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    Chapter 0700 Nina


    "Are youing or not, little wolf?"


    Luke and I shot each other an uneasy look as the man stood in front of us with his unlitntern.


    "Where are you taking us?" I asked tentatively.


    The man huffed. "To the queen," he said annoyedly. "And if you don''t hurry, we might be toote for your husband. The ritual only takes so long."


    That was all the convincing I needed. Despite Luke''s worried nce, I followed the man out the door and back into the humid air. More onlookers had gathered now, intrigued by our sudden appearance, but I hardly noticed then with my thoughts churning so dizzyingly.


    I didn''t know where exactly we were going, but as long as it brought us closer to Enzo, then I would take whatever I could get.


    Over the next half hour, our silent guide threaded his way easily between lush tropical foliage without ncing back or slowing to match our clumsy foreign footsteps. I stumbled over tangled roots in an attempt to keep up, my skin caked with sweat from the heat and the damp air.


    "Hey, could you slow down a little?" Luke called out, his arm catching my elbow when I nearly fell over an exposed root. But the man didn''t look back.


    "Keep up, little wolf," he called out over his shoulder. "No time to waste."


    Before long, the vibrant vegetation began to thin out, the soft soil reced by smooth, bare stone. My breath caught in my throat from the ascent we had unwittingly taken through the foliage. We had been climbing up and up for a while, but nothing seemed to show itself to us.


    Luke and I paused, ncing at each other warily again. I was just wondering if this strange man was leading us on a wild goose chase when a yawning cave opening caught my eye up ahead.


    The man stopped in front of the opening, tinkering with hisntern until it flickered to life. "Ready?" he asked, ncing over at us for the first time since we had gone on this strange hike.


    I peered into the dark cave. "In there?" I asked, swallowing. "Seems... dangerous."


    The man huffed again; at this point, I couldn''t tell if it was an actual huff of annoyance or if it was just a cough. "I thought you wanted to find your husband."


    "I do."


    "Then follow me."


    Without another word, the man walked into the cave mouth. Luke and I stood there, unsure, before I took a deep breath and went after the man. But Luke''s hand caught my arm, his eyes wide and uncertain.


    "Nina, I don''t think this is a good idea," he whispered.


    I threw my hands up into the air. Already, the man''sntern light was fading, swaying off into the distance. "It''s either this, or let whatever ''ritual'' he mentioned before y out," I said. "And I''m partial to this."


    Luke let out a sigh, but didn''t protest any further. Together, hand-in-hand, we made our way into the cave with only the man''s swayingntern to guide us.


    The temperature instantly plunged. I hugged myself against the subterranean chill, disoriented by our directionless descent. Eventually, even the insects and the sound of the wind faded, leaving only our echoing shuffles.


    "How long have we been down here?" Luke whispered harshly. "Feels like hours..."


    I shook my head mutely before remembering he couldn''t see me. "Only a few minutes."


    Luke exhaled hard. "How much longer until we fall in a giant crevice or some kind of trap?"


    I squeezed my eyes shut against the sudden onset of tears, nearly twisting an ankle on the uneven ground. "It''s not like we have any other options," I reminded him.


    Just then, the abyss mercifully brightened into the soft glow of torch mes. Now that I could see a bit better, I could make out our surroundings; we had entered smoother tunnels now, with carved walls and timber supports reinforcing the space. We must have reached some sort of underground system.


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