Bound by Darkness (Bound By Series)

One Month Later

EPILOGUE

The dagger flew from my hands, embedding into the soft earth of the underground tunnel we’d hidden ourselves in after the dreadful attack on the Hideaway.

A few of us had gone out a couple of days after the attack to discover everything was burned. The rebels had destroyed every stone of the camp, lighting a blazing inferno beneath my skin. They would pay for their disregard—their arrogance, and for taking Thalia away.

A hand ran through my hair as the sounds of coughing filled the tight space. There was no faelight, no breeze cutting beneath the earth as I wiped sweat from my brow. It was unnecessarily hot as everyone huddled close, waiting for Iyanna’s orders.

A month of living like rodents with no plan in sight.

My patience was wearing thin, especially since no one seemed to give two shits of what I thought except for her. At least she was rational, her priorities straight. Find Thalia no matter the cost. Locating her would bring us to the Book of Spells, Asa, and Kaydn—the man I was going to kill.

“You busy?” A voice said as her footsteps reverberated in the dismal catacomb.

“Yeah, trying to hit the bullseye,” I mused as I walked over, pulling my dagger from the makeshift circles I’d carved into the wall.

She scoffed, her hands resting on her hips. “Iyanna wants to see us.”

My brow rose. “Now? After a month of silence?”

“Will you come with me?”

My eyes narrowed as I tossed the dagger at the circles. It landed perfectly in the middle. “Seems I’m not busy anymore.”

“Good, because I’d hate to hear her ramblings alone.”

Sighing, I stuffed the dagger into the sheath at my side. My hand outstretched to her. “Lead the way.”

With a smirk she pried an oil lamp from the tunnel wall as we descended further into the earth. Heat was soon replaced with an icy chill, winter oozing into the ground as we headed through the tunnel like worms.

“Gods, how far back does this go?”

She shrugged. “Not sure. Iyanna said she had her soldiers build this years ago incase a day like this came. There’s enough supplies to last us years.”

Years of living underground? I’d rather take my chances with the rebels. I missed the freedoms of the Hideaway, the ale, and of course the endless supply of eye candy that showered me with gifts.

I was about to question her sanity when the faint glow of light illuminated the space, a lone table and chair propped against the dirt wall. Iyanna’s nails clicked against the wood, her head swiveling to us. “Took you long enough,” she snapped as her eyes narrowed. “And what the hells are you wearing? ”

My hand smoothed out the cream sweater. “It was a gift,” I mused, a sly grin crossing my face.

Her brown eyes narrowed further, her purple lips tugging in a thin line. Even a month wasn’t long enough to get used to her renewed eyesight. With the wards broken, her sight returned. A balance crafted by the Mother—always balance when using casting. She regained her eyesight, but lost her seer abilities completely. While beneficial to her, we lost the one component needed to win the war.

Iyanna scoffed, her body rising from the chair. “I thought you’d lose that cheeky charm of yours down here.”

“Me? Never,” I purred.

“What did you call us down here for?”

Iyanna snapped her eyes to her, forgetting she rested beside me. “Always to the point,” she muttered. Clearing her throat, she crossed her arms over her chest. “I acquired a lead on where they took Thalia.”

Both of us paused, eyes wide as my heart picked up the pace. Had she actually found her? “How did you?—”

Iyanna held up a hand. “It wasn’t me.”

The clicking of boots echoed against the tunnel as Naexi appeared from the shadows, her arms crossed over her leather vest. Her sword rested on her back, bits of blood scattered across her face and chest. Where in hells had she vanished to? “The bastards are hiding in the Unclaimed lands.”

“You… you went to look for clues?”

Naexi’s face remained impassive, but her eyes softened. Always softened for the beautiful raven as she said, “We needed her location for the Book of Spells, Moria. It was nothing.”

Moria’s eyes welled with tears, a sob escaping her lips. “Thank you.”

Naexi gave a curt nod, her eyes quickly averting as she cleared her throat. “We’ll get a team going to hunt the bastards down. You both in?”

“Of course,” Moria said, her jaw set as she wiped the remaining tears from her face.

“Fin?” Naexi asked, her eyes glued to me.

My hands curled at my sides. If I agreed, I was throwing myself into danger once more. Running away was an option, but I needed to know the truth of what had happened in that tent after Kaydn knocked us unconscious.

He could have killed us. He was ordered to do it, but he didn’t. He took Thalia and ran, leaving our heaping bodies to be discovered by Iyanna and Naexi the next day. He should have killed us then and there because he didn’t realize what he’d started.

My eyes locked with hers, a wicked grin crossing my lips. “Hells yeah. I’ve got a dagger with his name on it.”

Naexi grinned. “Then we hunt Kaydn.”