𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐨𝐧

Thirty- One

Instantly a swarm of thoughts buzzed in her head, filling her mind with prickles of icy worry. Dozens of questions hovered on her tongue, but only one word managed to slip out.

"How?"

Jerik glanced at the other representatives, one from each tent. "We still don't know that. Kendall discovered the empty chair and stabbed guard when he was going to switch shifts."

"Only Blackthorne escaped? What about Demitri?"

"The other prisoners are secured, we made sure of it," Morgan, the dark- haired delegate, informed her. "Since shifts are only thirty minutes each, he could of escaped at any time in the last half- hour, which is why we believe he hasn't made it to the SEAM base off the coast."

"There's a SEAM base off the coast?"

"They access it using the old tunnels by Blackhawk Bay," Jerik put in. "But that's not why you're here. I need you to help me find him."

"Can I have my friends help?" she knew Iris's knowledge of the tunnels would be useful for this sort of thing.

"If they must."

As Liana nodded and followed Kian back towards her friends, a realization hit her. How did Blackthorne stab a guard? He would've had to choke him or knock him out, but he wouldn't have anything to stab a guard with. It seemed like a set up. He had to have had inside help.

"Kendall," Liana whispered.

"Who?" Travis asked, looking confused.

"Kendall was the officer at the last shift. He must've gone in during the other guard's turn and broken Blackthorne out."

"How can you be sure?"

"Jerik said the guard had been stabbed. Blackthorne couldn't have done that."

Iris nodded along, getting what she was saying. "Kendall's a traitor."

Liana's eyes burned. "Exactly."

Charlie shook her head. "We'll deal with him later, but right now, we have to go after Blackthorne. He could still be on the island."

"Iris, do you know where the entrance to the tunnels are?"

She nodded slowly. "I think so. Let's go on a hunt, shall we?"

Blackhawk Bay glittered under the harsh sunlight, its turquoise waters blindingly bright. Liana looked down at the drop- off, the sheer cliffs lining the bay. The entrance was in the field beside the cliffs, protected by layers of tall grass that seemed to grow at the same length as the surrounding meadow. However, the grass actually hid a deep pocket in the earth that lead to a network of tunnels underground.

It took Liana a while to find it, and she only did because she fell into the entrance, which Charlie would never let her forget. The tunnels were wide enough so they could go through, single file, if they bent their heads. Kian went in the front, holding a lantern, and Liana did her best to keep falling dirt and rocks off of their heads. But that didn't change the fact that the tunnels were incredibly unstable.

Liana held up a fist as she heard movement up ahead, motioning for everyone to stop.

"What is it?"

She pointed to a rustling up ahead of them. "It's him." Liana could see his silhouette against the blue sky as the tunnel ended on the side of the cliff. "He could jump and try to survive, or go back."

Instead, a whisper answered her. "I think he'll go back."

She turned, hoping it wasn't who she thought it was. "Taylor! You're supposed to be on bed rest!"

He pressed a finger to her lips, shushing her. "He might hear us. And I thought you might've needed some help, so I followed you guys."

Liana shook her head, but didn't argue, focusing on Blackthorne. "Fine. But don't die, okay?"

"You're cheerful."

"Guys, shut up," Kian snapped, pointing at the SEAM officer. He held a metal object high above his head.

"A teleporter!" Liana stage whispered. "We have to stop him!"

"Wait!" Taylor and Iris shouted, trying to yank Liana back, but she was already grabbing Blackthorne as he teleported away, taking the Bluebloods with him.