Chapter 40
My head is pounding, even before I open my eyes. A warm body is pressed against my back, an arm slung over my stomach, though I’m unsure who’s. Memories come rushing back to me and I wrench my eyes open, breathing heavily.
“You’re awake.” Caspian’s smooth voice comes from behind me as he shifts, his arm leaving my torso so he can sit up to look down at me. It was him who was spooning me, I guess. But why?
“Wha—” My voice is strangled, like it hasn’t been used in months. I clear my throat and try again. “What happened?”
Caspian’s gaze is solemn as he looks me over. He holds out something thin and sharp to show me. “You were stung by an agual. It’s a type of predator fish that knocks out its prey to drag it back to its den. I was able to pull you from its grasp, but it made away with your bag.”
Glancing around, I don’t see my backpack, verifying his words. “How did we end up…” I look at our surroundings but I can’t tell where we are, “...here?”
“I shared my air with you until I could find an exit. You were wet and too cold, so I used my body to warm you up. The agual venom is not deadly, but it does do some damage. How is your head?”
“It feels like John Bonham used my skull to practice on instead of his drum set.” Caspian’s brows furrow in confusion, and I realize he likely has no idea who that is. “He was the drummer for Led—you know what, it doesn’t matter. It hurts.”
He nods knowingly. “Usually I would give someone corixa leaves to help with the head pain, but unfortunately I do not have that here.”
I’ve never heard of corixa leaves. Sometimes I think Caspian forgets we have no knowledge of his culture, but I choose not to comment. I guess I just did the same to him.
He helps me to sit up, and I rest my elbows on my knees with my head on my forearms for a few moments before speaking again. “How long was I out? Where are Madi and Phoenix?”
“They’re still back in the cave room, assuming they didn’t try to leave on their own. I do not know Phoenix well, but my mate doesn’t strike me as the type to sit and wait. If those monsters gave up on getting through the door, I have a feeling she would venture out.”
I groan because he’s right. We should have come up with a plan for if we were separated for too long. Hindsight is twenty-twenty and all that. “Will you go back and get them?”
Caspian looks between me and the canal he dug me out of. “I can… but I also don’t wish to leave you here on your own while you’re still recovering.”
“Where is here, exactly?” I ask. It looks like we’re inside another building, albeit a much larger and more ornate one.
“If I were to guess, it’s a receiving chamber.” Caspian shrugs. “It looks similar to the one we have back in Tythas. It’s where my mother allows citizens to approach her with questions or problems. Though she passes that off to my older brother more often than not these days.”
So we’re talking like medieval times here.
The use for this room, according to Caspian, doesn’t quite match up to what you would imagine an old castle to look like.
Instead of cold brick walls lined with spears, crests, and candelabras, this room has more modern touches.
I can’t tell for sure, but there seem to be sconces on the walls that currently do not emit light.
We can only see due to the veins of glowing ore that are present throughout this city.
The floor is a high-end tile instead of the rough surface of concrete or stone.
The canal we entered through curves to the front of the room before disappearing under the far wall.
It looks abandoned, but not destroyed. There don’t seem to be any animal nests or remains, and even the doors and large tables are intact. I turn back to Caspian. “I think I'm safe here. Go get Phoenix and our omega. I’ll stay and look for more clues.”
The merman eyes me hesitantly, so I insist. “Go.”
He nods and slips back into the water, disappearing from view.