Chapter 16 #2
“Do you think this cavern and chambers once held that fiery liquid too? You mentioned thinking we could get to the mountain using them.” I look around at the formations again and wonder if liquid fire forged this space.
“That’s a good deduction, but how does that help us right now?” Mikael picks up what he put down and grabs the rest of the driftwood from me.
“One, these aren’t safe if that were to happen again.
Two, what if we get lost down here and can’t get back to the surface?
Or we go the wrong way? I’d rather stick to the surface.
We stay here tonight and rest, and hope for better weather tomorrow.
” I walk further into the cavern, taking careful steps down to a flat surface.
“And has this place gone up in flames since you’ve been alive?” He crosses his arms and raises a brow, unconvinced.
“Well, no—” I start.
Mikael cuts me off, “Then we’ll stay underground and out of the cold.”
I enter a staring contest with him. He’s not wrong, but not being able to see where we’re headed is not a good idea. “Let’s discuss this in the morning, when we and our clothes are dry.”
“Fine. Start the fire, and then I’ll look at your leg.” He takes the driftwood in his arms to a shallow alcove and drops them.
“I don’t need you to look at it.” I retort, following him with a limp that’s grown more noticeable.
“You should have healed by now.”
“I’m aware. The wounds are probably deeper than normal. The cold conditions aren’t helping.” I shrug.
“What if it’s venom? We don’t have supplies. You’ll need treatment, which we don’t have access to.”
“I’m fine.” I set aside some pieces of driftwood to hang our clothing on and put the rest next to his pile.
“Bryn, just drink my blood. It’ll heal you,” Mikael pleads, pushing his hair away from his face.
“No. I’d rather suffer until it heals. You know I won’t do such a thing.” This shouldn’t even be a conversation. I deny him every time he offers. Even now, when my leg is throbbing so hard a headache is starting to form.
He balls his fists and kicks a rock, muttering to himself as it tumbles down, echoing through the open cavern until it lands somewhere below us. Mikael follows its path, exploring more of the cavern, entering and exiting the various chambers.
I turn back to the alcove and stack the wood just inside the entrance to help retain some heat while having enough ventilation.
Rubbing my hands together, I tune into the element of fire.
It’s one of the trickier ones to control with its wild nature.
Not hard, just takes practice, which I haven’t done in a long time.
I had mastered all the elements before the battle, so I know I can do it.
I channel my magic, directing its energy toward the driftwood, just enough to spark the fire.
I smile, feeling accomplished when the pieces catch, and start to burn. Flames lick against the wood, dancing as they build, spreading warmth within the shallow alcove. I remove my cloak and sit down next to the fire. The relief of no longer having weight bearing down on my leg is immediate.
I braid my hair then rest my arms on my knees, dropping my head between my legs and sighing in relief. I have to look at the wound, but I know it’s not good. The pain grew worse the farther we walked.
Finally ready to face my injury, I untie the laces at my ankle and roll up my pant leg. A string of curses leaves my lips in a hushed whisper.
Multiple puncture holes from the fish’s rows of jagged teeth ring the bottom half of my calf to my foot. I’m lucky the beast didn’t rip apart my muscles and only held me in a locked jaw.
With how many hours ago it happened, the wounds should barely be a bruise; sore muscles by this point. Instead, my skin is blistered and tinged blue where the teeth punctured my leg.
Why does he have to be right? Its bite was venomous. The cold must have diverted my thoughts enough from the pain to not realize it was this bad.
I quickly roll my pant leg down and retie the laces.
If I were a healer or knew one of their magical stitches, I would be able to cure myself of this venom and wound.
But I never learned more than the basic healing magics, and my antivenom—along with everything else—is currently sitting at the bottom of the ocean.
Without that or a healer, I might make it a few more hours, maybe a day. If I were human, I’d already be dead. I have no idea what kind of fish that was. We have no record of such creatures, and perhaps it’s another reason no one comes to the island.
“Let me see.” Mikael stands across from me and removes his cloak, laying it out near the fire.
“I already checked. It’ll be fine.” I keep my gaze on the flames when I respond.
Why am I bending the truth?
I will be fine, but I don’t want to be weak or vulnerable. Not again. The pain of the past is too visceral—especially in his presence—to not want to guard myself, even though I know it’s stupid and makes no sense.
“Let me see.” His voice is stern, demanding. I look up at him and he’s standing there with his hands on his hips like he’s in charge.
“No.” My raised voice echoes through the cavern.
I’m tired of him. No—tired of everything. The emotional toll the last few days have brought. The travel, and bombardment of bad luck that only the curse can be responsible for in our attempt to break it. Finicky things, curses.
He raises his voice to match mine, reverberating around us, “If you don’t show me your leg, I’ll pin you down and look for myself.”
“You wouldn’t dare.” Pain shoots up my leg as I stand, the pressure tenfold after the relief of sitting. I try to hide the wince, because damn that hurts.
“I would.” He grabs my arms, pinning them to my sides, and pulls me into him, so close our chests touch. “Why are you being so stubborn? Do you have something to hide?”
“No. It’s the principle. You should trust me.” I glare at him, trying not to revel in how devastatingly attractive he is when he shows his strength.
“You must forget, I can hear your heart beating. It’s slow and irregular.” He looks down, eyeing my chest like he wishes he was touching it instead of holding my arms. His gaze flits back up to mine, and it’s dangerously protective. “This isn’t about trust. It’s about truth.”
I avert my gaze to the empty space behind him. That kind of look could undo someone; undo me. How can he still have this effect on me?
It makes me angry.
Heat floods my body, his presence too constricting near the open flame.
I need distance, so I jerk out of his hold and stalk away.
Faltering a few times as I go, frustration and irritation layer on top of the anger because I know he’s right.
I may have to accept his offer of healing if I can’t make it to the dragon’s lair.
The other option is to go to Varithen for a healer, but we’d be wasting time we don’t have thanks to this curse.
He raises his voice, adding, “Don’t make me take your choice.”
“You won’t have to. I’m strong enough without you to make it!” I yell at him. If I will my body to comply, it must. It’s the forced truth I’ll keep telling myself.
I hobble down to an even landing area. It’s like a hand, the flat area of the palm extending, its multiple fingers spreading out into rocky chambers.
“Strength of will has nothing to do with this.” Mikael follows, quickly moving to stand in front of me. Blocking my way from exploring more.
Dammit. He knows me far too well.
How irritating.
“I don’t want you to have control over me.” I deadpan.
I refuse to hand over that power to another. Drinking a vampire’s blood allows them total influence over you for a limited time. It’s also how they turn humans—consume it and die while it’s in their system. Voilà—newly bred vampire.
I raise my arm to push him aside, but he grips my wrist. “I would never control you.”
“Drinking your blood would heal me, yes. But it will make me vulnerable.” My fear is irrational, deeply rooted in the past. I know he would never do anything to physically harm me.
Emotionally? Well, he’s already done that.
But thus far, his claims for returning have remained true. So, that’s something.
“Bryn, you can trust me with this.” He gazes down at me so softly, it threatens to crack open my heart so wide it’d be a chasm I’d never escape.
“I don’t—”
The ground convulses beneath us, and I grab onto Mikael’s arms as vibrations travel through my body.
The cavern groans in response; pieces of rock and ice break loose from the ceiling and walls, tumbling to the ground.
We dodge a few falling stones as we rebalance ourselves using each other’s bodies as an anchor.
“What the fuck is that?” Mikael’s looking to our left, and I follow his gaze.
Two blood-red eyes glow in the dark. A rumbling growl echoes around us, the threat surrounding us in repeating crescendos.
Mikael steps in front of me, shifting into a protective stance.
A slow, menacing growl gets louder as the deadly crimson orbs advance, until a massive beast emerges, fangs bared like a snake poised to strike.
“Shit,” Mikael says, his sentiment matching mine.