Cursed

It took a long time, but even so the way back was easier. Now I wasn’t in a panicked rush, I could see the tunnels weren’t as complex as I’d thought. There were only one or two main pathways, with the occasional side passage and dead end. The tunnels followed a single primary route, two or three times my height and much wider.

I kept to a steady pace, narrowing my visions down to only the next few seconds, focusing on my footing and my precognition. As I walked I thought about what I should do. Belthas had to be long gone; I couldn’t imagine him setting up camp in Arachne’s lair. If I was lucky he’d given up on me and sealed the cave, maybe with a booby trap or two. That would cause problems but I could deal with it. If I was unlucky he’d left guards, in which case … well, I’d just have to come up with something.

When the first sliver of light appeared, I almost didn’t recognise it; I’d been navigating by sound and touch so long I’d forgotten to use my eyes. As I drew closer I saw it was the reflected glow of the lights in Arachne’s lair. There were hollow caves around here, used as rooms; at a quick glance they held bales of thread and cloth. I was only two turnings away from the lair itself and I knew I had to be silent. Quietly, I moved forward to the T junction that led into the lair. My eyes weren’t yet accustomed to the light, and even the dim reflections off the rock were enough to dazzle me. I didn’t poke my head out; instead I stood with my hand on the rocky wall and looked into the future of me doing so.

It wasn’t my lucky day. It wasn’t really luck of course; it was that Belthas was so bloody thorough. But it was still hard to take. After everything I’d gone through this night I really needed a break, and I wasn’t getting one.

There was good news, bad news, and worse news. The good news, and the biggest surprise, was that Arachne was still in the lair, motionless in the corner, and as far as I could tell she didn’t seem to have been touched. I didn’t understand why Belthas would leave her here after going to so much trouble to get her but I wasn’t going to question it.

The bad news was that four of Belthas’s men were there too. They’d gathered the sofas and chairs at the centre of the room, giving themselves some cover and creating a killing ground in front of the entrances. One was watching the tunnels; a second seemed to be napping; the third was back at the mouth of the tunnel leading out onto the Heath, leaning against the wall. He was smoking and I could smell the cigarette from all the way across the room.

The worse news was that the fourth man was Garrick. He was tucked away behind the barricade, almost invisible behind one of the sofas. He looked to be settled comfortably, but even so, his weapon was propped up and levelled at exactly the space I’d need to cross to leave the tunnel. He looked half asleep but I knew he wasn’t.

I looked to see what would happen if I moved out. Hopeless. If I didn’t get shot down in the first few steps, there were explosives of some kind planted near the tunnel mouth, hidden so I wouldn’t see them before they tore me apart. And if I could get past that—which frankly, I didn’t think I could—I’d be in the middle of an open room with four men shooting at me. Even with my mist cloak I didn’t think I could have made it.

I took stock of what I had. My items were gone. About the only advantage I had was surprise—Garrick and his men couldn’t know for sure whether I was coming back, and they could have been waiting for hours. There were clothes and materials back in the caves behind me. I couldn’t think of any way in which they could help but maybe—

“Coming?” Garrick asked.

The man who’d been napping came awake with a start, and the other two raised their weapons, looking around.

I sighed. So much for surprise.

“He’s around the corner,” Garrick said.

The man who’d been on lookout peered up towards the entrance. “Wait, so—”

“Stay put,” Garrick said.

“What’s the matter, Garrick?” I said. I felt the men aim their weapons at the tunnel mouth, tracking my voice, and I got ready to run. “Losing your nerve?”

I felt Garrick smile. “What’s the rush?”

One of the men, thinking I couldn’t see him, started to creep forward, his feet soft against the floor. Garrick looked at him. The man drew back.

“So,” I said when they didn’t make a move. “Four men with guns, explosives round the door, all just for me.”

“Five,” Garrick said. “One’s posted outside.”

“Five,” I said. “I’m flattered.”

“Belthas thought it was over the top,” Garrick said. “I talked him into it.”

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Oh, before you get any ideas, those mines have a remote trigger this time.”

I checked and verified what he’d said. Garrick’s finger was probably on the trigger right now. “You don’t think this is a bit excessive?”

“Consider it a compliment,” Garrick said amiably. “You’ve gotten away from me before.”

“Right,” I said. It hadn’t been by much, either. “You’re quite a marksman, by the way.”