Suddenly we touched air.
But then we were freefalling through it.
We cascaded downwards, landing with an almighty eruption into the icy water of another cave pool. The water was deep and I immediately lost my grip on Adrian’s strong shoulders. With our physical connection severed, and my feet not reaching the floor, I struggled frenziedly to remain afloat. Thrusting out my arms, kicking my legs determinedly, I managed to gulp a quick burst of oxygen; but was soon losing to the water.
Fortunately at that moment I felt hands grasp my waist, hauling me over to shallower water. By the time my toes touched the cold, rough pebbles I was gasping desperately; my lungs aching. I glanced around the dark, unlit area of cave we’d discovered, realising I was actually alive. We’d made it.
“Ruby?” called a soft female voice.
Instantly I jerked my neck towards the direction of the sound. I could just make out Chara standing to my right.
She was dressed in Gear; numerous weapons dangling from her chunky belt and massive army boots strapped around her shins. Beside me, Adrian began wading his way over to her and I followed suit; smiling madly for the first time in days. Chara exchanged a brisk, business-like nod with Adrian and handed him a long bow carved from a black wood and a quiver containing ridiculously large arrows. Were all arrows that big? Surely not.
“Chara!” I rushed over instantly, “I thought-”
“Shush, Ruby,” Chara intercepted, her voice an urgent whisper. “Sound carries in these caves.”
Tears filled the corners of my eyes. “You came for me?”
“Of course we did, you moron.” Chara laughed quietly, blatantly relieved and emotional. “We may have messed up before, but I assure you, this time, we really are trying to save you. We are truly sorry, Ruby, about before,” she apologized.
“I don’t care about any of that,” I waved her off. I was just so relieved to see her. “It’s fine. I was dying. You were –well you thought you were- dying too. I don’t blame you for wanting to save yourselves as well as me by coming to Kariak.”
“Good,” she smiled. “We don’t really have time for this. Do you want to get out?” I nodded vigorously and she grinned. “Good, let’s go.”
Stalagmites and stalactites spiked up and pointed down from every direction like gigantic stone icicles. Water dripped down them, causing the uneven ground to be dangerously slippery. Brittle fragments of dirt and rock shattered into my bare feet intermittently. The air was even cooler down here, crystallising my breath as it escaped between my teeth; formulating a whirling mist. Goosebumps rose on my arms.
My eyes had adjusted to the darkness now; however this only meant that I could see my toes were not a good colour.
Chara lead us through several convoluted pathways, her footsteps quick and accurate. Adrian marched beside me and -despite his towering frame- his steps were silent. I struggled to keep up with their fast, deliberate pace and felt incredibly loud in contrast. The darkness was creepy. The whole night-vision thing made me even more skittish because I could see all the cracks and crevices in the perspiring walls; where I knew the monsters would lurk. I knew this to be accurate; I’d seen enough horror films.
Suddenly Chara stopped us and pointed towards a wall. I nodded comprehendingly and went to press my body tightly against it, shuffling carefully so I could see around the corner. Five guards were positioned there; inhuman guards. I gulped apprehensively; half-breeds.
Quietly Chara gestured for us to move back. Once we were considerably farther away –still not far enough for me to feel comfortable- we paused again. Adrian shrugged the long curved bow from his shoulders and tapped it with a meaningful gaze. Chara nodded, turning to me and speaking in a voice so hushed I barely heard her.
“Adrian can shoot them just fine, but they probably won’t all die.” Chara began to explain. “We might have to fight.”
I nodded hesitantly; biting my lip.
Adrian was already plucking arrows from his leather quiver; placing one on the bow’s string and drawing it back slowly. The rippling muscles in his arms flexed under the strain and a fierce concentration dictated his expression. Adrian turned and nodded sharply us. I returned the gesture uncertainly, closing my eyes for a brief millisecond to concentrate on what was about to happen. I heard Adrian set the first arrow free.
I watched in bewildered astonishment as Adrian began stringing the next arrow in a blindingly fast movement; sending arrow after arrow flying at an impressive rate. In mere seconds each arrow had been precisely targeted into the heart of each half-breed. He was phenomenal; not one arrow missed.
Despite this, the arrows weren’t quite having the desired effect.
The first Daemon hissed in anguish, but after a moment it reached up to grasp the arrow tightly in its claws. Its horrible face tightened momentarily, then it yanked the embedded arrow from its deformed flesh.
Blood splattered from the wound, spraying slivers of flesh and bone across the floor. I watched in horror as the others followed suit; gruesomely tearing out the arrows. We’d underestimated the thickness of their skin or the position of their hearts. Not good.
“Um,” Chara breathed beside me. “I was hoping that would work.”
“What do we do?” I whispered urgently as the half-breed started taste the air with their tongues; trying to work out where we were hiding.
“That’s the only way out,” Chara answered, her voice calm but I could see that her hands were shaking as they reached for the blades at her belt.
She handed me a curved blade that finished to a smooth point. The silver metal was heavy and strong and felt awkward in my hands. It wasn’t exactly the thin blunted blades I was accustomed to practicing with during training with Jayson. That’s because this isn’t practice, I reminded myself.
Adrian withdrew a blade from the belt he’d retrieved from Chara and unhesitatingly began charging into the death-zone. My eyes widened in shock, but then Chara was racing after him; her blades raised high. It took only an instant for me to foolishly, recklessly follow.
The piercing clash of claw and metal rang. With a cry, I leapt onto the nearest Daemon, who was turned away from me –occupied with Adrian’s blade- and forcefully drove the knife between its hunched shoulder blades. It screeched angrily, turning its body with a force so powerful I was thrown off its back; landing painfully on the floor. It pulled the blade –my only weapon- from its back and flung it at me. I dodged out of the way as the blade sliced through the air and, with a clang, skidded across the slippery floor.
Immediately I hauled my body up and ran for it. The half-breed was much faster than me and was soon standing in front of me. It hissed menacingly. My blade was behind it.
It lanced out suddenly; reaching out its disjointed limbs. I flinched backwards but its sharp claws shredded the skin under my bandage, deforming the unhealed symbols that were gouged into my skin. Blood streamed from the injury, darkening my already-stained bandage and running like rivers down my pale arm. Pain leaked with the blood and I knew that even if I could reach my blade, I wouldn’t be able to lift it with my right -and unfortunately my best- arm.
The monster licked its lips ravenously and I shivered, repulsed.
I glanced around for help but the others were busy.
Breathing heavily, I stared with a fierce intensity into the weird slit eyes of the creature, ignoring the churning of my stomach as it licked its deadly talons of my blood. Then an answer popped into my head.
If it got to use its claws then so should I.
Time seemed to stop ticking as the Daemon took a step forward. Though fear dominated my thoughts, my body reacted instinctively. My eyelids screened my vision and everything became clear. It wasn’t a spark of energy that caused my body to Change; it was a thunderous implosion. My cells duplicated crazily, expanding my flesh and morphing it into shape with an accelerating speed. Brilliant heat beamed from my body.
I opened my new eyes, lifted my extraordinarily lo
ng neck, and glared down as the creature froze mid-stride. I must have changed in less than a second. Was that even possible?
Well duh, you idiot, because you just did it.
The half-breed hissed again, a rock-splitting kind of sound, and threw itself at my Phoenix body. I raised my beautiful, dangerous wings and struck the monster with a powerful blow. It screeched, falling back, then caught its balance and used its leathery wings to gain height. It screamed in my face, kicking at my chest with its digging claws. I fought back at it, hard.
Using the blade-like side of my wings I slashed it across the stomach when the opportunity arose. Before it had chance to fall to the floor I hit it again, this time with my legs, and gripped my talons into its flesh. I forced its struggling form down onto the floor and persistently hacked at it with my claws and wings; making damn sure I killed it correctly the first time.
When it finally stopped wriggling I rushed to help the others.
Both were fighting for their lives; only one other half-breed was dead. Chara’s stomach was bleeding and Adrian was trying his best to defend her, but with three half-breeds against him he was struggling. I jumped into the air and landed on the most threatening-looking half-breed. It was not expecting me and it reactions were slow as I cut at it with my powerful wings. The other two half-breeds instantly recognised me as a threat and concentrated on me –which was good news for Chara at least.
With the Daemons briefly distracted, Adrian lunged at one of their skeletal wings; piercing through it with his blade. The monster screeched in agony and turned, but then I jabbed its other shoulder with my talon and it tumbled to the floor. Adrian pounced on it, thrusting his blade into its neck until its screams subsided.
Meanwhile I was stuck between two -very angry- half-breeds. Chara sent one of her blades whistling through the air. It struck one of the creature’s legs with such force the leg was amputated in an extremely gruesome fashion. The flesh tore apart and as the blade continued flying, so did the leg.
I managed to puncture one creature’s chest with my claws, tearing out chunks of its organs as I pulled away. Meanwhile Adrian was punching the last half-breed in a very unsophisticated, fight-club kind of way.
“Go to hell,” Adrian spat, then jammed a knife right through its face. Its arms flew out to claw at Adrian even as it fell backwards.
As the two dying bodies twitched on the floor, Chara brushed past us and elegantly bent down –grasping two massive shards of rock- and staked the monsters efficiently through their brains. Instantly they stopped moving.
Are you alright? I asked Chara; who was still clutching her bleeding waist.
She looked up at me; I’m fine, Chick, don’t worry. It’s only superficial.
“Chara, let me see your injury,” Adrian grunted.
Reluctantly Chara lifted the dark scaly material of her top and I cringed when I saw the damage. Three narrow slits, obviously claw marks, slashed all the way across her stomach. Blood oozed from the wounds.
“Give me a minute,” Adrian said, “We need to stop the bleeding before we move on.”
“We don’t have a minute-” Chara protested, but Adrian gave her an authoritative I-am-right-and-you-will-listen look; so she sighed; surrendering.
As Adrian rummaged around in Chara’s handy wing-brace for a bandage, he threw some clothes at me, demanding I change back now because I’m too big and conspicuous. At any other time, I would have refused to do anything when he possessed that tone, but we really didn’t have the time for petty arguments. I Changed quickly, dressing in loose Gear. It was only now that I realised just how dirty I was. I needed a shower really bad.
I started to hear distant voices and footsteps getting closer. So I warned the others: “We better hurry.”
Adrian nodded briskly and finished tying Chara’s bandage.
“This way,” Chara whispered.
I followed her down several empty tunnels. Our movements were even faster now and exhaustion was slowing me down. Suddenly we stumbled upon a half-breed sleeping lair. I cringed, remembering my last encounter in a place like this; and took a step back. Oh my God. I’m not going in there.
Chara’s eyes widened in astonishment and Adrian stiffened as they looked out at the massive room of slumbering upside-down monsters. I had the feeling we hadn’t meant to come this way.
“They weren’t here before,” Chara breathed.
“It must be daytime,” I uttered back. “I think they’re nocturnal.”
“The way out is down there,” Adrian nodded towards a great stone arch on the far side of the room. “They’ll be waiting.”
Carefully Chara slid her foot forwards onto the rocky floor; keeping her eyes locked on the monsters above. Slowly I did the same -this time keeping a certain eye out for loose rocks. We tiptoed over to the other side of the massive room, barely even breathing, but eventually we made it.
As soon as we were past the chamber, we ran.
I ran like I’d spent my whole life paralysed; like it was the first time I’d ever done it. We were running towards freedom. For several long moments there was nothing but our feet sounding swiftly in the silence.
Then abruptly there was a wooden door in our way. It leaned ajar, barely supported by its sagging hinges. We burst through it into a massive cave chamber. Almost instantly my eyes were overwhelmed by the horrific scene before me; of the image of many bodies strewn lifelessly across the floor.
And Kieran, Jayson and Nik stood in the centre of the carnage.
Chapter Six
“You were supposed to be subtle,” Chara said next to me, gaping at the bloodied bodies scattered across the floor.
“You were late,” Nik huffed, his chest rapidly rising and falling, as if he were still catching his breath.
“Try being subtle when you’re with this bumbling pyromaniac,” Kieran said petulantly, glaring at Jayson. “He can barely even breathe without causing stalactites to fall on us. You’re lucky we’re even alive.”
“I tripped once, you jackass,” Jayson returned the glare irritably. “And I can fight just as well as you.”
“Yeah,” Kieran agreed, “If I had no arms, no legs, and was completely blind…” he paused, seemingly reconsidering his own words. “Actually no, not even then.”
Jayson ignored him and rushed over to me, instantly sweeping me up into a big hug. “You have no idea,” Jayson whispered in my ear, “how much I missed you.”
I glanced at the Ashaiks in all their menacing glory and answered, “I can imagine. How did you manage Kieran?”
Kieran smirked in front of me, hearing my words despite their quietness; “He didn’t. He got bitch-slapped several times.”
I rolled my eyes and pulled away from Jayson, finally allowing myself a proper look at the gorgeous monster in front of me. Nothing had changed of course. Those eyes still locked onto mine like a hunting predator. They were still the same gorgeous shade of emerald. They still made my heartbeat flutter in my chest, and they still gave me that subtle but powerful feeling that what I felt was very wrong and very dangerous.
“Take your head out of your arsehole, Kieran,” Jayson warned. “Before I do it for you.”
“Come on guys,” Chara warned. “We need to get out of here.”
“Right,” Kieran said, his face suddenly serious. “But before you go I need to show you something.” He was addressing me, Chara and Adrian.
“We don’t have time Kieran,” Chara said, eyes wide and constantly glancing back way we had come.
“No,” Nik said, to my surprise. “Kieran’s right, you need to see this.”
Puzzled, I followed Kieran and Nik through an archway on our right; the others in immediate tow. Once through my eyes widened in surprise.
It was another gigantic cave chamber; but this one was accessorised.
The rock above was covered in electric lights that cast their unnatural light down onto several cars and motorbikes that glistened, polished, underneath. They were expensive
cars, fast and colourful.
There were also rows of tables with more harsh lights dangling above them; glaring down as if onto a sterilized examining table; disinfected and prepared for a body to be dissected. When I edged closer to these tables I realised they were covered in hundreds of mechanical weapons. Various guns, tracking devices, Tasers, explosives and every other modern weapon imaginable had been carefully laid out.
As I moved to the next set of tables I saw more man-made instruments; though I had no clue to their original function. Obviously these devices had been disassembled, picked and pried apart for some ulterior motive. They could have been anything from a bomb to a car engine for all I knew.
Finally when I arrived at the very last table I recognised something. Laptops, IPods, phones, tablets, sound systems and a random coffee maker were sprawled across the final desk. I reached out, plucking a small silver IPod by its headphones; finally making the connection.
If this was in here, that meant they’d been out there. Outside Kariak.
It all made sense. The headphones in the guard’s ears; to prevent them from hearing my voice if I’d attempted to use my gift on them. The bomb in the roof of the Tower in Ephizon. Briseis had already told me they’d been out. Why did I not see it?
“Hey guys,” I heard a voice echo from the other side of the room. I glanced over, instantly seeing Briseis. “It’s nice of you to drop by.”
She grinned wickedly, a powerful firearm clenched to her chest by her immaculately scrubbed fingernails. The gun was pointed directly at me.
There was a moment when we all stopped and stared at each other. I glanced at Kieran, noticing how in an instant his body went completely rigid; poised on the balls of his feet, ready to pounce.
To my surprise he wasn’t the first person to speak. Chara, still clutching her bleeding stomach, glared at Briseis with a fierce intensity and said, “Drop dead.”
Risen (The Firebird Trilogy Book 2) Page 6