“Don’t shoot!” Alex cried. “It’s us. Get Henry to the ship, fast! I’m going back down.”

“Good luck!” Florence picked up the boy and ran, her steps shaking the earth, while Alex dove back underground.

Finding Lani

Finally it was time. Lani cleaned up her thorn station for the day with the other melters. She was running behind because at the last minute she’d decided to get one more mold of thorns made, hoping her manager would notice. Maybe then she’d get the leash off sooner. If

anyone could fake being the model of good behavior, it was Lani, and she was doing everything she could to get the leaders of Warbler to trust her.

The others finished up, and one by one they left, until finally Lani was alone. She jiggled her sizzling mold, trying to get the stupid thorns to solidify and come loose without burning her hand off. While she waited for it to cool, she wiped up her table and scrubbed it with her scraper to get the tiny drips of gold off before they stuck there for good.

When she heard a voice coming from the tunnel outside the cave, her heart raced. She hoped it was one of the leaders, who would see that she was still hard at work. She began scraping harder.

Then she heard the voice again. “Glass,” it said. The voice was familiar, but she couldn’t quite figure out which of the leaders it could be. She picked up her thorn mold and went to swish it in the water to help it cool and loosen from the mold. And then, from the doorway, she heard her name.

“Lani.” It was a whisper. She looked up. Her fingers trembled and went to her mouth. The mold slipped from her other hand and hit the floor without a sound, thorns popping out like toothpicks and scattering on the floor. And then she ran to him and jumped into his arms, her lips mouthing his name as her heart screamed it.

Alex. He held her, laughing and crying as she sobbed silently into his neck. He twirled her around in the doorway, knowing they had to hurry and wanting to get her neck thorns off, but she clung to him and wouldn’t let go. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling her shuddering breaths against him, wishing he could fix it all so this had never happened. He smoothed his fingers over her hair as her sobbing slowed, and then he opened his eyes and whispered, “We have to hurry.”

He turned to look down the tunnel, hoping none of the spells had worn off, and then his jaw dropped as he saw two arms on the other side of the glass barrier, with other body parts of Sky and Crow beginning to appear as their invisibility spells wore off, including Sky’s face. Clearly, she didn’t know he could see her.

He set Lani down hastily. “Let’s get this thing off you. Please don’t move, not even a fraction. This will only take a few seconds.”

Lani obeyed, tears still washing down her streaky, sooty face, and soon—without any casualties this time—her thornament was gone.

“You can speak now,” Alex said. He handed her most of the spell components he had left, and then he hurriedly released the glass spell. In a low voice he said, “This is Sky and Crow from the raft, remember? They can speak now too.”

He turned to Sky as they began moving for the exit. “Boy, am I glad to see you,” he said. “I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to find my way out of here.” He hugged Sky’s shoulders and they started jogging through the tunnel, past an occasional frozen person.

Lani cleared her throat. “Where’s Sam?” she whispered. “We have to find him.”

“We found him once, but then I had to go after Henry . . .”

“Henry—is he okay?” Her voice was a rasp.

“He is now.”

“This way,” Sky said, taking her brother by the arm and turning sharply. “This leads away from the queen’s throne room.”

“I’m not leaving without Sam,” Lani said defiantly.

“Well, duh,” Alex said. He grinned at Lani, and she gave a reluctant smile in return.

As they passed various caves, Alex threw more glass spells, locking in as many Warblerans as possible to keep them out of their way. He was glad that spell didn’t require a component. Sky made them turn once more, and they could see the end of the tunnel. “Almost there,” Sky said under her breath. They broke out into a full run.

They saw the ostrich down one stretch of a tunnel. “What is she doing down here?” Alex wondered, puzzled. “Never mind,” he added hastily and called to her to follow.

“You brought the ostrich?” Lani said. “She hates us.”

“I know, right?” Alex chuckled. “We have a lot to tell you.” His laugh died in his throat when he realized just how much Lani and Sam didn’t know. He wasn’t sure if he could tell that story again.

They reached the end of the tunnel. Sky, then Crow, lunged for the ladder and scaled it like they’d done a thousand times. Lani tried the same thing and struggled, but made it up, and then Alex held out his hand to help boost the ostrich. “Are there any more of you in the tunnels?” Alex asked.

“No, I’m the only one,” she said with no evidence of grouchiness whatsoever. “Florence sent me to look for you.”

“Perfect,” Alex said. He helped the ostrich up and out. He sealed off the tunnel behind him with another glass spell in case anybody was coming after them. And then he bounded halfway up the ladder, and just as his head emerged, he froze.

In his face was a saber, held by a stately woman with long silver hair. He gasped, his eyes darting around the hole, where Lani, Sky, Crow, and the ostrich were being held by four brutes, each holding a saber to the Artiméans’ necks.