The Midnight Mercenary by Cerberus Jones

protested.
    â€˜ You do nothing,’ said Lady Naomi. ‘ I will go and track Krskn down. If he’s already got away with kidnapping Len, then unfortunately there is nothing any of us can do. But I’m betting Krskn will be unwilling to leave with just one Lellum. I think he’s probably still on the hunt. Which is dangerous for all of us, but offers a slim chance for Len. It gives me a tiny window to try to rescue him.’
    â€˜Well, if nowhere is safe,’ said Charlie, ‘I might as well come with you.’
    â€˜And me,’ said Amelia.
    â€˜No, Charlie!’ said his mum. ‘You’re going to stay right here! You promised me – you both did – that you wouldn’t leave the hotel again.’
    â€˜And we won’t,’ said Charlie. ‘We won’t even leave this room, if you think about it.’
    â€˜Don’t play the lawyer with me, Karolos Floros!’ Mary’s voice was shrill. ‘This isn’t a game.’
    â€˜I’m not,’ he said gently. ‘But you know I’m right. If we sit here and do nothing to help Len, we’re in exactly the same amount of danger. And if we’re going to get kidnapped anyway, I’d rather at least be trying to stop Krskn, not just giving up and hoping he doesn’t notice us.’
    Mary stared at him, speechless, but then her expression softened to one of reluctant pride.
    â€˜I haven’t said you can come with me,’ said Lady Naomi.
    But Amelia knew Charlie had won. They’d be safer with Lady Naomi than with his mum, and both the adults knew it.
    â€˜What about me?’ said James shakily. ‘What do I do? Am I going with you, too?’
    Lady Naomi frowned at him, and Amelia knew what she saw: a wreck. It wasn’t just the red welts left by the burns, or the way James’s eyes had swollen to painful slits, still streaming tears. No, the real problem was that James had simply been through too much tonight. He was trying to accept reality, but he’d avoided so much of it for so long, it was too big for him to take in one go. He looked about ten seconds away from a total nervous breakdown.
    â€˜I need you to stay here,’ said Lady Naomi kindly. ‘You and Mary have to keep the hotel secure and be ready to bring the Scouts back inside whenever they get over their panic. Will you do that for me?’
    James nodded.
    â€˜Right.’ Lady Naomi tipped the picture on the wall to the side once more. ‘Stay close behind me, you two. And no more talking once we get into the tunnel, OK?’
    Charlie put a finger to his lips, Amelia picked up the string of Grawk’s containment field, and one by one, they followed Lady Naomi into the darkness beyond the trapdoor.

It’s all very well for Lady Naomi , thought Amelia. Anyone could be silent and stealthy if they could see in the dark.
    For Amelia and Charlie, though, following Lady Naomi meant feeling their way inch by inch, hands tracing the rough stone walls, feet probing the empty air in front of them for the next step down into the caves. Grawk’s luminous eyes gave off enough light for Amelia to see the texture of the walls beside her, but not enough to show the steps below.
    It was slow, frustrating work, with nothing to hear but her own footsteps, Charlie’s just ahead of her, and the occasional hiss from him when he accidentally bumped one of his welts. From Lady Naomi there came no sound at all. She might as well have been a ghost. Or not there at all. They could be walking into the centre of the Earth all on their own …
    At last the floor levelled out, and there were no more steps to navigate. Amelia felt something touch her and pulled away, but Charlie murmured, ‘It’s me. Here, take my hand.’
    He pulled her forward, and Amelia realised Lady Naomi must be leading him along.
    The narrow stairwell had widened into a cavern broad enough that Amelia could no longer touch