I’d never been so happy to see the light at the end of a tunnel. As more and more of the wall shifted, the stress in my muscles began to alleviate, and I cocked my head back, breathing a sigh of relief.

“Our efforts weren’t in vain,” I heard Tristan whisper to my left.

“No. They weren’t,” I replied, rubbing Keke’s shoulders.

I turned to look at Cailu’s back. His shoulders visibly shifted up and down from his labored breathing. I wondered how much concentration it took to keep up that barrier.

Thick stone bricks were piled on top of the barrier. Each one of them looked to be around a foot in diameter. A sudden thought occurred to me. They can’t clear the whole wall…

“How do we get Cailu out of this safely?” I asked aloud to no one in particular. I had no doubt he could outrun any of us, but there were plenty of rocks above the barrier that could crush him.

“I’ll [Displace] him,” Ravyn said flatly to my right. She tapped her finger to an elbow, her arms crossed. “I’ll switch him with a rock.”

The group fell silent. I got the feeling everyone had their own thoughts to combat with, and if I was being honest, I wasn’t in the headspace to grapple with them yet. We could worry about them once the situation was stable.

I felt awful that none of us could help Jaya and the others. Surprisingly enough, though, as more and more stones were moved, I could see it wasn’t just Jaya, Meera, and her mother. As many as a dozen girls had come to assist. Though admittedly, at least half of them looked well-fed and clothed. I doubted any of them had come from the Third Shell.

“That should do it!” Jaya said, wiping the sweat from her brow. To my relief, Meera had stopped helping after the first stone had been removed. The last thing a kid like that needs to experience is unearthing dead catgirls and their beheaded leader.

“Cailu. It’s time,” Naeemah said with a consoling hand on his shoulder.

“Good.” Cailu looked over his shoulder at the rest of us. “Get to the farthest end of the barrier. I’ll release it, and we can make a run for it.”

“Got it,” I said, nodding.

“I’m going to [Displace] you with a rock, so be ready,” Ravyn said, tossing a small stone in her hand.

Cailu nodded, and we began to huddle against the barrier in preparation. Lara and Ceres were deathly pale. A cold sheen of sweat glistened on Ceres’ forehead. Her breathing rasped and her eyelids drooped. Although she seemed past the worst of it, I’d heard stories of people getting out of surgery who died later due to infection.

I got down on one knee beside her. “Ceres, let me carry you.”

The tiniest hint of a smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “You are too kind.” I took her hand in mine, slowly helping her up onto her feet. Her legs trembled under her own weight, and for a moment, I thought she might fall over.

“Easy does it, Ceres.” Once she was on her feet again, I put one hand against her back and positioned my other arm behind her knees. “Alright, you can relax. I got you.”

It could’ve been my imagination, but I swore I could feel the warmth of her trust against my body. There wasn’t an ounce of resistance or apprehension—though it could have been from exhaustion. She shut her eyes and leaned her head against my chest.

“Thank you, Sir Matt,” she said.

You’re barely alive, and still the title? I stared at the leftover wound on her belly. Wet blood and dry, chipping flakes stained the front of her dress, and the scent still hung thick in the air.

“I’m… I’m sorry I failed you,” Ceres whispered.

“Hey, quit that,” I said. “You didn’t fail anyone. You fought great. Save your strength, and we can talk later.”

Ceres nodded.

“Is everybody ready?” Keke asked, craning her head over the crowd. I was the last one to arrive. Her eyes met mine, and she dropped her voice to a whisper. “Is she okay?” She gestured toward Ceres.

“I think so,” I said, nodding. “We’re ready. Let’s get the hell outta here.”

Addressing the group, she announced, “Then let’s do it.”

“On three!” Tristan cried, waving. “One! Two! Three!”

The barrier began to give, a little at a time. As if the gentle breeze blowing through the tunnel was sweeping Cailu’s magic away. As soon as there was enough room, we ran for it. Just as the rubble above began to give way, Ravyn turned on her heel and dropped the rock in her hand on the ground, shouting, “[Displace]!”

Cailu appeared beside Ravyn a half-second later, and the two ran while the stones began to fall around where [Sacred Ground] once was.

When the rubble stilled, cheers and applause surrounded us. I turned to see almost two dozen catgirls before us.

“We’re sorry we didn’t do anything to help before,” one girl said as she stepped forward. Her hair was short and neon-green with pink tips. Her skin was dark but on the fairer side when compared to the girls of the Third Shell. Silks of pink and green crossed her chest, exposing her midriff. A long green sarong cut high on one side, revealing a smooth, toned leg. “My name’s Melly.” The gold bands around her wrists and ankles jingled as she offered her hand.

“Thank you,” Tristan said, gripping and shaking her head. “Name’s Tristan. How did you know it was us?”

“The Ejderha,” said another short-haired girl beside her. She was taller than Melly, bearing a head of blood-red hair. “Their orders were to stay inside. The only time they ever bark orders like that is when they plan on doing something really awful.”

“It’s true what Charlotte says,” Melly said, suddenly looking uncomfortable. “It’s been a long time since they made such a fierce demand like that.” She looked at Charlotte, then back at Tristan. “Considering what happened the last time we saw you in the Second Shell, we tried to think if there was something we could do.”

“And that’s where I came in,” Jaya said, crossing her arms with a smug smile. “Thanks to little Meera here,” she said, ruffling the hair of the kitten next to her, “and Glitter, we were able to track Matt’s scent down to the Second Shell.”

Glitter scuttled across the sand toward me. It walked a couple of circles around me until finally crawling halfway up my calf, fluttering its wings.

Cute when he’s quiet, if a bit disturbing. 

“Well, I’m grateful,” I said, “but I have two girls who are severely wounded.” I gestured to Ceres in my arms. At some point, she’d fallen asleep. It nearly caused my heart to leap into my throat until I saw the staggered rise and fall in her chest.

“What’s wrong with her?” Melly asked as she approached. A gasp escaped her lips when her eye caught the wound on Ceres’ belly. “Oh my goodness, please bring her to my house.” She put a gentle hand on my bicep. “I can clean her up.”

“Thank you,” I said. I gestured to Lara on the opposite side. “Her too, please.”

Melly roped her arm around Lara’s and gently walked her over to where I was standing with Ceres. “Follow me.”

“I’ll come too!” Destiny marched to Lara’s opposite side, taking an arm over her shoulders. “I can keep healing both of them this way.”

“Alright, then.” I glanced at the other girls in my party. “I’ll be right back,” Cannoli was the only one who refused to look at me. What the hell should I do about her? There wasn’t anything I could do at the moment. Right now, Ceres and Lara needed care. 

I had to wonder what stories the girls from the Second Shell were told about us. The entire time we walked, Melly continued to converse with Destiny and Lara like old friends. Laughter filled the air between them, and I couldn’t help but smile. It felt like the first decent conversation we’d experienced since arriving in Rājadhānī.

“Hey, Melly?” I started.

“Yeah?” Melly looked over her shoulder, smiling wide.

“Thank you. You don’t know how much this means to me. To all of us, really.”

“Think nothing of it!” Melly rubbed Lara’s arm. “I just want to help those in need.”

“I-I’m so sorry, Destiny.” Lara’s voice cracked. Her jovial spirits descended into tears. “I’m sorry, Earth. And Water. I’m such a failure.”

“W-w-what?” Melly said, her cheeks growing red. “Where’s this coming from?”

“Lara—” Destiny began.

“I’m sorry I’m such a burden!” Lara leaned her head against Destiny’s shoulder, coughing and hiccuping through her sobs. The three never stopped walking, but it was clear from the look on Melly’s face that she was uncomfortable.

Destiny murmured assurances, and glanced at me over her sister’s head.

“Hey, Lara,” I said. She didn’t look up, but I knew she had to have heard me. “You’ve done great on this journey. We wouldn’t have gotten this far without you.”

“T-t-thank you,” Lara said through choked sobs.

“Shhh, shhh. There, there!” Melly massaged Lara’s back. “Things will get better. You’ll see!”

By the time we arrived at Melly’s home and put Ceres and Lara in bed, I was ready to collapse. I took up a seat in a small wooden chair in the corner of her living room—which was spotless and immaculate—and leaned my head back.

Melly was on her way upstairs with a damp rag and a ceramic bowl when I realized my mouth felt like the desert itself.

“I don’t suppose you have any water you could spare?” I asked.

“Of course I do!” She pointed down the hallway she was down just moments ago. “The kitchen is in that direction. Just get it out of the faucet.”

I blinked. “The faucet?”

“Yes!”

“You have a faucet?”

“Of course I do.” She frowned. “What’s the problem?”

“Melly? Is everything okay?” Destiny called from upstairs.

“Perfectly fine!” Melly replied, then looked again at me curiously.

I waved her away. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it. Thanks.”

Melly rushed back up the stairs where Ceres and Lara were resting, and I made my way down the hallway.

The kitchen could’ve given some of the houses on Earth a run for their money. Straight ahead of me was a faucet—one of the most magical things I’d ever seen since entering the hellhole that was Ichi. A marble island stood at the center of the room, covered in cookware and spices, and brown and pink tile covered the floor. Dual sinks were positioned beneath a far window, much like the stainless steel ones I would’ve seen on Earth.

Home sweet home.

I walked over to the left sink, a single eyebrow raised. Beads of water dripped from the faucet and into the basin below. After everything we’d seen in the Third Shell, I admit, I had a hard time believing the damn thing would work.

I reached forward and put my hand on the knob. It was one of those twisting metal handles that you’d see on a backyard gardening hose.

Swallowing hard, I turned the knob, and a beautiful sound met my ears. It was the sound of clean running water. The smell of running water. The majesty of running water.

I put my hand under the faucet, baffled by the clear liquid dribbling over my palm. I’d nearly forgotten what it felt like to have water running over my skin. Like a kid fresh from gym class, I threw my head under the faucet and drank every drop like it was my last. A chill swept over my body. My thoughts began to clear.

When I had my fill, I turned the faucet back and leaned over the sink, my elbows on the counter. The euphoric sensation was fleeting. In its place was unbridled fury. Thanks to Sanrai and her cronies, we’d nearly lost our lives. And for what? For trying to help? For wanting to try and organize our movements, so the girls aren’t constantly dying to the Defiled threat?

“This is all about him,” I whispered to myself. “Magni couldn’t give two shits about the girls out there.”

I didn’t know if I could stop myself from burying my axe in his throat. Rage boiled in my veins, and the picture of Sanrai’s spear disappearing into Ceres’ stomach continuously replayed in my head.

I couldn’t wait to meet the man who nearly killed us.