by C. R. Grey
He eased back into the cavern to see the others sitting up, rubbing the sleep out of their eyes.
“We’re trapped.” As he said it he realized how dire the situation actually was—they could starve in here if they didn’t find another way out. The others stared at him as though he’d just said something in an entirely new language.
“What do you mean?” asked Hal, rushing to the opening. He pushed his glasses onto his nose and leaned his head out.
“Careful!” said Bailey. “The ledge is gone.”
Hal stepped back, his face slack and pale. “What are we going to do?”
“We…we could try to climb up the rock face,” said Bailey. He leaned out of the opening again to take a look at the vertical rock face above them. “Unless we can find a rope…”
“The thing about ropes is that you need something to tie them to,” Tori said from behind them.
“There might be something,” Bailey said, scanning the sharp edge of the cliff.
“Doubtful,” said Hal, blinking behind his glasses. “With the constant sandstorms, erosion is inevitable, and—”
“We’re stuck is what you guys are saying,” said Gwen, squeezing through to look down the cliff. She shook her head in disbelief.
“Carin could fly out, search for something we could use,” Phi offered from behind them. The falcon dug her talons firmly into the leather patch on Phi’s shoulder.
“Which would be what, exactly? There’s nothing out there that’s not buried in sand at this point. And we left that tarp in the rigi,” Tori said with a weary sigh. “We weren’t thinking.”
“We could call for help!” Hal said, clambering back over the pile of rocks in front of the entrance.
“You’ll let every lowlife in the area know we’re here if you do that,” said Tori.
“We’ve got to try!” said Hal. “I know you don’t want to starve in a cave, even if it does mean you’re right about something.”
Tori shot him an irritated look. “There’s got to be something we’re not thinking of,” she said. Her snakes emerged from her beaded bag and slithered down to the floor of the cave. They stayed close to the wall, anxiously slithering in wide S curves.
“Oh, ants,” breathed Gwen, taking Bailey by surprise—he’d never heard her curse before. “This can’t be right,” she said, stumbling to the interior wall of the cavern. She sank down into a crouch. “It can’t end here.”
“What do you mean, end?” Phi asked, stomping over and squatting down next to her. “We’re not going to die here. We just haven’t found the solution yet!”
Bailey looked around at each of his friends, taking in the apprehension, fear, and frustration he saw on their faces. Gwen was right—it couldn’t end here.
“I’ll climb out,” he said. “If I can get to the top, maybe I can find something to help lift the rest of you out—a branch or some rope. I’ll be careful.”
“Ants, Bailey, don’t be stupid,” said Hal. “You don’t always have to be the hero.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Bailey felt Taleth’s breath on the back of his neck. She nudged his shoulder with her forehead, concerned. “What, you’re taking his side?” he asked Taleth.
“It’s not about sides, Bailey. It’s a crazy idea,” Tori said, her arms crossed.
“Tigers are great climbers,” Bailey said forcefully. “It’ll come naturally to me.”
He pushed past Hal and Tori, and eased himself through the opening. Everyone protested at once, but he tuned them out. He refused to look down as he grabbed ahold of a nick in the rock face and pressed himself frontward against the cliff. With his right foot, he felt around for the surface of one of the fallen rocks. As soon as the ball of his foot connected, he carefully let his weight slide away from the cave entrance, where two heads—Hal’s and Taleth’s—poked out, watching.
At first, the rock seemed stable. He felt a trill of hope in his chest—he’d show them he would make it! But as soon as he moved his left hand away from the edge of the opening, he felt a sickening shift beneath him. There was nothing for his left hand to grab on to, and as the boulder wobbled, he cried out. The rock teetered, and Bailey slipped, hanging on with one hand. Suddenly, there was nothing under his feet, and he jolted downward. Something caught him by his shirt collar, and he watched as the boulder tumbled down, down the side of the cliff until he could barely see it. His heart was racing and he saw spots, adrenaline causing his vision to cloud.
He looked up—Taleth had him, his collar in her teeth. All he saw were her whiskers and the side of her face as he glanced over his shoulder. Looking slightly down, he saw her claws dug into the rubble, scrambling to lift him back through the opening. She drew him back into the safety of the cave, where she dropped him, gasping, onto the floor.
“If I wasn’t so happy you survived, I’d kill you!” shrieked Tori, suddenly standing over him. They’d all been shouting, gathered by the opening. He’d hardly registered their voices over the blood pumping through his ears.
“Are you all right?” asked Gwen, her face white as paper.
Phi stood with her hand over her mouth, not saying a word—but Carin flew in circles in the small, enclosed space.
Hal gripped Bailey’s shoulders so tight it was like a vise closing in around him. “He’s fine. You’re fine, right?” said Hal, kneeling next to him. He seemed out of breath. “Ants. Ants. You’re okay.”
“Right. Right, I’m okay,” Bailey said, his heart still beating out of control. He looked back up at Hal. “Are you going to tell me ‘I told you so’?”
Hal shook his head. “I’ll just say it was not your brightest idea. It’s up there with jumping off the clock tower.”
Bailey managed a smile, and everyone stayed silent as the sting of panic eased away. Bailey’s heart finally returned to something close to its normal rhythm.
“No one’s going near that ledge again,” said Phi. “But there’s another way. There has to be.”
“So what is it, then?” said Tori. “We can’t get out the way we came, and if we call for help, we’ll only get picked up by someone who—chances are—would rather kill us than help us. Please, Phi, tell us what the brilliant solution is!”
“You don’t have to be like that,” Phi said. Bailey knew that she was used to Tori’s prickly nature, but this was more than everyday bickering between friends. Their lives depended on them not giving up.
“Like what, exactly?” said Tori. She was on her feet now, pacing frantically. “A tiny bit upset that maybe we might die in a cave? Bailey almost just fell off a cliff, but I don’t have to be upset! No, no, a solution will materialize, if we all stand here wringing our hands about it long enough!” She picked up one of the rocks that had tumbled in from the entrance. With a yell, she threw it, hard, against the back wall of the cave. Dust crumbled down from where it struck, leaving a gray scar in red rock.
“Okay, stop it,” said Hal. “This isn’t helping anything!”
Tori picked up another rock. The rest of them instinctively drew back. “CHEER UP, TORI!” she yelled. “Why are you always so moody? Why can’t you just be happy?!”
She paused, gave an exaggerated smile, then hurled the rock at the same spot. It bounced off, and more dust crumbled from overhead.
“Tori, I didn’t mean it that way—” Phi began. But Carin let out a kaking sound that drowned out her voice. Taleth, too, seemed jittery: she left Bailey’s side and began pacing, just out of Tori’s throwing path.
Bailey had never seen Tori so angry. Sarcastic, standoffish, and irritated, yes, but never angry. But the same could be said for Phi.
“Hey!” she called as she stalked over to where Tori stood. “I’ve never said anything like that to you! I’ve never even thought it.” Phi picked up her own rock and launched it at the same spot on the wall. This one caused a spray of powdery dust to explode from the impact point. Taleth backed away, whiskers shuddering.
“That’s the spirit!” Tori sai
d fiercely. Bailey couldn’t tell if she was angry or happy or both.
Taleth paced and stared at the spot where Tori’s rock ricocheted off the wall of the cave. Her whiskers were twitching up and down, up and down. She was interested in something. Bailey remembered how, when the Jackal had kidnapped her, she had rubbed against the bars of her cage—but this felt different. She moved with purpose now, not agitation. Gwen stood next to him and clutched his shoulder, noticing, too, how Taleth moved.
“You’re not the only one, you know,” Phi grumbled to Tori. She picked up two rocks and handed one over to her. “Adults telling me to speak up, to not be so shy…” The two girls lifted their rocks in unison.
“Tori, stop!” Both Bailey and Gwen cried out at the same time. Bailey walked forward and touched the nick Phi had made with his finger.
“It’s not solid!” he said, wiping his fingers together. A pale dust fell from his hand.
“It’s some kind of mineral buildup,” said Hal, stepping forward to take a better look. “That means there might be space behind here. There’s no moisture on this side, so it stands to reason that on the other side—”
He was cut off by a massive crash. Phi hadn’t waited a moment to hurl the rock in her hand at the wall with all her strength. Hal, Bailey, and Gwen backed away as dust and rock particles launched out at them.
“Hey!” said Hal.
“Get out of the way!” Tori yelled. Her anger had shifted, and Bailey could see a resurfacing of the old Tori—mischievous, brazen—taking its place. Now she was having fun. She took the fist-sized rock in her own hand and wound up.
“Look out!” Bailey said, pulling the others away. He thought Tori would’ve been a great Scavage player as she sent the rock zinging against the wall. More dust crumbled away, and there appeared a spot of darkness—a hole.
“Come on!” said Phi. Together, they all rushed at the wall, using stones to chip away at it until it finally crumbled, revealing a dark passageway. They could smell moisture, and felt cool air emanating from the opening. Far ahead, down the dark hallway of solid rock, was a tiny glow of daylight.
“What did I tell you?” said Tori, charging forward with her dynamo lamp at the ready.
“That was just luck,” said Hal, but Phi shot him a look.
Tori’s snakes slithered ahead over the rocks, and Bailey and the rest followed.
Passing through the narrow opening in the rock almost made Bailey homesick for the Allies’ tunnels. This was small and cramped, and they needed the dynamo lamp to see more than a foot in front of their faces. They shuffled in single file, with Bailey and Taleth in the rear. Taleth followed behind him, barely able to squeeze through. Phi walked just in front of him.
“I didn’t know you felt that way,” he told her as they walked. “What you said, back there in the cave…”
She shrugged. He wished he could make out her face. “Doesn’t everyone feel that way? Like they’re always being told what to do and how to act?”
He wanted to ask her what she meant, but the dim, bluish light ahead grew larger; the tunnel opened up into another cavern, where a crack in the rocks let through a slant of sunlight.
On the floor was an unoccupied bedroll and a small, organized pile of foodstuff—a box of pancake powder, a packet of dried cactus, and a few sundry pieces of fruit.
“Someone lives here,” Bailey whispered.
“They don’t just live here—look,” said Phi. She pointed to the other side of the cavern, where several grubby bags were piled, full of shiny new pots and pans, jewelry, and other goods. “It’s a smuggler stop!”
They fell upon the food goods, popping the fruit into their rucksacks. Bailey eagerly pocketed the bag of dried cactus.
“Is there any water?” asked Hal, looking around. Bailey didn’t see any—no canteens, no buckets. Nothing. They were days, at least, from the Bay of Braour. No one knew how much shelter they would have from the sun. Dried pancake powder was one thing, but water was quite another. He exchanged a glance with Phi, who seemed to be thinking the same thing. There was nothing to do but keep going.
“This way,” said Tori, following her snakes as the tunnel continued.
The tunnel, a little wider on this end, slanted upward, and Bailey felt the air becoming warmer as they moved toward the surface of the cliffs once more. Finally, they reached a curve in the stone wall, illuminated by morning sunshine. The entrance was only blocked by a pile of sand, easily swept away. Bailey followed Tori out onto the hot, flat terrain, careful not to step too close to the ravine’s edge.
“Well, hello!” came a voice. “Got some mice scuttling in the old homestead!”
Bailey turned to his right, and his stomach fell as he saw two figures leaning on a boulder just a few yards from the entrance. The first man was tall and ruddy, with patchy black stubble on his cheeks and neck. The other was a chinless, somewhat fat, little man wearing a large hat that shielded his small, round eyes.
“And what would you be doing—” The tall man stopped short as Taleth emerged from the tunnel.
“Creaking frogs,” muttered the short man, in his own creaking voice. “The stories from the Fair…they’re true….”
“You’ll leave us alone, then, if you please,” said Tori bravely. “Unless you want to fight off all five of us, plus the tiger.”
“Are all five as big as you?” the tall man asked dryly. “If so, I’ll take my chances.”
Bailey reached inside his coat for the claw, his only weapon, and looked back to check on the others. Hal, Gwen, and Phi peered up at him from the shadows of the tunnel, unsure of what to do.
The tall man walked toward them, keeping his eyes on Tori.
“You’re awful brazen for such a skinny bit of lass,” he said. “I know some traders that’d have a fine time whipping that gall right out of you.”
Tori’s lips became pinched, and her eyes narrowed.
“I did mention the tiger, right?” she said sharply.
Then two things happened all at once: the tall man moved forward so quickly that Tori hardly had a chance to defend herself. He grabbed her wrists and ignored the snakes that slithered onto his hands, attempting to frighten him off. At the same time, the short man lifted a small tube to his lips. He blew, and a dart swished through the air and sank into Taleth’s neck.
“No!” shouted Bailey as he frantically tried to keep his eyes on the tall man, the short man, and Taleth. Taleth, who had begun to advance on the tall man, now stumbled to one side. Hal, Gwen, and Phi rushed up from the tunnel, shouting. Hal ran to Tori, and the girls to Taleth as she fell, one paw twitching.
“Yes, I believe you did mention the tiger,” said the tall man. He now held Tori to him, pressing a short, fat knife to her throat. Hal stood back, frozen. “Now, the rest of you,” he said, eyeing each of them where they stood paralyzed by shock. “You’ll let Edder here tie you up, and you won’t give us any fuss, or you’ll be saying some sad good-byes.”
“Don’t hurt her,” Hal cried.
“What did you do to Taleth?” Bailey demanded, although the fuzziness in his own head, clouding his vision and urging him to sleep, told him almost all he needed to know. The short man, Edder, walked toward the tiger and the other girls with coils of rope hoisted onto his thick shoulder.
“That’s the furry one, I take it?” croaked Edder. “Just a sleepy-bit.” He pulled the dart out of her neck, and Bailey saw a spot of blood staining her white fur. He wanted nothing more than to lie down next to her and close his eyes. His feet and hands weighed on him like anvils.
“She’s alive,” said Gwen, her hands on Taleth’s flank.
“I know,” Bailey murmured. Then he sank to his knees. Edder tied Taleth’s paws, then tied Hal’s and the girls’ hands behind them before moving on to Bailey.
“I think I guessed which one is the tiger’s kin,” he said to the tall man, laughing as he lifted Bailey’s groggy head to get a better look at him.
“Your breath stin
ks,” Bailey said, but his voice seemed to float away from him, the words dancing in the air. He shook his head, willing himself to focus. “Like rotten cactus…”
“You little ant,” said Edder, sounding very far away. “What do you think, Micah? Should we crush him like an ant?”
“No. Dominae’s paying a saucy snailback to get all the Trent Melore supporters rounded up,” said Micah, the tall man. “But I wager the tiger here is the real prize. Any fool can claim to be a prince, but there’s no mistaking a white tiger! What I wouldn’t give to be the man delivering that pelt to the palace. Viviana’d get weak in the knees and crown me king, I bet.”
“Even better we’ve got this lot, since I heard the real Trent is captured and being held in a Dominae prison,” said Edder. “Soon they won’t be caring about the Allies no more.”
“That don’t mean anything,” said Micah, standing over Bailey. “Even if there is a tiger, and it really did show up at the Fair. The true Trent Melore would’ve been smart enough not to show his face in front of Viviana. Bloodthirsty, that woman. But the tiger will be a treat she’ll be happy to see.”
Bailey’s hands shook in their bonds, and his head swam. He tried to focus—these men claimed that Tremelo was captured. Had things gone so terribly wrong since they’d left the Dark Woods? At least there, they’d had the protection of the RATS, and could have helped to fight if the Dominae had found them. At least there, he wasn’t, once again, risking his friends’ lives in a place where no one would find them.
Micah turned to Bailey. He seemed about to drawl another threat—but as soon as his mouth parted to speak, Bailey saw something flash from the corner of his eye—he heard a thud, and the man stumbled backward with a knife buried up to the hilt in his chest. Tori screamed. The man’s eyes went wide, confused, and then he fell back into the sand. Edder took no time at all in running the opposite direction.
Bailey turned. What he saw made his jaw drop.
A woman, so tan and sunburned it was impossible to tell what color her skin had been at birth, stood facing them, her throwing arm still extended. She wore a blue scarf tied over an abundance of reddish-brown curls, and dirt-stained men’s pants tucked into a pair of laced boots, out the top of which Bailey could see at least two more knife hilts nestled.