Chapter 44
The group sat for half an hour, resting and warming up until they were no longer at risk of succumbing to the cold exposure.
They couldn’t have been in this cave system for more than a couple hours at this point and yet, they had already faced explosions, almost been impaled, crushed and frozen to death.
Please tell me we’re almost there, Ava pleaded to herself.
They were now walking through another tunnel—luckily flat and ice free—eyes scanning every inch of space around them, waiting with bated breath for the next hazard.
Dark stone surrounded them, its roughhewn edges revealing a faint shimmer throughout the rock as if silvery threads had been woven within.
Ava paused, running her fingers along one of the veins. “Hey Jareth,” she called. “Come look at this.”
He appeared at her side. “What?”
“Do you think this is the crystal?”
Squinting, he leaned in and scrutinized the glimmering threads. “It must be.”
“That must mean we’re getting closer,” Raine said. “Thank the Mother.”
“Can’t we break the rock and take what’s in there?” a soldier asked.
“I doubt it,” Ava said. “This is tiny, and it’s incorporated into the stone. We need something larger that I can hold and imbue with magic.”
“Let’s keep going,” said Casimir.
Ava resumed her pace, Zara and another soldier leading.
Minutes later, Zara raised her arm. “Wait.”
The group stopped.
Casimir stepped forward, peering in between them, Ava on her tip toes trying to see.
The floor ahead was different. No longer made of rock, but planks of wood.
Rows and rows of boards sat snugly against each other, running horizontally from wall to wall.
There was nowhere else to step, aside from the wood.
“What should we do?” Zara asked, adjusting her sword.
Casimir stroked his beard, scanning the path before them. “Test it out with your magic before we step foot on them.”
She conjured a root in her hand and sent it forward. But the moment it hit the edge of where the wood began, it dissolved. She tried again, but the results were the same.
“No magic allowed apparently.”
Tentatively, she tapped the board with her foot, running it along the length of the plank. With a deep breath she stepped onto it and stopped.
Nothing happened.
Emboldened by her success, her partner joined. They tested each board until they were about twenty feet onto the new path. Still nothing.
“Well?” Ava whispered. “Do we follow?”
“I think we must,” Casimir said, then raised his voice for the whole crew to hear. “Tread carefully. There could be hidden triggers along this path.”
Ava steeled herself, inhaling a deep breath, as they followed the soldiers in front of them.
The planks were sturdy, no indication of a button or anything hazardous before them.
But it couldn’t be this easy. On edge, Ava waited for something to happen, eyes darting around every detail in front of her as she clenched her fists at her side.
There. Something shimmered in front of Zara. “Stop!”
She froze. “What is it?”
“That looks like a trip wire or something.” Ava pointed to the path ahead.
Zara knelt. Sure enough, there was a wire running across the path. So thin it was almost invisible.
“Everyone back up,” Casimir ordered, stepping to the front.
Assured the group was behind him, he unsheathed a dagger and whipped it directly at the wire.
With a snap, it was cut, and three enormous blades swung from a hidden slot in the ceiling, back and forth like pendulums across their path.
If anyone had been standing there, they would have been sliced in two.
“Shit,” someone muttered.
“Thank you,” Zara said to Ava.
After about ten seconds, the hazard stopped, the clicks of a mechanism echoing in the wall as they were pulled back into place.
“Watch for more of these wires,” Casimir said.
The group plunged forward, silent. Tension and fear hovered in the air, so thick it was almost tangible. Ava tried to keep her breathing even, but all she could think about was getting disemboweled by one of these blades. Or worse, it happening to one of her loved ones.
They spotted three more trip wires, but Casimir repeated his motions with the dagger and set them off before anyone was killed. The wooden path seemed to extend forever, no end in sight.
They’d been walking for almost an hour, pausing each time they spotted a hazard. But it had been almost ten minutes since they last saw a wire. Perhaps they were closing in on the next room.
Ava took a step forward, and the plank beneath her feet moved.
Shit shit shit, she thought, preparing to duck or back away.
But as the wood sank further, hot pain shot through her right foot and she cried out, almost crumpling to the ground in agony. Casimir rushed to her side, putting his arm around her waist to hold her upright.
Tears stung her eyes as she looked at her foot. A sharp metal spike poked out of the top of her boot, covered in her blood. And every few inches, along the whole board, were more.
“You’re alright, love,” Casimir said softly, trying to hide the worry in his eyes. “Take a deep breath. I’ve got you.”
She groaned, leaning into his hold. Raine and Maeryn knelt to inspect her foot. The soldiers who had been leading stood in front of them, watching with wide eyes.
“We’re sorry,” Zara said. “We didn’t know. We must not have stepped on that board. I’m so sorry, Your Highness.”
“It’s not your fault,” Ava said through gritted teeth. “You don’t need to apologize.”
“It looks like you’ll need some new boots when we go shopping, little frog,” Raine said.
Ava released a pained laugh. “Get my foot off this damned thing, and we’ll shop to your heart’s content.”
“Deep breath, Ava. On three,” Raine said, gripping her ankle while Maeryn stabilized her leg. “One…two…three…”
They pulled. Ava whimpered, a wave of nausea and dizziness almost overwhelming her. Casimir scooped her up. “Heal her foot,” he said to Jareth.
Jareth came forward and carefully pulled off Ava’s boot.
A whimper escaped her as the leather brushed her wound, sending a shockwave of pain up her calf.
Her foot was covered in blood, making it difficult to see the injury.
Placing a hand atop the lesion, Jareth closed his eyes.
Nothing happened. Ava didn’t feel the tingle of his healing magic.
Didn’t feel anything aside from the throbbing still creeping up her leg.
“Well? Heal it,” Casimir ordered again.
Jareth shook his head. “My magic’s not working.”
“I think whatever stopped our magic at the beginning is suppressing it along this stretch,” Gisela said. “We are not allowed to utilize our magic to get through this passageway.”
Casimir grumbled, brow furrowed.
“I’ll be fine. It will heal on its own.”
“But not quickly enough.”
“Put my boot back on,” Ava said. “Let’s keep going.”
“Let us wrap it first.” Maeryn stepped up, holding a piece of fabric she had cut from her tunic. “I’ll be quick.”
Ava gripped Casimir’s neck, clenching her jaw as Maeryn tightened the fabric around the wound to stop the blood flow. After ensuring it was properly wrapped, she took the boot from Jareth and slipped it back on.
“Are you alright?” Casimir asked.
“Fine,” she replied, but her voice was rough.
“You’re pale, love.”
“I’ll be okay. Just set me down.”
“You can’t walk like that.”
“Well, you can’t carry me. You won’t be prepared for danger if your hands are occupied.” Casimir opened his mouth to argue but Ava cut him off. “Cas. Put me down. Now.”
With a grumble, he did as she said. The moment she put weight on her right foot, she gasped, the pain too great.
“At least lean on me,” Casimir said.
“If we’re without magic in here, you need to be hands free. You’re one of the strongest fighters. Someone else can help me.”
“Listen to her,” Raine said. “She’s right.”
“Fine,” he mumbled.
“Don’t worry about me, general grump. Focus on getting us out of here.”
“I’ll help you, Your Highness.” A soldier stepped up, putting his arm around her waist.
“Thank you.”
With one last look of concern and a quick kiss to Ava’s temple, Casimir faced the path before them, assessing how to avoid any more spikes. Zara stepped to the next board and tentatively pressed with her foot. Nothing.
“Is this the best way? We just try each board carefully?” Zara asked.
“This is going to take forever,” Jareth muttered.
Raine whirled around. “Any better ideas, you pompous sky-prince? Maybe you should go first.”
Jareth took a step toward Raine, fists clenched at his side. He opened his mouth to say something, but Maeryn stepped between them. “Enough. We must work together to get through this.” She turned to Raine. “That means you too.”
His jaw ticked, but he nodded.
“I have tired of the arguing. I will lead now.”
“Maeryn—” Raine started.
“Silence, captain. I outrank you. You will listen to me.”
He straightened as Maeryn made her way to the front, stepping on the plank beside Zara.
Unsheathing one of the twin swords on her back, she slammed it into the wood in front of her. Safe. She stepped onto it, then slammed her sword into the next. Spikes. Reaching across, she slammed her sword into the board after that. Safe.
Maeryn repeated the process. Testing out each plank before they moved forward. Ava limped along, leaning on the soldier helping her and doing her best to ignore the throbbing in her foot.
Though it took a tremendous amount of time, they made it through. Almost out of this tunnel. There were only about five boards left before the ground transitioned to rock again, when Zara said, “We can jump over the last part.” She leaped, landing on the stone. “See? It’s—”
Her words were cut off when a horizontal blade emerged from the wall and sliced her in half. Ava screamed as her body—now in two pieces—hit the ground, painting the stone red. Several strangled yells echoed in the space. Someone vomited.
“Oh gods,” the soldier holding Ava cried.
Zara hadn’t seen the last trip wire right in the middle of the stone. As if the gods had wanted whoever completed the wooden walkway to feel as if they’d succeeded. And it worked.
Casimir joined Maeryn, the two of them taking over as they assessed the rest of the tunnel for any more trip wires, buttons or invisible dangers. But Ava could barely hear over the buzzing in her ears.
Zara…She’d been right there a few seconds ago. Perfectly fine. And now…now she wasn’t. One of Casimir’s best soldiers. One of his strongest. Killed in an instant. Sniffles and sobs went through the group, mourning their partner.
Ava blinked, holding back tears and forcing herself to keep it together. She tried not to look at Zara’s mutilated body, tried not to lose herself in the horror.
Because they had to finish this task. They had to get through it.
After ensuring there were no further dangers, Maeryn addressed the group. “We must move on and get out of here as quickly as possible.” Though she kept her voice steady, Ava could sense the strife in her tone and the grief on her face.
The remainder of the tunnel opened into another vast chamber, similar to the first. Thousands of the glowing crystal veins shimmered in the walls and ceiling, providing an abundance of ethereal light.
Though it was beautiful, Ava could feel something heavy. Something other, hovering in the air around them.
She scanned the room, her eyes catching on something on the opposite side. Another door. But this time it had five symbols on it, representing each of the kingdoms. A tree. A volcano. A snowflake. A flat-top mountain. And a star.
They’d arrived.