“Good,” Emma replied, “‘cause we have to get out of here. Today.”
He nodded. “The woman I met, the Vixen. She told me about the designs of the place. She might have lied to me in the hopes of getting me caught, but she was also telling the truth.The exit is overhead. Spread out a bit further than I expected, but we walked underneath it several times. The entire place is a large loop, and we just circled it without knowing that the way out was up. So we got a lot of walking to do,” Hunt said.
Emma nodded and they began the walk. This time, she knew what to look out for, keeping her eyes on the roof ahead to see if she could spot the hatch they were looking to find. Once they got to the hatch, Emma would pull it open, and they would be home free.
“Not quite,” Hunt explained. “There are three levels to the sewers. We’re on the lowest levels. This one was built way too long ago. I have no idea why it’s even here. Then there’s the one directly above us. It’s the smallest, and I know my way around there. That’s where most paranormals spend their time. Then after that, we have the sewers you know and love. It’s not always empty, but it’s easy to navigate. Manholes everywhere.”
“So if we get out of this one, there’s two more to go,” Emma said dryly. “Fuck me.”
“No, we can get out of those easily. I think if we get to the first one and you’re close enough to a good spot, you can get a signal too.”
Emma nodded. If she could get a phone and then make a call out to someone, she would have finished the mission. She would be able to call the pack to come down and face Garret then and there. If they could stop him before he pulled off whatever wack-job plan he had, they would win.
Four hours later, Emma spotted it in the distance. Hidden in the darkness, it looked like a wheel sticking out of the roof. Emma chuckled with joy as she ran up to it, leaving Hunt to catch up. But as she got to it, she realized that it was a dud. The arm had been broken off.
“Oh, come on!” Emma yelled. She jumped through the air, punching the metal door as hard as she could, sending a reverberating shudder through the corridor.
“Don’t do that,” Hunt cautioned her. “If that thing gives, it’s going to bury us underneath.”
“We should have gotten out here,” Emma argued. “This was supposed to be it. If it’s always been blocked, how did people enter or leave? How did Sly get in here?”
“Well, obviously there’s another entrance,” came a voice from behind them.
Emma could hear the erratic beating of the heart behind them. The creature had snuck up on them, either waiting for them by the exit, or hiding off to the side of the tunnel. As she turned around to face the creature, Emma quickly recognized the bushy tail and foxy ears of the woman.
Sly.
Hunt was already moving before Emma could react. It was astonishing to see how quickly he could move, as he was only human. His reaction time was immense, and the burst of speed, regardless of his injury and physical state, showed why Hunt was the best of the best.
He pulled his sword, swinging at Sly. The Vixen quickly moved into a backflip, looking to get out of the way of the attack, but Emma joined the fight. She dashed in, driving her shoulder into the chest of the Vixen, sending her crashing into the tunnel walls.
“I don’t want to fight!” Sly yelled.
“Good,” Hunt replied as he swung his sword at her face. She leaned backward, leaving the rest of her body exposed. Hunt quickly went down on a knee, using the momentum fromswinging the sword to spin around and slice at her kneecap. Sly let out a scream and leaped back.
Emma saw the creature get ready to run off, and she quickly chased after her. Vixens were one of the faster paranormals out there, allowing them to stir up trouble and be gone in a matter of moments, not letting anyone know they were even there. Emma wasn’t going to let her escape, no matter how fast she was.
Throwing herself at the Vixen, Emma slammed into her legs, causing her to fall to the ground. She rolled off, trying to get back on her feet, but Emma recovered first. The cut on her knee made it hard for her to move, allowing Emma to apprehend her. While they were fast, Vixens were not very strong.
“I’m not looking for trouble!” she yelled as Emma dragged her back to Hunt.
He took his blade and put it against her neck. “You tricked me, for a bit of blood. I nearly died because of you.”
“Oh, come on, it was nothing personal. Look, I’m here to help, okay?” Sly said, smiling at them. She paused and winced as the cut from the blade stung her. Whatever magic was in the blade really made whoever was on the receiving end feel the burn.
“Why should we trust you?” Emma asked. “You would have given us both to them, you gave Hunt to the Wyverns.”
“I did what I had to do. After I freed you on the stage, Caleb made sure I came down here to find you. I had no intentions of bringing you back to him, but then I ran into Conan and his men, and they made me do it,” Sly argued.
“They made you do it,” Hunt said. “Is that the best you can do?”
“No, I’m not done,” she continued in a birdlike tone. Emma wondered why she had only spoken to Hunt. She seemed happy and almost chirpy as she talked to him. Like they were old friends. Emma felt an emotion surge inside of her, making her take in a huffed breath. “I saved both your lives.”
“What?” Hunt asked, pushing the blade closer to her neck.
“Yeah! I did. I saved you from the bidding stands, and I saved you from Conan and his goons by stealing his bag!” Sly yelled. “I did that. Me. So if you kill me, you won’t really be doing yourself a favor.”
Emma held out her palm, shifting her fingers into claws so Sly could see it clearly. She walked up to the woman. “I don’t care about you, you put my life in jeopardy, you won’t talk your way out of it.”