Gates of Thread and Stone(53)

“The sewers.” So that’s what Hina had meant by “tunnels.” Neither Mason nor Irra had given us details about how they planned to get us into the city. “But they’re patrolled. And there are locked gates,” I added.

“I’ve arranged for someone to meet us inside to unlock the gates,” Mason said. “And our source was able to supply the patrol route. I memorized it.”

“It still sounds risky.”

“I know.” He grinned. “Most excitement I’ve had in two months. Ninu’s reconnaissance teams have pulled back and left us with nothing to do.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying this.”

He looked at the map. “We’ll go the rest of the way by foot. It’s not far.”

We grabbed our bags and switched off the Gray, leaving it in the dark. I hoped Mason would be able to find his way back here.

Strong fingers grasped my hand. Warmth shot up my arm and through my chest. But instead of Avan’s voice, Mason’s said, “To keep you from wandering off.”

Flustered, I didn’t say anything as I reached out and felt for Avan’s hand as well. I touched his stomach first, then he took my hand in his, squeezing lightly.

“Can you see?” Avan asked Mason. The darkness felt less oppressive with the two of them on either side of me, but it was still pitch-black.

“Yes,” Mason said without further explanation. Maybe the collar improved his night vision.

We walked for about ten minutes. Even after my eyes adjusted to the dark, it was unnerving being able to see only a few feet of dirt and black shapes. It didn’t help that the only sound was our footsteps—mine and Avan’s, because Mason had the eerie ability to move without sound. Mason pressed my hand when we reached another outcropping, and we stopped.

Mason released me and knelt in the dry earth. I heard a click. He grabbed something and yanked roughly. Dirt cracked and skidded off the lid of a manhole cover as he raised it from the ground. It sounded like a rockslide in the silence. I looked around uneasily. What if the sound attracted gargoyles?

Avan and I knelt around the opening as Mason descended into the sewer. All I could see was the uppermost rung of a disintegrating metal ladder. A moment later, Mason called for us to follow him down.

With a glance at Avan, I went first.

Rust along the ladder’s rungs dug into my palms. I couldn’t see where to put my hands and feet. When my foot finally hit solid ground, I eased off the ladder, brushing my hands against my pants, and retreated a few steps to allow Avan room. Light burst through the darkness. I shielded my eyes. Had we been caught already?

But it was just Mason. The light was coming from his arm, bright enough to illuminate the tunnel. I shuffled forward, blinking.

“What is that?” I asked, looking at his arm brace. It was made of metal, darkened to a dull finish that wouldn’t reflect the light. A few buttons lined the seam alongside some roughly cut details.

“I’m not sure. It’s Irra’s creation.” Mason aimed the light into the space in front of us. “Better than a lantern.”

The light revealed a walkway that ran along the side of the tunnel. The sewage pit in the middle had long since dried up. Didn’t smell that way, though. I wrinkled my nose.

Two passages branched ahead; the left side had collapsed, blocked by crumbled stone and distorted metal.

Avan dropped down beside me, and Mason gestured for us to follow with a twitch of his head.

“We’re still a ways from the wall, but Ninu keeps the sewers patrolled for a couple of miles out,” Mason said. “They’ll have passed by this area already. We should be safe. I don’t think the gargoyles have found their way down here yet.”

“You don’t think?” I asked.

I could hear his grin as he said, “I’ve learned not to underestimate them.”

“Fantastic,” I muttered.

“There are a lot of unused sewer passages in Ninurta,” Mason continued. “Most of them are left from before Rebirth. They still patrol the unused ones as well, but most are caved in. That’s why we can’t use them to sneak an army inside. Too unstable.”

“This just gets better and better,” I said. How pathetic would it be if I died in the sewer before I ever got to Reev?

Mason chuckled. “Step lightly.”

I tried to do as he said.

We walked along, every sound making the fine hairs on the backs of my arms stand on end. At least in the Outlands, we were in the open. Here, aged stone surrounded us on all sides, reinforced only by metal liable to collapse at any time. After a while, Mason’s light fell on a gate and an ancient-looking padlock on the other side. Mason tapped the metal gate three times and then switched off his light.

We waited in the dark for several long minutes until clumsy footsteps approached on the other side. Someone responded with three knocks. Then I heard shuffling feet, a mumbled curse, and a screech of metal as the lock turned. Mason switched his light back on. DJ was peering at us through the open gate.

I shouldn’t have been surprised. DJ had said he was the Rider’s gatekeeper.

DJ looked us over. “You two still human?”

“Define ‘human,’” Avan said.

DJ rolled his eyes. “Wasn’t expecting to see you again. How the drek did you get to the Rider and back in one piece?”