Dragon: A Histories of Purga Novel

Chapter Thirty

"Let's go!" Darvian yelled.

The last of the refugees were just starting to head down the tunnel. Lights built with nanos hovered along the ceiling, lighting the way. When everyone was safely on their way, Darvian did one last check to make sure there weren't any stragglers. When he was sure every last person was in the tunnel, he started down it.

His heart thudded painfully and the only thing he could think of was Fiona. He needed to see her. He needed to reassure himself that she was still alive.

Without really meaning to, he started running. He didn't care about the other people anymore. He'd done his job and saw them all safely inside. Several people were bogged down with large sacks full of whatever non-perishable foods they were able to gather. Others were carrying loads of jugs filled with water. The underground trek to the sea would be a very long one, especially considering that there was a lot of tunneling left to do.

He slipped by the throngs of people, ignoring the dazed looks of shock on almost everyone's face. Most of the people couldn't really come to grips with what was going on and a lot of them had watched loved ones get brutally killed in the initial attack.

A lot of people were walking in a slow, nearly dream-like state and Darvian was forced to yell at them to make them move faster. He instantly regretted it because the shouting caused them to jump in fear and several of the smaller children to cry. He closed his mouth, vowing not to do that again and kept going.

Eventually he came to the hole that led to the chamber. More hovering nano-lights lit up the gloomy place, but a lot was still dark and shadowed. He dropped down into it, landing on one knee and came back to his feet quickly, scanning the faces around him. He saw one of Lieutenant Pillar's soldiers disappear through a door and into a hallway on his right. To the left, the trickle of refugees were heading down a new tunnel Quel was excavating.

He walked over to where the soldier had disappeared down the hallway. He went inside and found the surviving soldiers huddled at a door on the opposite end. More nano-lights showed Darvian that Pillar was among them.

And then, he saw Fiona.

Relief flooded through him, nearly powerful enough to send him weakly to the floor, but instead he forced himself to run. His footsteps were shockingly loud in the confined space and the soldiers all turned to look at him, including Fiona. She looked about to ask a question, but Darvian got there first. He grabbed her around the small of her back and pulled her into a fierce kiss, not wanting to let her go. He could feel her stiffen in surprise at first, her body hard and rigid, and then she just seemed to melt. She returned his kiss with heated passion for several seconds before he broke it off.

"I thought you were gone," he whispered fiercely to her.

"I'm not that easy to kill," she replied, smiling. Then she yanked him to her and kissed him again. After a second, she pulled away from him and smacked him hard across the face. He let out a gasp. "That's for dumping me," she paused, and then smiled warmly, "idiot."

He laughed. He couldn't help it.

"What are you guys doing down here?" he asked. "The tunnel's that way."

She nodded at the cracked screen over the door. It was dark now.

"That showed a picture of King Rowan before it went dark. We've been trying to force the door open but it's too strong," she replied.

"It's pure cytium and at least six inches thick. That's all we know from the outside," Pillar commented. "We've tried everything, but the cytium is impenetrable."

"We have to get the King out. He can rally whoever's left and try to fight back," Darvian said, looking at each of them.

"We know. What do you think we've been doing down here all this time, twiddling our thumbs?" another soldier asked, heavy on the sarcasm. He was older and clutching his right arm. Strands of graying hair hung in his face but the corners of his eyes were crinkled with humor.