Morgawr by Terry Brooks

even here, looked around slowly as the echo of the scream died away. “Someone is still alive down here.”
    â€œA woman,” Bek ventured.
    The shape-shifter grunted. “Don’t be too sure.”
    Bek tested the air with his magic, humming softly, reading the lines of power. Grianne had passed this way not long ago. Her presence was unmistakable. They were following her in the belief that she would be following Walker. One would lead to the other. If they were quick enough, they could reach both in time. But until now, they had not been so sure that anyone was left alive. Certainly they had found no evidence of it.
    Bek started ahead again, running his hand through his hair nervously. “She’s gone this way.”
    Truls Rohk moved with him. “You said you had a plan. For when we find her.”
    â€œTo capture her,” Bek declared. “To take her alive.”
    â€œSuch ambition, boy. Do you intend to tell me the details anytime soon?”
    Bek kept going, taking time to think his explanation through. With Truls, you didn’t want to overcomplicate things. The shape-shifter was already prepared to doubt the possibility of any plan working successfully. He was already thinking of ways to kill Grianne before she had a chance to kill him. All that was preventing it was Bek’s passionate demand that Truls give his way a chance.
    â€œShe cannot harm us unless she uses her magic,” he said quietly, not looking over at the other as they walked. He picked his way carefully through collapsed cables and chunks of concrete that had been shaken loose from the ceiling by an enormous blast and a quake that they had felt even aboveground. “She cannot use her magic unless she can use her voice. If we stop her from speaking or singing or making any sound whatsoever, we can take her prisoner.”
    Truls Rohk slid through the shadows and flickering lights like a massive cat. “We can accomplish what’s needed by just killing her. Give this up, boy. She isn’t going to become your sister again. She isn’t going to accept what she is.”
    â€œIf I can distract her, then you can get behind her,” Bek continued, ignoring him. “Put your hands over her mouth and muffle her voice. You can do this if we can keep her from discovering you are there. I think it is possible. She will be intent on finding the Druid and dealing with me. She won’t be looking for you.”
    â€œYou dream big dreams.” Truls Rohk did not sound convinced. “If this fails, we won’t get a second chance. Either one of us.”
    Something heavy crashed to the floor of the passageway ahead, adding to the mounds of debris already collected. Steam hissed out of broken pipes, and strange smells gathered in niches and slid through cracks in the walls. Within the catacombs, every passageway looked exactly the same. It was a maze, and if they hadn’t had Grianne’s distinctive aura to track, they would have long since become lost.
    Bek kept his voice even. “Walker would want us to do this,” he ventured. He glanced over at the shape-shifter’s dark form. “You know that to be true.”
    â€œWhat the Druid wants is anyone’s guess. Nor is it necessarily the right thing. It hasn’t gotten us much of anywhere so far.”
    â€œWhich is why you chose to come with him on this quest,” Bek offered quietly. “Which is why you have gone with him so many times before. Is that right?”
    Truls Rohk said nothing, disappearing back inside himself so that all that remained was his cloaked shadow passing along in the near darkness, more presence than substance, so faint it seemed he might disappear in the blink of an eye.
    Ahead, the tunnel widened. The damage here was more severe than anything they had encountered so far. Whole chunks of ceiling and wall had fallen away. Shattered glass and twisted metal lay in heaps. Though flameless lamps