Attack on Phoenix by Megg Jensen

heartless?" she asked the hulking blond. She balled her hands into fists. “You really should get proper med help.”
    Leila sighed. "She has a point, Tor. The meds can patch you up. That's one tech we have. We may not be able to travel far in space, but they can heal your broken bone quickly. We can be back down here by the morning. Will one day hurt?"
    Rell waited for Torsten's response. The others looked at him, too.
    "Okay, fine." Torsten hopped on his good foot. "This hurts a lot more than I was willing to admit. Let's get back up there and get help. Someone will have to run back to the city, though. I doubt I can make it that far."
    "No problem." Andessa tugged on Mellok's arm. "He and I will go. Leila and Rell will stay with you."
    "Let's go up into the church. You can wait there." Mellok wrapped an arm around Torsten's back. "Come on, gimpy."
    Torsten glared at Mellok. So the two weren't good friends.
    Rell needed to learn the dynamics of their relationships in case she ever needed to pit them against each other.
    As they ascended the stairs, Rell glanced back down the hall. She knew the tunnels, and she also knew she could be back in the city much more quickly than Andessa and Mellok could traveling in the sands aboveground. The longer she kept them away, the more time she'd have to come up with a plan to stop them for good.
    As they emerged into the church, orange lights flickered through the stained glass windows.
    "What's that?" Andessa broke away from the group, running to the entrance. She flung the wooden doors open, only to slam them again. She turned around, leaning against the doors. Tears spilled down her cheeks. "It's on fire."
    "What?" Torsten asked.
    "Hadar. It's burning." Andessa choked out.
    Then there was nowhere to go. The dragzhi had attacked again while they were underground.
    "We're trapped in here," Torsten said, grimly.
    Rell said a small prayer in her head, asking for forgiveness for what she was about to do. "I can help you. Follow me back down."
 

Chapter Twelve
     
     
    Rell scrambled down the steps, careful not to lose her footing. If she injured herself, she'd have to rely on the defenders to help her, which was the last thing she wanted.
    She cursed the dragzhi. Their attack left her no choice but to take Torsten and his friends back underground.
    She'd sworn to stop them from finding the Key. But she couldn’t send them to their deaths, either. From birth, she’d been taught nothing was more sacred than life.
    Rell eyed the guns holstered on their hips. Those weapons were made to kill. She reminded herself these people did not share her values, and if they cornered her, her life might be in danger. The council had set her on a journey turning out to be more formidable than she first imagined.
    Mellok supported Torsten as they followed her through the tunnels. Leila and Andessa brought up the rear. Leila's hand rested on the handle of her gun. Andessa continued to look bored, though Rell assumed it was only an act.
    Rell’s gaze swept over Torsten as she faced forward again. He had been kind, even so... she couldn't bring herself to trust anyone who lived aboveground, particularly those in the military.
    "How much farther?" Mellok asked, his voice straining.
    "Is my brother too heavy for you?" Leila teased.
    "No," Mellok said through gritted teeth.
    "You know, she never did tell us where she's taking us." Andessa's tone was challenging. "We can't go aboveground. Not with what's happening in Hadar."
    "We aren't headed toward the city," Torsten said. "Haven't any of you noticed? She's taking us farther west, under the sands."
    Rell stopped and turned around. She rested her hands on her leather-clad hips. Torsten leaned against the wall, giving Mellok a chance to rest.
    "You're one of them, aren't you?" Torsten asked.
    Rell bit her lip.
    "She is!" Leila squealed, clapping her hands like a child. "Then you can help us."
    "I don't know anything. There’s nothing I can help you with,"