Free Night of the Storm: An Epic Fantasy Novel (The Eura Chronicles Book 2) by K.N. Lee Page A

short bright blonde hair and pointy ears and chin.
    “Let’s get a move on then. The fire will spread. We don’t want to wait and see if any of those Bellens survived my bombs.”
    Ayoki’s brow lifted. He was rescuing them.
    Impressive.
    He turned a corner at the end of the hall and began to run. He paused. “I’m Hartwig.”
    “Mai. This is Ayoki.”
    He nodded, his eyes lingering on Ayoki’s face. Without warning, he turned and ran. Ayoki didn’t know why, but she almost felt safe. Mai took her hand, and they followed behind as quickly as they could, surprised at how fast the goblin was.
    “Come on, slowpokes!”
    Mai glanced at Ayoki. “We are Shadow Elves.”
    “And as slow as my grandmother,” Hartwig replied.
    Gilly giggled again, her small voice carrying down the empty hallways.
    “We could outrun you,” Mai said. “If we knew where we were going.”
    “Sure. That’s what they all say.”
    Ayoki smiled. The fear and tension dissipated. She liked Hartwig. Perhaps there was hope they would survive after all.
    Ayoki needed to.
    Despite her fear and doubts, the world needed her.
    After all these years, maybe she’d finally gotten some good luck.
     

 
    THE AIR FELT SCARCE AS AYOKI and the others went deeper underground into smothering darkness.
    Used to living underground, her eyes adjusted, dimly lighting the area around her. They came to a dead end where a stone wall stood before them.
    She touched the walls, feeling for any signs of life other than Ayoki and her companions.
    A breath of relief escaped her lips. They were safe.
    For now.
    Ayoki hoped Hartwig would take them somewhere safe from the Bellens and their dark magic.
    Ayoki rested her hand on belly. She bit her lip at the flutter beneath her hand. For once in her life, she had more than herself to think of.
    Pretica still didn’t know. Maybe she was better off being as far from home as possible. Ayoki had already let her down. She’d let the world down.
    But then, she’d never see Kenichi again.
    Tears stung her eyes. She wiped them away before anyone noticed.
    Hartwig tapped on the stone wall, and clicking sounds were heard. Ayoki’s eyes examined the stone wall curiously, but the goblin pushed the adjacent wall instead, revealing a secret door.
    The stones shifted and twisted until the pattern changed and the stones separated.
    Gilly entered the small room, filling it with light. A ladder that stretched high above was nailed to the wall.
    Hartwig began climbing up the ladder with Gilly lighting the way. Gilly’s light made the slick walls shine, and Ayoki realized the entryway led to a cavern much smaller than her home in Gollush. She missed her home, even if there were a few dark memories she wished she could forget.
    Mai looked around. “We must have gone quite deep underground.”
    “Seventy-five feet,” Hartwig replied as he lurched himself up the final steps of the ladder.
    He reached for Mai. She shook her head and darted up the ladder. She had a self-satisfied smile on her face when she saw Hartwig flinch when she appeared beside him.
    Ayoki didn’t like drawing attention to herself, so she climbed up and accepted Hartwig’s hand. He helped her up and sealed the door to the temple closed.
    Crystals clung to the ceilings of the cavern and red orbs the size of Ayoki’s fist protruded from the stone floor like flowers. They held light inside that flickered and moved slowly from side to side.
    Ayoki bent down and watched the light inside. Something small writhed and spun.
    “Better not stare,” Hartwig said and waved his hands before her eyes, breaking her gaze. Ayoki frowned up at him, but he simply began down the left path.
    “How much farther?”
    They had been walking for hours, and their clothing was still damp and clinging to them.
    Hartwig’s brows rose. “In a hurry, are we?”
    “Why, yes. You do know she is the Seer. She has to help the other chosen to save the world.”
    “Oh, yes. That.” Hartwig didn’t