Not good. I glanced at my team. With fourteen of us, disabling two each wouldn’t be that difficult, but the narrow confines of the tunnel made it tough. Did we retreat? No. Kerrick said we needed to be here. And enough was enough. It was past time for Tohon to be stopped once and for all.

“Has everyone treated their weapons with Death Lily toxin?” I asked.

Nods and “yes, sirs.”

“Who has the blow gun?” I asked.

Private Red Hair stepped forward.

“Loren, are your arrows—”

“Yes, they’re covered.”

And my throwing knives had been dipped in the toxin. “Loren, you take point, followed by Private...”

“Judi, sir.”

“Judi and me. The three of us will do as much damage as possible from a distance. When they close the gap, we’ll try to push through so you can engage the enemy. Don’t forget there’s a delay before the toxin works. Do you all know the skull jab?”

More nods and “yes, sirs.”

“Questions?”

“What if there are more outside the shaft?” Beau asked.

Good question. “Once we start the fight, there’s no going back. We’ll keep pressing on until we run out of opposition.” Or they stopped us, but I kept that to myself. “And keep to the plan if anything happens to me. Loren’s the one who needs to get close to Tohon’s tent. I’m just here as backup. Understand?”

Unhappy agreement.

Beau extinguished the lantern, and Loren led us through the darkness. We formed a line, keeping a hand on the shoulder of the person in front of us.

As we neared the exit, the blackness diluted in subtle hues. Loren solidified into a dark figure and shadows defined the rough contours of the walls. The shaft veered to the right. Loren fitted an arrow into his bow, signaling us to be ready.

I pulled two knives, while Judi primed her blow gun. We fanned out to each side of Loren. Light shone beyond the bend.

Loren counted under his breath, “One, two, three.”

On three we stepped into view. The bow twanged and a puff of air sounded. Squinting in the brightness, I aimed at the closest figure on the right without an arrow sticking out of his or her chest. Judi aimed left so we didn’t waste our weapons. I managed to hit another before the first wave of dead reached us.

We were armed with swords, but the tight space limited their effectiveness. Instead of throwing my knives, I poked the thin blades into the enemy as I shoved through them.

The stench of the dead filled the tunnel along with shouts, curses, and the ring of metal. After I used my last knife, strong hands clamped on my wrist, tugging me toward the exit. I glanced back to see the gap between me and my team widen.