Elemental Thief

Chapter 18

Ridley stood frozen, trying to figure out what to do as Archer shoved his elbow backward, then wriggled free when the huge man's grip loosened. "Run!" Archer yelled at her as he dove forward. Her feet unstuck themselves from the floor, and she turned and raced ahead of Archer along the corridor. It was bare, no rose bush against the walls, and no doors. Jumbled thoughts flashed through her mind: She could become invisible. She could fight back with magic. But Archer would see, and once they got out of here, he would hold the knowledge of her secret over her forever. Or turn her in to the police.

The corridor ended at a set of concrete stairs, and since there was nowhere else to go, Ridley ran down them. Behind her, the men yelled to one another, and Archer shouted at her to move faster. The stairs went on and on, and she began jumping down two or three at a time until finally she saw the bottom. She cleared the last few steps with one leap, stumbled forward a few paces, then carried on running. This corridor was short and soon it opened onto a wide tunnel with a canal running along it and a ceiling so high it was probably the same level as the ground way above them. But what stopped Ridley in her tracks was how unexpectedly alive this tunnel was. Lilies at the edge of the water, moss creeping up the sides of the canal, trees and bushes rising up from the concrete, luminous pink jellyfish propelling themselves through the water. Here and there at the edges of leaves and petals, the blue glow of magic was visible, hinting at the conjurations underlying this scene. It was all crafted from magic.

"Don't stop!" Archer yelled behind her.

With a jolt of adrenaline, Ridley raced toward the bridge that crossed the canal. She was halfway over it when a zigzag of brilliant blue light sizzled past her. The air gusted unexpectedly around her, almost shoving her over the edge of the bridge. She ducked down, lowering her center of gravity, and hurried across to the other side amid the relentless wind. Wonderful, she thought grimly. They definitely do use magic. Archer had said people used it safely here, but Ridley was more inclined to believe it would destroy this entire underground base. "You okay?" she called without pausing to look back.

"Keep going!" Archer shouted, which was answer enough. "Alongside the canal. Toward the left."

Ridley raced off the end of the bridge and immediately turned left. Archer reached her side as they began darting between the trees. She heard a sizzle of magic and risked a glance over her shoulder. Their pursuers crashed through the bushes behind them, but their larger size slowed them down, and their magic couldn't easily reach Archer and Ridley through the trees. "We can get out this way," Archer panted. "Follow me." His long legs easily moved him ahead of her.

The trees came abruptly to an end, as did the cavernous size of the space around them. The ceiling was suddenly much lower, only just above Archer's head, and the walkway on either side of the canal was wide enough for only one person abreast. Jellyfish illuminated the water, but other than that, all Ridley could see now was a circle of light up ahead. With Archer just in front of her, she ran toward it. Her arms pumped and her lungs burned, and eventually she raced out of the darkness. But she'd barely run another few steps before she skidded to a halt, realizing in complete horror exactly where they were.

Outside. On the wrong side of the city wall.

Spotlights somewhere above them cast a bright glow over the surrounding area, revealing rusted cars and crumbling buildings covered in overgrown plants. And there was that irresistible pull, so much stronger now than it had ever been while Ridley was behind the wall. The wild, dangerous power out here called to her, as if it were reaching out to touch the magic inside her. There was a part of her that longed to answer the call, but she knew it would kill her.

"Archer, stop!" she shouted to him.

"What?" he yelled as he slowed and looked back.

"We can't stay out here!"