Gabe didn’t need to be told twice. The rumbling beneath their feet was enough to tell him that whatever they had triggered was serious, and it wasn’t going to end well if they stuck around to find out what it was. He quickly stuffed the box into Mariam’s pack, his fingers brushing against hers for a brief moment as he secured it.
Right. Let’s move! he said, urgency in his voice as he glanced around the chamber. He could see the grooves in the floor now, the subtle shift in the dirt as whatever ancient mechanism they had disturbed began to activate. Gabe wasn’t entirely sure what was about to happen, but he knew it wouldn’t be good.
He took off running, his boots pounding against the stone floor as he led the way back towards the entrance. The air was thick with the scent of dust and decay, and the faint glow of their torches flickered as the tremors intensified. Gabe’s mind raced as he tried to anticipate the next trap, the next obstacle that would try to prevent their escape.
Behind him, he could hear Mariam’s footsteps, her breathing steady despite the rising tension. He spared a quick glance back at her, a small part of him marveling at how she could remain so composed in the face of danger. But then, that was Mariam—brave, capable, and unflinchingly loyal.
Stay close! Gabe called over his shoulder, his voice carrying over the growing roar of the ancient mechanisms. He could see the entrance now, the faint light of the outside world filtering through the doorway. They were so close.
But as they neared the exit, a deep, grinding sound echoed through the chamber, and Gabe’s heart sank. From the walls on either side of the doorway, massive stone slabs began to slide out, slowly but surely closing off their only escape route.
Shit! Gabe cursed under his breath, pushing himself to run faster. He knew they wouldn’t make it in time unless he did something. Keep going, Mariam! I’ll try to hold it open!
He skidded to a halt just short of the closing slabs, turning to face the rapidly shrinking gap. Gabe’s hands shot out, his fingers splayed as he summoned every ounce of magical energy he had left. A shimmering, translucent barrier formed between the slabs, halting their progress for the briefest of moments.
Go! he shouted, his voice strained with the effort of maintaining the barrier. He could feel the immense pressure of the slabs pressing against his magic, his strength waning with each passing second.
Mariam saw the barrier shimmer to life, holding the sliding mechanism open, but what she also saw was that he was on the wrong side of the opening should his magics fail in the process of holding the gap open. They'd be close, she could already see the edges of Gabe's barrier five way under the crushing force of the sliding stones, could feel the ionized air that accompanied magics, the familiar caress that was Gabe's magic enough to take the edge off the fine hairs being raised along her arms, up the back of her neck.
One day, she would lose the discomfort that magic tended to cause her, today was not that day. Today, she was outrunning traps and keeping Gabe alive, the same he was keeping her alive. It's how they worked, it was how they always worked. And while she knew she wanted to charge the opening, grab him and slide them both through at the last moment, it would break his concentration, probably cost them both their lives.
Another time she decided, that she would tackle him for the good of getting out alive, they faced enough danger that this wouldn't be their last time. So instead she wiggled through the crack and to the other side as quick as she could, and grabbed the first Gabe-wide sized stone she could find to jam it in the gap, ready to put herself back between if needs be, Come on, I'm not leaving you here, and I'm sure as hells not set on dying today.
She was already cursing herself because she should have grabbed him through the door way, at least this was the of of this trap, she hoped, if she could just get him through, they could take the rest of their lives getting back to the surface without having to worry.
Gabe could feel the barrier buckling under the strain, his arms trembling as the force of the slabs pushed harder with every second. Sweat dripped from his brow, and his breath came in ragged gasps, but through it all, he kept his focus. He had to. For Mariam.
He saw her on the other side now, wedging a stone into the gap. Her voice cut through the haze of his concentration, and he couldn’t help but smirk despite the tension.
You never could follow a simple plan, could ya, love? he called out, his voice strained but laced with affection. Typical Mariam—always ready to throw herself into the fire for him. He wouldn't have it any other way.
With a final surge of energy, Gabe pushed the magic out, forcing the slabs to shudder, just enough for him to slip through. His body moved before his mind could catch up, diving through the narrow gap with seconds to spare. As he hit the ground, he felt the barrier collapse behind him, the slabs slamming shut with a deafening thud.
For a brief moment, all was still. Gabe lay there, panting, staring up at the dim ceiling above them. He couldn’t quite believe they’d made it. Then, with a grunt, he rolled onto his back and looked up at Mariam.
Mariam held her breath, as the rock crumbled, the barrier fell, and Gabe was there on the ground, before she let out a sigh of relief and crumpled onto the floor next to him, her breathing erratic as everything started to catch up, to settle in on just how close to being super fucked they had just been. We throw the plan to the wind, remember? She finally laughed out as he rolled over, and she finally reached out a trembling hand to rest on his shoulder.
She had been afraid. Her, she had been afraid that this was the way she lost him. Her and afraid weren't acquainted by any means, she was the brave one of the two of them, sometimes stupidly so, but.. no this time she had been actually afraid. And that hand on his shoulder was the only thing that was keeping her from crying, she realized, as her fingers gripped the fabric of his robe.
Too close. She finally said, her voice hitching slightly. They had taken some risky jobs before, but this one, the amount of traps that had been laid, what had they agreed to? It was too close a call for her to be any semblance of comfortable with. This felt personal, in an odd way. Was there anyone out there who would want the two of them dead? Probably, they tended to leave a trail of thefts behind them, two justifiable cases of self-defense deaths (she still had nightmares of that night), and the occasional gambling debt, but none of it was enough for anyone to want either of them dead, she reasoned, as she let her breath catch up, the adrenaline that had been pumping through her starting to wear off now. It feels personal. Someone sent us down here to die. It was the only explanation. Sure they had their share of misadventure, but this.. it was just too personal to not be intentional.
Her fingers still held to his robe, the only thing that was keeping them still, even as she fought the tremble that ran through the rest of her body. How close was camp from here? She might have to beg for a quick nap right there before she could make it any further.
Gabe lay on the cold stone floor, breathing heavily, the adrenaline still surging through his veins. He could feel Mariam’s hand gripping his shoulder, her fingers trembling just enough to betray the calm façade she was trying to maintain. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the pounding in his chest settle as he listened to her voice.
Her laugh—tired, shaky—filled the air between them, and he smirked, his usual cocky grin creeping back into place despite the near-death experience. Yeah, well... throwing the plan to the wind seems to be our specialty, doesn’t it? His voice was rough, but still carried that signature, self-assured charm.
But when Mariam mentioned how close they'd come, Gabe’s expression shifted. He felt her grip tighten on his robe, and he let out a slow breath, the weight of what had just happened settling in. Too close? You’re damn right about that, love. He pushed himself up onto his elbows, looking over at her, his eyes scanning her face for signs of injury. She was rattled—hell, they both were—but they were alive. Barely.
Her next words hit him like a punch to the gut. *It feels personal. Someone sent us down here to die.* Gabe didn’t respond immediately, the gears in his mind turning. He had felt it too. The traps were too complex, too well-placed for a random death trap in some forgotten ruins. Someone wanted them dead, and they’d nearly succeeded.
He sat up fully, dragging a hand through his hair as he sighed. Yeah, I’ve been thinking the same thing. This wasn’t just bad luck. Someone set this up, and they knew exactly who they were sending into the lion’s den. His voice was quieter now, more serious. He hated the thought of anyone targeting them—targeting *her*—but it was becoming harder to ignore the signs.
Mariam sucked on her teeth a moment before she nodded, that was settled then, someone was purposely targeting them. Once they figured it out if it was them directly, or some retribution for something the Five had done in the past, well, the could solve that then. It was coming up on the time of year for them to gather, they'd need to examine what the others had been up against lately, see if.. see if any of it matched up. But, what it did let her know was that she had a decision to do something that she should have done, such a long time ago.
Leaning over, she pressed her lips to his, lingering just a moment, there in the ruin -- the world could have come down around them in that moment, but she had too. They had lived through too much in just a brief few hours to let the moment pass her by again, When we get outta here, safe, and in one piece, we're going to finally figure out what this is, got it?
And with that, she leaned over into him, and closed her eyes with an exhausted sigh. I bet it's someone Celine crossed, maybe Eithne, oh.. Eithne. It had to be her, she and Marcellus had been heading down into the south the last time Mariam had gotten a letter from the mage, something about the Blight down there and getting some samples for one thing or another, but the woman had a trail of bodies behind her well before they had ever met. Someone from her past? Knows the connection the five of you have. Mariam had come into the group after, but she never worried about not being part of the group, she had been welcomed in after all, and thinking about all of it helped her not shiver out of her skin at the fact she had just kissed him. Each of these was designed to be a foil to our skill sets. Thankfully, we're just that good.
