Page 19 of Shifter’s Thunder

The baritone voice came from within the pen. She stepped through the raw, gaping portal.

Tanner finally understood. She would have come back — alone, if she had to — because she promised she would. Even though she was scared witless, even though she was certain she would fail them. The thought stole his breath, filling him with an icy rage at everyone who had broken her, and a profound, humbling awe for the woman and dragon who had refused to stay broken.

He followed Avelunne into the pen, his bare feet sinking into an even more lumpy, resilient surface that squelched under his feet like packed, water-logged moss. The space was larger than the corridor suggested and lit by a sickly, pulsing bioluminescence from the ceiling. It was chilly but not unbearable. It smelled of unwashed bodies, fear, and a cloying sweetness he couldn’t place.

Rumnaan stepped through behind him, wiping a sheen of sweat from his brow. “Sorry about the door. The demesne’s magic suppression rules fought mine. It siphons energy. The good news is, everyone in this pen is now on central lab time, which Avelunne said is approximately real-world time.”

The words barely registered. Tanner’s eyes scanned two gaunt figures standing in the ugly light, and his heart beat faster. They were thin, bruised, and filthy, but their faces were achingly familiar. “Timoki? Rutera?”

They stared at him, their expressions a mixture of disbelief and dawning hope. He closed the distance in three strides, pulling their too-thin bodies into a fierce, desperate hug. He felt the sharp angles of their joints and the bones of their arms against his ribs. “I’m sorry.” The words felt jagged in his throat. “I should have looked for you harder.”

Rutera pulled back slightly, her hand still gripping his arm. “Yeah, we all should have done better after the clan disbanded.” Her gaze was direct, forgiving. “But you wouldn’t have found us anyway. This place is probably responsible for half the missing-magical-persons complaints for centuries.”

His attention shifted to the other side of the pen. The remaining shifters were gathered around Avelunne. An older black woman, a younger white man with visible bruises, and a solemn Indonesian man all touched her, their faces alight with relief. She murmured their names, Naima, Wiley, and Sayyan. They had put their faith in the woman he had treated with cold suspicion. A fresh wave of shame washed over him.

Avelunne was asking about someone, her voice low. “…Gudrati?”

Timoki’s face hardened. “Right after you left, the keepers beat us up and took him.” From the looks on their faces, the captives didn’t expect to see Gudrati ever again.

“Avelunne,” said Rutera, “to us, it’s only been three, maybe four hours since you left. How long has it really been?”

“Seven days. One hour in this pen is like three days in the real world.”

A sharp whoop came from the young white man named Wiley. “I win the betting pool!” He pumped both fists in the air. Wiley’s defiant exuberance brought fleeting smiles from the captives.

Tanner moved to her side. “I owe you an apology. You were right. About everything.”

“It’s okay.” She waved off his words. “I wouldn’t have believed me, either.” Her forgiveness made him want to sweep her into his arms. But the only comfort he could offer right now was a successful escape.

“Not to be rude,” said Rumnaan, “but time isn’t on our side. Let’s get out of here before we’re caught.” He pointed a thumb toward the still-oozing portal doorway.

Tanner counted eleven captives. “Any mobility problems?” When no one spoke up, he nodded. “Okay, let’s go. Follow Rumnaan and Keteng. Avelunne and I will bring up the rear. We have to assume blowing the portal door will get priority attention.”

Rumnaan poked his head out the doorway. “Clear.”

The captives moved with urgency that belied their underfed looks. Shifters’ will to live often amazed him.

As they began to file out, Rutera and Timoki stepped in front of Tanner and Avelunne. “There’s something else,” said Rutera. “Tippizoars have a collection of Ice Age shifter children in the central lab. They’re in the experiments section.”

Anger ignited in Tanner’s blood. “How many?”

Rutera frowned. “Don’t know. When they took Gudrati, one of the keepers was complaining about having to deliver food and clean up after them in an empty back lab storeroom.”

“Not many, if it’s the room I’m thinking of. ‘Tis little more than a closet.” Avelunne closed her eyes. For a long moment, she was perfectly still. When she opened them, her expression was diamond-hard. “You two and Naima convinced me to memorize the pathways for a reason. I know how to get to them. Only Tippizoars can revoke magical access, and they think I’m gone. They won’t have bothered.”

He wrestled with a near-overwhelming thunderbird instinct to stop their mate from going and carry her to safety instead. No, he ordered himself. He’d disrespected her enough since meeting her. He visualized the map she’d drawn in her sketchbook, the layout of the corridors and the hub. “I’m coming with you.”

She shook her head. “You can’t get into the lab.”

“I can keep the way out clear.” He met her gaze. “I’m not telling you what to do. But let me support you.”

She hesitated, drew a breath as if to speak, but let it out without a sound. She glanced at Timoki and Rutera, then returned her gaze to him. A flicker of something new — trust, he hoped — warmed her eyes. “I’d like that.”

He clasped hands on the shoulders of his cousins. “Go with Keteng.” He tilted his chin toward the mammoth shifter who was waiting impatiently at the pen’s entrance. “She’ll get you and the others to Zephyr’s portal. We’ll go after the children.”

His cousins nodded their acceptance and passed by Keteng to follow the others. She gave Tanner and Avelunne a speculative look, but said nothing as she, too, exited.

A moment later, Avelunne marched toward the same exit, but turned left instead of right. Tanner followed.