I hated it when she was right. So I ignored her in favor of Ryan. “You’re sure this is the right sewer? Those schematics were dense. I couldn’t make heads or tails of them.”
“It’s a good thing I could, then, huh?” Ryan said. “Part of my training, making sure I knew every way in and out of the castle.”
“So glamorous. I can see why you’d want to be a knight.”
He laughed quietly as he bumped his shoulder against mine. “It has its perks. You noticed me, after all.”
“Gods,” Lady Tina said. “I liked it better when Sam wasn’t here. At least Ryan acted like a knight and not some lovesick teenager.”
“You get used to it,” Justin said. “Mostly. Ryan will lead. Then me. Sam will be next, and Lady Tina will bring up the rear.”
Lady Tina looked startled at that. “Your Majesty, I think I should be the one who’s behind you. We don’t know what troubles lie ahead.”
Before I could retort (how dare she question me), Justin said, “Sam will have my back, just like I know you’ll have his. He’s my wizard. He’ll—Sam, get that look off your face. We are not hugging right now, so don’t even think about it.”
“I’m only agreeing to the no-hugging thing because I’m pretty sure I just saw something that used to be alive floating underneath us, so. Yeah. I’m good with that. But don’t think I won’t get you later. You called me your wizard again. You adore me.”
He muttered something I couldn’t quite make out but I assumed was complimentary. Then, “Any more questions? Good. Let’s move.”
WHEN ONE is traipsing through a Shit Tunnel in the dark trying to infiltrate a castle to rescue a king from a group of villains, one has time to reflect upon all that has led them to this moment. I thought maybe this was divine retribution for all the things I’d done wrong. But then I remembered that some of this shit could belong to the King, having had to poop into a bucket, and it solidified my resolve, though I would never tell anyone that I’d had such a thought. Well, maybe years and years from now when we could look back on this whole thing and laugh.
The light swooped back and forth in the tunnel as we followed Ryan, first turning left, then right, then straight, then left and left and right. I trusted him to know where he was leading us, because I’d already gotten mixed up three or four turns back.
And somehow I’d gotten used to the smell. At the very least, the bile in my throat was gone, and I could breathe a little deeper. Every now and then we passed an opening above us, moonlight drifting down and illuminating the path ahead.
There was a moment, perhaps an hour later, when I felt something wash over me. Not physically, because there would have been a lot of screaming that followed, but mentally, like a blast of cool air in my mind that burst through the fog. It took me a minute to realize what it was. And what it meant. Who it meant.
“We just crossed into the City,” I said quietly.
Ryan looked back at me. “How do you know that?”
“I felt it. It’s…. Randall and Morgan are scorched into the bones of the City of Lockes. Into the wood and stone. Everywhere. Morgan’s gone, and Randall’s only the gods know where, but their magic is still here. It’s… dissipated. But I would know it anywhere. I always felt it when I came back from our adventures. I always thought it was just a feeling of being home. But it’s… it’s them. Even the Darks haven’t been able to take that away. That’s a good thing.”
A hand squeezed my shoulder as I sighed.
Ryan nodded slowly. “That’s… great. That means we’re on the right track.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Why do you sound so relieved? You said you knew where we were going!”
He shrugged. “It’s always good to have validation.”
“I’m onto you, Foxheart.”
“Sam, I told you. Not now. I’m obviously busy leading a mission to save the King.”
“God, that’s so hot when you get all Knight Commander.”
“Yeah?” he said, eyeing me up and down. “You like it when I take charge?”
“Oh yeah. If we weren’t standing in a fog of urine and fecal matter, I’d be all up in your shit.”
Ryan winced. “Might want to work on the phrasing.”
“Oh my gods,” Lady Tina moaned. “I hate everything.”
“It only gets worse,” Justin muttered.
“Justin, Tina, stop wasting time,” I scolded them. “Let’s get the fuck outta here, then, shall we? We have to be close. The slums weren’t that far from the gates of Lockes.”