The upper channel must still be closed.
The danger had not ended.
We followed the higher passage toward the surface.
Merrick supported Gideon when the tunnel grew steep.
Neither man looked at the other.
At the exit, we found Vane struggling with a horse.
A lantern approached from the northern trail.
Then another.
For one dreadful moment, I thought more of Vane’s men had arrived.
But a familiar voice called through the darkness.
“Rosalie!”
Nell.
She rode at the front of a small group.
Beside her were Miriam Bell, Isaac Moreno, and three mounted men wearing territorial marshal badges.
I nearly collapsed with relief.
Vane tried to mount his horse.
One marshal ordered him to stop.
He ignored the command.
The second marshal caught the reins.
Within moments, Vane was disarmed and placed under arrest.
The armed men who had accompanied him were apprehended near the chapel.
Merrick stood quietly beside Gideon.
When the marshal questioned him, he admitted his involvement in the sabotage, the leeches, and the attempt to incapacitate my husband.
He also described Vane’s plan to destroy the drainage chamber.
I expected him to plead drunkenness.
To make excuses.
To blame our father.
Instead, he said:
“I helped them.
Chapter 1: The Creature Beneath His Skin 027
