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CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

IN WHICH THE PARTY IS GIVEN THEIR GREATEST CHALLENGE YET

After much deliberation, we elected to go with the caves. Traversing some uneven ground didn’t scare us, and Luthri was confident that he would be able to guide us through with his uncanny sense of direction.

The Blights were carved out of smooth, dark rock along the north side of the island where Danagil said they’d be.

Remains of a volcanic eruption long past, perhaps, dipping toward the water in peaks and pits that went deeper than expected.

Picking each step carefully, we made our way down the ridge to the largest of the holes, an entrance to the main cave system.

Vyrain led the group, pulling himself over the initial lip of the tunnel before pausing to face the darkness in front of us. “This is it, yeah? The ‘Blights’?”

“It’s not like there are any signs, but I would assume so,” I answered, testing a handhold with my weight. Luthri reached down to help me the rest of the way.

The cavern was, well, cavernous—a pitch-black cave, as light didn’t reach beyond the first few feet, filled with damp, stale air.

I wandered ahead with a hand extended to feel for the walls.

They were cool to the touch and almost sharp in places where the surface had chipped.

Pale green light ignited behind me as one of the boys cultivated a handful of flames.

“Can’t go that far,” I reasoned, swiveling around to face them. “The island’s only so big. With any luck, it’s a straight shot to the city.”

“I guess that leaves us with one question.” Hohem grinned. “Are we feeling lucky?” The flames in his hand cast stripes of light and shadow over his features, lending a menacing air.

A perfectly timed breeze threaded through the cave, wrapping around our bodies and sending a warning shiver down my spine.

The ominous shift sent me back a step. Rather than more stone, my heel met something soft.

I didn’t think, turning my nails to claws and whirling on a startled Vyrain, who stumbled back, arms flailing, to dodge my clumsy swipe.

Luthri was there, catching his arm to right him before he fell. “Let’s not lose our minds,” he remarked, giving Vyrain’s shoulder a friendly pat. “A little darkness never hurt anyone.”

“He surprised me, is all.” Grateful that at least the low light would hide the evidence of my embarrassment, I paused to let Hohem move up and light the path ahead.

“You could’ve killed me!” Vyrain sputtered, pointing an accusatory finger.

“If that was enough to take you out, you would have deserved it.” His brother gestured with the flame in his hand. “Let’s get a move on, shall we? The sooner we get to the city, the sooner we’ll be done with this whole thing.”

Luthri lit a violet flame to further illuminate the space around us, and we made our way deeper into the chamber.

Nothing stood out from the gloomy surroundings beyond our own echoing footsteps and the occasional whistle of wind or sound of dripping water that one might expect to encounter in a cave.

An indistinct hiss and rustle had us all tensing at one point, but the light revealed a harmless sea snake slithering into a murky pool and out of sight.

“We could pass the time with a game?” Lu suggested .

I exhaled a puff of air. “I spy with my little eye something black.”

“Hm?”

“It’s nothing. What kind of game?”

“ Kapitiya ?” Vyrain spoke up.

The word was familiar, but I couldn’t place it. “What’s that?”

“A word association game,” Hohem explained, speaking up to be heard over the escalating roar of waves hitting the shore that carried through the tunnel.

“The first person provides a word, then the next person has to come up with a word that begins with the last syllable of the first word. The round ends when someone can’t find a word within a few seconds, and they’re disqualified. Keeps going until you have a winner.”

At least one of us should stay alert. I shook my head, bowing out of the game, but the boys played a few rounds.

The air took on a salty tang as we walked, and the roaring grew deafening as we passed an alcove with a large split overlooking the ocean.

If one could look past the doom and gloom of the surroundings, the rock provided a pretty frame for the water.

Already, I missed the sight of open space more than I cared to admit.

Wind howled through the cavern, making us all jump and causing the flames to flicker. If they hadn’t been magically fueled, we would have been out of luck. The hair on my arms stood on end.

“Let’s pick up the pace, please,” I urged, my voice coming out thready. There was no reason to panic—not that I was panicking—but if we could get out of here soon, that would be great. Vyrain’s wide eyes told me he agreed with the sentiment.

Luthri fell into step beside me, his arm grazing mine.

His pretty flames did something to chase away the chill, but it was no comfort to know that my apprehension was so plain to see.

Settling down in a cute cottage when this was all over sounded more appealing by the second.

Maybe somewhere with a view of the ocean… That would be nice.

The path we were on opened into an even larger cavern, at which point the boys all poured a little more mana into their flames.

The light revealed several passages through the rock.

It would have been too easy to get turned around in here—you take the wrong path, twist your ankle in the dark, and poof , never heard from again. I pushed down the unwelcome thought.

“This way.” Lu nodded toward one of the paths to our right.

Even he was twitchy, eyes darting about, but it made sense for a fae species normally capable of flight to be uncomfortable underground.

Hohem and Vyrain went on ahead, dodging stalagmites and chunks of rock along the way.

I busied myself with studying the cracked walls when the ceiling groaned above us—a deep, echoing moan that carried like the cry of a grieving mother.

It was all the warning we had before it came crashing down.

Instinct had me diving for shelter in the space beside one of many large stones littering the ground.

Someone yelled over the ruckus, but the words were unintelligible.

I pressed myself into a gap, forced my head between my knees to protect soft parts from the barrage of stone, and drew in mana as quickly as I could to harden the rest. The collapse robbed me of all my senses in an instant.

Blackness swallowed the light, dust stole my breath, and weight pounded against my limbs in rapid succession. That’ll leave a mark.

My ears rang even after things stopped moving. I gave it another moment before trying to raise my head. Unyielding stone blocked me in on all sides, trapping me in place. The next inhale caused me to hack and wheeze, lungs convulsing to force out unclean air.

I have to get out.

Heart fluttering in my throat, I scrabbled for gaps in the rock. The ones near the top should be less weighed down, shouldn’t they? I should focus my efforts upward.

As I got oriented and gathered the energy to dig myself out, another cough came from beyond the wall of stone, making me pause. Something shifted, a muffled clatter betraying movement. There was a beat of silence and a single croaked word: “Mar? ”

Luthri . Relief made my next breath come a little easier.

“Mar?!” The clattering grew louder, insistent. Stone cracked against stone as it was hauled aside without care. A momentary pause had purple light flaring to life, illuminating the boundaries of my prison in hazy definition.

“Here,” I tried to say, but only managed another cough.

I cleared my throat and gave it another attempt, reaching out for the source of light.

“Here! I’m here.” My fingers found an edge.

I braced myself and pushed, grunting with effort.

No sooner had I created a noticeable gap then a hand invaded the space to seize my arm. The light winked out.

“I’m here,” Luthri’s voice gasped as hands tugged at me. “I have you.”

Grinding and clacking followed as debris was pushed aside to better access my alcove.

I went limp and let him drag me from the wreckage.

Two dull orange pinpricks stared down at me, Lu’s glowing eyes the only thing I could make out in the darkness.

Before I could say anything, I was hauled into a warm lap.

Hands roved my body as he muttered under his breath.

“I’m okay,” I assured him, fumbling to catch his hands. “I’m not hurt. Where’s the light?”

Those owl eyes went wide. “Light—yes, light.”

A pale mauve glow started by my hip. It brightened gradually, casting dancing shadows against the walls as the hand that held it shook.

His chest heaved, breaths coming short and fast. My fingers closed around his wrist to hold it steady.

As I raised it higher, my gaze landed on his ravaged hands.

The skin was torn, and at least two of his nails were broken, with another hanging by a thread.

“What—” I started to ask, but Luthri cut me off.

“I’m all right,” he said quietly. “I just—I didn’t—I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”

Bewildered, I shook my head. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Luthri exhaled sharply, his shoulder jerking to indicate the mess around us. Squinting in the low light, I took in our situation. The nearest tunnel—the route we’d planned on taking—was blocked. It was unfortunate, to be sure, but we were alive.

“That’s not your fault,” I said, putting a hand on his. “We had no way of knowing this section of the cave was unstable. What about Vyrain and Hohem? Are they okay?”

Lu’s throat bobbed as he swallowed. “Yes. On the other side, I think. I heard them shouting. We’ll have to go around another way. I’ll get us through.”