Chapter 51
Farther along, the air thickens and the temperature increases, producing a tiring humidity. The fabric of my tunic sticks to my back as a wave of thirst strikes me.
We trudge through the sand, half expecting something to pop out of it and grab us, but the Kelvanite Sphere keeps us from encountering any other danger.
We follow Algar’s lead as he clings to the sphere.
My boots sink with each step, and there are times I have to really yank my leg up so my foot comes out.
Algar hobbles a few more yards before stopping.
“Orvena bless,” I breathe, pressing my hands on my knees and drawing in a few deep breaths.
Algar studies the orb when Rynthea and I join him. We pull out our canteens to take a few swigs of water. As I swipe my hand over the back of my mouth, Thane meets up with us, and we all release a sigh as we stare at our next grueling challenge ahead.
The trees no longer stand upright but tilt forward like blown candles. I spot another cluster of trees at the very bottom of a deep, wide crater that only several large explosions could have made.
We’re at the rim of the bowl. I now understand how the island has gotten its name—from the shallow pit in the middle of it.
It’s here where the Temple of Elphar lies silent—ominous.
It’s where we need to be.
“There.” Thane points at the broken tips of a tan stone building swallowed up by trees in the distance. “That’s the Temple of Elphar.”
I feel my heartbeat pick up speed. We’re so close. I can’t believe this. Are we really going to make it? Orvena must be listening to my prayers.
Something red flashes in the corner of my eye, and I look at the sphere in Algar’s hand. The arrow is pointing to the left, in warning.
“What’s this thing doing?” Algar gives the sphere a shake. “Maybe its time has run out.”
Thane takes the sphere from him before facing the area it’s pointing to.
“It’s giving us a warning.” Thane takes another step and squints his eyes.
“There are stairs that way, but we shouldn’t take them.
” The sphere flashes green again, and Thane faces the crater.
“It’s pointing ahead. We have to go straight down. ”
“Well, let’s go.” Rynthea hikes her rucksack higher on her shoulders and starts the march forward, entering the crater. This time, Thane hands the sphere to me.
“You good holding on to it?”
“Sure.” I cradle it in my hands, following him down the steep hill.
“Careful,” Thane calls to me over his shoulder. “Watch your footing.”
“Okay.” I walk slowly, digging the heels of my boots into the dirt with each step to keep myself grounded.
I hold the sphere close to my chest, my pulse thrumming, hope swelling in my chest. The hill levels out the farther down we go, but then I make the foolish mistake of looking up to see how close we are to the temple and my foot slips.
I let out a sharp gasp and fall on one knee before completely rolling downhill.
“Zaira!” Thane shouts. I try to stop myself by digging my fingers into the dirt, but with every roll, my efforts to stop myself become more useless.
I’m falling too hard, too fast. My head hits the ground several times.
I hear a loud crack and squeeze my eyes shut.
Then a hot, familiar grip wraps around the upper half of my body and brings me to an abrupt stop.
Groaning, I lie on the ground for a second, staring up at the hazy, milk-gray sky. I wait for the pain to flood my body…but nothing comes. That crack must have been a broken bone, right?
Seconds later, Thane and Rynthea are hovering above me.
“Are you okay?” Rynthea reaches for my hand with concern etched on her face.
“I… Yeah. I think so.” She lugs me up, and I stumble a bit. Thane presses his hand to the small of my back to keep me steady.
“Zaira?” Algar pants as he runs to meet up with us. “Thank Orvena Thane stopped your fall in time.”
“I’m okay, everyone. Really.”
“Does anything feel broken?” Thane asks, gently touching a knot on my forehead. I wince from the pressure.
“I don’t think so.” I give my arms a shake. My ribs don’t hurt. My legs seem stable. Nothing feels broken.
“You’re bleeding.” Rynthea takes off her rucksack and digs through it. She pulls out a clean white cloth and wipes my cheek with it. It stings, but I swallow the pain. Sighing, Rynthea hands the cloth to me. I wipe my cheek again, but that’s when I see it.
My heart drops to my stomach.
The sphere, now at my feet, isn’t glowing anymore.
A big crack snakes through it. Panicked, I bend down to pick it up.
“No.” I rub it four times and give the command drusako like Frevella instructed. We should still have some time left. “No, come on. Please,” I plead. “We’re so close!”
I look up at Thane, who is staring at the sphere, jaw locked.
“Gods damn it.” Rynthea huffs as Algar throws his hands to the top of his head with a panicked look in his eyes.
“I—I’m so sorry!” I cry. “This is all my fault.”
“No, it’s not.” Thane closes his eyes for a split second, exhaling before opening them again. “It’s mine. I handed you the sphere. I should’ve held on to it.”
“But I fell with it. I heard it crack.” I swallow to clear the emotion building up in my throat. We’re too damn close to the temple for me to cry now.
“It’s fine,” Rynthea assures us, holding her hands up and eyeing each of us, as if she’s taming children. “The temple shouldn’t be too far away. We can get there, take what we need, and go back the way we came to reach the shore. We’ll be fine. Let’s not lose hope now.”
“We won’t know which way to go or what’s coming for us,” I say, voice wavering.
“I’ll hear and smell anything before it attacks.
” Rynthea straightens her back, but her words don’t fill me with much hope.
We don’t know what’s ahead or which parts of the jungle to avoid.
Rynthea scoffs. “We’ve made it for days across half of Thelanor without a magical sphere.
What’s a few more steps?” She gestures to the bottom of the valley.
“And we can see the temple. It can’t be that far away now. We can do this.”
No one speaks, but we don’t have to in order to read one another’s minds. Without the sphere to guide us, there is an even slimmer chance of making it through the rest of this jungle alive.
Thane clears his throat. “The minotaur is right.” Rynthea rolls her eyes at him, but he continues. “We have to press on. We’ll keep our ears up and our weapons close. We’ll take it slow. There’s still plenty of time to get what we need and make it back to the ship.”
Not if we’re attacked again, I think.
Thane takes the sphere from me and tucks it into his pocket.
“We press on,” he repeats, looking into my eyes. “For Analla.”
Hearing him say my sister’s name brings a surge in me. The doubt is still there, but for a fleeting second, I allow my fear to distract me from my ultimate goal. Saving Analla.
“Okay?” Thane places a compassionate hand on my upper arm.
Lips quivering, I nod.
When his attention lands on Algar, Algar sighs and bobs his head.
“We can do this.” Rynthea smiles with glistening eyes. “As long as we have each other’s backs and fight like warriors, we’ll make it to that damn temple. It’s all right, Zaira. Don’t beat yourself up over this.”
I smile as she gives my shoulder a firm squeeze. When she starts walking, I join at her side, swallowing my anxieties.
“I need a distraction,” I grumble.
“Of what kind?” asks Rynthea.
“I don’t know. Just talk about something—anything so I’m not thinking mean things about myself.”
“Okay…uh…” She pauses, eyes bouncing around the jungle. “Did you know Torjack is the last male minotaur in Thelanor?”
I blink rapidly, surprised. “Are you serious?”
“Yes. From what I’ve heard, there are three other female minotaurs in Thelanor. But Torjack is the last male. If he dies before he has a child, there won’t be any more to continue the lineage.”
“Wow.” I step over a steaming puddle. “So you really need to keep him healthy and alive, then.”
“I do. I can’t let it end with us,” she says.
“If he mates with one of the other females, we’ll carry on.
When I get some treasure, we can build our own sanctuary for minotaurs.
Torjack can have a shit ton of kids, and I’ll have my own—hybrids of some kind, since there aren’t any more males—and we’ll grow in numbers again.
We can teach the young how to fight and protect themselves like I was taught, so they can grow up and know how to defend themselves.
No more horns being stolen. No more being used.
No more living in fear. Instead, people will learn to respect us. ”
“That would be great for the minotaurs.”
“It would. I dream about it often.” She releases a rare, happy sigh. “A place where we’ll be safe. A place of our own. A haven. I can imagine it being like Immalon. Closed off from the rest of the world. A place of peace and happiness.”
I smile, watching her eyes drift, seemingly lost in thought.
“The first thing I’ll buy is a place of my own.” Algar squeezes in between me and Rynthea. “I’ll have one of those little built-in bath basins for Zephra to swim in. She’ll have all of her favorite meals and snacks. She’ll live the life.”
I laugh. “And what about your life?”
“I’ll pay off a few debts I owe. Who knows? As long as my Zephra’s happy, I’m happy. All I need is a roof over my head and food in my belly. Nothing else matters…but having a shit ton of coin does help.”
One of Thane’s orbs levitates past my head, highlighting the steam wafting up from the floor of the jungle. Why is it so hot in this area, anyway? All the volcanoes are outside the crater, yet it feels like we’re walking right over one.
“I just want one of those stones,” I say after some time.
Rynthea veers left. “And soon you’ll have one.”
We hike, lost in our own thoughts for a while, until Rynthea breaks the silence. “Look.” She points ahead and, through a thin gap in the trees, is the temple.
Half of it is in ruins, heaps of tan stone crumbled on the ground, and the roof in even worse shape. As we move closer, I spot a dark, hollow arch that must lead to the inside of the temple.
This landmark should be a gloomy, depressing sight. But there is a stream of light shining on it, making it a beacon in the dark, as if even the skies know it’s a special place.
Without another word, Rynthea jogs toward the temple. Algar limps after her. I can’t help but stand still a moment, soaking in the accomplishment of making it here and bracing myself for what’s to come.
I’ll get the stone.
I’ll free Analla.
I’ll go back to my old, peaceful life.
Drink tea. Read books. Bake. Rest.
The mere thought of it brings me so much peace of mind.
Thane walks up alongside me, and the heat of his body sends warm currents through me. “Things change once we’re in there,” he murmurs in my ear.
I turn to look him in the eye. “Everything changes.”
He tugs his mask down, revealing his sculpted, rosy lips. He studies my features like he always does, but there’s something off about his demeanor. His shoulders seem more tense. Isn’t he at least a little relieved that we’ve made it this far? And his eyes look…worried.
He’s been like this all morning—a bit distant and quiet. I assumed he was mentally preparing himself for The Shallows…but now, I’m not so sure.
“There’s something I should tell you before we go in,” he murmurs. “I told you about Azidel’s tome and what it can do. It’s very powerful, and that’s why I—”
A deep growl rumbles in the distance. Thane immediately stops talking, eyes swooping to the jungle as he brings his mask back up.
The growl gets louder. Closer.
I can feel the bass of it rattling in my chest.
Something is stalking us…and it sounds massive.
Rynthea and Algar are still a few yards away from the temple when a mass of black appears before them. The creature wastes no time swiping Rynthea with a giant claw, sending her body crashing into a tree trunk.
I scream her name when she flops to the ground, motionless, while the creature prowls toward Algar with a snarl, ready to strike.