We need to free Ward … and I need to have a conversation with the breakout. There’s something about him—even lying still as death between us, I can’t help recalling his horror last night at seeing me, the way he screamed my name. I want to know why.

I’m half tempted to try waking him right now, but given that he ran away from me at Luna Park, it seems unwise to risk him freaking out down here. If he bolts into the tunnels, we might never find him again.

No, it’s best to get them both back to the confines of the catacombs. Once there, I can finally get some answers.

About everything.

“So … is there a plan for how we get out of here?” Cami turns to Arryn and adds, “You mentioned another elevator?”

Arryn’s eyes leave me as she nods again. But to my surprise, she also offers us an apologetic wince as she admits, “It’s, uh, a bit of a walk from here.”

She points to the left, where the tunnel continues on into the darkness.

“Great,” Cami mutters. “Just fabulous.”

I can’t blame her—we’ve already walked for hours today. My body is feeling it, especially after nearly a week of inactivity. But still, if walking is how we get back to the surface undetected, then walking it is.

Rallying my energy, I levitate Ward again so that both he and the breakout are hovering before us. A headache begins to form in my temples at the concentration it requires, but I grit my teeth and remind myself that we’re on the way home now. Not long to go, and then I can rest.

Neither Cami, Arryn, nor I discuss what we’re going to do with the floating boys once we reach the end of the hidden passageway. A few ideas are circling around my mind, none of them ideal. Our plans didn’t include carrying an unconscious person with us on the return trip, let alone two of them.

With my power focused on their levitation and my mind already starting to scream at me, I don’t attempt to summon the glowing light again, and instead we rely on Arryn’s flashlight to illuminate our path. Without it, we’d be walking blind, so I’m grateful she had the foresight to bring it along. It means that she’s at the head of our group, striding purposefully in between the broad shoulders of both boys, while Cami and I are behind them, pushing their feet to propel them forward.

A gurgling sound echoes around us and I turn to Cami, my brows arching.

She offers a shrug before her eyes twinkle and she says, “I’m still not desperate enough to try that lettuce sandwich.”