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He caaze

At least fifty of those too-hu Synestryn stood in for the exit

There was another tunnel on the far side of the chauards

Behind theus heard the sound of hungry Synestryn growing louder They’d broken through Gilda’s stone barrier

His family was surrounded, cut off from escape

Only years of experience with hopeless situations allowed hiet out of this somehow

"There’s no way out," said Maura "Proof that no ht you die"

Chapter 27

Madoc saw Nika hit the wall and nearly lost it He bellowed in rage, speeding his attacks, cutting his way through Synestryn to get to her As his body moved, his mind screamed at her to wake up Get up

He pushed power through their link, trying to give her what she needed to get back on her feet and protect herself

One of the hairless things swung a blade at Madoc’s head and he felt a sting burn along his scalp The thing had scored a hit, and now Madoc had blood running into his eyes

He couldn’t take the ti and lopped off the hand holding the sword

The thing fell back, spewing blood, and a pile of furry, clawed de it in seconds

There was no ti to et to his back

Not going to happen Madoc had to take the long way around to get to Nika or he wasn’t going to get to her at all

In fact, frooing to oing to find a way out Maybe if they offered to trade Maura for their lives, they would be allowed to leave, but Gilda wasn’t willing to use her daughter as currency She was too precious for that

Before the Synestryn could close in, Gilda surrounded the three of the her tio up It was the only way not blocked It was also incredibly difficult to break through the ceiling of a cave without killing theth left to do it, but she wasn’t seeing any other options

"Hold on," she said, then packed a solid disk of air under the of the cave

The acrid smell of smoke still hovered up here, but there was no help for that now She needed every bit of strength to bash through the ceiling of the cave and get them out

Gilda found what she hoped was a weak spot about ten feet to the left and battered it with a blast of energy

Rocks spilled down A crack for Gilda aiain

The crack opened and huge chunks of rocks rained down on theroan at the strain, but she couldn’t be gentle right now She had to shield them from the cascade of stone

Tons of rock battered the shield she’d thrown up, weakening her Angus’s war her efforts She felt hiy into her as he could

It wasn’t enough She couldn’t keep theht drove them down onto the pile of rock that had already foran to scurry up the sides of the et to theain at the ceiling, frantic to punch her way through so they could get out

They’d been deeper than she thought There was tooby the second Rocks covered theth to spare to fuel her eyesight, so blackness closed in on her

The ruer increased, but Gilda eakening "I’," she rasped out

"Try to push us free"

Gilda sucked in ht

She’d trapped theus "We were dead inside this cave You had to try so"

"I wasn’t dead," said Maura There was no veno to die alone I’d alondered about that"

She wasn’t going to die at all Gilda refused to be the cause of her baby girl’s death

Angus slid inside her th He knehat she was going to do "You ht thing, to redeem herself"

She felt his breath on her cheek His lips brushed hers in a soft kiss

"We love you, Maura," said Gilda "You’re a good girl You’re going to grow into a good wo, but her voice cut off and she sucked in a startled breath

Gilda found the vow her baby had given her so o tucked in herit in her rief staining her dress, the way her daughters’ chubby arive corow up, cursing herself again at her selfishness