do you think it will take our weight?" Kae asked.
"I don't know," Kara said, "but we have no choice." There was a strange look in her eyes, as though she were recalling something from her past. The look passed quickly, though, and she took charge again, crossing the bridge first.
It didn't crumble beneath her weight, but that was hardly reassuring. Even as the others stepped onto the bridge, however, it held. Rella wondered if they could use Fireweaving to reinforce the rocks, but there wasn't time for that. Such weaves were a long and complicated process.
"There they are!" someone shouted from below. "On the bridge!"
"Damn," Atarin said. "They've found us. They're going to collapse the bridge. We need to focus our weaves on holding the bridge together by combating their weaves."
Rella had never done anything like that, but she had to trust Atarin's judgment. He hadn't reached his position of power by chance. He was a talented and intelligent man. She still had trouble believing she was related to him, but she could see it every time she looked at his face.
The weaves slammed against the bridge, and the rocks beneath them made horrible sounds. Surely the bridge was going to fall at any second.
But then they all focused their weaves on the bridge as they kept running. The bridge still shook, but it wasn't as powerful as before, and they'd almost reached the other side, where there was the entrance to another passage.
A sharp crack split the air. Part of the bridge behind them had snapped off. It hit the ground with a resounding thud that made the entire cavern tremble. Dust and rocks rained from the ceiling, but none of them were large enough to cause more than a few bruises.
Rella's heart pounded in her ears as she scrambled to keep her footing. More and more of the bridge was breaking off behind them. She glanced back, her heart climbing into her throat. They might not make the other side in time. The collapse of the bridge seemed to be accelerating. She pushed with everything she had. Her lungs cried out for more air. Sweat poured down her face, into her eyes, but she didn't care.
"You have to go faster!" Karik shouted. He had fallen farther behind in the group, and now he was right in front of her. He took her hand and pulled her along with him. She stumbled at first, but then she allowed herself to trust him.
The bridge gave way beneath her.
Chapter 39: The Battle of the Cavern
Rella reached out for the bridge, but she knew she'd find nothing to grab. She didn't want to think about how it would feel to hit the ground. Even if she survived, the soldiers would kill her.
Her stomach lurched, but she kept her eyes open, and she saw Karik reaching out for her. It seemed as if time had slowed down. She reached out for his hand, and their hands met. But both of them had sweaty palms. She felt her grip slipping. A flood of fear ran through her.
She kicked her legs, trying to find purchase. The bridge remained intact where Karik was lying with his stomach pressed flat to the ground.
She dangled, one hand clinging to Karik's. She gripped with everything she had, but still her grip was slipping.
"Reach up!" Karik shouted. "Grab my other hand!"
He reached toward her. She tried to grab his hand, but it was too far away, and her grip continued to slip. Shouts came from below, accompanied by a sudden rush of fire that illuminated the entire cave. She was sure the fire would burn her, but somebody must have cast a shield. She caught a glimpse of Atarin standing behind Karik.
All these images and thoughts flashed through her mind in only a few seconds.
She reached for Karik's other hand, but then her first hand slipped. As she fell, she didn't even scream. A strange calmness had swept over her. She glanced down at the ground so far below. Moments before hitting, she wove a Yellow/Blue shield. When she hit the ground, the impact was jarring, knocking the wind out of her, but she had nothing worse than a few bruises.
Trying to catch her breath, she got to her feet. The soldiers were closing in on her.
She took off. There was no better plan. The soldiers gave chase, their monstrous mounts gaining on her with ease. Her breath caught in her throat, and her lungs burned with exertion, but she didn't care. She sprinted with all the energy she could muster, holding a shield around her.
Weaves of fire and lightning crashed against her shield. She could feel the heat and energy of the spells, but the shield protected her from the worst.
If only she knew where she was going.
If only the monsters weren't right behind her.
When she turned, though, she only saw three monsters. The other monsters, and those who rode them, must have pursued the rest of the party. Still, Rella didn't think she could handle three Sun Gu
ards and their mounts. But she had to try.
* * * * *
"I'm going after her," Karik said, breaking free from Atarin's grip.
Atarin glanced down at the chaos below. "So am I. I did her a great wrong, and it's time I corrected that. Even if she'll never forgive me."
"Then let's go."
Karik had no idea what had happened to the rest of the group. He and Atarin were stranded on a small part of the bridge near one of the columns that supported it. On both sides of this column, the bridge had collapsed.
Karik and Atarin leapt off the bridge together, weaving shields to soften the fall. Still, the impact was more forceful than Karik had expected. He struggled to his feet, then hastened in the direction Rella had gone, Atarin at his side. Up ahead, the air glowed with magic. The monsters were silhouetted in that glow, but Karik couldn't see Rella.
"They don't know we're here," Atarin said. "We can surprise them. Focus your weave on the ground beneath the monsters, but don't let it go until it's ready."
"I know this kind of weave," Karik said. It was commonly used by Fireweaver bandits, and he had studied their methods during his time with both the Brotherhood and Halarik's Chosen. He shared a quick glance with Atarin, and they started the weave. It was a slow process, but they had to do it quickly. Rella couldn't hold off her opponents for long.
* * * * *
One of the monsters charged toward Rella. She threw herself to the side, narrowly dodging its claws, but the other monsters were circling around to get her from behind. She turned to face them, then dodged another swipe of a claw. Her heart pounded.
She sent an Orange casting at the nearest monster. Castings were usually quicker than weaves, and it had the desired effect. The monster recoiled, letting out a horrible shriek. She spun in a quick circle, unleashing the weave in all directions, trying to strike both the monsters and their riders. To her amazement, it worked.
Of the three riders, only one remained atop his mount, and that mount quickly succumbed to the pain she was inflicting. She had no idea her ability to torture was so powerful.
It terrified her.
But she could think about that later. For now, she kept going in the same circle, keeping her casting going. Then it stopped working. The soldiers were without their mounts, but they marched toward her on foot, brandishing their swords, murder in their eyes.
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