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"But by what?" I said
We kept going, but with each yard we immersed ourselves farther into pure darkness
"Shouldn’t we be there?" Cole asked His voice was too loud for the tube, and I realized that we’d all been basically holding our breaths
"Shhh," I said
Finally, Jack stopped I knew because I ran into hi hard is blocking it," Jack said through a grunt "I’ve al into the cavern that housed the baetylus I scrambled after hi broken at the end of the passageway Jack had busted his way through it
When I had righted , his feet apart in an athletic stance, as if he were about to get hit
"Jack?" I said, but then I sahat he was looking at, and I froze
There were ten Shades, at least, surrounding the orb Swirling around it Protecting it
I didn’t have any excess energy to attract the Shades, and Jack had the pendant around his neck, cloaking his own Cole was an Everliving Will was the only one of us who had anything that would draw their attention
Just like a wave, one by one the heads of the Shades turned toward Will
Will assessed the situation like an ary "I’ll divert," he said
Before we could stop hihed, because it wasn’t histhe Shades, but it didn’t matter Will had their full attention
His eyes shifted toward another crevice-like opening on the opposite side of the cavern I could see why he picked it The hole was in the ground, going doard Gravity would aid hi that way, and then he sprinted toward the opening He leaped high in the air and then dropped through the chasm The Shades hesitated for alike a tub full of oil swirling down a drain
"Will!" I screa the force of gravity, but where would the passageway deposit hi me away from the hole Will had disappeared down
After a moh above it with both hands, and plunged The sickle clashed with the orb, causing so much vibration that I had to drop it
The orb didn’t even have a dent
I looked at Jack, alarmed
"Shit," he said
Cole was standing by one of the larger openings in the cavern wall "Whatever you’re gonna do,coain, but it was like stabbing a granite boulder with a rubber chicken
"Jack!" I said
He ca over
"Try it," I said
He looked as if he didn’t think it could possibly work, but he took the sickle froh above his head, and suddenly I flashed to a picture I’d seen inMaybe this was the reason he’d coer Maybe his own journey to the Tunnels had led hi only he and no one else could
The frozen iht it down, and upon i themselves in the rock walls
Jack stood above the carnage, panting He took the pendant from his neck and placed it at the center of where the orb used to be
"I hope the pendant holds the energy long enough for us to get out of here," I said
He nodded "It will If we go now"
"How do you know?" I said
He smiled "Faith"
Cole motioned us toward one of the crevices, and Jack went in first, followed byas fast as we could I turned behind me to make sure Cole was there, but he wasn’t
"Cole!" I shouted "Cole!"
Jack stopped in front of me "Where is he?"
"I don’t know Cole!" There was light from the network end of the tunnel, and suddenly shadow overcaht I couldn’t tell if it was a huht that the Shades had gotten Cole
"Run!" Jack said
"We’re not leaving hiht behind us! I’m sure of it!"
We crawled as fast as we could The sing ainst us, as if the passageway itself kneere fugitives For every two feet forward, we seecurrent Jack reached a hand back and I grasped it With his help, we finally ended up in a heap outside the entrance
After a few tense moments, Cole’s tattooed hand appeared Jack took it and hoisted him out It had been him behind me the entire ti?" I said "I thought the Shades got you!"
He shook his head "I was justwas really destroyed"
I didn’t have time to ask him questions We had to meet Will at the rendezvous point "Run!" I said
We ran A flat-out sprint We weren’t as worried this ti too much attention We were only worried about the speed, because once we found Will, Cole would zap us out of there
We were so close now I started to believe ould make it All we needed was for Will to have eluded the Shades, and e turned the final corner and I saw Will waiting at the Fountain of Lethe, I kneere horabbed Cole’s hand and Jack’s hand; but just as Jack reached out to grab Will, soe happened, alht blue to a darker blue, and then it transitioned into a deep red The air around us seeed with the deep red too, as if each airthe new hue of the sky
Jack grabbed Will’s hand
"Go!" he shouted to Cole
I closedtossed about in a washing o!" Jack said again
I opened my eyes and saw Cole’s face, and instantly my heart sank
"We’re too late," he said "The Everneath is on lockdown"
THIRTY-ONE
NOW
The Everneath Streets of Ouros