by R. R. Banks
"How did you find out about the tunnel?" Samira asked.
"We were doing our patrol and we heard a sound from inside the cave so we decided we wanted to see if there was anyone in there. We thought everyone was accounted for in the compound, so we wanted to make sure that no one was hurt in there. You go just a few yards into the cave and then the ground suddenly drops off into the tunnel. I could only make it down the tunnel a couple of feet before it got so tight that I almost couldn't get myself back out."
"If I had known that I was going to be spelunking today, I probably would have chosen a little bit better of an outfit," Samira said, adjusting her shirt down over her waistband, "Alright, ladies. Are you ready?"
The other two women voiced their affirmation and stepped forward so that the three stood separate from their mates and Pyra. Ty saw Gyyx reach into the bag he wore around his hip and pull out a torch. He handed it to Samira, reached back into his bag, and pulled out a flint. He lit the torch and stroked Leia's face one more time before stepping away.
"Go straight in, go as far as you can, and then come back," Pyra said. He reached into the bag on his own hip and pulled out his dagger, handing it to Samira by the handle, "If you find any Klimnu or anything else that scares you, don't hesitate. Kill it and run."
Samira nodded, took a breath, and started into the cave.
Chapter Five
All of the fear I had been trying to suppress as I followed the warriors to the cliffs suddenly hit me as I stood there looking into the cave. The torch in one hand, the dagger in the other, and the lingering feeling of Ty's lips against mine, however, gave me confidence as I squared my shoulders and started forward into the darkness. Zuri and Leia followed me, coming close to my sides but staying just a step behind as if allowing me to take the lead.
We walked carefully, none of us knowing what to expect as we stepped past the opening to the cave. None of us had ever been inside it before and if I didn't miss my guess none of us were familiar enough with the topography and composition of Uoria to know if the caves on this planet were anything like the ones on Earth. I had only gotten the chance to read up a little bit on the planet and all I had learned was that there were many different areas of the planet and a huge enough variety of climates and features that I could safely guess it did not maintain the same rules as Earth. While that was an exciting thought if I had the opportunity to just roam around and explore, it made venturing into the darkness of the cave even more frightening because I had no idea what I was going to encounter with each step.
I could hear my own breath as we walked through the wide first chamber of the cave. The torch splashed orange and yellow light through the chamber, cutting through the darkness and illuminating the sandy ground at our feet. The floor of the cave was studded with sharp stalagmites, the tips sparkling like ice in the light of the torch even though it wasn't cold enough in the cave for them to actually be frozen. As we walked deeper into the cave I noticed that the walls that had been far enough apart that I hadn't even been able to see them in the light of the torch were starting to close in. We took a few more steps and I saw the entrance to the tunnel that Pyra had talked about. It would have been easy to miss if we hadn't been looking specifically for it. As it was, I almost didn't notice it.
The walls seemed to close in completely, giving the impression that the first chamber was the entirety of the cave. Behind a particularly massive stalagmite that disappeared up into the darkness, however, was a narrow, low opening. The edges of the opening were uneven, but smooth, so it was difficult to tell if the wall had formed like that, or if someone, or something, had broken through the wall many years before and the edges had weathered over time.
"Yeah, there's no way that the warriors could get in there far," Leia said as I held the torch a little higher so that more light shined on it.
"I'm surprised that Pyra was able to even get in it at all, much less go a few feet into it," I replied in agreement.
"I don't even know if Ero could make it very far in there," Zuri said. Leia and I both looked at her and she shrugged, "I love my mate dearly, but he is tiny compared to the others. I've embraced it."
We laughed, thankful for the moment of levity that broke the fearful tension that was building in the cave. I let out a breath and handed Zuri the torch.
"Hold this up so that as much light as possible gets in there. I don't know how tight it is past this entry so I don't want to be in there with an open flame." She nodded and held up the torch. Leia stepped up and stood to her side so that her body would block some of the light and prevent it from dissipating throughout the cave, "Alright," I said, "Here I go."
I ducked my head and stepped through the opening. I probably could have walked through it without ducking, but I thought I would be cautious until I made it into the tunnel. As soon as I stepped in, I reached above me and found that the ceiling was higher than the top of the entry, but still only a few inches from my head. I opened my arms as far as I could get them and found that the walls were so close my elbows were still bent when I flattened my palms on either wall.
"Are you OK?" Zuri asked from the outer chamber of the cave.
"I'm fine," I replied, taking a few more cautious steps, "It is really tight in here. There is definitely no way the guys could have gotten a whole lot further than I am right now." I paused for a second, "Even Ero."
Both of the other women laughed and I started forward again. The light from the torch illuminated several feet ahead of me, but all I saw was the darkness. I held the dagger tightly in my hand, occasionally adjusting my grip so that I felt I had absolute control over the blade just in case I came upon another visitor of the tunnel who was less than pleased to see me.
The tunnel got no wider as I walked, but I could feel the ground beneath my feet start to dip so that I knew it was leading me down through the cliff and into the ground. It was a strange feeling, knowing that I had started many feet above the heads of the warriors and in a few moments I would be beneath them. Orienting had never been my strong point, but I was struggling with every ounce of processing ability that I had to keep track of the direction that I was moving and figure out where I was headed so that I could tell Pyra when I made it back. I couldn't let myself think "if".
"Zuri, it's tight in here, but I'm running out of light, do you think that you'd be OK bringing the torch in?" I called back over my shoulder.
The path ahead of me had gotten so dark that I wasn't able to see more than a few inches and I wasn't comfortable continuing on without light if I didn't absolutely have to.
"Do I think I would be OK like you think I might get stuck in there, or do I think I would be OK like you think I might catch us on fire if I go in there?" she called back.
"Well…both…maybe…just a little bit," I said cautiously, trying not the offend her.
Zuri was beautiful, but the truth was she was a little bigger even than me, and I wasn't entirely convinced that she would be able to navigate the tighter curves of the tunnel, especially if it got any smaller.
"Well, damn. That's comforting," she said.
I could hear in her voice that she wasn't upset. Ero had done amazing things for her in even the small amount of time that they had spent together and I would have to remember to thank him for the love, comfort, and confidence that he had given this woman who had meant so much to me during some of the most difficult times in my life.
"Sorry."
"It's alright. I'm on my way. Leia can bring up the rear and at least her tiny self will be able to get out in case all goes to hell and we burst into flames in here."
"Geez, Zuri, you sure do know how to make a girl feel better when she's creeping through the darkness holding a dagger."
"The things we do for our men."
I heard Zuri's voice close behind me and felt the warmth of the flame from the torch glowing on my back. I glanced over my shoulder at her and smiled.
"Don't I know it," I joked back, "But with the things that
Ty is capable of, I am just fine with this little contribution."
Zuri let out a sound like she knew exactly what I was talking about.
"I am fine with just about anything as long as Ero keeps doing the same things to me that he was doing when we were on top of this cliff."
I laughed, but as soon as the sound made it all the way out of my throat, I felt the tension build inside me again. We were trying so hard to talk casually and joke about our men to distract us from walking down the tunnel, but it didn't have as much of an effect as we were hoping. Instead, as soon as I stopped talking, I felt even more nervous than I had before.
Chapter Six
"Where are they?" Ty growled as he paced in front of the cave.
"Calm down, Ty," Pyra said, "They have only been in there for a few minutes. Everything is fine."
"That's really easy for you to say, Pyra. Your mate is safely in a healer's shop playing around with herbs and leaves and shit trying to come up with healing potions. Mine is wandering around in a rock tunnel that none of us have any idea what might be in it, where it leads, or if it could be being used to bring our enemies into our compound. I'm a little stressed out right now."
"So I take it you got over your whole 'she's too young' thing and finally bonded with her?" Pyra asked.
Ty stopped pacing long enough to glare at him briefly, and then went back to pacing.
"Yes."
"And?"
"And what? It was the most incredible experience of my life, I'm hopelessly in love with her, and now I'm terrified that I've just watched her walk into her death. How is it that a group of warriors and a nurturer just sent three women into a potentially extremely dangerous tunnel with nothing more than a torch and a dagger?"
"They're going to be fine, Ty. You need to learn to have some faith in your mate. I know they seem small, but if Eden has taught me anything in my time with her, it is that human women are far more capable than we give them credit for. Zuri tells me that Samira is incredibly smart and resourceful. I wouldn't have let them go in if I didn't think that they would be safe."
"And what happens if they aren't? What happens if they get into the tunnel and it turns out that the Klimnu are using it, and they are in there? What then? Do you really think that they will be able to fight them off with a single dagger? We have no idea how many of them there are, and reserves could have arrived since the last battle. If we can't get in to them, it would be hopeless."
"So talk to her. Connect with her and make sure that she's OK. She might be able to tell you what she's seeing."
Pyra walked away, leaving Ty alone near the mouth of the cave. Ty stared into the darkness, straining to hear even the smallest hint that the women had made it into the tunnel or were headed back toward him. When only silence greeted him, he closed his eyes, took a breath, and concentrated on connecting directly to Samira.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
He waited a few tense moments.
"We're fine," he finally heard and felt his body relax slightly, "Pyra was right. This tunnel is extremely small. I didn't see anything that indicated that there might be a larger section or some kind of false wall that might open it up more. This is definitely it."
"How far have you gone?"
"Pretty far. The ground is getting steeper. I think we are probably all the way underground now. It's cold and feels kind of clammy down here."
"That's what the Klimnu feel like," he thought absently.
"I've never seen them."
"Zuri and Leia have. They'll tell you."
"I know. Wait…"
The connection went silent and Ty felt panic building inside him again.
"What? Samira? What's going on?"
"I feel air moving."
"What does that mean?"
"Air doesn't move inside a closed space. If I can feel air moving, it means that we are getting close to an opening in the tunnel. Get near Pyra. I want to be able to talk to him."
Ty called out to Pyra and gestured for him to come closer.
"Samira says that she can feel moving air," he told the massive warrior, "She wanted to be able to talk to you."
"Ask her if she can tell where the air is coming from."
Ty did as Pyra asked. It felt strange standing beside Pyra and having a silent conversation with his mate. He felt like the ability to communicate this way was such a private thing and it almost seemed inappropriate to be sharing it with Pyra. Of course, he knew that the way Ciyrs had healed Eden when she first came to the planet had created such a strong link between them that they were actually able to communicate telepathically, so Ty knew that it could be much worse. He didn't know how he would cope with knowing that another man was able to roam freely through Samira's thoughts or talk with her without anyone knowing what he was saying.
"Tell Pyra that I don't know yet. We can feel it on our faces and on our sides, so either it is one big opening, or there are two."
"Is the torch holding up?"
"The air in here is getting damper. It's fine for now, but I'm a little worried that it is going to go out soon. What do we do if it does?"
"Run the blade of the knife against the wall. Hopefully it will generate enough of a spark that you will be able to relight the torch."
"And if not?"
Ty hesitated. He didn't really know what to tell her. The thought of her being stuck inside the tunnel far underground without even so much as a light source made him feel sick.
"It'll work, Baby. Just keep going. I'm right here. Just know that I'm right here."
Chapter Seven
Ty's words gave me strength as I continued walking toward the feeling of the moving air. It was cold and thin, not what I expected coming from deep underground. Then I remembered my few visits to the caverns on Earth when I was younger and the way the air felt thinner once we got deep inside them. As I thought that I started to wonder if I was always going to be trying to draw parallels between the world I left behind and the one that I chose for my future. I wanted to embrace Uoria for all it had to offer, which meant that I would need to find a way to stop thinking about it as something to compare to Earth and start realizing all of its potential and beauty.
I took a calming breath and asked Zuri to bring the torch a little closer. The warmth from the flame seemed to dry the air around me just enough so that it no longer felt like it was crawling across my skin and I glanced down to realize that the ground at my feet had become wet and muddy. The terrain had definitely changed and I had the strange feeling that we had entered an area far from the cliffs where we had started. It felt like we had done more than just walk through a tunnel, that we were much further away than we should have been.
"Ty?" I called out to him in my mind.
"Yes? I'm here."
"Can you go into the cave?"
"Pyra said we won't fit in the tunnel."
"No, no, that's OK. You definitely won't fit. I just need you to find the entrance to the tunnel and yell into it for me."
"Did your torch go out? Are you lost?"
Ty's thoughts were starting to sound frantic and I tried to send him calming vibes. I didn't know if it worked that way, but I was hoping that I could send him soothing feelings through my thoughts that would work the same way holding his hand would.
"I'm not lost and the torch is still just fine. Don't worry about that. I just need you to go into the cave, walk all the way to the back, and find the entrance to the tunnel. Pyra can probably show it to you. When you get there, just shout in to me."
"Alright."
Ty didn't sound convinced. I kept walking as I waited to hear his voice, but it never came.
"Did you shout?" I asked, hoping that he would say that he hadn't.
"Yeah. I screamed your name a few times."
"As loud as you could?"
"Yeah."
I took a breath.
"OK. Is Pyra there with you?"
"Yes."
"Have him try."
I waited for a few seconds but still didn't hear anything.
"Did either of you hear the guys shouting?" I asked Zuri and Leia.
I could barely make out Leia's face behind Zuri, but I could see that both women were shaking their heads. I closed my eyes briefly, trying to orient myself and figure out what this meant.
"How far do you think that we walked?" I asked.
"What do you mean?" Zuri asked.
"Do you think that we've come so far that if the guys were shouting into the tunnel we wouldn’t be able to hear them?"
"No. Those men are loud, besides, the tunnel would only amplify the sound. We haven't gone far enough that the sound couldn't travel to us. Why?"
"I had them shout into the entrance to the tunnel."
Zuri and Leia both got nervous expressions on their faces that told me they understood exactly what I was saying.
"How did we get that far away?" Leia asked.
"I don’t know," I replied, "but do we go back or do we keep going and try to find out where this tunnel leads?"
There was a moment of heavy silence. Even Ty wasn't talking to me through his thoughts.
"We came in here because Pyra and the other warriors believe that this tunnel has something to do with the Klimnu being able to get into the compound and attack and we are the only ones who could get inside," Zuri said slowly and carefully, "If we don't keep going, there'll be no way for any of us to find out what's going on, and it could leave the entire clan at even greater risk."
"You're right," I said, nodding, "We have to keep going. Turning back now isn't going to help anything."
"We're going to keep going," I told Ty through my thoughts.
"Do you want me to keep shouting?" he asked.
"No," I replied, "Just stay close to the entrance and as soon as you hear us coming, let me know. It might be a little while, but just listen for me. When you hear my voice, shout in to me."