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Aria hurried past the rooed back into another hallway She was unable to see her hand before her but she rushed onward She didn’t knohere she was going, where any of these hallways led, and at the mo enough to find a weapon of soy in her veins that made her think that he was also close
She was deep into the new passagehen she began to hear voices She froze as shouts began to echo through the narrow halls She strained to pinpoint the location of the noise, but it was i vibrated the walls around her
She took a step forward and the hand she had braced against the wall fell into nothing It took her a moment to realize she had come to a crossroads She was , she claers into the tender bite marks on her inner wrist Fresh blood welled up and trickled down her wrist to her hand Shethe stones for the first five feet She stuck her wrist into heron it to staunch the flow as she hurried back to the hallway that branched to the left She didn’t know if she was er instinctual pull to the left tunnel and she couldn’t just stand there until Caleb found her
She hoped the fresh blood would draw Caleb away fro Eventually he would realize that her scent didn’t go all the way down the hall She just hoped she’d bought herself enough ti her
"Gideon, collect all the soldiers that have eates"
Gideon did a double take at Braith’s co with the plan The snake needs to be destroyed and Caleb is the tail"
"But…"
"I a this palace without her Gideon, I made that clear before we stepped foot in here Retrieve the soldiers froet the outside forces in here, and you will need the group waiting within the tunnel to do so I will have an easier tio in with a s happens to ate with the larger force"
Gideon started to protest but light blazed at the top of the stairs seconds before Melinda plunged into the depths of the dungeons The torch she held highlighted the planes of her face and her ashen complexion Her tempestuous eyes fell on Braith and for a moment color returned to her skin as her shoulders slu here Melinda?"
"I ca upon the broken door behind hiet to Aria while they were distracted"
"She’s gone"
"Ashby" She took a step toward hi on her face nearly palpable "Where is he?"
"Outside the gates"
Her face paled, her hand trembled on the torch as her lips compressed "They’re flanked out there Braith, father had troops moved into the town They’re trapped"
He was still as his mind churned rapidly He wouldn’t be able to take any of the troops with him to find Aria Every etting those gates open and saving his brother and Aria’s father It would weaken his chances of getting the to win it hat had to be done It was not the choice he wanted to o, but it was the choice he knew he had to ates Gideon, it’s the only element of surprise we have and the only chance we have of succeeding" Braith had expected an argument, but Gideon sio with the with you," Xavier stated flatly "I assu with you, and you ought to have another valared at Xavier but nodded their agree to keep you alive is also a necessity Besides, even if we don’t survive this, I would like a chance to see the girl and her brothers in action"
"What does that nore hio"
"Braith you… ah you need to be prepared," Melinda’s hesitant words froze his approach toward the stairs
"Prepared for what?" His voice was a low rumble that caused Melinda to take a slanced at Gideon and Xavier, but they re that has been done to her" William stepped closer to Braith; his eyes narrowed, his hands fisted as he studied Melinda "But she has suffered abuse, and it’s very apparent"
He was afraid to move for fear he would rip the entire place down as Melinda’s words echoed in his head He could barely get words out of his constricted throat "I have to get to her"
"What about us?" the man demanded from the shadohen Braith spun on his heel
"We’ll come back for you," Braith responded impatiently
"Wait, you can’t leave us here!"
He was already rabbed hold of his aret to Aria "Braith, if we lose they’ll be trapped here We have to let them out now This ht theerly
"We can’t leave them here like this," Max pushed