Swept Away (The Swept Away Saga, Book One)

Chapter Forty-Seven

Running through the trees, I followed Tristan, my heart pounding as the torchlights danced nearby us. Could they hear us moving around? He didn't seem to think we needed to be secretive any longer, his footsteps crunching over the undergrowth, breath puffing out strongly.

"Who's there?" Someone called, a light twisting and heading straight for us.

Hissing, Tristan swung around, slashing across the man just as he came upon us. With a startled gurgle, he fell to the ground, his torch tumbling out of his grasp.

"Pick it up," Tristan ordered, sheathing his sword and turning in the direction he wanted to go. "The door is just up here."

Doing as he asked, I stumbled after him, trying to get my bearings. Where on the island were we? We continued on the invisible path, suddenly coming out into an opening that I recognized.

"Where is the swamp?" I asked in surprise, seeing dry ground in the area for the first time.

"What swamp?" He was searching around the few trees that were there, eyes trained on the earth.

"In my time, this whole thing is a swamp," I said in awe. "A freshwater swamp."

"Here," he spoke, stopping in front of one of the trees and sitting between its roots. Suddenly, he was just gone, not a trace of him anywhere.

"Tristan?" Panic filled me as I was left wondering where he could have gone in the half second I'd looked away.

"Sit between the roots," his muffled voice answered. "The door is weighted and will rotate to let you in."

"Okay," I replied shakily, doing as he said.

It felt like normal ground, and for a moment I didn't think anything was going to happen. But then, the dirt began to move just under the tree, a small opening appearing, Tristan's face filling it.

"Hand me the torch," he instructed, reaching out. "Then slide through. It's not far to the floor, just a few feet."

Handing the light over, I waited for him to move out of the way before entering, the entrance closing behind me immediately.

We were in a long tunnel, just tall enough for a man to stand in and only wide enough for one at a time. It seemed to stretch on forever, in the direction of the pit.

"Stay close," he ordered. "If we get separated, just follow the light."

"How can we get separated in a tunnel?" I half laughed, feeling a little bit of my dinner rise and settle uncomfortably. My emotions were torn between the terror of what we were going to do and excitement at seeing what was down here.

"Trust me. I'll have to put the torch out at some point or Thomas will see us coming." Grabbing my hand, he started leading me forward, the path slanting steeply downward after a few moments. "There's a rail to hold on to," he said, "in the wall. Feel it?"

"Yes," I breathed, the musty smell of earth filling me to the brim.

"It's going to get cold—it always is here. Are ye ready?"

"Yes," I urged him. "Hurry!"

He nodded, the torch casting odd shadows over his face, and then turned, practically flying down the path. Gripping the anchor in the wall, I trailed him, doing my best to keep up and not fall.

Down we went, the air like ice around us, the path plunging even further into the earth. When it leveled out, I felt as if I had suddenly lost my land legs, wobbling across the even ground. Tossing the torch on the floor and kicking dirt over it, Tristan plunged us into darkness, his hand finding mine as the light faded.