by H. L. Burke
“So, what you said about her carrying … does that mean what I think it does?” Auric asked.
Jericho straightened and reached into his pack for a second match. “We just found out, and she wasn’t ready to tell anyone yet, but yeah.”
The match sputtered to life. Jericho sheltered it with his hand, trying to get a sense of their surroundings. He examined the wall of fallen bricks and earth for weaknesses. Now that he didn’t have to worry about Rill’s safety, he could concentrate on himself and Auric.
“Congratulations.” Auric gave a half-hearted laugh. “Going to name it after me?”
“You get me out of here, and I’ll name it whatever you want.” Jericho pried at the largest of the stones until his fingertips ached. He drew back. “There might be some magical energy left from the vial Rill opened. Do you know a spell to clear rocks?”
Auric scratched at his beard.
The flame of the match bit Jericho’s skin, and he let it fall.
“I do know a combustion spell that might do it, but it’s not precise. Let’s move to the far side of the chamber. I’ll need light to work it out.”
“I can handle that.” Jericho was glad he had brought two boxes of matches. They didn’t want to waste what little magical energy remained on simple lighting spells.
The water pouring from the ceiling and rising from the floor made it difficult to find a dry spot far enough from the blockage. Finally they managed, and Jericho lit a third match.
Auric hunched over his wax tablet. “Brace yourself. There’s a chance this could bring the rest of the ceiling down on top of us.”
“Better that than drowning, I suppose.” Jericho forced a laugh.
Auric grimaced, then dashed off the last symbol in a complicated magical equation. Light streaked across the spell then shot forward as a ball of blinding light, impacting against the fallen bricks.
The room shook. Jericho braced himself against the wall to keep from toppling into the water. Dust rained from the ceiling and everything went black, the match extinguished.
Orbs of light danced in front of Jericho’s vision at the sudden change from light to dark. The water receded, and Auric crowed in triumph. Then the water level steadied and once again began to climb. Pulse throbbing, Jericho scrambled for another light.
Auric’s spell had dislodged several large boulders, but more debris had fallen to take their place. Jericho’s heart faltered. I’m never going to see my kid.
Auric scanned the room. “Look, this is filling up quickly, but the tunnel the water is coming in from is probably big enough for us to crawl through. If we can hold on, tread water, until the water level floats us up to it, we might be able to make it out.”
Jericho shook his head, numb all over. “I can’t swim, remember?”
Auric gaped. “Still? After everything that happened last time, you never bothered to learn?”
“I’ve been busy!” Jericho snapped.
Auric subsided as the fourth match went out. The water was already up to their waists. Soon it would be too high to keep the matches lit. Jericho’s mouth went dry. Auric’s plan to tread water made a lot of sense. How quickly could one learn that skill?
“Look, Auric, in this case, your chance of survival is greater than mine. If you get through this, and I don’t, please, Rill and … and my kid, take care of them, all right?”
“Don’t talk like that. We’re getting out of here somehow. Maybe there’s enough Fey energy left for another the blast spell. It at least bought us a little time.”
Another match blazed to life, and Auric scratched out his spell. Nothing happened.
“Blast!” Auric tucked his stylus and tablet carefully back in his pocket. “Any other ideas?”
Jericho rubbed his forehead. The idea of fatherhood was terrifying, yes, but to never be there for his child? To never tell him or her that he loved him … or her. He didn’t care which it was. He just wanted to hug his baby.
“To hell with this!” He pushed his way through the water towards the cave in. “I’m going to see my kid!”
“What are you going to do?” Auric splashed behind him.
“Dig out, maybe?” Jericho unshouldered his pack. “I have some tools in here. No shovels, but there’s a crowbar.” Taking out the box of matches, he sought out a dry ledge to set it on, then took the paper quires from his pocket and twisted them together into a wick. He lit one end. “That’ll give us a little light, but not for long. Let’s hurry.” He found the crowbar and began prying at the wall in search of weaknesses.
Not having a tool, Auric scraped at the earth with his bare hands. Bricks slid into the water, now up to the men’s chests.
Auric laughed. “You get a few inches on me before you’ll need to start swimming.”
“Yeah.” Jericho scoffed. “There’s that I guess.”
“Jericho—” Auric stopped, swallowed, and dropped his eyes. “I’m sorry. You wouldn’t be here if not for me.”
“I chose to be here, all right? And you had no way of knowing this would happen. Don’t blame yourself.” Blame your buddy, Styles. But Jericho didn’t voice that thought. They might have only a few minutes left to live, and he didn’t want to spend that time fighting with his best friend.
The light died leaving a few glowing red fragments and the smell of burnt paper. The water now up to Auric’s chin, they had to hold their breath and dive under to dislodge large rocks. Thankfully the debris they removed gave them a place to stand.
Even so, Jericho soon found himself on his tiptoes while Auric bobbed up and down, waving his arms to stay afloat.
“We’re making progress,” Auric said then disappeared beneath the dark water. Afraid if he went under again he wouldn’t be able to find his way to the surface, Jericho held onto a crack between two bricks. Silently, he prayed for a miracle. Rocks rolled beneath his precarious foothold.
Auric burst to the surface again, gasping for breath. “Almost got it.” The water swirled faster, rushing to fill whatever gap Auric had created. It lapped over Jericho’s mouth. Pulling himself up, he drew one last breath before releasing his hold and digging for all he was worth.
Rocks and sediment flew in his face. Everything was pitch black. His lungs burned. Auric swam beside him, making himself known in the darkness by his constant thrashing and digging. Water sucked through the opening. Jericho tore at its edges, widening it.
He needed to breathe.
Kicking and flailing, he struggled for the surface. Auric grabbed him about the waist and pushed upward. Jericho broke out of the water, spluttering. He caught hold of the wall. Auric exploded out of the pool beside him. The current tugged at Jericho’s legs, trying to pull him into the gap.
“We’ve got this,” Auric said. “Stay close to me. I’ll get you through this. I’m not going to end this day seeing my sister a widow, all right?”
Jaw set tight, Jericho nodded, forgetting Auric couldn’t see it in the dark. His heart pounded. Air had never tasted so sweet. “I’m ready,” he lied.
“Let’s go.” Auric dove under.
Jericho let out one breath, drew a deeper one in, and let go of the wall.
He sank. Rocks pelted against him, either thrown up by Auric’s continuing excavations or churned up by the quickening current, he wasn’t sure which. He found the wall and again clawed away at the debris.
Something gave. The blockage crumbled, and with a whoosh the water swept them forward. Battered against the sides of the narrow stream, Jericho felt the last of his air escape in a stream of bubbles. The world around him exploded in a rush of water, and Jericho was airborne, hurled over the falls. Daylight streamed through the vent overhead, then he crashed into the river below, sinking.
His feet met the silty bottom of the underground channel. He waved his arms. Clothing waterlogged, he felt heavy, clumsy, doomed.
Arms circled him. Legs kicked beneath him, and in spite of every instinct shouting at him to fight for his life, Jericho allowed hi
mself to go limp. Light beckoned, and he burst into the air. Caught by the current, he found himself sinking again.
We need to get to shore. Why didn’t I learn to swim?
Water filled his nostrils. He tried to emulate the motions Auric had made, waving his arms and kicking his feet, but this only seemed to drive him further beneath the choking liquid. Auric’s hold on him tightened. Again, they made the surface. Again Jericho breathed. Voices rang out. Something splashed in the water in front of them. Jericho snatched at it, a thin board attached to a rope. Lotta’s current checker?
He crowed in victory.
Auric’s arms loosened, and the smaller man began to sink. Panic jolted through Jericho. Keeping one hand clasped on the board, he grabbed Auric’s collar and yanked him up. Someone pulled on the other end of the rope. Jericho managed to get his arm about Auric’s chest. They drew nearer the light.
Lotta and Ezra tugged together at the line. Rill stood beside them, her face pale in the light of the lantern she held.
Ezra’s strong arms hooked under Jericho’s, pulling both men onto the brick pathway at the side of the river. Jericho released Auric and collapsed, allowing himself a few breaths to stare at the ceiling and thank God for air.
“Aurry!” Rill’s wail snapped her husband out of his reverie.
Jericho shot to his feet.
Auric wasn’t breathing.
Chapter Nineteen
Jericho’s heart pounded.
Kneeling, Rill shook her unconscious brother. Tears poured from her eyes. “Please wake up! Aurry! Aurry, can you hear me? It’s Rill. Wake up!”
How was this happening? Auric could swim. If anyone should be lying there, it should be Jericho. Even as his mind raced, Jericho knew the answer: Auric had stayed under to help his friend get to the surface. This was Jericho’s fault.
Lotta shoved Rill out of the way, an action Jericho would’ve snapped at under normal circumstances, but nothing about right now felt normal.
“Smothering him won’t help.” Lotta’s eyes glinted. “Give him space. I read about this in my mother’s book. We need to push the water out of his chest.” She turned her glare on Jericho. “You, his lungs, push.”
Jolting to action, Jericho leaned over his friend, pressing both hands into his rib cage. “Come on, Auric, buddy, don’t do this to us.”
Eyes closed, mouth agape, Auric didn’t respond. Rill whimpered.
“It might be too late, little one,” Ezra murmured.
“No, I’ve got this.” Lotta plugged Auric’s nose and placed her mouth on his. She exhaled, then glanced up. “Keep pumping on him! Don’t stop.”
Jericho pushed with enough force that he feared snapping Auric’s ribs, but he couldn’t stop. I will not accept you dying for me, Auric. Now breathe, you idiot! Breathe!
Auric coughed. Lotta rolled him onto his side as water spewed from his mouth and nose. His body convulsed, then he blinked up at her, his blue eyes cloudy. His lips quirked into a groggy smile. “You’re so pretty.”
Lotta looked around as if to see who he was addressing.
“Easy there, heart breaker.” Jericho forced out a laugh. “Let’s get you home.”
Auric mumbled what might’ve been a protest as Jericho hoisted him over his shoulder. “Which way out of here?”
“This way!” Rill pointed down the tunnel.
***
Jericho rubbed a dry cloth briskly through his dark hair. Every muscle in his body ached, but it was good to be dry again. He looked around their room. Returning to Styles’s home hadn’t been his first choice, but Rill had pointed out that Styles would be unlikely to attack them under his own roof. Also, all their clothes and belongings were there, and Styles likely knew about Ezra’s home if he was the one trying to kill her.
They hadn’t brought up their suspicions to Auric. Only half-conscious the whole way home, he’d collapsed into his bed the moment they returned and had been out since. Jericho shuddered. Seeing Auric lying unresponsive on the tunnel floor felt like a kick to the gut. Styles would pay for that. Jericho was going to make sure he did.
The door creaked open. “How are you?” Rill whispered.
“Fine.” He sat on the edge of their bed and pulled on his boots. “Where are Lotta and Ezra?”
“They left. Something about getting some more tools.” She eased the door shut behind her.
“Auric still out cold?”
Rill nodded. “I checked on him a few minutes ago … and a few minutes before that. I keep panicking and going in there to reassure myself he’s still breathing. I can’t believe we almost lost him.” She sat beside her husband, resting her head on his shoulder. “I almost lost you, too.”
He kissed her forehead. “I’m sorry. I promise, I’m not trying to put myself in danger.” He slipped his arm around her waist. “You were pretty close to the blast, too, though. Don’t forget that. If I were thinking clearly, I’d send you back to Mountain’s Foot right now.”
“I’m not leaving you. Though speaking of home, the butler brought up a letter from Father while you were changing. He’s doing well and wants us to send a report, concerned that he hasn’t heard from us in a while. I don’t know what to tell him.”
“Yeah, and honestly, I’m not sure what to do next.” Jericho rubbed the back of his neck. “Without Styles’s help, we can’t set up the generators, and without the generators, we don’t have a plan to get the Magicians’ Congress off our backs.”
“Perhaps you could let it go to trial. They still can’t prove anything, can they?”
“I’m not sure. The fact that they’re bringing it to court worries me. I only met Hovawart the one time, but he didn’t strike me as someone who would work without a plan.” Jericho closed his eyes. He didn’t particularly like not having a plan either. Being forced to react to things other people threw at him rather than take action ate at his nerves.
“Well, we’ll just have to out plan him.” Rill’s hand strayed to her stomach.
Jericho’s memories fled back to the tunnels, to the agony he’d felt over potentially not seeing the baby born. Smiling, he laid his hand on top of hers. “Auric said something in jest that I think we need to seriously consider: if it’s a boy, it should be Auric.”
She laughed. “Probably, but that will be a bit confusing, don’t you think? Especially with all of us under one roof.”
He shrugged.
They sat in silence, just holding each other, for several minutes. Her intoxicating scent swirled around him, softening the edges of his world.
“I suppose we could call him Ric for short, or Ricky. That’s cute.” She rubbed her belly. “Ricky … yes, I like that. And if it’s a girl? Aurica? Aurillia?”
“Lilac,” he whispered. She glanced up at him, and he cleared his throat. “If that’s all right with you?”
She smiled. “It’s … it’s perfect.” Her face brightened. “We can call her Lila!”
He chuckled. “Must you give everyone a nickname?”
“I must.” She pressed her lips to his. “Lilac and little Auric, then. Oh, I wish I knew which it was right now. They really should make magic for that.”
The creak of a door opening sounded through the wall, and Rill sprang to her feet. “Aurry, is that you?”
They entered the sitting room and found Auric straightening his cravat. “How long was I out?”
“Not long considering what you went through,” Jericho replied.
“Not an answer.” Auric frowned.
Jericho glanced at the clock. “Two hours? Roughly.”
Auric sighed and nodded. He then scanned the room. “Lotta and Ezra?”
“They went out,” Rill said.
Auric’s brow furrowed in obvious worry.
“Don’t worry. They’ll be careful,” Jericho assured him. “Honestly, I wouldn’t want to go up against Lotta now. She was in a mood once she realized we’d walked into a trap in those tunnels, not to mention Ezra’s reaction to someone threateni
ng his ‘little one.’”
“I suppose.” Auric sank into the nearest chair. “It was a trap, wasn’t it? I keep going over and over what happened in my head, trying to convince myself the cave in was an accident, but that snap and then the bang … that was a trigger and an explosion.”
“Most likely.” Jericho decided to let Auric work his way to his own conclusions. From his friend’s mood, he guessed Auric was nearing a realization.
Rill’s hand tightened around her husband’s. “Aurry, I know you don’t want to think … I mean, I know he’s your friend …”
“But he gave me the map, led me right to the danger, didn’t he? Cordon tried to kill me.”
“If it helps, I think he tried to kill Lotta, not you,” Jericho said. “You just happened to be in the way.”
“It does not help. In fact, it sort of the opposite of helps.” Auric’s fingers gripped the arms of his chair until the fabric puckered. “It’s been him all along, hasn’t it? Sending the killer after Lotta? He could afford an assassin and we know he was buying from Alvin.”
“Again, most likely.”
“But why?” Auric burst from his seat and began to pace.
Rill winced. “I’ll call for some—”
“I don’t want tea!” Auric snapped.
Rill subsided.
“I’m serious. What’s his motive?” He rounded on them, his arms crossed, his expression a mix between wounded animal and defiant child. “Less than a week ago, he took me aside and begged me to fix the rifts so his factories could reopen and his workers could have jobs. Lotta’s invention could make those things happen. Why would he want to stop it?”
Jericho exhaled. “Are they technically his factories? I admit, I don’t know what Styles’s business holdings are, but I didn’t get the impression he owned every major industry in the city.”
“No, he doesn’t own the factories exactly. He … he licenses out the Styles Devices they use for a share of the profits.”
“The Styles Devices Lotta’s generators would replace?” Jericho raised his eyebrows.
