Catastrophic Attraction - Eve Langlais Page 0,57
to be alone tonight, just not above ground as expected.
They exited the city, and Roark veered away from the beaten path. Literally. The road cut a swath through reeds. They didn’t follow that easy trail but veered and somehow managed to keep their feet dry on the most obscure path.
“Where are we going?”
“You didn’t think I parked our ride on the main road, did you?”
She’d not actually thought much about it. His fault. Somehow. Don’t ask her to explain.
They encountered a strange open spot. Water sat in a circle with a mossy hummock in the middle. He stepped into the water.
“Why wouldn’t you go around?”
“Because this is where we’re going next.”
He heaved, and the hummock lifted. It swung upward on a hinge, revealing a dark circular opening. Grimacing, she stepped in the water, feeling it fill her boots. She could use a new pair. She should have accepted the ones offered to her by Anita at the castle. Pride. She really needed to kick its ass.
He climbed into the hole and began moving down. Reaching the shaft, she glanced in. Darkness. Pure darkness.
She didn’t like it. Didn’t trust it. But he showed no fear. Neither should she.
Swinging her leg over, she felt around with her foot until she felt a rung. “A ladder. How nice. They could have left us a light.”
“Sounding more and more like a lady each day,” was his reply.
Her mouth rounded into an O of surprise. “I do not!”
“Oh no, she huffed, protesting his claim.” His high pitch almost got him kicked in the face.
“I am going to gut you. And it won’t even be my fault. You’re pushing me to it.”
“You’re awfully grumpy,” he remarked.
“Can you blame me? We’re in a dark hole.”
“Not that dark.” The daylight penetrated far enough for her to glance down and see the white gleam of his teeth. “Not yet.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked.
The answer came when the lid to the hole slammed shut.
Chapter 14
Casey didn’t yell. Not like Titan had the first time Roark showed him the tunnels.
They weren’t common knowledge because there was concern they’d be used to launch a sneak attack. He thanked every bone in his body that Theona had never learned of them. Although, even if she had, he’d left pitfalls in place purposely to thwart anyone who tried to navigate the passages.
The door at the bottom of the ladder had a keypad system. Not electric, those could run out of juice or get zapped by the volatile atmosphere. Instead he relied on a puzzle that didn’t allow for errors and needed a little shove of magic to complete.
When the mechanism clicked, he pushed it open and finally wasted a bit of power—his ability not yet fully recovered—by conjuring a ball of light that he flung. The target? A lantern fabricated of battered metal hung on the wall, the bottom filled with fat from a sload. It ignited but wouldn’t remain lit for long. As soon as the chunk of lard liquefied, it would extinguish. But he didn’t need much time.
Casey craned for a peek, not that there was much to see. A wide corridor going into darkness before them, same thing behind.
“So these are the infamous tunnels?” She didn’t seem too impressed. “I thought they’d collapsed.”
“Some of them under the Marsh did. It finally collapsed and flooded some sections before the seals could be dropped to contain it. Many of the branches are impassable now, including the one that used to lead to the Emerald kingdom.” Other tunnels he’d blocked himself. There were things that lived down here. Things that should never get out.
She planted her hands on her hips. “I expected it to be more interesting.”
“It will be. This section is pretty tame. Further in, we might run into some monsters.”
“Really?” Her whole face brightened.
“Yes, really.” He chuckled. “Only you would be excited.”
“I’m not afraid.”
“Then you’re not as smart as I thought,” he riposted.
“And I thought you said we were riding.”
“We are, but I never claimed we’d be traveling above ground. We’ll make better time down here, not to mention we’ll emerge in a place they’re not expecting.”
“Cheater!” she huffed.
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning I’ll never win the bet. How am I supposed to find your gnarly tree underground?” She scowled.
“The gnarly tree is the one on the bluffs. We’re going to the rooted one, which can best be reached via the tunnels. As to finding it…” He pointed down the hall. “Go straight and hook a right. You can’t miss the roots.”
“Seems too