Unmade (Unborn #4) - Amber Lynn Natusch Page 0,8

an idea, though it was one I was loath to try. Oz was damaged enough; he did not need burns added to his list of injuries. But it was the only way I could see to free him, so I focused my anger yet again and whispered a warning in his ear. “This might hurt a little.”

I thought I heard a soft laugh escape him.

I focused hard as Kaine’s angry voice traveled down the hall, growing increasingly clearer. I coughed up the lava-like material onto his bindings and watched as they melted away. The sizzle of his flesh made me cringe, but I saw no other way. Brute strength alone would not break them, or they could never have contained Oz in the first place.

“Only one more,” I said softly, looking over my shoulder at the entrance. As the metal dissolved, freeing Oz, Kaine stepped into the room, his army filing past him to fill the cavern. Oz dropped to his knees, weak and broken, before attempting to stand. Though I wanted to reach for him—to aid him—I knew he needed to do it alone. As a show of strength. As a show of invincibility.

“There is no way out,” Kaine warned, anger thick in his tone.

I smiled at Kaine as Oz would have. “There is if you step aside…”

“Which will never happen.”

I shrugged. “Move. Do not move. Either way, we will be leaving here.” I let my eyes fall to the pile of charred Dark Ones’ remains at the entrance. “They would not yield,” I said calmly. “I fear that did not end well for them.”

Kaine’s scowl deepened. “Oz will be dead before you leave this room if you try.”

“You will never get close enough,” I said before throwing my arms toward them. Zeus’ lightning shot forth, blasting the army of Dark Ones into the wall—even Kaine. The crackle of electricity continued, a net of lightning holding them against the stone. With no time to waste, I threw Oz’s arm over my shoulder and dragged him alongside me as we escaped. “I do not know how long that will last,” I said as we hobbled down the hall. I cursed its narrowness with every step I took.

“That wasn’t all of them,” he grunted out.

“Then I shall either melt or electrocute whoever endeavors to thwart our escape. Will that suffice?” I asked, my tone as sarcastic as it could be as I hauled his massive body down the hall. It finally opened wide enough for my wings to spread. I wrapped my arms around Oz’s waist and lifted him as we took to the air.

“I can fly, you know,” he said, but his voice was thin and weak—and all bravado. I knew he could not have flown more than ten feet without crashing.

“Perhaps you could just navigate out of here instead,” I countered. “I do not know the way.”

“Then how did you get here in the—”

“You do not wish to know the answer to that particular question.”

Telling him that Deimos had brought me would surely do little to help our situation.

Once again, I heard the angry shouts of Kaine and his men chasing me through the mountain. With Oz’s weight slowing me down, I wondered if we would make it out or have to stop to face them. But the hazy sunlight in the distance gave me hope that we would make it—that we would soon be free.

“Cut through the valley,” Oz said. His voice was stronger that time, though tight with pain. I did what I could to lighten my grip, but it was impossible to secure him without squeezing his wounds. They covered too much of his body to avoid.

We broke through the grey glow, and I followed Oz’s directive, cutting around the mountain toward the dusty valley. There were no Dark Ones in our way, so I flew as fast and sure as I could, headed into the grey of the in-between.

“Do you see that?” Oz asked, his bloodied arm raising to point at something in the distance.

“Do I see what?”

“The broken tree.”

It was the only tree in the valley. “Of course I see it—”

“Fly into it.”

“You want me to fly directly into the tree?”

“It’s an exit,” he said. Somehow, he managed to sound frustrated through his pain.

“Is this one of those moments when I must trust you?” I asked, a hint of mocking in my tone.

“I’m trusting you. I figured you could do the same.” His hands gripped my forearms as we neared the portal. “Aim for