CHAPTER 172

Up above, the ceiling broke apart. The shadows continued to squeeze as large fragments rained down from above. Stunned, Velvet looked up in time to see Abella swoop down through the chaos and grab her by the shoulders with her talons. Pain bloomed through her upper arms as the talons dug in so deep that she bled through her shirt, and the world fell apart as the main pillar shattered.

The opening to the chamber was close, but Abella had to tuck in her wings for them both to fit. Unable to fly, the two of them crashed into the tunnel and then slid to a stop. It was becoming impossible to breathe. Up ahead, Abella let out a cry of agony, which helped Velvet find her.

"Come on," she whispered as her fingers settled on stony flesh. She hooked her hands around Abella's waist and pulled. It was hard to maneuver in the narrow passageway, and the gargoyle had gone completely limp. Stumbling forward, she realized that her gait was off. She had lost one of her legs in the crash.

The ground rumbled again, and something else collapsed behind them. The passageway was so choked with dust she could hardly breathe.

Leeds had planned this all along, she realized. To lure her away from the others. Had he known that Abella would follow? Or maybe he thought it would be someone else.

Disoriented, it occurred to her that she might be moving deeper into the tunnels. The air was so clogged, she couldn't sense where it was flowing to or from.

The ground shook, and a chunk of rock fell in their path. Velvet let go of Abella and tried to push it out of the way.

"Leave...me..." Abella's voice was muffled.

"No man left behind," Velvet rasped. "Family motto."

"Not a man," Abella replied. "Just a rock with...wings."

Velvet shoved the rock around a corner and grabbed Abella by the wrist. "You're family as far as I'm concerned, damn it!"

She pulled, tears flowing down her cheeks. The world was closing in and she couldn't see. Her hands had gotten wet somehow, and Abella kept slipping free, so she wedged herself beneath the gargoyle's body and crawled forward on her belly, hoping they were headed toward freedom.

"This is my fault." Velvet was on her abdomen now, using her legs like poles to push them both forward. "I shouldn't have let him trick me."

"Not your fault," Abella replied. "Leeds. Huge...bastard."

Velvet wanted to laugh, but couldn't. It was too painful. She moved down the tunnel, her fingers searching for purpose. A rock fell from the ceiling and clipped her in the head, and it felt like the world was sideways.

"Must get out," she mumbled to herself.

The tunnel widened and she lost her way. Sliding free of Abella, she moved around in an attempt to explore her options. There were three directions she could go, but which one was right? Crawling deeper into the earth would do them no good.

Sobbing, she wrapped her hands around her father's dog tags. What would he do if he were here?

Velvet. Her father's voice startled her, and she turned her head to hear it better. It had come from the tunnel to her left.

"Daddy?" She waited, not sure what she would do if she heard him again. There was only silence now, and she pondered waiting longer, but the ground rumbled beneath her again. The main cavern's collapse was triggering more activity in the tunnel, and she didn't have time to indulge her hallucinations.

Picking up Abella, she moved toward a bigger opening to her right.

Velvet. This time, his voice was stronger and from the same place.

Gasping for air, she crawled toward his voice. She had been in the dark for so long that she was seeing lights where there weren't any. Abella had gone silent, which concerned her even more. Was she just unconscious? Had the gargoyle died? Abella definitely wasn't breathing, but did she even need to?

"No man left behind," Velvet growled, crawling forward a few more feet. She could feel him now, always just around the corner. If she could just make it a little bit further, she would get to see him again. The minutes stretched into hours, and the flashes of light were becoming images. She saw her daughter first, a young woman with intense eyes that sparkled with magic. Mike came next, his smile warm as he laughed. They were connected in a way that she couldn't explain, and a strange sense of peace overcame her.

She saw her sister, then Uncle Foot, then Mike again. The images flickered rapidly now, and she realized that she had fallen asleep. Groaning, she grabbed onto some rocks and pulled herself forward. The tunnel behind her collapsed, jettisoning another blast of dirt and gravel.

If she put Abella down, maybe she would make it. In a moment of weakness, she tried to shrug herself free of the burden. Maybe the gargoyle would be fine and the others would come rescue her later.

Velvet. His voice was disapproving, and she felt a chill on the back of her neck.

"I'm sorry, I...Abella, I'm sorry." She grabbed onto the gargoyle's wrist and pulled, but was too tired. "I want to, I really do, but I can't. I can't!"

We can. She felt him now, standing right behind her. The sound of boots on stone filled the narrow passageway and she felt their hands on her body. She couldn't tell how many of them, numbers had become a foreign concept, but they pulled on her, helping her to drag Abella further into the tunnel.

"No man left...behind. No man...left..." She was light-headed, the air insufficient for breathing. Her thoughts were like balloons, each one floating away until she only had one thought left.

No man left behind. It had been her father's mantra, one he even said in his sleep. The words repeated in her head as the others helped pull Abella to safety.

The cavern widened, and she felt a cool breeze over her shoulder. She thought she could make out the twinkle of a star or two over the distant pines, but her vision was too blurry to see much.