In Between The Ends

Chapter Thirty Six

Stale earth and grime filled their nostrils as they slid down the steep incline, coming to a stop on the damp ground at the bottom of the waterway. Claustrophobia was already creeping up Levi's spine as he reached out and found Arya's hand in the dark.

"Stay close, or we will both end up lost down here."

If he was lucky there would be a moment in the future to reflect on this link they were sharing, allowing himself to mull it over in painful detail, but for now it seemed essential that he accept it. He could feel her there in the shadows, waves of electricity flowing back and forth between them as if she was an extension of himself; one that he would protect as if it were his own flesh and bone.

The intensity of their connectedness was jarring, yet even as he pulled Arya at a half-run down hallways he hoped were there, he couldn't extinguish how freeing it felt. Sharing in an openness that was both daunting and comforting after spending all his life tucked away in his own mind.

In the rush and intent focus of their goal to reach the airship before it took off without them, there wasn't enough time to pick it apart. All he could do was envelope himself in the feeling of her, allowing that drive and certainty to propel them forward into the darkness.

Though Levi's natural instincts were still beyond compare even in the pitch black of the waterway, one wrong turn would cost them time, and very well their lives. As they had found while rushing to Historia and Arya's aid only an hour before, the fall of the walls had nearly emptied the Underground: most of the wretches dwelling there fleeing to the now open countryside and towns that were finally within reach.

The only community still left seemed to be focused within the middle of the enormous cavern that held the subterranean city, which would act as a beacon for them once they found their way from this stinking hellhole and into somewhere more recognizable.

The construction of the Underground had left more than a fair share of winding offshoots and hidden pathways, but the waterways were much more direct, all flowing directly into a large man-made lake on the edge of the filthy metropolis where much of his life had been spent fighting to stay alive.

Arya is no stranger to that, either.

His fingers tightened around her warm hand as he came to an abrupt stop, noting a distinct change in the sounds of their echoing footfalls. This section of tunnel was larger, smoother and more refined than the sewer behind them; they must be getting close.

"Feel along the other wall, there should be sconces lining the hallway that might offer us some light."

A pang of unease shot through Levi when she was no longer in his grasp, thought he could still feel her presence as they hurried down the tunnel only a few meters away from each other. Even that small a distance felt like miles to him, and a shiver of anxiousness tingled in his chest. His discomfort didn't last long, however, when a minute later Arya called out and he rushed to her side, pulling out the small flint stone he kept tucked away in his belt.

The oil-soaked linens that wrapped the end of the torch went up quickly and the tunnel was filled with it's warm glow. There she was once more, disheveled and dirty, her normally silky hair tangled in a mess around her ash covered face. Arya looked back at him, eyes wide and pleading. Though there was plenty of light in which to see, she reached out and took his free hand as if it was a lifeline. Levi gripped tighter in response.

The pair continued, running as fast as they dared now that their path was illuminated. After a short time the pathway changed once again; walled off at the far end and a thick wooden door blocking their way. Swinging it open they stepped out of the tunnel and into the Western reaches of the Underground.