Chapter 37 · The Dragon's Price

The maintenance tunnel shuddered beneath Lio’s boots.

Dust sifted from the ceiling in thin, glittering streams, catching the blue emergency light before vanishing into the dark. Somewhere below, metal screamed. The sound traveled through the walls and up her bones, a long, tortured note that made every tooth in her mouth ache.

“Keep moving,” Cael said.

He was leaning against the tunnel wall, one hand pressed beneath his ribs. Blood had soaked through the side of his coat and dried black along his fingers. Still, he pushed away from the wall and followed her toward the core chamber.

Lio glanced over her shoulder. “You’re leaving blood on the floor.”

“Then the floor knows where we went.”

“That was almost funny.”

“I’m injured. Lower your expectations.”

Another tremor slammed through the tunnel. Cael’s shoulder struck the wall. Lio caught him before he went down, her hand closing around his arm.

For one breath, they stood pressed together in the narrow passage. His warmth seeped through her sleeve. His breath brushed her temple, sharp with pain and metal dust.

“You can still turn back,” he said quietly.

Lio looked at the emergency lights flickering above them. “To what?”

“Finch Station.