"Are you guys alright?" Xanthy asked. The dark tunnel seemed to stretch on. Straight ahead, Xanthy recited to herself. Just go straight ahead and ignore the corners. They should make it to the Magic Road any time soon.
No one answered her. Marin's stare was passive as she ran her hands along the walls while they walked. Xanthy should share June's enthusiasm about his shoes.
She blew a breath. "Look, I am sorry," she blurted.
June looked up. Xanthy noticed that the dark of his hair had ebbed to the ends and that his snow-white roots were showing. "For what?" he blinked.
"F-for everything," Xanthy sputtered. He just had the nerve to ask what she was apologizing about when saying the words were already hard enough. A lump formed at her throat. "For being a hypocrite. For saying the things I said. For...what happened. I am a horrible creature."
A soft chuckle made Xanthy turn to June. He brushed a hand at the back of his neck. "Everyone is a horrible creature, if you think about it," he smiled thinly at her. "I am sorry too. It is not fair of me to say that."
Xanthy blew a breath. It seemed like a huge block of stone was removed from her shoulders. She laughed. "So, are we good?"
"Good," June flashed her a thumb-up sign. "You are not a hypocrite, Xanthy. Please do not take what I said to heart. None of this was your fault, either."
"I know," Xanthy hugged herself. "But words have a way of lingering in places you do not want them to, you know?"
June's face darkened. "Yeah, I do," he sidled close to her to give her a playful bump on the shoulder. "I missed you, Xanthy."
Heat rose to Xanthy's cheeks. Then, she bit her lip. Don't think more into that. Just don't. She cleared her throat. "I missed you too, June," she replied with a wink.
"Please, just kiss already," Marin said from behind with a roll of her eyes.
Xanthy coughed into her fist. "Sorry."
"Stop saying sorry, will you?" June said.
"I'm—" she caught herself. She cleared her throat again. The sound bounced across the walls. Light from June's splayed palm shone around at the rocky walls and the occasional crawling insects and snarling cleret.
"What happened in the tower? To the Queen?" she blurted.
Silence.
"Guys?" Xanthy turned to them to find both Marin and June pale. June's lower lip quivered. She knitted her eyebrows. What's wrong?
June shook his head. "I need more time to process that," he clenched his fists at his sides as he clenched his jaw. "Please."
Xanthy nodded. "Of course," she nodded. "Was it that troublesome?"
June opened his mouth to speak. His eyes widened. What...?
Her world spun as June pushed her down. They landed on the ground, stirring up dust that invaded her nostrils. Xanthy whirled. "June—"
A barrier shone bright green in front of them. Marin had her arms forward, her chest rising and falling with every passing second. Xanthy pushed June away from her and unslung her bow. What's going on?
Xanthy narrowed her eyes. Figures slunk from the shadows beyond the influence of June's light. Who would have followed them here? An arrow was nocked into Xanthy's bow. She aimed it, her grip tightening.
The figures came closer. Their footsteps scratched against the silty ground. Boots. Possibly buckled slippers of Nobles. Xanthy exhaled and tuned her ears. One. Two. She and June could take them. She drew the bowstring back. Tighter. Hit a shoulder. Hit the enemy's shoulder.
Then, her world turned upside down. Marin's barrier shattered, the sound thick in Xanthy's ears as she was thrown to the ground. The air around her turned sharp to breathe. Debris pelted her face and her hair. Where was June?
Voices. Her ears picked up talking. What were they discussing? Xanthy tried standing up. Pain tore through her leg. She fell over with a cry. Really? Now? Where was Marin?
The girl peeked from behind a wall by one of the corners Xanthy had known to exist in the tunnels. Straight ahead. They should just go straight ahead.
Grunts and metal clanging rang behind Xanthy. Xanthy could still see through the dim light so maybe June was still alive. She gritted her teeth as she braced the walls. Stand up. Fight through the pain.
Damn the gods, this hurt.
She didn't dare look down but she could feel it was her ankle which sent throbbing sensations up to her knees. Leaning all her weight on her other leg, she limped forward.
June stood still, his dark cloak blending with the creeping shadow as his illumination spell ebbed. What's wrong? Xanthy edged towards him and noticed a substantial bump by his feet.
"June?"
"I killed another," he muttered to no one.
Bile rose to Xanthy's throat. Was the ground turning slick just now?
"Wait up!" Marin jogged towards them with magical light glowing atop her palm. The girl stopped as her spell landed on the pool of blood spreading from a body thrown by June's feet. Xanthy's breath hitched. Did June just...?
No matter. They attacked first. June was defending himself. "June, we have to go," she tugged at his sleeve when she braved separating from the wall. Pain pulsed at her bones but she could stomach it. Why wouldn't her magic heal it?
June flinched as he turned to Xanthy. His dark eyes were pools of oblivion in the ethereal glow of Marin's spell. "Yeah," he breathed. "We have to go."
Xanthy glanced at the man lying on the ground. He was clad in black from head to toe. Blond hair peeked from the shawl wrapped around his head. His bulky frame was enough to tell her that this was a grown man.
And June just took him down. With a dagger.
Xanthy shook her head. Perhaps June learned how to defend himself when he was a child. Whatever. She didn't need to know that.
She stepped forward and her leg numbed. She winced.
"You alright?" June asked.
Xanthy waved him off. "Twisted my ankle," she hissed through gritted teeth. "It is nothing."
June gripped her arm. "Let me heal it."
"Sure," Xanthy extended her foot towards him. "My magic has not stepped in. Weird."
June moved to crouch by her feet when he tensed. Xanthy opened her mouth. Her question died on her throat as June pushed her backward. She crashed against Marin, sending both of them tumbling to the ground.
Xanthy cursed as she rolled off of Marin. She bit her teeth down as she dragged her useless leg towards the nearest wall. Marin yelped and called another barrier around her again.
June was locked in battle with another figure dressed in black. A dagger sung in an unheavenly hymn in June's hands as he ducked, rolled, and slashed. Each of his strikes were met with a sword as long as Xanthy's forearm.
The figure pushed June backward until his back pressed against a wall. Xanthy's throat constricted. She had to help him.
She drew an arrow from her quiver, and upon leaning most of her weight against the wall, she let her arm scratch against the rough surface as she pulled the string taut. She shot just as Marin's light died. No!
A blade swung. Xanthy saw it but June didn't.
Blood was spilled.