The moment she did, two firm hands grabbed her and dragged her out.
TWENTY-THREE
RUNE
RUNE BUCKED AGAINST GIDEON, whose arms were locked tight around her, keeping her back pinned to his chest.
“If I didn’t want you dead,” he said, his voice low in her ear, “I’d be tempted to admire your cunning.”
Rune gritted her teeth. I’m flattered.
His flare had died. With no light, she couldn’t see a thing—but she could feel quite a lot.
He was all hard, menacing muscle. There wasn’t an inch of softness in him. With him pressed against her, Rune felt their size difference. One of his hands wrapped easily around her bicep.
His strength, combined with his size, would beat her every time in a physical struggle. So Rune stopped struggling.
She fell still in his arms, catching her breath and trying to regroup.
He was warm as a furnace, and Rune’s body temperature was dropping rapidly. The chill of the water had seeped into her skin, and her wet clothes locked in the cold. But the heat of him staved off the worst of it.
“I’m happy to drag you out of here like this.” Even his breath was hot against her cheek. “But if you’d prefer to walk yourself out, I’ll put on the restraints.”
No way was she letting him put those on her. The restraints the Blood Guard used on witches trapped their entire hands in iron, preventing them from casting spells.
But neither was she letting him drag her out of here.
If Rune knew where her knife had gone in, she could dig the heel of her boot into the wound. That would hurt enough that he might let her go. But without a light, it would be a mere guess, and if she missed the first time, she doubted he’d give her the opportunity for another.
“No preference, then?”
Rune kept her mouth clamped shut, still thinking. She knew the pool of water was directly behind them, and the tunnel directly ahead.
“Suit yourself …”
The moment she felt his grip loosen slightly, Rune planted her feet, bent her knees, and pushed backward with all her might. She heard a huff of surprise. Felt his weight shift as he lost his balance. He staggered back.
Rune had hoped he’d throw his arms wide in his struggle to regain his balance.
Instead, he dragged her down with him.
They fell into the water together.
But Rune was ready for the icy shock. The moment the water closed over her head and Gideon let go, Rune pushed away from him. Her hands patted the walls of the pool until she found the ladder. Grabbing the rungs, she heaved herself out.
Gideon cursed from behind her. She heard the water splash as he swam for the sides of the pool. In seconds, he’d be on her again.
Using the walls to guide her, she ran through the dark tunnel, taking it to the first floor. Far behind her, she heard Gideon’s loud swearing.
Back on the first level, she dashed for the mine’s entrance, following the lamplight. Swinging herself onto the last ladder, she scaled the rungs, climbing upward. She paused at the top, listening for Laila, and heard the girl’s footsteps pacing the ground outside, beyond the door in the room above.
Pulling herself into the small room, Rune approached the broken window and peered out. Beneath the swinging lantern out front, Laila stood in uniform, her pistol cocked on one shoulder as she stared into the darkness beyond.
Rune adjusted her cowl and hood, hiding her face and hair once more, as Gideon’s voice roared from below.
“Laila!”
He sounded much too close.
Laila spun, her footsteps approaching the door.
“She’s in here!”
Gideon was already climbing the ladder. With Laila just outside, Rune was trapped between them.
Rune pressed herself against the wall beside the door, listening to his boots thud against every rung. Getting closer. She squeezed the vial in her hand. She had seconds. If she could quickly redraw the spellmarks for Ghost Walker …
The door swung in and Laila stepped inside.
Rune froze.
Before Laila could realize someone was in the room with her, pressed against the wall, Rune realized this was her one and only chance.
She lunged outside.
Laila spun to face her.
Rune slammed the door shut and wedged herself against it, pushing all of her weight into the wood. Laila pushed from the other side.
The door shuddered.
Gideon would arrive any moment. Rune needed some way to seal it shut long enough to get away. The last time she’d tried Picklock, she’d fainted from the effort. And its sister spell, Deadbolt, would be just as difficult to cast.
If you want to cast more complex spells, Verity’s voice rang through her mind, you need fresh blood.