Cedric looked back once, then twice, before running.
He wanted to stop. To turn around. To grab Emma and drag her with him to safety. The woman she served was not one to forgive, and Emma… she was too soft, too kind. Lazira would crush her.
He almost stopped. Almost.
But he needed to get to Zara first. To see if she was alive. If they got him, he wanted to see what they had done to Zara. He had to bring her to safety. That had to come first.
When he reached the end of the tunnel, two burly men emerged from the shadows. Cedric stumbled, slipping on the damp stone, but caught himself just in time. His heart lurched. He turned, only to find two more guards blocking the other side.
"Emma!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the tunnel.
Emma's eyes widened. She raised her hand and pointed to the other end, and Cedric obeyed instantly, sprinting toward the path she'd shown him. But the moment he reached it, he stopped short. More guards.
Six of them.
