I froze as the shadows cleared and I saw the person that had co to the dungeons.
It was Eros.
His eyes widened and he stared at my thorny, waving roots. He cringed slightly.
What the hell was he doing here?
“Is that...” he pointed at Helen.
“What do you want?” I snapped.
Eros cleared his throat, “We need to go. They are coming.”
“Who?”
Before I could react, Eros dodged past the flailing roots. He scooped Helen into his arms.
“Let her go, or I will end you!” I snapped, spinning around and aiming my roots at Eros.
“Really, Mila? Do you want to waste ti and fight the entire elite royal guard, or do you want to get out of here?”
I stared at him. He was right. As furious as I was, there was no way I could fight off an entire army and get us out of here easily on my own.
“Follow , quickly!”
He ran toward the dungeon door and I followed him. There weren’t any other better choices at this point.
Eros confused . Why was he back here? He had his freedom, he didn’t need to risk his life for or Helen.
Why didn’t he leave when he had the chance? What was he trying to prove?
Was it possible that he was here because of Ashley? Was he trying to show , and her, that he wasn’t that horrible after all?
I didn’t know if I could trust him but I followed because I didn’t want him to take Helen out of my sight.
For a mont, I wondered if Eros was still working for the king. It couldn’t be a trick from the king, could it?
There was no way I was letting my guard down around him but if he was going to help, I’d take what I could get. He already had Helen in his arms and I didn’t have any other choice.
“Why are you here?” I asked, hurrying to keep pace with him.
The king freed him. He should have been halfway across the realm by now! Why had he co back?
“I was on my way out, but guess who I saw?”
“Just answer my damn question!”
He glanced at and the slight smile on his lips faded. He must have realized I wasn’t thinking of him as a friend. Again, he cleared his throat.
“I saw people... a lot of them. They were sneaking into the palace using so hidden passageways. Tunnels.”
Imdiately. I thought of Soren. Had he caught up to already? It wouldn’t surprise . I knew he’d co after quickly.
“Well... I’m not sure ‘people’ is the correct term anymore,” Eros scoffed.
“What?” What did he an by people that weren’t people?
I creased my brow and looked at my feet as they hamred down the dungeon hallway. I wanted to know what he was talking about but I didn’t want him to think that I trusted him or that we were friends by any ans.
Also, how did Eros know about hidden passageways into the palace?
“Weren’t you set free?” I asked, “I’m sure the king won’t be too happy to know you’re invading the dungeon, prying into his secrets, and releasing his prisoners. Especially, not so soon after he freed you.”
Eros shrugged and frowned. “Do you really think the king ever truly frees anyone?”
“I...” I trailed off. It seed genuine, but now that Eros ntioned it, it seed strange he would free soone that knew so much about what he was up to.
“It was a show, an act. I know too much and he knows it. He just wanted to think that I was free. As soon as I left the capitol, so ‘accident’ or ‘rogue attack’ would befall and I’d wind up dead.”
“You seem pretty certain.”
Eros scoffed. “He forgets that I’ve seen him do it before.”
“So, you ca back to the palace dungeon instead? That doesn’t make any sense... How would it help solidify your freedom?”
“The king can’t mindlink with anymore. That was severed when he freed . He figured he wouldn’t need it anymore because he thought I’d go right for the city limits. So, while his ambush lies in wait, I can co and go as much as I want,” he explained.
“But why...?”
“The truth of the matter is, I know a lot more than the king ever thought I knew. And because of that... Well, I have an upper hand he doesn’t know about. Here.”
Eros handed a spray bottle. I arched an eyebrow.
“Spray this on you. It will help mask your scent.”
I sighed and thought about the repercussions. Eros had given a fake treatnt to Soren once. He could be trying to trick now.
His eyes were deep and imploring. It was a true look of sincerity I didn’t think I’d ever seen from him before.
I grabbed the bottle and sniffed the contents. It slled harmless enough, so I spritzed it on myself.
Eros grinned and nodded. He looked almost relieved that I’d accepted his help.
I handed the bottle back. “Why did you say those people can’t be called people? What are they doing here?”
“Well... That’s difficult to explain.”
“Try,” I scoffed.
“I won’t have to. You’ll find out the truth soon enough. And then... Well, you’ll see.”
My stomach shifted uncomfortably. What was I getting myself into? What was he hiding from ?
Eros turned down one of the dungeon hallways. Almost imdiately, we ca to a dead end.
I whipped around and prepared myself for an attack to co down the hallway, regretting trusting Eros so quickly. “Eros, how dare you!”
“Don’t be so dramatic,” Eros muttered.
I glanced over my shoulder and saw him feeling around the wall. He stopped, his hand on an oddly shaped stone.
He muttered under his breath a little, turning the stone like it was a spin dial on a safe lock. He stopped turning with the pointed edge of the rock at a very precise angle.
Click. Click.
Sothing in the wall shifted and part of the wall opened up, revealing a hidden doorway.
“Co on.”
Eros disappeared into the passageway. I followed closely and as soon as I was on the other side, he pressed a rock in the wall. The door slamd shut behind and looked like a solid rock again.
Eros hurried down the passage and I ran along behind him. We could only fit single file.
At first, the floor was just solid stone. Eventually, it beca pebbles and gravel. Then, it shifted to solid pavent.
For fifteen minutes we ran along the path. It angled upward slightly. I hoped that ant it would lead us above ground from the dungeons.
Eros slowed down and I looked ahead. The one passage we were in opened up into what looked like an underground maze. However, this was naturally ford, not dug out like the dungeon.
“Very few people know about this part of the underground passageway. It will lead us outside. Follow .” Eros nodded into the maze.
I took a few steps and stopped dead.
The tunnels echoed with strange noises. Like clawing or snarling. I couldn’t really pick out the different sounds.
I cringed. Were those so creatures we had to face or was it just my imagination?
“Hang on,” Eros said, stopping too.
If we tried to go down them, we’d run into whoever, or whatever, was skulking around.
“Over here, we need to hide...” Eros ducked behind a rock, holding Helen protectively.
I hunkered down under the rock with him. While we were crouched down, I checked on Helen. She was barely conscious but she was alive and it almost seed like her pulse was stronger.
The noises got louder, and I peeked out from behind the rock.
Ice trickled down my spine and my hands shook. I couldn’t breathe!
“Well, I told you that you’d find out soon enough...” Eros whispered.
From the tunnels ca hoards of people. Well, at first glance they looked like people. They were all built as strong, powerful, elite warriors but sothing was wrong with them.
They lumbered aimlessly bumping into each other and scratching against the walls. They didn’t speak, but gurgles ca from their mouths like they were trying to talk. Every single one of them had a blank, dead look in their eyes.
“Oh, my Goddess!” I gasped, covering my mouth. “I know...”
The Alpha and Beta of Saboreef were among the zombie-like warriors. There were others I recognized too.
My heart beat so loudly I thought it would give us away!
What had happened to all those people? I’d seen them in Norwind not that long ago.
In the middle of the hoard, I saw the last person I wanted to see at that mont.
Dylan, aka the real Sebastian.
I wasn’t surprised to see him alive. It was too much to hope that he’d died sowhere.
But I was surprised to see him surrounded by these... things. So many warriors. While I recognized so, there were a lot I didn’t. They weren’t left over from Norwind either.
“Where did he get all those troops?”
I pried my eyes away and looked at Eros.
“I don’t know.” He shrugged and pointed to Sebastian. “But look... Isn’t that your good old pal from Norwind? Too bad he didn’t die in Norwind. I thought I got him.”
He must have been referring to the explosion that trapped us all. I glared at Eros.
“Don’t you an that it is too bad your explosion didn’t kill us?”
Eros frowned. “Mila, Believe it or not, had I tried to kill you there, it would have succeeded.”
I shook my head and waved it off. Now wasn’t the ti to talk about when I was trapped under the mountain. It was not a pleasant mory I wanted to relive while we were in another underground cave.
I looked around the rock again at the strange warriors.
They seed to be linked to Sebastian sohow. They were following his movents like they were orders. Like they were puppets and he was the puppet master.
“I know so of them. Alphas and Betas from smaller packs. So of them were elite guards and warriors for the royal family,” Eros continued.
“What are they all doing with him?”
“That’s the wrong question. You should be asking what that ‘friend’ of yours did to them.”
I wondered if Eros knew that Sebastian and Dylan had gone through a soul exchange. It wasn’t the kind of topic I wanted to explain right now.
“You know, Eros, I don’t think they have their free will anymore...”
“That does seem to be the situation. Um... wait a mont... do you see that?” he pointed to Sebastian’s waist. “Isn’t that the Dagger of rcy?”
Just then, one of the puppet warriors looked in our direction.
Both Eros and I shrank behind the rock imdiately, hoping he didn’t spot us.
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