said thoughtfully. “If we keep going through the forest, we’ll be more vulnerable for attack. But if these tunnels can lead us through the mountains… well, if we get that far, we’d almost be scot free.”
“What if we get lost?” she asked worriedly. “At least outside we know where we’re going.”
“Let’s just check the upper level out first, and then decide. At any rate, this is as safe a place as any to spend the night, even if we don’t take the tunnels tomorrow.”
“Fine.” Laura didn’t want to pout, but she just didn’t feel comfortable here beneath the earth. And the prospect of going deeper in, without knowing how long the journey might take, didn’t sit well with her either.
She followed Logan up the chipped rock stairs. Past the ledge where they entered, and higher up. The light from the bottom pit sent large shadows flickering against the walls.
They reached the highest level. It was another ledge, jutting out from the side of the rock, and built to overlook the entrance. Rocks that looked an awful lot like tombstones sat in neat horizontal rows.
Logan took a step forward, and stopped. “Wait.” He paused, holding Laura back. “Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?”
Logan shifted his weight in response, and Laura thought she heard a tiny echo of crumbling stone. She wouldn’t have picked it out if she wasn’t actively searching for it.
“The structure’s weak here,” Logan said. He bent down to one knee to examine the ground. “There are cracks in the stone. I don’t think it’s very stable.”
“Should we go back?”
“Not yet. You stay back. I want to see what these stones are.”
“Be careful,” Laura urged.
“Don’t worry.” Even in the dim light, Laura saw him flash his teeth in a grin. “I’m very agile, remember?”
“Of course,” she said drily. Like he needed to remind her.
Laura watched as Logan picked his way across. He went from stone to stone in the first row, analyzing each one carefully. The last one stood at the very end of the ledge, almost like a baluster. Logan placed a hand on it to support himself as he leaned closer, and it shifted uncomfortably. Logan jerked back, hissing.
“What is it?” Laura asked.
“I nearly fell.” He barked a laugh. “You distracted me.”
“Me?” Laura was incredulous. “I didn’t even do anything!”
“I felt your eye on me,” he said.
“I’ll be sure not to do that anymore,” Laura answered laconically. Suddenly the ground groaned, and Laura flinched as the sound of rubble crashing down reached her ears. The last tombstone was still there, but it now leaned over the edge precariously.
“Looks like we disturbed some of the rock beneath us,” Logan said as he gingerly picked his way back to her. “There’s nothing up here to see. We should get back down to where we at least know the ground is stable”
Laura sighed in relief. The whole situation had her on edge.
She turned around, and started walking down, when suddenly Logan was on her, pressing her against the wall.
“What are you doing?” she tried to say, but it jumbled as Logan placed his hand over her mouth.
“Sshh!” he hissed to her. “Someone’s coming.” He released his grip on her mouth.
“What?” Laura whispered urgently. “Who?”
“I don’t know. Stay here, and don’t move.” And just like that, he was gone, a blur streaking down the stairs.
Chapter Nineteen
~A Fighting Chance~
Laura’s breath caught as her ears picked up on the noise. She could hear footsteps coming, too. Carefully, she inched closer to the edge of the stairs. She could see Logan, standing in front of the entrance below, with his shoulders stiff.
The footsteps were coming from the same tunnel Logan and Laura had come from. They echoed loudly across the chamber, amplified by the hollow space of the cave. Whoever was coming wasn’t afraid of alerting them to their presence.
“Well, well, well,” a voice boomed through the air. Laura instantly recognized its source: it was the voice of the vampire who had held her captive before. “Look who we have here.”
Laura moved back from the ledge. Her heart was pounding fast with fear. How had he tracked them so quickly? Logan had said they were days ahead of any pursuers!
“You shouldn’t be here.” Logan’s voice was grave. A wild laugh answered from below.
“I shouldn’t be here? You dare tell me what to do? You are an outcast, forever damned for having committed treason against the Vassiz. You have forsaken your race, broken the ancient doctrine that binds us to who we are. You have spat