The Marked Girl Read Online Free Page B

the group upward once again. Cedric took intersections and offshoots quickly, struggling not to stumble over the loose rocks strewn across the floor as he ran. He heard the pounding footsteps of wraths chasing after them and only hoped they would get lost in the labyrinthine tunnels.
    He arrived at one last intersection and turned left, coming up abruptly against a thick, wooden door. Cedric reached out to the wall on the left-hand side. He pushed on one stone after another, feeling nothing but cold rock under his fingers. Finally, one of the stones pushed inward, and the heavy door swung open.
    Cedric stepped through it and into the hidden courtyard, lined with thick, high stone walls. It had no roof or ceiling, and when Cedric looked up, he could see stars glittering in the distance. At the end of the courtyard sat a large wooden box.
    â€œIs that it?” Emme’s voice broke through the still night. The others came through the door after her, panting.
    â€œWe cannot honestly be considering this,” Merek said.
    Cedric darted across the courtyard, lifted the box off of the ground, and tossed it aside. Hovering there an inch above the grass was a thick, swirling black mass roughly the size and shape of a man.
    â€œIt . . . it is real,” Kat breathed.
    A clatter of footsteps echoed from the tunnel.
    â€œIf we are going through, we must do it now,” Cedric said in a hushed voice.
    But he didn’t move. No one did. All four of the royal children stared wide-eyed at the portal. Its whirling mass was mesmerizing. It seemed as though it was actually sucking in the darkness of the night, leaving all traces of moonlight behind.
    â€œI am absolutely not going in there,” Merek said.
    â€œStay behind and get skewered by wraths if you like,” Kat replied.
    â€œNo,” Cedric said. “We are all going.” He held Merek’s gaze for a moment before the other boy finally looked away.
    â€œI do not think I can,” Emme whispered to Cedric.
    â€œIt will be all right,” Cedric replied.
    â€œPromise?”
    Cedric opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by the noise of the wraths pushing into the courtyard. They were followed by Malquin.
    Malquin’s eyes gleamed in the moonlight. He turned to Cedric. “I would not recommend going that way, young prince.”
    Cedric held up his sword. “That seems enough reason to go.”
    With an air of complete calm, Malquin reached into the pocket of his trousers with his good hand. He brought out asmall, metal object that glinted in the moonlight as it moved. Cedric had never seen anything like it before. Part of the object was shaped like a small tube, cut open at one end and attached at an angle to a handle that vaguely resembled a sword hilt.
    â€œStep away from the portal.” Malquin aimed the device at Emme while the wraths formed a circle around their group, closing them in.
    Cedric gripped the edge of his stolen sword’s hilt, but didn’t move.
    Malquin shrugged. “Or have it your way.” His finger moved slightly against the device in his right hand. Moving on instinct, Cedric dove and knocked Emme to the ground just before the night air was filled with a loud bang that reverberated off the stone walls.
    A wrath standing just behind Emme crumpled to the grass, a black stain growing on his chest.
    â€œWhat . . . ?” Cedric stared at the creature on the ground, then to Malquin’s device. “What is this magic?” He got to his feet, directly between Malquin and Emme. The circle of wraths tightened around them, though some looked down at their fallen comrade, expressions of confusion flashing briefly across their gnarled faces.
    Malquin merely smiled and raised the device again. Cedric shot a panicked look to Kat, who nodded once. Kat grabbed Merek by the arm and jumped into the swirling dark hole, pulling him behind her. One moment, they were standing on the solid, moonlit