Page 17 of Courting the Dragon Prince (A Royal Arrangement #1)
Chapter Seventeen
T he snail’s thick body undulated as it slid vertically up the cave wall. Glistening mucus followed in its wake. In fact, dried mucus covered the whole wall.
Luther hadn’t noticed.
When they’d entered the tunnel, Luther had been determined to get in, find the key, and get out as quickly as possible. He despised caves, tunnels, and being beneath the cold, hard, unyielding earth. It hadn’t always been that way. But now it made his skin want to crawl off his body. Still, he should have been paying attention to his surroundings.
The snail looked exactly like every single snail Luther had ever seen before, with its bulbous, soft brown body, brownish-red coiled shell, lower tentacles that grazed the wall, and upper tentacles with eyes on top that moved and stretched as they searched.
It looked exactly like a typical snail. Except it was as big as Luther.
“Snail?” Onyx spun around. His whole body tensed as he took in the beast crawling up the cave wall.
Suddenly, it made sense why the two of them had been brought in to deal with the farmers’ snail problem. This wasn’t some normal garden snail. This thing was a bloody monster.
Onyx’s arm snapped out towards a heap of rocks. The earth rumbled.
A shiver shot along Luther’s spine. His teeth snapped together.
A boulder rose from the heap. Onyx flung his arm forward in the direction of the snail. The boulder hurled, striking the snail. The shell crunched and cracked. The snail splattered beneath the force of the boulder.
The crushed, gooey remains of the snail fell to the floor. A putrid stench rose into the air.
“Ew.” Luther gagged. He covered his mouth with his hand.
Onyx’s lips pulled back in disgust. “I agree. Let’s get the fuck out of here.”
Luther nodded. They turned towards the tunnel through which they’d come. They froze.
“Infestation,” Luther whispered.
A snail infestation—that was what the grand monk had called it. And an infestation meant more than one. An infestation meant many. And right now, three snails crawled near the tunnel exit, one directly above it.
“Do you think we could sneak by?” Luther asked. If they ran, they might make it through.
“I don’t want to risk one of those bastards dropping on us.” Onyx stretched out a hand towards the pile. Several rocks rose into the air.
“Are they actually dangerous?” Luther grabbed the torch from the pillar where he’d left it. He held it up so they could see the snails better. And suddenly he wished he hadn’t. Under the flickering torchlight, their wet, pulsing bodies looked even more repulsive. “Or are they just really disgusting?”
One of the snails turned towards them, tentacled eyes bobbing. It opened what appeared to be its mouth. It spat. Fluorescent green goo hurtled towards them.
Luther cried out, and he and Onyx jumped back. Some of the goo landed on the tip of one of Luther’s boots. It sizzled and began to disintegrate before his eyes.
“Shit! They spit acidic slime!” Luther stumbled backwards, dropping the torch. He reached down and undid his melting boot. He tugged it off and hurled it at the snails. It hit one in its stupid beady eye. But although the eye retracted for a moment, the snail didn’t seem at all bothered.
Luther grabbed the torch from the floor.
Another boulder flung at a snail, crushing it. More foul stench filled the cave.
Luther glanced around. “There are four snails now.” Plus the two Onyx had crushed. “How are there more snails? Where are they coming from?”
“There is a hole in the cave floor.” Onyx pointed at a gaping chasm. “They’re climbing up from in there. Who knows how many are down there.”
Onyx lifted another boulder. But just as he hurled it, one of the snails spat acid directly at him. He dodged, and the rock missed its target, crashing against the cave wall, shattering and crumbling into pieces.
Luther’s stomach tightened at the sound. Fear flooded his veins as he fought the memories that threatened to bring him to his knees.
Not now.
“Are you going to shift anytime soon?” Onyx yelled, jerking Luther back to the present. “We could really use dragonfire right now!” Onyx threw more rocks. “Or are you just going to stand there and watch me fight?”
Some rocks hit their target with a nasty squelching noise, but others cracked and splintered, echoing in the enclosed space.
Luther gritted his teeth. “You don’t think I thought of that?”
“Then why the fuck aren’t you doing it?” Onyx barked.
“It’s not big enough in this cave. I’d probably end up hurting myself and maybe even crushing you!” Luther yelled. “Is that how you want to fucking die? Crushed by a dragon?”
“Shit.” Onyx pelted more boulders. And still, more snails kept coming, replacing those he’d killed.
“Can’t you cave in that spot where the snails are coming from? Or bring in the roof above their heads?” Luther’s hands curled and bile rose in his throat even as he suggested it. “Isn’t that what you earth elementals do?” Luther screamed.
“I could try and collapse the hole.” Onyx kept pelting the snails with rocks.
Another snail spat the fluorescent goo at them. They jumped back, just dodging it. Luther’s back hit the pillar.
“Then hurry the fuck up and do that!” Luther yelled.
Onyx shook his head. “I’ve never been very precise with my channelling. It’s not what I’m good at. I might bring down the whole cave roof. We could end up buried alive.”
Luther’s whole body spasmed. Buried alive. Crushed by stone. Buried and dead.
Luther shook his head, trying to clear his mind. “Well, we need to do something!” Luther cried out.
Panicked, and without thinking, Luther lunged forward towards a snail, holding the torch in front of him. He shoved the flames towards it. The snail curled back, dodging the flame and partially retreating into the shell.
But there were too many snails already undulating towards him. Luther pulled back, coming up beside Onyx. They backed up against the cave wall.
Luther’s eyes flicked over the convulsing mass of snails. “I have an idea.”
“I’m listening,” Onyx said.
“You throw rocks, all at once. Hurl as many as you can towards the snails near the tunnel entrance. Knock down as many as possible.” Luther swallowed. “Then we run for the tunnel, me at the front, shoving the flame against any fucking snail that is still in our way. We enter the tunnel and get out of here.”
Onyx didn’t respond straight away. Finally he spoke, “Well, I haven’t got a better idea. So let’s do this.” He took a deep breath as if gathering strength. He stretched out his arms to the sides.
The earth grumbled as boulders, rocks, gravel, and dirt rose from the floor. They trembled, vibrating mid-air.
Onyx grunted. “Ready?”
Luther nodded. “Ready.”
Sweat glistened on Onyx’s forehead. The veins in his neck stood out with strain. “Now!”
He flung both arms forward. All the boulders, rocks, gravel, and dirt flew towards the tunnel entrance. Smashed by debris, some of the snails squelched and dropped to the floor. Others contracted, pulling into their protective shells to dodge the attack. They fell to the floor.
One shell rolled in front of Onyx and Luther, the snail curled up safely inside.
Immediately, Luther sprinted forward, running around the snail shell. Already, several of the snails turned towards them.
One spat. Luther lurched to the side, out of its way. He could hear Onyx’s boots pounding on the dirt behind him.
As he approached the tunnel entrance, he shoved his torch into the only snail still practically guarding it. It cowered back. He darted past. He spun around, looking to Onyx.
The man had almost made it to the tunnel. But the snail that had withdrawn into its shell had unfurled. It turned towards Onyx’s back. The snail opened its mouth, about to spit at Onyx.
Without hesitating, Luther flung his torch at the snail. Flames hit the snail’s face directly. The snail screeched, body writhing and flailing.
“Come on!” Luther yelled.
As Onyx reached him, the torchlight extinguished in the snail’s slimy body.
Luther turned and stumbled through the pitch-black tunnel. He stretched out his arms as he ran, fingers grazing the stone walls and slimy snail mucus that coated the rock.
Onyx panted behind him as they barrelled forward through the darkness.
Dizzy and surrounded by stone, Luther fought against the fear rising inside him.
But then a spot of light emerged ahead.
“We’re almost there!” Luther shouted.
The light grew brighter and brighter. With a relieved cry, he lurched into the fading sunlight. He fell heavily to his knees, drawing air into his aching lungs.
Onyx dropped to the ground beside him, lowering his head to the ground as he gasped.
Laughter burst from Luther’s mouth. “We escaped!” He looked back to the cave entrance. “We fucking escaped!”
Onyx chuckled, a deep rumbling sound as he stared at the cave. “But it was a bloody close one.”
For a couple of minutes, they just knelt on the ground, catching their breath as their heartbeats returned to normal.
A clatter caused Luther to glance back.
“Shit!” Luther jumped to his feet. Snail eyes bobbing on top of tentacles pocked out of the cave entrance.
Without a thought, Luther backed away from Onyx. He tore at his clothes and boot, dropping them and the pack onto the ground. He closed his eyes, focusing on the dragon within.
With a groan, his neck stretched. Limbs lengthened and shifted. Wings sprouted from his back as his tail grew. Now in his dragon form, Luther opened his eyes.
The snail emerged from the tunnel, another close behind it. Fire boiled in Luther’s belly. His jaw opened wide. Flames burst forth.
The snails screamed as they sizzled and burned. He stepped forward. Lowering his head to the ground, Luther breathed fire into the tunnel, burning any fuckers who’d tried to follow them out.
The earth trembled beneath his feet. Luther’s eyes widened. He took a step back, wings stretching, preparing to take flight. Suddenly the rocky outcropping shook, and the tunnel and cave crumbled in on itself, burying the snails within.
Onyx stepped forward, hands outstretched before him, surveying the collapsed tunnel. “Well, I think we exterminated the snail infestation.”
Luther huffed. Smoke rose into the air in front of him.