Rise of Fire (Reign of Shadows #2)(54)

“Stop! Stop it!” No one had to die. Neither one of them needed to die. “We’ll go back! We’ll go back with you!”

Perla’s voice ghosted through me. Things, words she used to say to me as a child. Life is full of choices . . . you just might not like any of them.

I didn’t care then. I believed any risk was worth it just as long as I got to choose. The only thing that mattered had been leaving the tower and finding something, anything, else. I’d found that freedom. I’d found Fowler. But Perla was right. Every choice led to this. It didn’t matter what you did. It was unavoidable.

“Luna!” Fowler cried out amid grunts as Chasan plowed his fist into him.

“Let them finish,” Harmon growled beside me. “It’s already done. One of them isn’t walking away. My wager is on Prince Chasan.” Glee laced his voice.

I shook my head, bitter tears stinging my eyes as Fowler’s head whacked the ground from the force of a blow.

“Fowler!” The sound of his name must have snapped something loose inside him. With a howl of rage, Fowler sprang up, launching Chasan off him.

Chasan landed several feet away. Fowler dropped hard on top of him. An oompf blew out of Chasan. Soon they were locked again, writhing and landing punches.

I listened, leaning forward, the only thing stopping me from jumping into the fray the enormous hand on my shoulder.

All my focus centered on the two boys beating the life from each other. I followed their savage movements, my head angling, listening, concentrating on their location, until, suddenly, the hand on my shoulder lifted. Harmon was gone, ripped from my side.

A new scream intruded on the din. I turned, trying to track Harmon’s staggering form.

“Luna!” Fowler shouted.

Harmon crashed into me, his massive body sending me flying before I hit the ground.

I sucked in a breath, ready to demand to know what was wrong with him, when I got my answer.

“Luna!” Fowler crouched at my side, pulling me up as the sounds of a dweller tearing into Harmon penetrated.

For once, I had missed the usual signals, too fixated on what was happening between Fowler and Chasan—either that or the little time I had spent in Ainswind had dulled me more than I realized. Weakened me so that I had missed a dweller creeping up on us. Just another reason why I needed to escape. The castle was making me soft.

I was fortunate the dweller had chosen Harmon instead of me.

“There’s too many!” Chasan shouted over a growing buzz of noise, and I heard them then—not just the single one tearing into Harmon but the others.

Layered over Harmon’s screams was an army of twenty or more dwellers working up the incline with steady purpose. Twenty. More, maybe. Blood rushed to my head as they clambered in their heavy shuffle, grinding rocks underfoot as they advanced. To venture this far from the comfort of soft, yielding soil, they must be desperate.

I froze, panicked for one moment as I contemplated how to evade so many of them. Firing to action, I shook off Fowler’s hand and readied my bow. I let an arrow fly, striking a dweller with a satisfying thunk.

“The tunnel!” Chasan shouted. “It’s the quickest way back to the castle.”

Fowler grabbed my hand before I could get off another shot. We slid back through the narrow opening. Me first, then Fowler, then Chasan. Gasping panicked breaths, we waited on the other side to see if any would follow.

“The bigger ones won’t be able to get through,” Chasan whispered amid harsh breaths.

“You better hope so,” Fowler muttered, “or you’ve just given them a direct route inside the castle.”

“It was either that or lead them to the front gates of the castle,” he snapped. “At least they can’t swarm us all at once in here. Space is too narrow.”

“It was a good decision.” I intervened, attempting to mediate.

“Hear that,” Chasan goaded.

“Oh, shut up,” I snapped. “If you hadn’t insisted on fighting, then the noise would never have attracted them. I blame you for this.”

Fowler took my hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. I inhaled a shuddering breath, pushing back the tide of emotion.

Both boys reeked of blood and sweat. At least this had brought their little death match to an end. That was one thing to appreciate.

A scratching sound whispered in front of us. Heavy feet dragged on the ground and my pulse jerked at the base of my throat. I knew before anyone spoke. They were following us.

Rasping breath suddenly cleared the barrier of the wall. Receptors snapped and hissed, poisonous serpents reaching, seeking victims.

With a curse, Fowler snatched the arrow I still clutched in my hand. Shoving me behind him, he lunged forward, using the sharp point to stab it into the head of the first dweller to break through.

“Go!” he shouted, his voice a shattering boom in the tight space. “Get her back inside the castle.”

I yanked another arrow from my quiver, intent on helping. “I’m staying!”

Fowler jerked his arrow back out of the dweller’s head and stuck it into the next one to emerge. “They’re coming in fast!”

He was right. They were like water pouring from a spigot.

“Luna, let’s go!” Chasan grabbed my hand and started hauling me away from the dwellers streaming into the tunnel.