[Rock]The cult knew this was their most vulnerable entrance. It was large and obvious. I doubted they knew about the other two and we would make the most of that surprise. When we got into the cave, we found an illusion barrier, making it look like it was a large, yet shallow cave. It would definitely fool anyone other than a troll, a goblin, or a dark elf. Goblins would recognize their own creation and would know how to navigate it. Dark elves and trolls could feel the facts of the earth. We knew it was larger than this. They were banking on being able to attack when any intruders turned back. We didn’t stop, even when Harmony sсreamed and buried her face against Wylder’s back. Our charge into the cave didn’t stop and none of the people on the other side of the barrier were prepared for it. They certainly didn’t know they would face trolls at any point. Once our forces had fully entered the cavern, we roared and halted. None of us were wearing glamour and I could see our opponents shaking. We stopped because we saw children. I hadn’t thought about that when I made our plan. I knew there were plenty of trolls who wouldn’t mind eating the children of our enemies, citing that it would keep them from seeking revenge. Wylder looked over at me. “Harmony, take care of any casters. I’ll let the children go,” I whispered. “Got it.” I stepped forward. Wylder might lead the trolls, but I wasn’t as frightening as he was.A line of warriors stood between us and the people in the cavern. There were families, but most of the people there seemed to be single. There were more than a few that didn’t look very strong. “Your leader has taken a member of our community. My mate, a werewolf. If you turn her over now, I will let all of you leave unharmed. If you do not, I will permit the children to leave with one parent. You will have one minute to decide. If you do not decide, we will kill you all while we look for my mate. It doesn’t have to be a group decision. If you have children and you move toward the exit, we will let you leave no matter what the majority decides. Just know that we will leave no one in this cavern when we move on to the next level,” I told the gathered people. The warriors in front of us looked at each other, clearly unsure about what to do. They were not outnumbered, but they were outmatched and seemed still willing to fight. Women started gathering their children and hurrying them toward us. Our company parted, letting them pass. They could sense that the warriors weren’t planning to accept our offer. They were fools if they thought they could win. It looked like there were hundreds of people in the cave, but over sixty trolls were more than enough to take care of a few thousand. We were harder to kill than people realized. Harmony’s hand thrust out from over Wylder’s shoulder and a shriek came from a woman on an outcropping at the edge of the cave. Shadows swarmed her. “Devour her magic,” Harmony commanded, and the woman sсreamed again. A warrior charged at me. I grabbed his arm and used it to maneuver him so I could get a grip on his neck. I crushed his neck in my hand and dropped his body to the floor. “Death it is!” I announced loudly. The rest of the trolls practically climbed over each other to get to the cultists. Many of them ran to the back, others rushed toward us. My goal wasn’t killing cultists, though. It was getting to wherever they were holding Carmen. I would get my mate back, no matter who I had to kill or how many I had to kill. As I waded through the chaos, slaughtering anyone who dared cross my path, I couldn’t help but wonder how Carmen was doing. Had they harmed her? Was she safe right now? The thought of losing her made me feel sick to my stomach.Pyla, Forrest, and Wylder stayed near me. The rest of the trolls were having the time of their lives in the fight while we made our way to the other side of the cavern where we were hoping to find Carmen. They had my back while I cleared the way. About halfway through the room, I came across a werewolf on his knees with his hands behind his head. There was no fear or anger scent coming off him. He had no stake in this fight. Pyla watched my back while I picked up the man and stood him up. He stood at attention before bowing deeply. “Who are you?” I asked. “I am Herbie Fowler, a spy from the Hallowed Moon Pack. Tell me how I can assist and I will. I know where they put your mate and I am happy to lead you there,” he answered. “Where’s Shayle?” I pressed. “Shayle? The troll? Are you planning to kill her for betraying the fae and your mate?” “No, Shayle is the fae spy. I intend to make sure all the spies get out safely. She’s not a fighter. I want her out of here before we go after the demon.”Herbie nodded. “She made Oberon angry, and he ordered her to stand still and watch the punishment of his grandson. It was like she couldn’t move.”Oberon shouldn’t have been able to do that. Even if he was a royal who ranked above Queens Ivy and Maeve, that was not one of their powers. He must have used whatever magic they used to knock Wylder out. We had to save her. “His grandson?” Pyla gasped. “Prince Ewan is Oberon’s grandson?” He nodded again. “If we hurry, we might be able to save him, too. I’ve learned the layout of this whole place. Some paths are confusing and make you think you are getting somewhere, but you’re really going around in circles.” A shout came from the other side of the cavern and I saw Queen Ivy rushing into the area followed by the human sized fighters. The small ones were still missing, but they were, presumably, in the area with the vampires. “Goblins built this place. They wanted to make sure their prey couldn’t escape them. Come on. We’re getting Queen Ivy and going to save her mate,” I replied. Herbie fell into step with my group and fought off anyone who came at us. It didn’t seem like he was lying. If it was a ploy to save his life, then he wouldn’t do anything to risk that. It would be Trent’s problem. When we reached Queen Ivy, she whipped her swords in such a way as to fling the blood from them. She didn’t look like she was enjoying herself. She looked like she was pissed. “This is the werewolf spy. He says he knows where your mate is,” I told her. “Rio! You’re in charge here. None of their people survive this. I don’t care how much they beg. When they’re all dead up here, continue on to the next area. Gather our people and press on to the demon.” “Got it, Ivy.”“I’ll go with you,” Spencer shouted from a different direction. I hadn’t seen him, but I nodded in his direction. Part of me hoped he would be useful when we reached the demon. Maybe seeing it would spark something in him and he would be able to pull his sword. Only time would tell. Rhett was standing on the outcropping where Harmony’s witch had been. Cam and Gray guarded the path up to him. Rhett had his guns out and was shooting glittering shots at the enemies. Especially the ones who were on the backs of the trolls and other large fae. He stopped for a moment to give me a brief, yet flourished bow, then resumed his work.Harmony climbed off Wylder’s back and we reformed our team to provide the most protection for the less durable members. We pressed on into the maze of large tunnels. Because orcs would sometimes team up with goblins, their tunnels were big enough to fit even larger trolls. It was lucky for us. Some burrowing species only made tunnels big enough for their own species. Herbie took the lead. He walked with confidence through the tunnels. If his memory was anything like Carmen’s, I knew he wouldn’t get lost. After only one run through the house as Blanche, Carmen knew everything about the layout. As we pressed on, I could hear the faint sound of fighting in the darkened distance. Herbie stopped and looked at me. “Were there more people attacking from somewhere else?” “The smaller fae went through a tunnel that let out into the vampire room. They attacked when we did. Although they are strong and good fighters, I can imagine the vampires are difficult,” I answered. “The vampires are half starved and have nearly killed every single person who has been brought to feed them. That’s one of the punishments for disobeying or questioning the demon, or Oberon. The dungeon is also called the punishment room. That’s where the beetles live. There’s a magical fire in the center of the room and at the door to keep the beetles from attacking anyone put in there or escaping after we had a bunch get out of the cave. “If you get too close to the edge of the light, the beetles attack. If they pull you out of the light... you don’t come back. You end up one of the zombies lurching around the edges, trying to kill more people.” He shuddered. “One mistake and you're done. The smell is even more stressful and the sounds. You know they’re out there, waiting for their chance.” “Prince Ewan is being punished,” Pyla said. “Is he with the beetles or the vampires?” “The vampires,” Herbie answered. Queen Ivy shook her head. “We have to save him before they drain him.” “Faster, Herbie. We have to save Queen Ivy’s mate.” He nodded. We quickened our pace, determined to save Prince Ewan before it was too late. The sound of fighting grew louder as we approached the vampire room. The smell of blood hit me. It was a mix of fae and vampire blood. Our people were in there. As we rounded a corner, we came upon a group of vampires, their eyes glowing a multitude of colors in the darkness. Without hesitation, Queen Ivy charged forward, her swords flashing in the dim light. Harmony transformed into her half wolf form. It reminded me of Carmen’s, and attacked. Forrest, Wylder, and Pyla also rushed into the fray, but I held back with Herbie. There were more vampires than I thought there’d be. We didn’t have all the information. In a shadowy area of the cavern, I saw Shayle. She was standing completely still, but I could sense her distress. Next to her was a vampire who was on his knees with his hands behind his head. He must be the vampire spy. I made my way over there. As I passed, I saw Viola and Tripp fighting a couple of vampires close together. He had broken up with the troll he was dating a couple of months ago. Maybe he was interested in dating someone who was his species. A battle could be seen as a date for species like ours. Carmen would love it if they started dating.