Water dripped onto the cool stone all around me, echoing in the dark passage and comforting in its consistency. I treaded carefully, making sure that I took each step with extreme caution so that I didn’t fall flat on my face. Occasionally my foot would slip just the slightest bit, but I kept both hands to either side of the tunnel to keep myself steady and upright.
The minutes ticked by and I kept myself as silent as the grave. Each second would count, and I had to take advantage of every last one. Soon though, I found myself lost in thought as I kept moving forward, toward the city and away from Vikar.
I didn’t know how this cave came to be, but I guessed that it was manmade. It seemed too straight and narrow to be natural. It almost felt like a passage that had been carved long ago for reasons unknown. The walls around me were smooth, although in some places, I could run my fingers along spots that suggested it was carved by hand. Those places were extremely subtle though, worn down by several years of water running along the stone in the changing of the seasons. I wondered absentmindedly if ice formed along the rock in winter.
I kept moving. The tunnel was long and would take several hours to work through. I hoped that by the time I emerged that it would be nightfall and I could escape back to Ravenrath under the cover of shadow. I heard nothing around me except silence and the occasionally drip of water. There were no footsteps behind me, and I grew more comfortable the more I kept going.
One hour passed and then another. The silence was reassuring and oppressive in the same breath, but it felt safe because I was completely alone. The total darkness was quite unnerving though. My eyes couldn’t get used to the pitch blackness, but I kept putting one foot in front of the other knowing that I would eventually emerge on the other side.
At one point, I stopped and dug into the bag of supplies I had on my back. I found a soft fabric bundle inside and slowly unwrapped it, finding a few pieces of dried pork jerky inside. My stomach growled as I picked up one and took a bite. I ate several more pieces and filled my belly until I was satiated. I would need all of my energy to make it back to Ravenrath. I wouldn’t be able to rest until I returned to the castle. Instead, I would keep going until I was safely within the gates.
It was likely that the Cult had already begun rebuilding the walls that had been destroyed in battle. They had unlimited resources from what I understood. They also weren’t above forced labor. They’d do whatever it took to get the job done in the fastest way possible no matter who was hurt or even died in the process.
I gritted my teeth.
I’d been forced into their ranks long ago by my father. He was a high-ranking disciple with a lot of money and influence behind him. In order to rise even higher in the Cult’s rank, he had to give something back in return and he’d given them me. I was his only child and he had reminded me every day of how much of a waste I was because I wasn’t his son. I couldn’t ascend or take his place. Women had no place in the Cult or even within the city. Ravenrath was a society led by men and only men and especially not weak omega women who would eventually succumb to their mating instincts no matter what they did to try to stop it. It was only natural.
My father had given me to the Cult and the men above him had decided that my place would be by Thranar’s side. I hadn’t been given a choice. On my eighteenth birthday, I had been dressed in a white gown and led to his chambers, where I received my first medical injection and experienced my first unnaturally forced heat.
I hadn’t been ready for what came that night. Thranar’s cruelty hadn’t changed since then. If anything, it only got worse.
His abuse still scarred my skin. There were pink scars on my wrists from the manacles he chained me to far too often. There were other places he’d used a knife on me, and I had whip marks on my back that descended down to my calves, little white markings that would forever remind me of the horrendous depravity that a man like him had been capable of.
I was happy he was dead. No one deserved to have his head on a pike more than he did. A part of me almost wished I’d been the one to kill him myself.
Another few hours passed, and I started to see an extremely dim light far away. With a smile, I moved faster, knowing that I was coming to the end of the tunnel very soon. It started to dim, and I sighed happily once I recognized that it must be late enough in the day for the sun to begin setting. It would be nightfall by the time I made it out.
When I made it all the way to the other side, I stopped for a long few minutes just to listen to the rustling of the grasses and the flowing water of the river. I didn’t hear any signs of anyone else, including the Valgerthian warrior who was likely very displeased with my disappearance. The depth of the cave should have been enough to dampen my scent, but I couldn’t be sure. The stars glimmered overhead, tiny beacons of light that lit up the sky just enough to make the outline of the trees visible to the naked eye. I dug back into my bag and found the knife I’d packed in case I ran into trouble. I pulled it out and kept it at the ready, hoping I wouldn’t find a need to use it this day.
With a final sigh, I climbed out of the cave and moved hesitantly down the riverbank. My footsteps were silent in the sand. Ever cautious, I kept to the dark shadows, thankful for the dark color of my cloak once again. My heart pounded a hair too loudly and I hoped that no one would be able to hear it. I found myself missing the enclosed safety of the cave and began walking more swiftly in hopes that I could make it back home before I was found.
For a while, everything but the sounds of nature was silent around me. Now that I was certain of my location, I followed the river until the glowing city lights of Ravenrath came into view. I started to run. I was close enough now that I threw caution to the wind and sprinted toward the familiar place I had once very reluctantly called home.
Significant portions of the wall had been rebuilt. There were only a few small sections still in the process of reconstruction, but it appeared that the Cult had spared no expense in the design of the city’s defenses. The walls were at least another story taller and looked to be built with at least double the thickness than they had been before. They would be much harder to break through if anyone came to attack the city again. The walls would be a formidable fortification that could hold off countless enemies for days, weeks, or perhaps even months. They would make Ravenrath a fortress.
With the city looming in my sights, I focused on my end goal. I sprinted hard, thinking of how it would feel to have my daughter in my arms once again.
From the side, a dark form emerged out of the woods, running just as fast, if not faster than I was. I squeaked in surprise and before long, the person was pacing me until they were just close enough to reach out and touch me. I tried to identify the scent of them on the air, but the wind was blowing toward my face and gave nothing away as to who was behind me.
It could be a member of the Cult, tasked with capturing me and torturing me in order to learn what role I had to play in the sacking of Ravenrath to Queen Freya.
He cleared his throat. I knew he was a man at least.
I ran harder and faster, putting my all into it, but it wasn’t enough. A single hand reached out and grasped the back of my neck firmly enough to almost jerk me backwards. He slowed down, forcing me to a halt with him and I prepared myself to fight. I swallowed anxiously and squeezed my fingers around the handle of the blade in my palm. Quickly, I spun around while his hand still held the back of my neck and I lifted my own blade swiftly enough to press the sharpened edge against the vulnerable skin of his throat. I held it there firmly enough so that a small drop of blood edged at the tip of the knife, a silent warning that I wouldn’t hesitate to kill him should he make any sudden moves against me.
His hood was pulled just low enough that I couldn’t see his eyes, but when the low sound of his chuckle met my ears, a soft pulsing sensation in my body alerted me to his identity.
Vikar. I should have known.
“How’d you find me?” I whispered with annoyance.
“The cave you used was an old military tunnel from the Great War. I know these lands like the back of my hand, little omega. Very little would surprise me,” he answered carefully. His hood fell back just enough to reveal those haunting silver eyes and I bit my lip in surprise. “You’re a very resourceful little thing. A true omega.”
“What do you want from me?” I sneered, pushing the knife more firmly against his throat. He didn’t even falter and I rolled my upper lip in irritation.
“Everything,” he replied softly.
“I will give you nothing,” I retorted.