The half-blood sighed but stuck his hand into the box.
My ears twitched as I heard the sound of ice being forcefully broken behind us. They were in the hallway now.
“There,” Rio said. I heard water trickling rapidly out of the box. Rio was breathing heavily. He had been melting things all day and no doubt was finally suffering the consequences.
“Wow,” Kewyn said.
I watched as a strange, greenish glow grew in the center of the mechanical box.
“Is that – is that the fuel stuff you’re looking for?” Rio said. I leaned in, trying to see this magical substance.
“Let’s see what this thing’s all about. Knife, please,” Kewyn said, holding her hand out expectantly to Rio.
“It’s a dagger,” he said defensively before he handed it to her handle-first.
She grabbed it and crouched down to pry something inside the box open, much to Rio’s horror. When the blonde handed his blade back, he returned it to his scabbard and pouted.
Kewyn stuck her hands into the belly of the box, and I could only hope she knew what she was doing. I heard a shout just before another icicle shattered, and Levent slid into the room on his back. I winced for his sake and ducked beside the blonde.
“Hurry,” Rio whispered through gritted teeth as Theteau stepped over a broken ice pillar into the room. Levent scrambled to his feet and charged at the other kin, trying to push him back.
“Got it,” Kewyn said as something loud clicked and there was a rumble from beneath the floor.
“Got what?” the half-blood whined.
For a moment the rumbling continued without much to show for itself. Theteau finally noticed that we were up to something, but he was still much too busy trying to kill Levent.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught movement. “That!” I yelled over the increasing din.
The grate that we had fallen onto before was steadily rising from the floor. It