I dashed ahead, desperate to get away before the babies recovered from their momentary blindness. For now, I had enough room in the tunnel to run, though as the ground started to slowly ascend, I prayed it actually went somewhere.
My legs were burning and my heart was thudding painfully in my chest by the time I reached a fork in the tunnel. The main path continued up while a smaller one branched off to the side and started to spiral down into darkness. I looked down at myself, at the slimy filthy mess of my clothes. I didn’t know just how good the lizards’ sense of smell was, but it appeared to be better than their sight, at least in a brightly-lit place. I was wet, dripping and covered in their mother’s scent, and it was only a matter of time before they caught up with me. Maybe I could somehow divert their attention, even lead them down the wrong path.
Water trickled from a crack high on the wall near the cave ceiling. It ran down a groove in the wall of the tunnel, over a boulder, and into a jagged-edged pool. The water was deep and dark, and I wondered whether it might be connected to the spring as well, though I was not likely to be able to swim to safety from here. In the distance, I could hear the scampering of clawed feet on stone, and knew I didn’t have much time.
Struck by sudden inspiration, and cradling the baby one-handed, I reached under my nightgown and slid my sodden panties down my thighs. I wasn’t normally one to go without underwear, but given the state the material was in after all I’d been through, it was almost a relief to get them off. Using my foot, I dragged a trail to the second tunnel, and then kicked them down into the darkness. Then, I turned and carefully lowered myself into the water behind the boulder. It was freezing, and I started to shiver almost immediately. I forced myself to stay still so the ripples wouldn’t draw attention to my hiding place, and prayed the baby would keep just as still and quiet.
My heart was pounding so vigorously, that when the creatures finally caught up to me, I was certain they’d hear it. They made a beeline directly for the pool, and I was certain all was lost. But, all the lizards did was drink, taking great mouthfuls of crisp water for, I reminded myself, the first time in their lives.
After they drank their fill, they started sniffing around, heads darting this way and that, while their long tongues flicked out to taste the air. Hand clamped tightly over my mouth, I lowered myself as much as I dared into the water, without putting my head or the baby’s under the surface. One of them started to edge around the pool sniffing the ground. It was almost on top of me.
Suddenly, the one that had been sniffing around the two tunnel forks snapped its head up with a screech. A moment later, all their heads were up and pointing in that direction. Then, in a swish of tails, they were off, scrambling down the dark passageway after my scent.
The moment their footsteps faded into the distance, I pulled myself from the pool, cradling the baby to my chest, and took off up the wider passage. The baby was shivering violently, having not taken well to the cold water. Though its mother had swam the cold tunnel depths with no problem, its own tiny body didn’t seem to be able to handle it. I rubbed its back and stomach as I ran, hoping the friction would help in warming it up again.
The tunnel path was becoming steeper now, forcing me to slow down. The frequency of the glowing crystals was starting to thin, throwing my steps into darkness. My heart leapt a moment later, however, as a pinprick of light appeared in the distance, the light of the crystals now dim enough for it to be visible. I was so focused on the growing light, and overjoyed at finally being free of the tunnels, that I almost didn’t notice the path before me had dropped away. At the last second, I stopped teetering on the edge as I fought to regain my balance and clutch the baby.
Before me stretched a large hole, its uneven edges suggesting at some point there had been a cave-in. Looking down, I could see a great mound of rocks and earth, and to my horror, five long reptilian bodies were sniffing around the base of the pile. There was a thin ledge around the left side of the hole. There was no other option. I swallowed nervously as I edged myself onto it, moving slowly, with one hand cradling the baby lizard, and the other helping brace myself against the wall. About half-way across, the ledge trembled, sending a worrying amount of rock chips into the hole below. At the sound of them landing, a collection of white pointed faces looked up, beady eyes locking onto me. The babies screeched in delight at having re-found their prey. In an instant, they were scrambling over each other in their eagerness to mount the cave in and climb it up to where their dinner was perched on the precarious ledge.
With the lizards now literally nipping at my heels, I shimmied as fast as I could down the rest of the ledge. Stumbling back onto the tunnel path, with heart racing, I sprinted towards the light streaming into the cave from the outside. When I stumbled out onto the side of the mountain, the light of the sunset made me wince.
The ground beneath my feet was black, solid, but with pieces overlapping like pouring honey. It stretched all the way down to the shore in front of me. The ocean spread out all the way to the horizon, but there was no sign of the ship. I might be free of the cave, but that didn’t mean I was safe yet.
I looked down to where I was still cradling the baby to my chest. It had stopped moving some time ago, just after I’d managed to send the others down the wrong path. At first, I had feared the worst, but it was just asleep, its fragile chest rising and falling shallowly. Only just born, already hunted, it must be exhausted. More than anything right now, I wanted to protect it, but somehow given their recent experiences, I didn’t think the crew would be too charitable with a strange animal coming into the camp.
The sound of scampering feet coming up the tunnel behind me made me jump. I’d almost forgotten the other lizards were still chasing me. I lunged to the side, throwing myself behind a boulder to hide. There was an eruption of pained screeches from the hatchlings as they burst out into the light. They swarmed, bumping into each other, trying to burrow into the hard ground, before dashing off in all directions. Two ended up sprinting down the beach and into the ocean, while the other three crawled over the strange black ground and vanished into the darkness of the trees.
At the explosion of sound, the baby came alive in my arms, twisting and panicking, its blind eyes rolling madly. I tried to calm it, whispering comforting words, but nothing seemed to work. It thrashed in my arms, clawed hands flailing and leaving thin scratches up my arms, shredding the long sleeves of my night gown. I winced in pain, but grit my teeth and tried to bear it until I could get the baby calmed. I screamed though, when what felt like two rows of needles sunk into my wrist. The baby had twisted around far enough to bite me, its teeth cutting deep. My other hand quickly went to the wound, holding it tight in order to try and stop the bleeding. Sensing an opportunity, the baby squirmed out of my arms and landed with a smack against the rocks. Squealing in pain and fear, it forced itself up on shaking legs and took off down the hill towards the tree line, its twitching nose leading the way.
“Wait!” I cried, giving chase.
I slipped on the smooth black rock, tumbled end over end as the world whirled across my vision in a sea of colour. A long and painful moment later, I came to a stop at the base of a tree, my head snapping sideways into the side of a raised root. Pain flared in an instant before my vision went black.
Chapter 10:
The Hot Springs
I slowly came back to consciousness, a pounding ache throbbing in my temple. I raised a hand to it, and my fingers came away wet with blood. It was still fresh, and when I sat up, I could feel it trickling sluggishly down my cheek. Staggering to my feet, I looked around, trying to get my bearings, my head swimming with nausea. I bit back the urge to be sick.
The sun had long since set, and the moons were high. The largest of them, Lunaris was full, but it was barely enough light to walk by, let alone figure out where I was, and what direction the camp should be. As carefully as I could, I made my way away from the edge of the jungle and down onto the beach. Over the tops o
f the trees, some distance down the beach, I could just make out a great plume of grey smoke climbing high into the air, and couldn’t stop the relieved smile that spread across my face.
In the centre of the camp site, there was a large bonfire. The crew had put it together the first day we’d landed on the island. It was used mainly by the kitchen staff, though they left it lit late into the night to provide warmth and to give the patrols something to light their torches with. I had never really given it much thought during the day, but if the smoke hadn’t been visible from this far up the beach, there was no telling if I’d have been able to make it back before morning, or at all.
I was exhausted by the time I made it back to camp, shivering from a combination of the night air over my still-damp clothes, and the aching pain all over my body. My feet were numb and covered with grazes from the rocks in the cave, and every step felt like a thousand miles. I stopped outside the camp, in view of the circle of torches that marked its boundary. I could see the silhouettes of the patrolling guards moving between the torches, the tents aglow with the light of the bonfire behind them. I walked slowly forward, wanting to be noticed, but not wanting to be mistaken for a threat.
As I watched, one of the guards stopped, pulled one of the torches from the perimeter line, and started walking towards me, his free hand hovering over the hilt of his sword. I stayed where I was, swaying gently with exhaustion.
The guard stopped in front of me, lifting the torch higher so he could see me properly. The light made me wince, its bright flare not at all helping my pounding head. He was one of the human crew, with dark skin and closely-cropped hair.
He gave a low whistle. “Well, what do you know,” he said, his eyes widening in surprise. He called back to his partner, who was still standing defensively at the border line. “It’s Conon’s woman!”
The other guard approached; a minotaur with dusty ginger hair. He looked me up and down, then nodded at his partner. “Nice,” he said. “Where’d you find her?”
“She just showed up.”
“Well Toro’ll be happy to know she’s not dead.”
They were conversing as though I was a lost dog. Worse, like Conon had left his jacket somewhere. I wanted to object and under normal circumstances, I’d have ripped into them. But there was no energy left in me, not even for standing. I stumbled forward, falling into the human guard and letting my head rest on his chest with a tired sigh.
“Whoa, whoa, hey!” he said, his tone high and panicked, as he held me back at arm’s length. “You want to get me in trouble?”
A heavier hand grabbed me by the upper arm and dragged me away. I bumped into the ginger minotaur and let his body hold my weight. My head was pounding and my legs felt like jelly. Dark spots were appearing in my vision, and I wasn’t sure for just how much longer I was going to be able to remain upright.
“Come on,” the minotaur grunted, forcing me to keep moving.
The tents and smaller cooking fires of the campsite blurred passed me as I was dragged by.
“Toro!” The minotaur yelled, as the central bonfire loomed ahead of us. “We found her!”
Several heads turned, and someone immediately jumped up, his figure a dark silhouette against the roaring bonfire. He took a hesitant step forward, then another, before he broke into a sprint towards us. Conon hit me with the force of a stampede, and if his strong arms hadn’t immediately embraced me, I was sure I’d have collapsed. I gasped painfully and he stepped back, his eyes scanning me to check for injuries. He took in the ripped and bloody sleeves of my night gown, my blistered bare feet, and the mass of dried blood clotted in the hair around my temple. His eyes narrowed.
“I’m tired,” I said softly, pre-empting what was certain to be a flood of questions. “I just want to sleep.”
He looked like he wanted to protest, but the exhausted look in my eyes stilled him. “Alright,” he said gently.
Without another word, he swept me into his arms. He exchanged a couple of words with the ginger bull and a few others, in low voices that I couldn’t really follow in my hazy state. Then, he carried me back to our tent. I wasn’t quite sure when I’d started thinking of it as our tent, but at least for the moment, it felt right.
After all that had happened, it felt wonderful to lay down on something soft, even if it was just Conon’s bedroll. He fussed around me, wrapping me in a blanket and encouraging me to drink some water.
“I’m so glad you’re safe.” He leaned in to press his lips to mine, but I ducked away. “What’s wrong?”
“We shouldn’t…”
“Don’t worry,” he said, with a wry smile. “I won’t go any further than you want.”
“I’m filthy.”
“I don’t care.” He moved in for a kiss again.
For the second time, I turned my head. “I do…”
“Alright,” he said. “I understand. I shouldn’t have pressed. I’m sorry.”
Even though I was still wet and covered in dried slime, he lay beside me the entire night, holding me tightly. Finally, after all that had happened, I felt safe again.
I was in a forest of white trees. The wind was howling, but I couldn’t feel it. I could sense something among the branches, always behind me, stalking. Whenever I turned, nothing would be there, but the feeling of being watched never vanished.
I was alone when I woke the next morning. I sat up and shuddered. Though I was finally dry, the dirt and slime had solidified on my skin, coating me in a thin film. It felt disgusting. Never before in my entire life had I wanted a hot shower, with soap and shampoo, so badly. I got up, thinking the bed roll would probably need a thorough wash as well.
The rustle of the tent flap made me look up. Conon entered, looking a combination of surprised and guilty to see me awake.
“Ah,” he hesitated, nervously scratching the back of his head. “I thought you’d sleep a little longer. I didn’t mean to just leave you alone like that. How are you feeling?”
“Better, having slept,” I said, trying to play down the still-present ache in nearly every inch of my body. “And it’s alright, I don’t expect you to spend all your time worrying about me.”
His brow furrowed, and it looked like he wanted to object. But object to what, I wasn’t quite sure.
“Anyway,” he said eventually. “If you’re up, I’ve got something to show you.”
I hesitated. “I was sort of hoping, before I had to do anything, that I might get a chance to…”
“Get cleaned up?” asked Conon. He grinned when I blushed. “Don’t worry. You’ll like what I have to show you.”
The clothes that would have been yesterday’s fresh change were folded neatly on top of my trunk. Conon scooped up the bundle and held out his hand for mine. I reached out and took it, liking the way his larger fingers felt wrapped around my own.
He led me out of the camp and up the other side of the beach, in the opposite direction from the path we’d taken to get to the spring. The beach was interrupted half-way up by sheer, towering cliffs, which seemed to ring the northern part of the island. When we reached the base of them, Conon led me off the sand and into the jungle.
“Aren’t you worried about that creature?” I asked.
“We haven’t seen it since that night,” he said. “None of the search parties we sent out could find any trace of it.”
“Search parties? Why would you go looking for that thing?”
“We were looking for you,” he said, avoiding my gaze. “When that thing didn’t resurface, I got a group of the guys together and we spread out to try and find its lair.”
“But you saw it eat me.”
“I didn’t want to believe that you were dead.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, so we walked in silence the rest of the way. When Conon stopped again, it was in front of a large cave entrance. Standing in front of it, I could feel a warm breeze emanating from within.
“Anyway,” he said, sounding awkward. “This is so
mething we found during our search.”
He led me inside the cave. The light from outside faded quickly, throwing us into complete darkness. A few careful steps later, though and I could see a familiar glow in the distance.
“Surprise,” said Conon softly, as we turned a corner and the cave exploded into light.
All along the ceiling were the same glowing crystals that had been in the creature’s cavern. These ones were smaller though, giving the impression of a starry sky. The air was thick with steam, rising from a series of elevated pools. Hot springs. The naturally-heated water was mirror smooth, and reflected the crystal-studded ceiling.
“Does this look like an okay place for a bath?” he asked. His tone was light, as though he’d meant it to be jokingly rhetorical. Something about the waver in his voice though suggested he was sincerely worried his surprise wouldn’t be welcome.
“It’s perfect!” I said, beaming.
I reached up to remove my nightie then froze, hand on the collar. I averted my eyes, a deep blush rising to my cheeks.
As if reading my embarrassed mind, Conon turned away, putting his back to me as he set my clean clothing down on a dry rock on the other side of the room. He took his time doing it, so I quickly stripped down, letting my nightgown fall where I stood. It was so filthy at this point, I was doubtful there’d be any way of salvaging it.
I moved to get into the heated pool, hissing in pain as the raw skin on my foot touched the water. Gritting my teeth against it, I forced myself to get into the pool.
Once I was submerged, my modesty protected by the thick cloud of steam, Conon returned with a small wooden box.
“In pain?”
“A bit.”
In truth, my head was still pounding, but I attributed that to the substantial knock I’d taken the previous night. I was trying not to show any pain. Conon seemed worried enough about me, just on my dishevelled appearance alone without me bringing up what might be a potential concussion.
The Island of Wolves Page 10