Avenger (A Halflings Novel) - By Heather Burch Page 0,8
she shook him. “Raven! Did you see what you did? You ripped apart metal.”
His head bobbed as she shook him. There was no mistaking the smile spreading across his face. Maybe Raven had surprised himself too.
The levity didn’t last long. He reached through the hole in the door and swung it open. “Get inside,” he ordered.
The stairwell was dark, but as she’d learned from being in Zero’s tunnels what now felt like a lifetime ago, she could see in the dark. Nothing for a Halfling.
“The entrance is in the basement, so I’m hoping this stairwell will take us that far. If not, we’ll have to cross one of the floors to get to the front stairs. That’s where I’ve gone in before.”
“Do you think they’re all okay, Raven?”
He stopped mid-step and turned to her. “You really need to put your energy into staying alive, Nikki. The other Halflings can take care of themselves.” When she continued to stare at him, he softened, but only slightly. “Look, they know what they’re up against now.”
She searched his eyes for the lie, but couldn’t find it. “You really think this worked, don’t you? You think they’re all right.”
“Yeah. I wouldn’t have left with you if I didn’t.”
She forced a smile. “I hope you’re right.”
He winked. “Count on it, baby. I’m always right.”
Nikki rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand to tug him down another flight of stairs. Finally, the Raven I know how to deal with.
“When we get to the bottom, the stairway narrows. And it’s kind of creepy. Don’t go too fast, and stay close. I won’t let any rabid Parisian rats nest in your hair or anything.”
“I hope it doesn’t narrow too much,” Nikki said.
“Why? Scared of enclosed spaces?”
She blinked innocently. “No, I’m just afraid your ego might not fit.”
The tunnel into the Paris underground was indeed tight, indeed creepy, and indeed a place Nikki was glad to be out of. The instant they stepped into a larger space she began the ritual of combing imaginary spiders from her hair. The combing was especially vigorous since there was a good chance they weren’t all imaginary. She’d rested her hand against the tunnel wall at one spot, and when it quivered beneath her touch, she screamed. Raven clamped a hand over her mouth to quell the sound. “It’s just a spider.”
Just a spider. As if that somehow made it better.
“I thought you were tough,” he scoffed.
“I don’t like spiders.”
He pointed to her foot. “How do you feel about centipedes?”
She practically sucked in all the air from the room, but before she could shriek Raven’s hand was over her mouth, once again muffling the sound.
“You’re really good with the whole inconspicuous thing.”
The centipede continued his trek toward the tunnel wall. “Inconspicuous?” She motioned around her. “Who’s gonna hear?”
“I would.” The small voice came from behind them and Nikki jumped. “Sorry,” the shadow said.
Nikki thought maybe the narrow tunnel they’d left wasn’t so bad after all. She could see, but the voice came from a space she couldn’t penetrate, and a stranger was certainly worse than some bug. Even if he was polite. Looking closer, she realized the shadow was a rock wall and the voice came from behind it. A small hand slid out from the rock and waved. “Hi. I’m Dane.”
Raven’s brows rode high on his head. He shrugged at Nikki then addressed the hand that now clung to the edge of the rock. “Hi, Dane. Is there a body attached to that hand?”
From about four feet off the ground, a small head appeared slowly from behind the stone. Brown hair, then large brown eyes framed by glasses, then a small nose. He stayed positioned like that, staring at them as if deciding whether to engage in a conversation or run to find authorities. He couldn’t be more than ten years old, and the strong French accent seemed odd coming from such a small boy. Finally, a bow-shaped mouth appeared, teeth chewing one side in apparent nervousness. “So, how’d you find my hideout?”
“Your hideout?” Raven repeated slowly.
“Yeah.” Dane’s eyes filled with confidence. “This is my hideout. This room here. I discovered it a year ago and it’s all mine. No one else comes down here, and no strangers are allowed. There’s nothing to see. Just my toys and stuff. So just go back out the way you came in.”
Raven crossed his arms. “Look, kid, I don’t have time for this. I’m looking for someone. Greta. Does she still use the tunnels?”