Feel the Burn

by MacDonald, Nicole

  ‘Get them off! Get them off!’ Sian shrieked, dancing all over the place while the Halenine fae plucked the spiders off one by one, biting or stinging them, then dropped the corpses in a growing pile.

  A muffled gasp made Daron twist and he saw Kassie, Cat, and Loi, staring at Sian and the pile. A spider dropped off Sian and scuttled toward the girls who reacted in an instant. Loi darted behind Sabyn and Rumal, who’d just arrived. Kassie froze and Cat glared at it. With a bright flash the spider combusted on the spot and Cat gave a satisfied nod, meeting Daron’s eye with a cheeky smirk. The absurdity of it all struck, even more so when he turned and saw all the armed and ready soldiers and allies staring in confusion at the dead spiders. Daron started to laugh.

  ‘Well, Pix. Looks like you found a good dinner for the fae.’

  Sian scowled while vigorously rubbing her arachnid free limbs.

  ‘Funny. Oh god, I can still feel them! I want a bath,’ she wailed.

  Those watching laughed and moved back to what they’d been doing before the sudden performance and Daron reached for Sian, pulling her in for a hug while she twisted and squirmed.

  ‘They’re all gone, Pix. Every last one.’ He pointed to the fae zipping out of the hole, carrying the rest of the spiders. Sian shuddered and pressed her face to his chest.

  ‘Don’t show me! I’ve seen enough. Let’s go set up our area.’

  *~*~*

  Chapter Seventeen

  I left Sian and Daron and walked to the water’s edge where Gredel stood, both hands busy as he jabbed a spear into the water and yanked something out. He turned and tossed a fish onto the rocks.

  ‘Whoa!’

  Flaring a hand brighter, I leaned to look at the fish then turned to Gredel.

  ‘Look at the size of those teeth! Are there many in there? What do they eat?’

  Still flopping and gasping, the trout sized fish revealed the most unbelievable set of teeth; sharp canines the size of my pinkie finger. Gredel, in the midst of drawing the spear in with another fish writhing on the end of it, glanced my way.

  ‘Eels, Cat. The fish need big teeth to pull them out from under the rocks. They’re quite strong, eels.’

  Eels as well as those horrid fish? I shuddered while looking at the glowing water. Steam wafted gently off the top and I could feel the lovely heat beneath the rocks, it sang to my energy.

  ‘Will it be safe to swim in?’

  Gredel laughed his faint wisp of a laugh and set to gutting the fish.

  ‘They won’t bother you, Cat.’

  I eyed the water wistfully and hoped he was right and sat, watching him work. The smell of fish made my nose wrinkle. Gredel spotted it and sat back on his heels.

  ‘What?’

  ‘Nothing. Just don’t like the smell.’

  ‘Fresh fish don’t smell.’

  ‘Pfftt. Says you. I smell them just fine.’

  Gredel shook his head and continued working at the fish. While watching I asked, ‘Do Citaan and Rirae like fish?’

  It felt comforting in his presence. Gredel, no matter the situation, always managed to stay calm and it made me miss Citaan; the woman’s joyful light company the perfect accompaniment to Gredel. Phroma silently joined us making me start when she bent to clean up the pieces he’d removed and he murmured to her, reaching out a large rough hand to stroke over her beak. The simple, peaceful moment was broken by a shout and I twisted in time to see a bunch of butt naked soldiers and allies dash past into the water; a bemused looking Kassie standing a few feet back. Hearing Gredel laugh again I turned back and he pointed at a long narrow rock that nearly divided the pool.

  ‘You’ll want to swim over there, I’ve checked it already.’

  Thanking him, I stood and made my way to where Leseach had set the tent up. It felt a little odd to sleep in a tent when no one else did, but I appreciated the privacy and familiar walls each evening. Leseach rummaged through the small carry bags when I reached her and dragged a couple of drying towels out.

  ‘Wanting to go for a swim?’

  I nodded and she motioned for me to turn, unfastening the seam in my chainmail. I felt naked without the light weight and pressure even though I stood in the undergarments.

  ‘Leave those on until we reach the water. It wouldn’t be appropriate for you to strip off fully.’

  I snorted and crossed my arms over my chest.

  ‘Not to worry, Leseach. I wasn’t intending to.’

  The Northerner flicked a glance at me, lips curving in a teasing smile.

  ‘You humans.’

  Loi waved from across the way and I walked over, joining her and Sian, also in their undergarments. Kassie already stood at the waters edge, teasing and laughing with the men.

  ‘God she’s such a little voyeur,’ Sian muttered and we chuckled, walking to the other side of the water while snagging Kassie on the way.

  Loi cut her a sideways glance.

  ‘Enjoying yourself?’

  Kassie giggled.

  ‘Gotta have some fun before I die.’

  At the water’s edge we stripped off and slipped into the water, well hidden from the others by that long narrow rock. The water felt gorgeous, just warm enough to relax and heat the body through.

  ‘Oooo wow,’ breathed Loi.

  ‘Perfect,’ agreed Sian, Kassie, and I.

  The water felt different to water above ground, a little thicker and silky. I moved slowly to the deeper end near the back wall until my shoulders slipped underneath too and sighed in pleasure.

  Wish Al was here. Not that there would have been the opportunity for a romantic dip together, I thought wryly, listening to the noise of them on the other side. I noticed Sito and the other griffons enter the cave, Phroma already lay sprawled on the rocks in front of the lake watching everyone swim and the Halenine fae with their inexhaustible appetites scoured the water’s surface for bugs.

  ‘I thought Sianny’s spider stash would have kept them fed for a while.’

  Kassie sagely agreed.

  ‘Me too.’

  ‘How many spiders did you find?’ Loi teased.

  Sian’s face wasn’t distinguishable in the light but her tone was.

  ‘You know, I didn’t think to count.’

  The glowing water gave off enough light to see around the pool but the others looked like shadows to me.

  ‘Where’s Leseach?’ I twisted about looking. ‘She was right behind me.’

  ‘There, over by the guys area,’ said Sian.

  In the light from the torches by the men’s area I could make out Leseach’s form, standing conversing with someone.

  Kassie moved closer to me, sloshing water on my face while she squinted.

  ‘Who’s she talking to?’

  ‘Rashid,’ said Loi, closer than the three of us.

  Leseach pulled away and walked briskly to our side and the four of us all found reason to look elsewhere when she entered the water and dived, emerging on the far side of where we stood.

  ‘Pleasant,’ she asserted in her brisk tone, ignoring us and started to swim laps of the small pool.

  Someone seems grouchy, Sian thought.

  You guys should have seen them in the tunnel, I thought and showed them the argument.

  Loi’s laugh echoed in my mind, I wonder if they’ll ever hook up?

  If by hook up you mean Leseach’s fist connecting with his jaw, thought Kassie. Then I’m in agreement.

  Shouts echoed from the guys’ side and the occasional splashes too so we decided to finish up before they caught us out.

  ‘Bonus of no sand,’ said Kassie and she sat on a rock to get her pants on. While technically true, the small shards of rock that clung determinedly to my damp skin were nearly as bad and I shuffled on my seat, squeezing a hand up a pant leg to loosen and shake out another little stone. We finished dressing just in time, the men all starting to climb out in good spirits. Leaving them to it I went to join Loushka who rested with Kerak near the entrance to the cav
e.

  ‘How was the freaky squid?’

  ‘Dynahck, Cat. It’s called a dynahck. And very tasty,’ she purred the last words, rolling toward Kerak who made a happy trill.

  ‘Glad it didn’t go to waste. How’s the armor, any sore spots?’

  ‘An itchy spot on my flank, do you mind?’ she stretched her leg out. ‘Ooo, that’s it, just a bit further over.’

  Kerak seemed to ignore us, resting his massive head over Loushka’s back, his eyes dreamy and I laughed, reaching out to pat his beak when I’d scratched the itchy spot to Loushka’s contentment.

  ‘Nice and full, Kerak?’

  He hummed a purr, making me smile. I picked out a spot to sit, tucked against the side of Loushka’s neck and amused myself by trying to get the tufts of mane back under her armor. Soldiers and allies went through their usual evening routines of checking weapons, arguing about techniques, investigating the nooks and crannies, and generally giving one another a hard time, raucous laughter ringing throughout the cave. The fish Gredel caught made a nice addition to dinner with our head chef creating another interesting stew. While we finished up Larvaste took center stage in front of the fire I’d created, calling all attention to him and he outlined the plan.

  ‘We have six days, possibly seven, and as you’ve seen the closer we get to the surface the more creatures we’ll come across. Watch your step and report anything unusual.’

  I stared around the cave looking at all the faces and cautiously glanced at the Nyjens. The dark skinned elves nodded along with everyone else and I couldn’t decide if they looked different, affected, at all. Sterner perhaps? I bit the inside of my cheek and looked away before I accidentally conveyed sympathy in my face. It felt so wrong to pretend it hadn’t happened but I could, on a certain level, understand it.

  With nothing else to do, everyone, other than those on first watch, went to bed and for the first night in a while I had difficulty getting to sleep. The awful crack of the neck breaking sounded loud in my mind with the cave so quiet.

  Rumal woke her in the morning and Kassie groaned when she sat up.

  ‘Those bedrolls really aren’t thick enough,’ she grumbled.

  ‘There isn’t thick enough when you sleep on rocks,’ Rumal said, already dressed. He offered a mug of nellor and even better, a kiss. Kassie ignored the nellor, leaving Rumal to hold it while she ran her hands over the rough stubble on his jaw and savored his lips. ‘Mmmmmm.’

  He smiled and offered her the mug again when they separated.

  ‘Here, take this and go sit with Cat. I’ll finish packing.’

  She accepted the mug but reached for his face again and smiled when those gold eyes whirled, the darkness of the caves making them more prominent than ever. Rumal dropped a quick kiss to her forehead.

  ‘Go on, love. We’re leaving shortly.’

  Picking her way across the rocky floor Kassie joined Cat who sat watching the soldiers packing gear onto the griffons and Sito.

  ‘Morning.’

  Cat twisted and smiled with warm eyes.

  ‘Morning, Kass.’

  Having a seat beside her on the rolled bedroll, Kassie slung an arm around her friend’s lower back and leaned her head on Cat’s shoulder.

  How you doing?

  Her head lifted with Cat’s sigh.

  Fine.

  The tinge of sadness in that thought made Kassie hug her. Cat leaned her head on Kassie’s while they watched Gredel instruct some of the allies on how to strap the packs to Phroma’s armor.

  It feels like we’re in limbo here, Cat thought.

  Kassie nodded and a strand of Cat’s hair slipped over her eyes. She chuckled and pushed it aside.

  It is weird. Just six days and we’re out.

  Fighting for our lives, added Cat.

  Don’t over think it.

  I’m just being pragmatic. Did you know Rashid is seventy five?

  Kassie pulled out from the hug to stare incredulously at Cat.

  Way to change the subject – WHAT?

  Honest. If we survive this we could live for centuries.

  Kassie flopped back against her feeling a tad bamboozled.

  What are we meant to do over centuries?

  Same as over decades I guess.

  Rumal called and Kassie downed the rest of the nellor then hugged her friend and walked to where he and Kerak waited. Rumal took the mug, rinsed it in the lake and packed it away.

  ‘Walking or riding?’ he asked.

  ‘Walking.’

  Everyone fell into line, the griffons interspaced throughout the large group with Sito at the back. The lake continued for some way then vanished beneath the rocks, the glowing blue stuff on the rocks disappearing not long after the water. While they walked Kassie asked Rumal about Cat’s comment.

  ‘Yes, the normal lifespan for a non-gifted being is around one hundred and fifty years. For humans, anyway.’

  ‘But then what about Daron and Sabyn? Will the girls outlive them?’

  ‘First let’s survive the battle,’ Rumal said with a wry look.

  Giant stalactites littered the track making progress slow, the winding path proving challenging. After watching Kerak struggling between another two rock formations Rumal halted the line and tossed Kassie up to unfasten the griffon’s armor. Three goblins scurried up, working on Kerak’s wings and hindquarters, making short work of the task. Kassie slipped down to Rumal’s arms, catching him around the neck for a quick kiss before they continued on.

  ‘You alright, Kerak?’

  ‘I’ll do.’

  They didn’t talk much today, the navigating of the rough tunnels between caverns requiring close attention. The goblins and Nyjens making the way with them all assisted in carrying the armor and helping Kerak maneuver through tight spots.

  ‘How do Daron and Sian do it with Sito?’ Kassie asked Rumal after a particularly difficult area.

  ‘Dragons are a bit different, suppler in the spine than a griffon,’ Rumal explained and he lifted her up a sharp step then neatly jumped up. ‘Their scales help too, moving them through the tight sections.’

  Just when it seemed to get too tight, the tunnel opened up and they stumbled into an enormous cavern. All those in front of them waited in a large circle with the centaurs and General Guard on the outer, weapons loose and ready. Rumal shifted Kassie so she walked between him and Kerak, and drew his sword.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  Ignoring her question, Rumal called to Sabyn and Gredel, who waited ahead of them. The three men spoke in a language Kassie couldn’t understand but recalled them speaking it the first night they’d found them, so long ago now. I wonder why we can understand some languages and not others, she thought feeling perplexed. After a fair bit of conversing, with Belsesus and Rashid joining the conversation too when they entered the cavern, everyone sheathed their weapons and the protective circle moved out a few feet.

  Rumal turned and at her quizzical expression explained with a reassuring smile, ‘Nothing’s wrong. This chamber is the largest yet and we don’t want to lose anyone.’

  ‘Or disturb anything,’ Kerak thought when he turned to look knowingly at Kassie.

  Rumal’s eyes narrowed while he gave the griffon an unimpressed look. They waited as the rest of the group caught up and took the time to strap Kerak’s armor back on. Cat waved from Phroma’s back when she spotted Kassie on Kerak and came to join them. It took a while for everyone to arrive, Sian and Daron bringing up the rear with Tomiar and Sito. Funny how it feels like such a small number in the caves, Kassie thought while watching the group of around twelve hundred warriors gather. The group didn’t make a dent in the vastness of the cavern.

  ‘Kass, put out those lights of yours,’ Cat suggested.

  When the group started off, Kassie created a bunch of the glowing spheres and released them. With her energy extended she moved them around the group sensing Loi communing with the plants and earth. The dancing lights revealed the cavern to be tr
uly enormous, wider than higher and the ceiling looked at least twice Sito’s height at this end; though it sloped lower further ahead. Muffled lights glowed at the outer edges of the cave and she could hear the faint sound of water. Rumal took her hand while they walked beside Kerak, Cat walking on the other side of the griffon. The lights from the torches and the girls’ extended energy surrounded the large group, making the darkness seem to press against them. The sounds of feet and hooves echoed faintly off the distant walls and ceiling, adding to the eerie sense of vastness in the dark cave.

  *~*~*

  Chapter Eighteen

  It almost made me wish to be in a tunnel again, as much as I wanted open space I didn’t want it underground. The sheer vastness of this cave with the dense blackness everywhere gave me the creeps. I didn’t notice so many rock formations either, emphasizing the sense of being in an excessively large room. I listened to Rumal and Kassie chatting and watched the pretty gold lights Kassie danced around us. A brief flash of white made me pause, staring hard at a light that danced a fair distance out on our left. Nothing else caught the light and I shrugged to myself, assuming it was a light colored rock. With the surface so much closer some of the smaller tunnels led to it and the occasional brief glimpse of a breeze drifted past, creating the illusion of the cave breathing. I shivered at the thought, unable to help it.

  ‘What’s wrong?’

  I glanced over, surprised to find Kassie watching me.

  ‘Just the big open pitch black space creeping me out. That’s all.’ I winked at her.

  Kassie nodded.

  ‘Be good to reach the other side.’

  The other side. My heart beat faster at the thought of being so much closer to that witch and I slowed my pace, dropping back to join Loushka behind Kerak.

  ‘How are Gredel and Phroma?’ she thought and I smiled up at her. While she walked I jumped and used my energy to lift me high enough to grab her shoulder plate and swing onto her armor. The lack of saddle today meant I needed to hook my heels behind the back plate so not to slide off.