Roland lurched forward at the sound of a scream in the tunnel, but Riley grabbed his arm again.
"Wait!"
The Rhone prince whirled and punched Riley square across the jaw, sending the unsuspecting man reeling.
"Don't try to stop me, Riley," He said darkly. His wife was in danger and no one would get in his way.
"I meant… wait for a lamp, so you can see, and a sword, so you can fight," The Captain was waving another soldier forward with the items in question while rubbing his jaw with the other. "Ugh! Ow!"
A surge of guilt washed over Roland, but there was no time to spare.
"Sorry," He said quickly as he secured the sword at his side, and snatched the lamp. With a last look of apology, he plunged into the dark. He was torn between caution and recklessness.
There was no telling what he might meet around each corner. Should he run, in the hopes of reaching Finn more quickly? Should he move slowly, giving himself time to kill whatever evil forces might be between them?
He moved downward, reaching the end of a set of stairs. A short tunnel to his right led to more stairs. He turned the corner and saw a dim light ahead at the base of the next set of stairs. A lamp, moving toward him.
Roland lingered in momentary indecision. Should he put out his lamp and hide? Call out? Would goblins carry light, or only humans?
He drew the sword at his side and took a ready stance at the top of the flight of stairs. A compromise. He didn't want to put out his light, but calling out might draw more attention to his presence than he wanted.
A man came stumbling into view. A peacekeeper, by the dripping uniform. He held a box under one arm, and a lamp in the other hand.
"Help," He cried out when he saw Roland. He shuddered, about to collapse.
Without hesitating further, the Rhone prince ran down the stairs, sheathing his sword and catching the man under one arm.
"Serafina? Is Finn with you?" He asked hurriedly. If a peacekeeper was in this soaked, freezing, exhausted state…
"Right behind me," The man smiled halfheartedly and looked over his shoulder, then frowned. "She was… she was right behind me."
"Go. You're almost to the top. There are soldiers there to help you. I have to get her." Roland said quickly. "Can you make it?"
"Yes." The man said, blinking and gathering new strength from the encouragement. "Save her. The goblins behind us. They're coming."
Ice crept into Roland's heart. He'd all but known this already, but to have it confirmed, and to know that his wife had fallen behind... He fled downward, drawing his sword once more.
Descending the stairs as quickly as his legs would move, the sound of rushing water grew louder and louder in his ears. At the bottom of the third set of stairs, he saw where a torrential flood was coming from a side tunnel, obviously now connected to the lake.
He gulped. Such a current threatened to throw his feet out from under him if he had a misstep.
Lifting his lamp, he peered down.
"SERAFINA!" He called, as loudly as he could. The sound of the water drowned out his voice.
He caught a glimpse of something moving—or rather, steadfastly NOT moving–amidst the flow of the water.
A person?
A watery cry came out of the dark rushing current.
"No! Go!" The words were almost lost, but Roland knew them in an instant.
He removed his heavy coat, put the lamp down several stairs above where the water splashed, determined not to lose the only source of light in this forsaken tunnel.
Placing each foot carefully, he resisted the urge to run at the woman he loved full tilt. If he let the current grab hold of him, it would never let go.
"SERAFINA!" He called, but she did not look up. She looked blind, moving forward at a snail's pace against the rushing tide.
"JUST A FEW MORE STAIRS!" He yelled again, hoping to encourage her. He was almost to her. Finn's steps were halting, unsteady, and painful to watch.
Just as he reached for her, she slipped. He lunged, catching her and wheeling to slam himself against the wall so that he could have more friction to keep them both from slipping away.
"Serafina, are you all right?" He asked.
"Help, Gwen. Help," Was all he could hear over the water.
Was she asking the Fae for help, or saying the Fae needed help? He hoped for all their sakes it wasn't the latter.
A screeching from below broke through the noise of the water and made his blood nearly freeze.
"Let's go," He said to Finn, though he knew she probably couldn't hear him. Her skin was absolutely icy. He worried about hypothermia and became even more determined to get her to the surface as quickly as he could.
Using his body as a breaker against the current, he pulled her behind him. Though it was only half a flight of stairs to get free of the rushing liquid, the water was rising every moment.
Finn was only half-conscious behind him, but clung to his waist and matched his steps.
Another screech behind him, closer now than ever, tempted him to look over his shoulder, but he didn't dare before they were out of the rushing flow.
At last they neared the top, and he launched the two of them out of the water and up onto the dry stairs above.
He grabbed his sword and turned to take a ready stance facing back downward.
Someone, or something, was struggling up the way they had come. Several somethings, in fact. They looked like four-legged human-spiders, scuttling up along the ceiling. Slowly, carefully, but steadily.
Screeches marked them being splashed by the icy water as it swirled closer and closer to them.
Roland pulled Finn to her feet, dazed though she was.
"Run, Darling, Run!" He said close into her ear.
She roused herself enough to start moving her feet, but her unsteady legs gave out after a few steps. They were shaking uncontrollably.
He pushed the lamp into her rigid hands, hoping it might warm them slightly, and tried to pick her up into his arms.
Though she didn't weigh much herself—most of the baby weight was already gone from her frame–her sodden skirts were another matter. They sloshed and dragged the couple down, and he made a quick decision.
He unceremoniously untied and removed her soaked layers of skirts and wrapped her in his still-dry coat from the floor. Then he easily lifted her into his arms and began taking the stairs upward, two at a time.
Finn's head bounced against his shoulder, but he dared not go slower in an effort to jostle her less. The goblins were right behind them.
He counted the steps, rejoicing when he turned the last corner to make the final flight, when a sound like triumphant cackling came from behind.
The goblins must have reached dry ground. They could catch up any second.
The Peacekeeper must have made it out, or at least near enough to the top that Riley was comfortable sending men to help him out. The way was clear.
"Help!" He called weakly. Carrying a person up flights of stairs left him out of breath, and he wished he'd kept up more with his Rhone training of endurance running.
Three more steps. "Help!" He called again. He nearly stumbled.
Two men came rushing down.
"Goblins coming!" Roland managed, and the two passed him quickly with swords drawn, guarding his back as he made the last several strides to get to fresh air.
Finn, bundled in his arms, looked nearly blue. Hopefully that was just the moonlight?
"Judah!" Roland called, and the cat trotted forward. "I need to get her home, to a fire."
"How many? How many goblins?" Riley asked quickly, his eyes darting between Finn and Roland.
"A dozen, at least. The Peacekeeper should know more. Get him warm, quickly," Roland advised. Riley nodded, holding his arms out.
Roland passed Finn to him reluctantly before climbing onto Judah's back and letting Riley pass her up to him.
"Run, Judah!" He urged.
The cat flashed forward, and Roland struggled to keep himself and Finn in place. Thankfully, he'd all but mastered the trick of staying put despite Judah's sleek fur and unbelievable pace.
Though it was less than a minute before Judah got him home, it felt far longer. Every second was agony as Finn got colder. Soaked, as the snow fell on her. Her eyelashes froze together, hiding her gaze from him. She was shivering so violently against him he could have sworn the ground shook underneath them.
"Just a little longer, my love. Hold on, please," He whispered as they came to a stop in front of their home.
He carried her inside, desperate to get the fire stoked and warm blankets around her.
The sound of distant thunder barely registered in his ears.