Page 10 of Sy (Alien Berserkers of Izaea #2)

10

L ila’s face felt hot as the boys stripped down to their compression shorts. She stared at her feet but kept sneaking glances when she thought they weren’t looking. They reminded her of those marble statues in her ancient history textbook.

She sat on a smooth rock by the pool and rolled up her pants, dipping her feet in the water. The cold made her shiver. “I didn’t bring a swimsuit,” she said, her voice coming out all squeaky and weird.

Tor dove in without making a splash. He moved through the water like one of those competitive swimmers she’d seen on the holo-channels. When he came up, water running down his shoulders, Lila pretended to be super interested in the ripples spreading across the pool.

“You’re missing out,” Kal called before diving in just as smoothly. Show-off , she thought, but she couldn’t help watching him arc through the air.

The boys started racing each other across the pool. The splashing echoed off the walls, making it sound like more than just two of them were swimming. Lila watched, fascinated. They moved so differently in the water, not like the scary warriors they usually were. More like those nature documentaries about sea creatures her dad loved watching.

“Your heart rate increased,” Tor said, treading water near her feet. “Are you cold?”

Her face felt like it was on fire. Oh god, they could hear her heartbeat. Could this get any more mortifying? “I’m fine,” she squeaked, splashing him with her foot. “Just… looking at the ceiling.” She pointed at the glowing algae like it was the most interesting thing ever.

Kal swam up beside Tor, water streaming off his darkened hair. “The bioluminescence is beautiful. Isn’t it? The colors change with the seasons.”

“Mmhmm,” she managed, drawing trailing patterns in the water with her feet. A drop of water fell from Kal’s hair onto her knee, and she watched it trace a path down her skin. That was way safer than looking at how his shoulders broke through the water’s surface.

The boys started showing off then, doing fancy dives and underwater tricks. Lila couldn’t help giggling at their antics, especially when they tried to outdo each other with bigger and bigger splashes.

“Sure you won’t join us?” Kal asked, floating on his back. The glowing algae on the walls highlighted the carved muscles of his chest.

She hugged her knees to her chest. There was no way she was getting in the water. Her thin T-shirt would go totally see-through if she got wet. “Maybe next time. If I bring a proper swim suit.”

“Your loss,” Tor said, before executing a backward flip that sent spray in her direction.

She shrieked as the cool droplets hit her, but she couldn’t stop smiling. Their laughter bounced off the cave walls, mixing with all the splashing. Despite feeling kind of awkward at first, Lila found herself having fun.

The boys tried teaching her Izaean words for different swimming moves. She tried copying the weird sounds they made, which just made them laugh harder at her terrible pronunciation.

“That means ‘sleepy fish,’ not ‘diving hawk,’” Kal said, swimming closer. Water dripped from his eyelashes when he looked up at her, and her stomach did this weird flippy thing.

“Well, maybe I meant to say sleepy fish,” she shot back, trying to sound normal. She focused really hard on the water rippling around his shoulders instead of looking him in the eye.

Tor floated nearby. “You know, in the old stories, water spirits lived in caves like this. They would lure warriors in with their beauty.”

“Are you calling me a spirit?” Lila teased, grateful the weird lighting hid how red her face probably was.

“More like we’re the ones who followed you in,” Kal said with a grin that made her heart do something totally stupid in her chest.

She was about to make another joke when Tor’s head snapped up, his body going rigid. His red eyes glowed brighter in the dim light, scanning the shadows above. The playful atmosphere evaporated instantly.

“Get her out,” he growled, his voice transforming into something feral that made Lila’s skin prickle.

Before she could even process what was happening, Kal shot out of the water right next to her. His wet hands grabbed her waist and lifted her up like she was nothing but a backpack. She’d barely left the rock when she heard it. The worst sound ever, like someone dragging a million needles across the cave ceiling.

“What’s happening?” Her voice came out high and thin. The scratching grew louder, echoing off the cave walls until it seemed to come from everywhere at once. “What’s that sound?”

“Krevasta.” Kal’s breath was hot against her ear as he pulled her close to his chest. “Hold on to me. Don’t let go.”

When the first spider dropped from the ceiling, Lila almost screamed. Its legs were longer than she was tall. More of them followed, their bodies wet and gross in the glowing light. They moved so fast, scuttling across the walls and ceiling like something from her worst nightmares.

Tor exploded out of the water, and oh god, he had actual claws now. He put himself between them and the spiders, water running off him. His eyes looked like actual fire in the dark, and he was making this deep rumbling sound that she could feel in her chest.

“The tunnel,” Kal whispered, already backing up. He held her firmly but carefully, like she might break. “Stay quiet.”

She pressed herself against Kal’s chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat against her cheek. The spiders were everywhere now, their legs making horrible clicks and scrapes. One jumped at them, but Tor was there in an instant, his claws ripping through it with a wet sound that made her stomach turn.

“Close your eyes,” Kal whispered, but she couldn’t. She watched as Tor fought, his movements fluid and lethal. His red eyes seemed to leave trails in the darkness as he spun and struck, keeping the creatures away from them.

The tunnel entrance felt miles away. Each step Kal took was measured, careful not to splash or make sudden movements. She could feel the tension in his muscles and knew he was ready to fight if needed. More spiders dropped from above, their mandibles clicking hungrily.

“Are they…” Her whisper caught as one of the creatures landed right by them. “Are they hunting us?”

“They’re always hunting,” Kal’s voice was grim. “But they won’t touch you. I swear it.”

A screech filled the chamber as Tor caught another spider mid-jump, tearing it apart. The sound made her flinch, and Kal’s arms tightened around her. She felt this weird rumbling in his chest, like he was growling, as two more spiders came at them.

The glowing algae made their eyes shine like black glass. She counted eight legs on each one, though they moved so fast it was hard to be sure. It looked like they were wearing armor, all black and shiny.

Tor backed up toward them carefully, step by step.

Her heart thundered. He’d deliberately put himself in danger, between them and the spiders. He was so big that he blocked most of her view, but she could still see the creatures’ legs moving at the edges of her vision. The clicking echoed all around the cave, and she had no idea how many spiders were actually there anymore.

Then the spiders started moving slower, and their clicking got less aggressive. She felt Kal’s grip loosen a tiny bit as the spiders backed away, making this odd empty circle around them.

A massive spider came out of the shadows, easily twice the size of the others. It moved differently, all slow and deliberate, like it was thinking about every step. Its red eyes fixed on Tor, glowing with an intelligence that made her breath catch.

Tor didn’t move, didn’t attack. The chamber fell silent except for the soft lapping of water against the stone. She could have sworn something passed between them, not like talking, exactly, but… something else.

The big spider tilted its head, making soft clicking sounds. It reminded her of how her mom’s old cat, Princess, would do those slow blinks when she was trying to be friendly. The spider’s eyes did this pulsing thing, and then it nodded. She blinked. No, it had actually nodded.

Then all the spiders just… left. Their legs made soft scratching sounds as they disappeared into the shadows, following the big one. The cave was empty again in less than two seconds, and she shook her head, wondering if she’d imagined the whole thing.

She let out a breath. “Did… did you just talk to them?”

Tor turned to face them both. “Not exactly. But they understood.”

Her heart still raced as she watched the last of the spiders disappear into the shadows.

“What just happened?” She turned to face both boys, noting how they exchanged glances. “And don’t tell me that was normal. I saw how you both reacted.”

Kal ran a hand through his wet hair, water trailing down his chest. “Krevasta don’t usually hunt in swarms like that. And they definitely don’t… communicate.”

“That big one,” she pressed, wrapping her arms around herself. “It understood you, Tor. I saw it.”

Tor shrugged. “It recognized something in me. Something… familiar.”

She bit her lip. “Because you’re different now? Because of what’s happening to you?”

“We should head back,” Kal interrupted, reaching for his clothes. “Your mom will worry.”

She planted her feet firmly. “No. You’re keeping secrets from me. I want to know what’s really going on.”

“Lila,” Kal started, using that gentle voice adults use when they’re about to tell you something’s too complicated for you to understand. “There are things we don’t fully get ourselves. The changes happening to us, to all Izaeans…”

The ground suddenly trembled beneath her feet, cutting him off. At first, it was tiny…just a little vibration she felt through her soles. Then the water in the pool began to ripple, small waves lapping against the rocks.

“That’s not good,” Tor growled, already moving toward her.

The tremor got worse, and loose stones began falling from the ceiling. A crack appeared in the rock beneath her feet, spreading like lightning across the floor.

“Move!” Kal’s shout was nearly drowned out by the growing rumble. He grabbed for her just as the ground gave way.

She screamed as the floor collapsed beneath her. Her stomach lurched as she began to fall, but Kal’s strong arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her against his chest. They hit the slope of falling rock hard, sliding on all the debris.

Dust filled her lungs as they tumbled. She couldn’t tell up from down, could only cling to Kal as rocks crashed around them like thunder. He curled his body around hers, taking all the hits as they fell.

“Hold on!” Tor’s voice came from somewhere above.

The rumbling grew deafening. More of the ceiling collapsed, bringing tons of rock down with it. She squeezed her eyes shut as they fell, the air thick with dust and the sound of shattering stone. Her world narrowed to the feeling of Kal’s arms around her and the thunderous roar of the cave coming down around them.

They hit something solid, another slope or ledge, and began sliding again. Kal grunted in pain as he maneuvered to keep her on top of him, protecting her from the worst of the impact. The earthquake seemed to come from everywhere at once, making the whole cave system groan like it was alive.

A massive crack split the air like a gunshot. She opened her eyes just in time to see a massive section of ceiling give way directly above them. Kal’s muscles tensed, ready to move, but there was nowhere left to go.

Her heart leaped into her throat as the stone crumbled beneath them, sending them plummeting into a void so dark it seemed to swallow even the echoes of the collapsing tunnel above. Her stomach lurched as musty air whipped past her face, like old, wet rocks and dirt.

She couldn’t tell which way was up anymore, could only feel Kal’s hard grip around her waist as they tumbled through nothingness. She clung to him, desperate to hold on to something, anything, as they fell into darkness.