“I’ve used one,” Kali said, and we turned to face her in shock.

  “You have?” I asked. “But you were so… worried about the guns.”

  “Yes,” the nymph scoffed. “Those are terrifying and loud! Crossbows are almost silent, and I used them a few times to hunt when I spent some days with an old fortune teller. She let me sleep in her caravan if I caught dinner with her crossbow.”

  “You keep surprising me,” I chuckled as I held out the weapon. “Okay. You keep a hold of this. It would actually be useful for our flying team member to be able to shoot quietly from up high.”

  The nymph looked proud as she slung the large weapon over her slim frame, and she looked incredibly hot with such a deadly weapon in her grasp.

  “I just want to make sure,” she muttered as she loaded up a bolt. “It has been quite a while since I last shot one.”

  She stood tall and steady, and I could tell that her recent practice with guns had given her tips with posture. Kali took aim at the tree behind the watchtower, and she shot a bolt directly into the center of a thin branch. I whistled as she fluttered over to retrieve it with a huge grin on her face.

  “Badass,” Cleo said approvingly.

  “Very,” I chuckled. “You kept that skill quiet.”

  “Only because we didn’t have a crossbow.” Kali blushed. “There’s no point bragging about skills that I couldn’t use.”

  The nymph gently tucked a damp curl behind her ear, and her cheeks were pink as I smiled at her.

  “You should brag,” I said. “This is fucking awesome. Come on, I have a feeling we’re about to become filthy rich.”

  Kali flew down the back of the tower as I hurried down the steps, and Cleo purred as she slinked along behind me. Hobble was still munching grass in the same spot we had left him as we crouched in the cover of the trees to study the mine.

  Nobody at the gate looked up at the tower, and it seemed that the hunter’s death had gone unnoticed. The stream of workers kept steadily moving as their names were checked off lists by the guards.

  “Okay,” I said as I examined the entrance. “We should head down one of the furthest chutes from the gateway. That one maybe.”

  I pointed to one of the cylinders that sat on the far left away from the frog-legged fuckers who manned the entrance. There were a few of them patrolling the perimeter slowly, but not enough of them for the chutes to be constantly protected.

  “We’ll have a few minutes to get down unseen,” I said. “It will be easy enough to jump inside, but we’ll need to time it so nothing is being thrown down with us.”

  “We do not want to get crushed by tools.” Cleo nodded.

  “Then we’ll have to work fast,” I continued. “We pack the bags as full as possible while making sure Kali can bring them back up. She’ll unload it all into Hobble’s saddlebags and bring the empty bags back down.”

  “I’ll have the smoke bombs,” the nymph said. “I can use those to create distractions if needed, but I reckon I can fly from the chute to the woods without being spotted.”

  “Your call,” I said. “I trust you to make that decision, and you’ve got a fucking crossbow now to protect yourself with, as well as your pistol.”

  “So I load up Hobble,” Kali said. “Then when his bags are full?”

  “That’s when we leave the mine,” I said as I nodded to Cleo. “Kali, we’ll need you to guide Hobble to the entrance. Then we’ll need to be ready to fight our way through the entrance.”

  “I can get Hobble there,” the nymph said firmly. “He’ll be ready to pick you up like a very good boy.”

  “We’ll have to fight through the guards to get to him,” I continued. “But that front gate looks like it’s the only way we’ll be able to get out. So our aim is to get through all of this without being noticed until it’s time to leave. Then we can start shooting.”

  The girls nodded as green lightning cracked through the dark sky, and the dull thud of the miners echoed around the trees. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the blue stones that waited down below. They were going to catapult my finances into a whole other dimension, and I was ready to get to work.

  “Let’s do this,” I said. “It’s going to be hard work, but we’ve got each other. There’s nothing we can’t do together.”

  “I’m ready,” Kali said.

  “Me, too.” Cleo nodded. “Let’s steal some leviathan treasure!”

  We started to hurry along the trees as Kali ushered Hobble along with us. He begrudgingly stopped chewing grass to trot along to wait opposite the far chute we were going to use.

  “Wait here,” Kali told the beast kindly. “We need you to be ready for a quick getaway, okay?”

  Hobble snorted gently, and I could have sworn he nodded at the nymph.

  “Thanks, dude,” I said to the animal. “Okay, my queens. Let’s go.”

  The monster girls nodded, and we watched the nearest guard slowly turn and plod away from our chosen chute. Then we started to run. Our feet pounded the wet ground as I looked down at the distant gate. The line of workers continued to slowly move, and nobody looked our way as rumbles of thunder filled the air. Nobody stood at the entrance of our chosen entrance, and I got ready to jump as we neared the dark hole.

  I launched myself off the ground and into the darkness as Cleo did the same beside me. Kali flew into the chute just as my body hit the cold metal of the giant tube.

  “Fuck!” I growled as my back painfully collided with the slide, and I tugged my cloak down to cover myself against the friction.

  We tumbled down the deep blackness as Kali soared in front. A blue glow waited for us at the bottom of the tunnel, and Cleo hissed as we pelted down toward it. It only took a few seconds to reach the end of the chute at the swift speed we were catapulting at, and I toppled down onto the rocky ground in a painful heap.

  Cleo landed on her feet beside me as if she had just jumped from a tiny height, and she grabbed my arm to pull me up.

  “Thanks,” I muttered as I got to my feet, and I looked around the enormous mine.

  There was a blue tint to everything because of the towering walls of gemstones, and steady thuds of metal covered the sound of rain. I had to crane my neck to see the top of the mine as my eyes adjusted to the sparkle of the diamonds. Workers hauled wheelbarrows in every direction as hundreds of them slung picks at the walls. Everyone had their heads down as they worked, and I scanned the area for any signs of guards.

  “I think we’re safe,” I whispered as I spun around. “There don’t seem to be any more bastards down here.”

  “Look!” Cleo hissed. “Loose diamonds!”

  She pointed to one of the corners of the mine, and my jaw dropped as my gaze landed on the pile of blue stones. The workers brought their wheelbarrows over to the corner to empty their mined jewels, and others packed the stones into bags. There were hundreds of people scooping up the diamonds, and many of them wore cloaks just like us.

  “Fucking perfect,” I hissed. “We might not be noticed at all. Keep your hoods low.”

  The women made sure their faces were mostly covered as I grabbed an empty wheelbarrow that lay discarded nearby. I pushed the metal contraption over the rocky terrain until we reached the huge mountain of diamonds.

  There was a low-hanging part of the wall that provided a little nook out of sight. I led the girls under the blue ledge, and it led us through to a cramped corner that barely had enough room for us all. It was perfect to stash our bags without being seen, and Kali could use the wheelbarrow to carry them over to the chutes.

  “Holy shit,” I breathed as I got a closer look at the rocks.

  They had an otherworldly glow that almost made them look artificial, and I could see why people paid so much for them in both worlds. I swung my rucksack off my shoulders and began to pack it as quickly as possible. The cold rocks tumbled into my bag as Cleo did the same, and I glanced around to make sure nobody had spotted us.

  Even under the ledge, I was still just visible from the main cavern. Some workers came right up to the nook as they emptied their wheelbarrows, and I tried to crouch over the bags as much as possible.

  But it didn’t seem like anyone was paying attention to what anybody else was doing, and an elf nearby looked half-asleep as he emptied his supply. The workers looked so tired that they seemed robotic as they plodded around in a daze.

  I packed the bag until I started to find it heavy, and I gestured for Kali to try it. She grunted from the effort but managed to slip it into the wheelbarrow.

  “Are you going to be able to carry it up the chute?” I asked quietly.

  “Yes,” she replied. “I can do it.”

  We looked around to make sure no guards had appeared, but I knew the real danger would be when Kali left the chute. She would be exposed for a few moments between the mine and the forest, and I hated the thought of her being alone up there.

  “Use smoke bombs if you need to,” I said quietly. “But try and get to Hobble unseen.”

  “I can do it,” she said firmly. “I’ll be back.”

  I couldn’t help grinning as the petite beauty quoted the terminator unknowingly, and she maneuvered the wheelbarrow out under the ledge to head back over to our chosen chute. Then she jumped out of the way as a bag full of pickaxes tumbled to the ground, and my heart leapt as she vanished up into the darkness.

  “She will be safe,” Cleo whispered as she studied my face. “I know you want to be up there protecting her, but she can do this.”

  “Yeah.” I nodded as I turned back to the diamonds. “You’re right. Let’s keep going.”

  We hurriedly started to pack the other bag as miners slowly worked nearby us. The blue rocks tumbled into our pack as more and more were poured onto the endless mountain. I felt a bead of sweat trickle down my neck as a dwarf stood right beside the nook to unload his wheelbarrow, but he ambled away again without saying a word.

  “Hey,” Kali whispered as she suddenly appeared beside me with the empty wheelbarrow.

  “Wow,” I muttered. “That was fast. Are you okay?”

  “Of course,” she said. “I got to and from Hobble without being seen. His first saddlebag is almost full.”

  “You’re amazing,” I breathed as I closed our second bag. “This one’s ready to go.”

  I placed it in the wheelbarrow for her before she slipped off again, and Cleo shot me a dazzling grin.

  “We are so sneaky,” she said.

  “Fucking right we are,” I snorted. “Come on, let’s keep going.”

  I was on a serious adrenaline high as we packed up our third load of blue diamonds. Everything was working perfectly, and I couldn’t even fathom how many dollars’ worth of loot was sitting on Hobble’s back.

  Kali reappeared after a few moments with a smug grin that told me she had managed her second trip flawlessly. I wanted to kiss her, but I forced myself to hold off on that urge for now. The workers might notice if we suddenly fell into a passionate embrace.

  “Hobble can take this one,” Kali said. “Then we’re out of room in the saddlebags.”

  “Okay,” I said quietly. “Then empty this one and bring it back. We’ll pack them to carry these ourselves, and then it’s time to go.”

  Kali nodded as she loaded the wheelbarrow and hurried back over to the chute. I slowly turned around to make sure we still hadn’t been noticed, and I pulled my cloak further down as the workers milled around us.

  “This is working,” Cleo said quietly. “We have so many diamonds!”

  “Keep alert,” I whispered. “Next, we have to get Hobble to carry us out of here. We’ll need to make our way to the exit once Kali brings the bag back.”

  I reckoned it would take about fifteen minutes to slowly walk from the diamond pile to the gates, depending on how winding the path underground was. Then we would need to fight our way out to reach Hobble, but that thought didn’t worry me much. There were plenty of guards, but we had enough ammo and bolts to mow them down before they could reach us. The trophy hunter was dead, too, so there were no eyes watching from above.

  Plus, big and bloody getaways were kind of our forte lately. It was the stealth looting beforehand that was the real challenge.

  That had been the case so far, at least.

  Cleo had her bag packed and ready, and we waited for Kali to return with mine. It felt like we had been standing there for longer than usual, and we kept hunched over the cat-girl’s pack so nobody noticed us doing anything.

  “She should be back,” I muttered as I glanced back at the chute. “Fuck. If she takes any longer, then we’ll have to go. I need to make sure she’s okay.”

  “Yes,” Cleo whispered. “We must make sure she is safe.”

  I straightened up after another minute or so, and I watched the chute as my palms began to sweat. A pack of tools slid down with a dull thud, but there was still no sign of Kali.

  “Let’s go,” I said. “We’re going to need to get to Hobble ourselves. Stay beside—”

  Then a series of howls pierced the air and stopped every worker in the mine in their tracks. The sound filled my body with deep dread, and Kali suddenly flew down the chute with horror etched on her pretty face.

  “Liam,” she breathed as she grabbed my arms. “Someone found the body of that horrible and mean bald man. A group of the trophy hunters are here, and they’re riding werewolves.”

  The howl of the oncoming pack sent shivers down my spine, and I knew we would need to fight with everything we had to get out alive.

  Every enemy we had in Hollowfell was about to be hunting us.

  So much for escaping being the easy part.

  Chapter 19

  A siren that sounded like a loud, hissing snake filled the air as the howl of the werewolves got closer. The workers yelled as they dropped their tools to cover their ears from the awful mix of noises. Then instant panic set in around the mine as people hurried around and started to run for the exit. Blue diamonds were dropped as everyone abandoned their work in a cloud of mass hysteria.

  “Fuck,” I said as I shoved the last of the diamonds we could carry into my rucksack. “Okay. We still need to get to the exit and Hobble. There’s just going to be a hell of a lot more to fight through than we first expected. Come on!”

  We raced out from under the low-hanging rock to join the manic bustling of the workers. It was easier to blend into the crowd when everyone was moving in the same cloud of panic, and our feet pounded over the bumpy floor as the heavy bag smacked against my shoulder blades. The noise around us was deafening while thunder boomed over the howls and siren.

  “Liam,” Kali gasped as we ran. “Should I fly to Hobble?”

  “Not yet,” I called back. “We want to blend in as much as possible until the last minute. But I’ll need you to do that when we reach the gate.”

  I knew it was only a matter of time before we had to shoot down some High Society fuckers, but I wanted to be as close to exiting the mine as possible before that happened.

  People slammed into my shoulders as they ran to get out, and I had to make sure I didn’t trip over discarded tools and bags along the way.

  We were only a few feet away from the gate when a sudden hiss echoed nearby, and some workers screamed as people tried to push past the guards at the doors.

  “Where are they?” a voice snarled, and we stopped in our tracks as two leviathans entered through the crowd.

  They were in their semi-human forms as they shoved through the workers with their legs moving in the disjointed way that made them seem boneless. Blue scales shone on their faces as their forked tongues darted in and out of their mouths. The two men wore velvet coats over expensive suits, and their fingers were dripping with golden rings. They held canes that they used to shove workers out of the way as they searched the crowd.

  “Kali,” I said quietly. “When I start shooting, I want you to go and get Hobble. It’s time.”

  The nymph nodded silently as she moved her crossbow under her cloak, and I shifted my rifle around to my front.

  “Cleo,” I muttered. “You got your pistol ready?”

  “Yes,” she whispered. “My sickle is also ready to slash faces.”

  “Then let’s fucking do this,” I said as I watched the leviathans get closer.

  The crowd now blocked the gateway as the guards formed a line so nobody could leave, and the sounds of the werewolves were drawing closer. Danger was approaching from all sides, and I had to get us out alive.

  “We have visitorsss in our mine,” one of the leviathan men hissed as the crowd parted nervously for him. “Our trophy hunter went to change shifts and found his colleague dead. Sssso, who was it? The werewolves will sssniff you out!”

  “I know who it isss,” the other snake-man said. “The outlaw is here to steal more trophies. Come out and give yourssself up!”

  The two snake-men slinked further into the mine as they stared at every face they passed, and they shoved some workers to the ground with amused hisses. They got so close that I could smell their overpowering cologne, and I nodded at the girls.

  “Now!” I hissed as I swung my cloak aside to reveal my rifle.

  People around me stumbled back as they stared at my weapon with confusion, and Kali shot into the air.

  “Nymph!” a leviathan screamed as he pointed at her. “There’s the–”

  I pulled the trigger as I aimed at his scaly face, and the bullet flew directly between his reptilian eyes. A few workers around him were sprayed with blood as he instantly died, and he toppled backward as his cane clattered to the ground.

  The second leviathan turned into his snake form faster than I could aim, and a giant serpent appeared amongst the screaming crowd. Workers raced in every direction to get away from the creature as it slid straight toward me, and a guard suddenly ran at us at the same time.

  I took aim at the leviathan.

  “Shoot the guard!” I yelled as Cleo aimed her weapon, and we fired just milliseconds apart.

  The guard fell as Cleo’s hit punctured his neck, and he toppled over with a sickening gurgle. My bullet barely scraped the neck of the snake, but he darted around so quickly that his body was an impossible target. I pulled my hunting knife out as the leviathan darted toward the cat-girl, and I jumped at him with a growl.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33