Critical Role: Vox Machina—Kith & Kin by Nijkamp Marieke

Author:Nijkamp, Marieke [Nijkamp, Marieke]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fantasy, Young Adult, Adventure, Adult
ISBN: 9780593496626
Amazon: 0593496620
Goodreads: 57525734
Publisher: Random House Worlds
Published: 2021-11-30T08:00:00+00:00

Three days passed following the incident with the guards, and while Shadewatch presence in the area increased every day, they hadn’t marched on the mines yet. Instead they spread out across the hillside in a clear attempt to block every possible exit.

Three days passed, and every miner inside the cavern knew it was only a matter of time until they attacked. Restlessness battled with determination. Vax was as agitated and impatient as the rest of them, especially once Sencha judged his back to have healed adequately. If not for the guards outside, he would have tried to sneak out the hidden exit Thorn had shown him. But with the Shadewatch roaming the hills, there was no saying what they’d do if they saw him come from the mines. He wasn’t about to risk a stray arrow or crossing an overzealous guard. He couldn’t be responsible for another compromised passage. Even so, every hour that passed between now and the inevitable was an hour too long.

The only distraction came from the people around him. With Thorn’s tacit approval, the group of miners expanded to fold Vax in for what little time they had left. Vax managed to gather as much information as he possibly could: on the Shademaster and her ring, on the layout of Jorenn and what Vex might face on the outside, and on their plans for the oncoming battle.

During the day, he joined the miners in their weapons practice. Thorn told Vax about the songs the miners would sing while working, their voices echoing for miles, accompanied by rhythmic knocking. He hummed one with a playful melody, and others in the cavern immediately picked it up. “Ash walkers aren’t the only creatures that hunger below the surface,” he sang softly, while Vax remembered Sencha’s words that they were always the ones who died first. “We’ve learned to respect and give thanks to the ones that let us work in peace and plenty.”

Later, Thorn told him about the belt—after making proper introductions between Vax and the snake. It was a present from his master, he said, when he was still an apprentice who longed to see the world. “To keep me company in mines so deep the light won’t reach.”

“Grim,” Vax muttered.

Thorn shook his head. “Townsfolk like you have no appreciation for our work.”

On the third night, after one of the guards had reported Shadewatch scouting out the entrance to the caves, Thorn sat Vax down and mapped out the way from Jorenn to what would be the survivors’ hideout—even though Tinyn scolded him for it. Thorn’s second-in-command still didn’t trust Vax and wouldn’t trust Vax, and Vax couldn’t fault her for that.

But Thorn made Vax repeat the route back to him over and over, until he was certain Vax would know how to get to the hidden drifts and tunnels. “After all,” he said when they sat alone near the stream, the glow of the glass orb fading to a dimmer light, “you promised to come back.”

The words took an effort, and Vax didn’t immediately respond.

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