Rise of Fire (Reign of Shadows #2)(64)

“Luna?” I blinked again, shaking to clear my head. “Am I imagining you?”

She stepped deeper into the cell, emerging from the shadows and revealing her familiar pale features, the delicate lines and hollows cast in sharp relief. A smile played at the corners of her lips. My heart constricted. I shook my head, the too-long strands of my hair falling in my face. I shoved them back. “What are you doing here?”

“We’ve come to get you out of here.”

“We?”

She motioned behind her.

I looked up to find Prince Chasan standing there. He entered my cell, hands on his hips. “No time for reunions. You can kiss later. I’ve got a few girls distracting the guards, but that will only grant us so much time. They’ll return to their posts eventually. Right now it’s time to leave.”

We followed the prince through the sleeping castle, below the dungeon and down into the bowels of the castle, until I was certain we could go no farther without reaching the very core of the earth; a bleak thought, as I imagined the center of the earth was overrun with dwellers.

“I thought there wasn’t any other way in and out of the castle,” I said as we turned a corner into a narrow corridor that forced us to walk single file.

“You mean other than the not-so-secret tunnel in the kitchens? Everyone knows about that, you know. My father let everyone know about it. He calls it his decoy tunnel so that if there was ever a mass exodus from the castle, that one would be overrun. This one is truly secret. Only the royal family knows of its existence.” The prince grimaced. “The castle has never been breached by dwellers, but as a precaution, at the beginning of the eclipse, Father had a team of engineers build this tunnel that leads out of the castle. Then he killed each and every one of them so they could never speak of it.”

Luna gasped.

Chasan continued, “He claimed you could never be too safe. Never know when we might need to run. In that event, he didn’t want to compete with a stampede of people trying to get out.”

“How awful,” Luna muttered.

I gave her hand a squeeze, ignoring the ache and sting in my bruised knuckles.

“We’re almost there now.” Chasan’s pace picked up slightly. “I’ve left two horses with supplies waiting on the other side. Weapons, too. Fowler, your bow, of course. I know your penchant for it. Assuming they haven’t made too much noise and lured dwellers, the horses will still be there.”

We reached an iron door set in the damp stone wall. The prince unbolted it. He pushed open the thick metal door, its well-oiled hinges silent. Chasan stuck his head out to peer into the darkness before passing through. Unlike the last tunnel, this one did not go on and on. I followed. It was only a few feet until I emerged Outside. I paused, looking around in the pulsing darkness as Luna stepped out beside me.

The horses were twin shapes etched against the chronic night. They nickered softly in greeting. I hurried forward, helping Luna up onto her mount. Turning around, I faced the prince. He stood framed on the threshold of the secret door.

Clearing my throat, I extended my hand for him to take. “Thank you. I was wrong about you.” It was hard to admit, but it was the truth. It wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world for Luna to have ended up with him.

“Ride hard. Get as far down the mountain as you can. He’ll come for you the moment he realizes you’re gone.”

“What about you?”

Chasan grinned, his teeth a flash of light in the darkness. Always a cocky bastard. “I’m his son. What can he do to me?”

I thought he could do a great deal. I wouldn’t put anything past the man. “Don’t underestimate him,” I warned because I felt as though I had to. After the favor he did us, I couldn’t just toss him to the wolves.

The prince’s gaze flicked up to Luna sitting atop her horse. “Believe me. I won’t make that mistake again.” I knew he was thinking about how he’d thought he would be the one to marry Luna.

“You can come with us,” Luna offered.

I surprised myself by agreeing. “Yes. Come with us.” I still didn’t like him. He didn’t disguise his interest in Luna and I would always have to keep one eye on him.

He smirked at me as though doubting the sincerity of my offer. “My place is here. Lagonia needs me, especially considering who my father is. Someday he’ll be gone. Someday this eclipse will end, as before. I’ll be here to pick up the pieces and rebuild when that happens.”

Nodding, I swung up onto my horse, holding the reins loosely in my hands. I had never held out much hope for the end of the eclipse. This world was darkness. I wasn’t waiting for light to return to start living. I wanted Luna by my side in this life, come good or bad. “Good luck. And thank you.”

“Now go. Don’t get recaptured and let my efforts go to waste.” Chasan swung his gaze to Luna, and I knew he was speaking mostly to her as he added, “Take care of yourself.” There was a wealth of meaning in those words. She meant something to him. Even now, saying farewell and leaving him behind, this prickled at me.

Chasan sent me a hard glance and slapped my horse on the rump. I lurched forward. He called out as we started moving away, “Try not to die.”

My horse slid into a trot. Luna followed. I glanced behind me, watching as she turned in her saddle to wave back at the prince. She called a farewell, but he was already slipping through the door back into the castle, as though he could no longer stand the sight of us.