Chapter 43
Ava slumped against the wall of the passageway, out of breath and heart still racing. Iron torches cast a faint eerie glow in the dark space, shadows from their party dancing along the walls.
“Cas?” she cried, panicked, unable to see him in the crowded space.
“I’m here!” he called. “We all made it.”
“Good,” she breathed. “That’s good.”
“Let’s never do that again,” Raine said across from her.
“We’ll remain here for a few moments to catch our breath,” Casimir said.
“Ava,” Raine said. “How did you know the tiny monster was the deadliest? Shouldn’t it have been the giant one we fought?”
“It was a wild guess, but I based it off what I was taught out in the field when we would journey to the wilderness to study different species. They always warned us of the smallest dangers. Insects, snakes, or spiders. Because they hide so easily, and you can get stung or bitten without even realizing it.”
“Ah. I suppose that makes sense. Deadly things come in small packages and all that.” He nudged Maeryn. “Kind of like you.” She let out a quiet laugh. Raine scanned the tunnel, his eyes landing on Jareth. “New rule. Jareth doesn’t get to do any more puzzles.”
“Agreed,” everyone said.
“Neither does Raine,” said Casimir.
Raine grinned. “I agree with that too.”
Jareth scowled. Ava caught his eye and he looked away. Still on edge from her panic attack earlier, her irritation with him was growing by the minute. His impulsive attempt at the puzzle could have gotten them killed.
“It’s time to keep going,” Casimir finally broke the silence.
Ava rose. They were in another tunnel, larger than the first, but still not a significant amount of room to maneuver. And from what she could see with the light, it was long. Would there be another chamber with traps and puzzles? Or were there more sinister things hiding in the depths before them?
An icy breeze gusted from up ahead. Ava shivered. “I don’t like this,” she whispered.
Casimir came up beside her, taking her hand and squeezing in reassurance. “I don’t either.”
Another soldier volunteered to lead, though no one looked pleased about it, and they resumed their trek. It wasn’t long before the ground began to slope, as if they’d left the confines of the rocks on the surface and were now headed below. Deeper into the unknown.
“Is everything alright up there?” Ava asked Luna, afraid that if they got too far, they wouldn’t be able to communicate.
Yes. We’re keeping watch and taking turns hunting and napping. It’s quiet.
“Okay, good.”
The floor was smooth, no signs of any buttons or strange stones. In fact, the whole tunnel was uniform, no nicks or rocks sticking out. As it had been carved with care. Free of imperfections.
Ava didn’t like it one bit. It felt unnatural. Wrong.
The deeper they ventured, the colder the air became. Goosebumps peppered her arms as another breeze came from ahead, this one even colder than before.
“It’s so damned cold,” Raine whispered harshly.
“Is that ice?” one of the soldiers said from up front.
The group paused. “Where?” asked Casimir.
“On the ground. I swear there’s ice up ahead.”
Casimir pushed through and peered between the soldiers. “It is ice. The floor is very slippery. Step cautiously.”
Resuming their pace, they continued. Within minutes the entire tunnel was coated in ice, a thin layer sparkling in the torchlight. It was strangely beautiful, and Ava couldn’t help but run her fingers along the wall as she scuffled along.
The grade of the path was steeper now, and it took every effort not to slip and slide ahead.
“Shall I melt it?” asked Maeryn.
“Not a bad idea,” Casimir said. “If this gets any steeper, we’ll all fall.”
“Move back in case my efforts are not successful,” Maeryn ordered.
The group gave her a wide berth. Ava backed against the wall and watched with rapt curiosity.
Raine stood beside her, tense, his eyes never straying from Maeryn.
Raising a hand, the general produced a small rope of lava.
Controlling the fiery cord with ease, she ran it along the floor, melting the ice.
Nodding with satisfaction, she said, “I’ll clear the path ahead, so we do not slip.”
But the moment she withdrew her magic, the ice reformed. It hadn’t stayed clear for more than a few seconds. Maeryn frowned, trying again. The ice melted, then reappeared once more. Whatever magic keeping it frozen would not allow them to work around it.
“Can’t you use vines to keep us steady?” Jareth asked.
Casimir ran a hand through his hair. The only sign he was stressed as he tried to keep his composure for the sake of the group. “There’s nothing for them to grip onto.”
The remaining fae tried their various magics. Imsel attempted to make handholds in the wall with rock, but they immediately crumbled. Gisela worked to manipulate the ice but she was unable to control it. Starlight did nothing.
With a frustrated grunt, Casimir waved everyone on. “Let’s keep going.”
They didn’t make it far before they could no longer stand upright, now sliding down the steep grade of the tunnel.
Ava’s fingers ran over the ice as she tried to grasp the polished walls, but there were absolutely no handholds. She lowered into a half squat, using her thighs to balance as she allowed herself to glide along.
Shouts echoed behind her, then cursing. More yells came before someone slammed into her back, knocking her down as the whole group toppled and slid faster, the tangled pile of bodies rushing forward.
“What happened?” Raine shouted.
“Someone slipped.”
The tunnel made a sudden turn. Ava was slammed against the wall as the next passage pushed them faster, the angle even steeper. There was no way to stop it.
“Where the fuck is this going?” Raine yelled.
“There’s no telling but be prepared for anything!” Casimir shouted back.
Ava scanned the passage for traps or other dangers. They continued their slide, and her eyes caught on an opening in front of them.
“Get ready!” she yelled.
“For what?” asked Raine.
“I don’t know!”
They free fell into a large cavern. Ava flailed. Screams and shouts echoed as they dropped into the dark abyss. With a smack, Ava hit the surface of a body of water, the impact so great stars danced across her vision.
Pitch black enveloped her, the icy water stealing the breath from her lungs, fingers already going numb. So cold, so cold, so cold.
She couldn’t see and had no way to discern which way was up. Kicking her feet, she tried to swim, reaching for something. Anything. Thrashing, she tried not to give in to panic as she desperately searched for the surface.
Tight fingers wrapped around her arm and pulled. She kicked in the direction she was being led, and her head broke the surface with a splash.
Ava let out a gasp, treading the icy water. The hand was still there, and she turned to find Gisela holding her. “Thank you,” she panted.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes,” Ava said, teeth already chattering.
Dim torches lined the space, illuminating the dark chamber. Like the tunnel, the walls and ceiling were completely smooth, and the water went to the very edges. There was no shore, nothing to hold onto to get out of the freezing trap.
There was no way out.
Ice floated on the surface and Ava was already having difficulty feeling her extremities. “We have to get out of here. We’ll die if we don’t hurry.”
Imsel tried to grow rocks from the wall again, giving them something to climb, but they immediately disintegrated.
“There must be a way out,” Jareth said, ice forming on his eyebrows and eyelashes. “We’re missing something.”
But the only thing Ava could see was the tunnel they had emerged from. High up on the wall and out of reach.
“Perhaps it’s below the surface. One moment,” Imsel said before they disappeared, swimming beneath them. Soon, they resurfaced, gasping. “There’s an underwater tunnel. We must swim.”
“How long is it?”
Imsel shook their head.
Casimir scanned the group. “Is anyone not a strong swimmer?”
Jareth and a couple of soldiers raised their hands.
“Then you all stay in the middle. That way someone can pull you along if you’re struggling.”
Jareth looked relieved at the statement.
“Imsel,” Casimir said. “Can you lead?”
“Deep breaths, everyone,” Imsel answered.
Leaving with those instructions, they inhaled deeply and dove beneath the surface, each member following one by one. Ava sucked in a breath, filling her lungs painfully full, dove beneath the water, and followed Casimir.
It was pitch black, Ava having to rely on her other senses to orient herself. Keeping one arm extended, she tried to feel for the wall as she kicked along.
Just swim forward, she coached herself, trying to remain calm.
On and on they swam. Ava’s lungs burned.
How much further? Could she hold her breath longer as fae?
She pushed on, her entire body numb as she tried to ignore the desperate need to take a breath. It felt as though the walls were closing in and her heart raced. Her vision was fading, and her chest burned.
Air. She needed air.
A strong hand grasped her arm, pulling her along.
Hurry, hurry, she thought. I don’t know how much longer I can hold my breath.
At last, warm light illuminated the tunnel as it opened into another body of water.
With a few swift kicks and a yank from Casimir, she burst past the surface and gasped. Dizzy, freezing and exhausted, she tried to catch her breath as she swam toward a nearby shore, more torches along the wall lighting the way.
Ava flopped onto the ground, closing her eyes and slowing her breathing as Casimir collapsed beside her. As the rest of the group emerged from the tunnel, someone shouted.
“Help! She’s not breathing!”
Ava’s eyes shot open, searching for the panicked soldier. He was dragging an unconscious Gisela to shore. Imsel shoved the man aside and immediately checked her pulse. With a curse, they began chest compressions, their normally stoic face now full of panic.
“Come on,” they whispered under their breath.
Leaning over, Imsel blew two breaths into her mouth, before beginning another round of compressions. Gisela finally released a cough. They rolled her on her side, rubbing their hand in comforting circles along her back and whispering so quietly Ava couldn’t hear.
Ava breathed a sigh of relief. Scanning the group, she counted. There had been eleven of them. But now there were only nine.
“We’re missing two people,” she whispered to Casimir.
Zara overheard and shook her head, red hair hanging limp around her face. “We lost two back in the tunnel. They couldn’t swim well. I tried to drag them…but I had to let go…I was about to pass out.” She put her head in her hands, the guilt thick in her throat as a sob fell from her lips.
Ava scooted close, putting a hand on her shoulder. “It’s not your fault,” she soothed, blinking back her own tears.
Zara continued to cry and Ava sat with her, allowing her to let out her grief.
“We must get warm,” Maeryn said.
They were all still shivering. Fortunately, the new room they were in was not covered in ice, the temperature not as cold as their previous location. But due to their exposure to the icy water, they were still at risk for hypothermia if they didn’t hurry and warm up.
Imsel rose, creating several large bowls out of stone. “It seems magic works now.” They turned to Maeryn. “Can you fill these? Like we did before?”
“Yes.”
Maeryn formed a ball of lava, allowing it to hover above her hand for a few minutes until its glow dulled before placing it into one of Imsel’s makeshift firepits.
“Brilliant,” Raine said, awe in his voice.
The group huddled together around the warmers as closely as they could manage, relying on their body heat to help. Casimir wrapped his arms around Ava and held her close, the group silent as they grieved the soldiers who had drowned.
How much further did they have to go? Everyone was already exhausted. They had to hurry and collect what they were seeking and get home.
Because the longer they were gone from Monterre, the more Ava worried that Andras and his stolen army would be destroying her home; her brother; her friends. She leaned closer to Casimir and stared into the swirling orange in front of her.