I stopped around a corner. Atrius nearly stumbled into me. The visibility was especially poor here. Even vampire eyesight was mostly useless.
I whispered, very, very softly, “They’re over there.”
A muscle feathered in Atrius’s jaw. His presence exuded resolute focus. If I’d had time to think about anything other than the bloodthirsty beasts mere feet away from us, I might have stopped to appreciate exactly how fearless Atrius was. I wondered if Nyaxia had appreciated what she’d had in him—probably the only man alive who’d throw himself into any inconceivable task a goddess might toss his way without a second of hesitation.
And yet, when his gaze slipped to me, that resolve flickered. Just a little, so quick I almost missed it.
He’d wanted to come up with a way that I didn’t have to do this. I knew that, even though he didn’t express it aloud. But we both knew that I was critical to this plan. He didn’t have to be, though—that, we’d argued about. It didn’t make sense to put the most important person here in this position. Let it be Erekkus, I’d said. Let it be any of his men.
He wouldn’t hear of it.
So here we were. About to do perhaps the most dangerous, stupidest thing I’d ever done, and if we got ourselves killed, everything would be over.
The stakes were, if nothing else, exciting.
“Are you ready?” I whispered to him.
He looked at me like this was a stupid question.
Of course. He was always ready.
He stepped in front of me, slow and silent. In his arms were three canteens, which sloshed with blood.
One more reason this had to work: because if it didn’t, the vampires would starve to death.
Atrius uncorked the canteens, one after the other.
The first, he tossed slightly down the path, the blood spurting out and trailing over the rocks below. Then, after pausing a moment, he took the second and hurled it as far as he could into the darkness of the mists.
Immediately, I felt the stirring interest in the slyviks. First one, then the others. Clicks and purrs, then growls, echoed from down the tunnel.
I grabbed Atrius’s wrist. “Now,” I hissed.
We’d gotten their attention. The blood gave us head start. Now it was time to run like hell.
Or stumble like hell.
It was the best I could do in the darkness. I clung to the walls, one arm extended behind me to grip Atrius’s, and felt our way forward as we ran. Behind me, I heard the steady sound of blood dripping onto the rocks as Atrius dumped the final canteen behind us, leaving a crimson trail. When it was empty, he dropped the container.
And then we heard them coming, stirred by the scent.
My steps quickened. Atrius’s strides lengthened, our gaits shifting. I thought it would be impossible to truly run over these rocks. I was wrong. When you hear a herd of slyvik screams behind you, you run.
“Which way?” Atrius barked. The air itself shivered with the beat of countless wings. We stumbled as the earth shook with the weight of their bodies against the rocks, growing frenzied.
The moment they saw us, the shrieks pierced the air. I could’ve sworn they were of delight.
The hair stood up on the back of my neck.
“That way,” I ground out, and dragged Atrius left, to a smaller path between the cliffs. Now only my fingertips brushed the walls, maintaining just enough of a connection to the stone to sense the path back
I’d tried to memorize the route before we started. I prayed I remembered right.
Another shriek curdled my blood. Atrius broke into a sprint, dragging me with him.
Weaver help me. Gods, I’d better remember that path.
“There!” I choked out, just in time, and the two of us rounded a corner sharply, nearly slamming into a wall.
The slyviks were great hunters. They didn’t lose their prey. Seconds later, we heard them behind us. They were gaining.
Soon they would be on us.
Neither of us could speak—no time for that—but I could feel the pressure building in Atrius’s presence, like a thread growing taut. Could feel his hand creeping toward his belt, just in case.
We were close.
We had to be.
I reached into the threads, checking our path—
Pain shot through my shin as it struck a sharp rock.
I stumbled, my knees nearly hitting the ground. Warm blood spurted down my leg. Atrius grabbed me roughly and yanked me upright again, dragging me along, and not seconds too soon because that time, I felt the slyvik’s breath on my back.
We were going too slow.
I could feel the same realization settle over Atrius.
A little farther.