Raven Moore's Arc

Chapter 3 of 6

The scream pulled Raven deeper into the collapsed tunnel. She climbed over broken stone, one hand braced against the wall as loose gravel shifted beneath her boots. Lucian followed somewhere behind her. “Left,” he said. Raven kept going straight. “Raven.” “The scream came from here.” “And the floor ends six feet ahead.” She stopped. A chunk of stone slipped from beneath her boot and disappeared into darkness. Raven stared down. Lucian came up beside her, looking irritatingly unsurprised. “You could have mentioned the giant hole.” “I did.” “You said left.” “I assumed you understood directions.” She shot him a look and turned toward the narrow passage on the left. “I liked you better when you weren’t talking.” “I don’t recall you liking me at all.” “Exactly.” The passage narrowed almost immediately. Raven turned sideways, squeezing between the damaged walls. Broken brick caught against her jacket. She pushed forward until Lucian entered behind her. There was barely enough room for one person. Definitely not enough for two. His chest brushed her back. Raven stopped. Lucian stopped with her. For one irritating second, neither moved. His breath warmed the side of her neck. Raven swallowed. “Back up.” “Into what?” “I don’t care.” “There is a wall behind me.” “Then become part of it.” His quiet laugh made something unpleasantly warm twist low in her stomach. She hated that more than the cramped tunnel. “Enjoying yourself?” “Immensely.” Raven shoved forward. “Jerk.” “You crossed into my territory.” “And somehow that continues to be your entire personality.” The passage finally opened into a larger chamber. Raven stepped away from him immediately. Cool air hit her face. Much better. She raised her knife and surveyed the chamber. Water dripped through cracks overhead, pooling across the uneven stone floor. Then a voice whispered from the darkness. “Raven.” She spun. Lucian stood several feet behind her. His expression had changed. “What?” He looked toward the corridor ahead. “That wasn’t me.” Raven’s grip tightened around the knife. “Raven. Help me.” Her stomach dropped. Because the voice was hers. Not similar. Hers. Every inflection. Every breath. “That thing is using my voice.” “The Hollowborn.” Lucian stepped past her. Raven frowned. “You said it couldn’t cross the boundary.” “I said it usually doesn’t.” “Oh, excellent distinction.” A shape unfolded from the darkness. Too tall. Too thin. Gray skin stretched tightly over long limbs, its hands nearly reaching the ground. Black eyes stared from an almost-human face. Then it smiled. Far too many teeth. “Raven, please.” Her own voice came from its mouth. Raven’s skin crawled. “I officially hate this city.” “This isn’t the city.” She glanced at Lucian. “Not helping.” The creature lunged. Lucian moved first. He slammed into it, sending them both into the wall. Raven stepped back as claws tore across Lucian’s arm. He hissed. The Hollowborn scrambled sideways along the stone, moving with a horrible, insectlike speed. Lucian turned. Too late. “Behind you!” He ducked. Raven drove her knife into the creature’s ribs. Black blood spilled over her hand. Cold. The Hollowborn screamed. First in Raven’s voice. Then Lucian’s. Then— A woman. “Please! Somebody!” Raven froze. The scream. The courier. The Hollowborn twisted toward her. That hesitation was enough. Lucian caught it by the throat. He spoke something low and unfamiliar. Red light tore across the floor. The creature slammed against an invisible barrier as the glowing line curved around it. It shrieked, throwing itself against the boundary. Raven stepped away, breathing hard. Black blood dripped from her fingers. Lucian straightened. Blood ran down his forearm. Raven glanced at it. “That looks bad.” “I’ll survive.” “I wasn’t worried.” His eyes lifted to hers. “Of course not.” Something in the way he said it made her hold his stare a second too long. His gaze dropped briefly to her mouth. Barely a second. Then back to her eyes. Raven noticed. He noticed that she noticed. Neither said anything. She wiped the black blood onto her pants. “The scream.” Lucian looked toward the trapped Hollowborn. “That was her voice.” Raven’s stomach sank. “Then she’s dead.” “No.” She frowned. Lucian crouched near the edge of the chamber. Raven followed his gaze. Marks cut through the layer of dirt and water covering the floor. Drag marks. Fresh ones. “She came through here,” he said. Raven crouched beside him. “How recently?” “Recently enough that the water hasn’t washed these away.” She looked toward the darkness where the tracks disappeared. “Then we keep going.” Lucian didn’t move. Raven glanced at him. “What?” His expression had gone flat. The teasing was gone. “That passage leads deeper.” “You’ve said that already.” “Not into my territory.” Raven stood. Lucian did the same. “Whose?” He looked toward the tunnel. “My father’s.” Raven raised an eyebrow. “And I’m supposed to be scared of him?” Lucian’s eyes returned to hers. For once, there was no trace of amusement in them. “Yes.” That answer bothered her more than a threat would have.