Blood & Bone [Book Three of The City of Eternity Series] [✔]

3.21: Treachery

The remains of a powerful explosion were evident, flames dancing defiantly amidst the debris. The heat was astounding, burning up the winter air and oppressing my lungs. The glow of the fire cast an eerie glow on the tunnel wall, awaiting a figure to occupy the space. The group hadn't managed to get through to the other side of the wall - perhaps waiting around in the clearing for someone to fetch more firepower.

The narrow tunnel stretched ahead, engulfed in an eerie darkness that was only broken by the distant torches and the moonlight that trickled in through the holes in the walls. The smell of freshly burnt cinder lingered in the air; remnants of the previous explosion that echoed through the zone. Given the poorly-manned gates we passed through each day, it seemed needless to cause such destruction.

We ventured deeper into the abyss, my hand trailing along the border as Thalia ushered us through. She was moving with haste, no moment wasted as she traipsed through - not quite a run, I considered, but definitely a pace with purpose. Given how impenetrable this tunnel was meant to be, I desperately wanted her to explain where she intended to go. If anything, we'd end up completing a loop and ending right back in the Western zone, carelessly wasting precious moments.

Thalia began to move slower after a good couple of minutes of silent movement, her steps tentative and deliberate. As the smoke began to thin and the acrid smell of burning no longer assaulted my senses, I was able to understand why Thalia had changed so suddenly.

A trail of blood.

Thalia exchanged a wary glance with me, briefly acknowledging my presence with her in the tunnel. Although she was a stranger to me, there was something comforting about her, in these fleeting moments where the world was burning around us. So comforting, the trail of blood we were following seemed less daunting.

The scarlet streaks were seeping out from the grooves in the floor, leaving an unsettling trace of life along the cold, rough cobbles. As we followed the trail, the air grew heavier as an unmistakable metallic scent tainted it; dancing with the smell of dampness to create a putrid concoction. After a hollow minute of trailing behind Thalia, my teeth tugging at the flesh of my cheeks, the trail of blood intensified, a pool of blood inching towards us.

The origin was a lone figure. He lay wounded, face worn through. A thin rivulet of blood flowed from a gash in his brow, a wound he seemed to ignore in favour of the far more detrimental hole in his chest. Every breath he took escaped as a gasp, each one struggling to escape his chest, each one a feeble cry for help that his mouth was too weak to muster itself. Despite this weakened state, there was a glimmer of resilience in his eyes.

Thalia knelt down and brushed aside the blood-soaked hair from the man's forehead. She gently caressed her hand against his cheek, "You're okay. You're not alone anymore," The words were spoken with warmth, a tender lullaby of reassurance.

He trembled as she spoke, closing his eyes tightly as tears ran from his eyes, "Thank you," He managed to utter, his voice hoarse and clearly weakened from the toll of his injuries, "I gave everything I had," He said, the words taking all of the strength he could muster.