by K. R. Bowman
“You should have seen the look on your face.” It felt weird to see Callum showing so much emotion, even stranger to see him laugh so hard that he could barely breathe.
I straightened my back and shoulders, righteously, “It’s not that funny.” My hands clenched at my sides. I narrowed my eyes and folded my arms across my chest. “Callum.”
He still laughed at me. I slowly smiled. Soon, all of us were laughing. Tears ran down my cheeks, and my face began to hurt.
Something moved across my foot. I looked down, wiping tears from my eyes. Another snake slid across my foot. I immediately stopped breathing, laughing, and moving. Everyone registered that I had stopped all movement. Callum became quiet and watched the snake that had slid off my foot and was making his way toward the river. The fallen tree had more snakes slithering out from underneath the bark.
“Look over there, that might be something.” Callum pointed to the base of the tree, where a small hill rose from behind it.
“A hole?” I glared at the snakes. There seemed to be more of them appearing out of nowhere.
Callum nodded. He studied the fallen tree. “They seem to be traveling from the roots.” As he spoke, I noticed a bright green snake, about a foot long, moving along the tree trunk.
We moved toward the roots, which were withered and splayed outward like they were stretching to touch the sky. The base of the tree had been planted up against a small hill. As I studied the area, I could see where large rocks had been placed against the hillside forming an archway. Since the tree had fallen, the archway had crumbled, making the hole larger. Snakes were streaming out of the tunnel.
My insides instantly recoiled and screamed. We immediately backed away from the edge. The snakes were clamoring over each other to get out.
I tried to peer past the snakes to see inside the deep black nothingness. There seemed to be no way through.
Callum made a faint noise and scratched his head, “I think we’re supposed to go in there.” He looked at each of us.
“Ha, no way, Jose,” Ashlen replied. She took several more steps away from the snake-filled hole.
Raleigh shook her head, making her hair hit her face.
Harris took a step forward and bent to get a better look. “Well, if those snakes don’t bite, then I’m up for adventurin’ down there.” He winked.
My insides were literally squirming. What am I going to do? I stared at the snakes. I watched Callum gauge his reaction, “I don’t know if I can go down there.”
His mouth lifted slightly at the side. He took a step toward me and patted my arm, “Sure you can. I believe in you.”
I ran a hand through my hair. Choices, choices. I narrowed my eyes at Callum. He raised his hands like he was surrendering.
“Hey, I’m just trying to help.”
“I know,” I ground the words out of my clenched teeth. “I hate snakes.”
Callum walked over to the roots and pulled a long rope out of his backpack. He tied one end around a knotted root. He uncoiled the rope and threw the other end down the black hole. Snakes moved around the rope, making it hard to distinguish the rope from the snakes. My head argued with me again.
“I’ll go down first, and I’ll yell when I make it to the bottom to let you know if it’s okay,” Callum studied me for a moment. When I didn’t argue, he nodded and faced the tree.
Callum wrapped part of the rope around his arm once, pushed some snakes out of the way so he could place his feet, and slowly eased his way into the hole. Amazingly, the snakes moved around his feet like he was part of the earth. He dug in his back pocket and pulled out the mysterious stick. I saw him whisper to it, and then the stick lit up with the same bright light. He disappeared. I could barely see the light shining because of all the snakes. We were silent the entire time he descended. My ears were straining to hear him, and I bit my nails to calm my nerves. The rope grew taut and then slacked.
“Hey! It’s okay, climb down!” Callum’s voice echoed as it passed through the hole.
I looked around at everyone, who, in turn, looked at me.
“Harris?”
Harris’s eyebrows rose. “Umm, sure, okay,” he took a step toward the hole.
“Sloane! Get down here!” Callum bellowed.
“Why do I have to go next?” I yelled back.
“Just come on!”
I took a deep breath, pulling the air in through my nose and blowing out through my mouth. I very slowly turned toward the hole. I tentatively wrapped my right hand around the rope and then my left hand. The fibers of the rope jabbed into my skin. Snakes slid over my boots. I internally screamed, and I may have whimpered out loud. I clenched my teeth to keep from screaming audibly. I peered into the dark hole.
“Callum?” I asked unsurely.
“Sloane, just get down here already!”
I squeezed my eyes shut and excruciatingly lowered myself one step at a time. Surprisingly, I didn’t step on any snakes. They seemed to know where my feet were going to fall and would move right before my boot hit the ground. My friends’ faces peered over the rim of the hole, watching my descent. The snakes continuously glided up the dirt to escape. I was no longer touched by the moonlight, the darkness settled around me, and the smell of earth filled my senses. I tried to see what was around me, but it was completely dark. The tunnel began to level out so that I was walking upright.
I peeked behind me. I could see a pinprick of white light. I hoped it belonged to Callum. The tunnel turned sharply and opened up into a massive cavern. My mouth fell open. Light poured into the middle of the cave. Water was streaming in through the opening, falling into a bright blue-green pool of water. The moonlight reflected from the underground pool, making the light dance on the dirt walls. Large stalagmites and stalactites were littered around the cavern. Callum was standing next to the pool. The light moved across his skin. He smiled at me.
“I told you it wasn’t bad.”
“I know… where are the snakes?”
He gestured for me to come closer, “Over here.”
I walked to him. As I drew closer, I noticed the water was moving. Snakes were swimming, hundreds of them. I looked up at the opening and noticed that water wasn’t the only thing falling into the pool. Snakes were falling too. I took a few steps back. Callum grabbed my hand and pulled me up to the edge of the water.
“That’s disgusting.”
“It’s not that bad,” his eyes laughed at me.
I glared at him.
“You know Indiana Jones was terrified of snakes.” I raised an eyebrow.
“Surely, you aren’t comparing yourself to Indiana Jones?” he raised one of his eyebrows.
My eyes narrowed even more.
“Hey, don’t start this whole being mad at me thing again. I haven’t done anything yet.”
I laughed, “The keyword is yet.” He smiled.
Callum’s fingers slid through mine, but he carefully slid his arm around my waist, pulling me in closer to him and pinning my arm against my back. He squeezed me against his side. I looked up at him. He had his eyes locked onto the pool, but I saw his jaw clench. The light reflecting from the pool highlighted his features and made the angles of his face harder, more striking.
His gaze shifted to mine, and he studied my face. Strands of his hair covered his eyes, making me want to brush them away. The way he looked at me like he was really seeing me for the first time made my stomach flutter. I swallowed hard. I couldn’t look away, and I didn’t want to.
His other hand moved up toward my face, and he glided his fingers along my jaw. His eyes followed the movement of his hand, and then I knew he was studying my mouth. My heart was in my throat, and my breaths came out shallow and quick, and at the same time, I don’t think I was breathing at all.
“Sloane?” he barely whispered. His eyes bore into mine, asking me the same question. His thumb brushed across my bottom lip. He leaned in closer to me.
“Whoa! This wasn’t what I was expecting
.” Harris stumbled toward us, “this place is real purdy.” He was in complete awe, his mouth hanging open.
Callum dropped his arm from around me and took a step back. I caught myself before I stepped toward him. His attention again locked onto the snake-filled pool. I tried not to burn Harris with my eyes, turning my attention back to the snakes. I placed my hands on my hips because my hands had started to shake, and tried not to think of snakes running over my toes or the way Callum had looked at me. I glanced at him, but his expression was bland and almost bored. His mask once again locked back into place.
“Whoa,” Ashlen stepped out from the tunnel. The water reflected in her eyes. “This is amazing.”
Raleigh tripped out of the tunnel. She caught herself against a stalagmite.
“Awesome,” Raleigh stared wide-eyed around the cavern. “Where are we?”
Callum replied, “I think we are directly underneath the riverbed.”
The moonlight shining off the water rippled across the cave walls, making the walls look as if they undulated.
“So, have you asked your necklace where to next?” Ashlen came to stand beside me, but her eyes were on our beautiful surroundings.
I picked up Artemis, “No, not yet.”
“Well, hop to it. We haven’t got all day.”
I smiled and shook my head at her, but I lifted the necklace to my mouth and breathed, “Artemis, take us to Willow.”
The large needle began to vibrate and started spinning frantically, then it stopped just as quickly, pointing to the corner of the cave.
I pointed to the dark corner, “She says over there.”
Everyone moved toward the corner and tried pushing on the walls.
“Nothin’ is workin’,” Harris heaved with all of his strength. Sweat accumulated on his upper lip. His hair stuck to the sides of his face.
Raleigh was kneeling on the ground, running her hands along the base of the wall. Callum was on the other side of Harris pushing and testing the walls, much like Harris, with the same effect.
“This isn’t working…” Ashlen stopped and folded her arms across her chest. “We aren’t getting anywhere.”
“I don’t think you’re looking in the right spot,” said a throaty voice.
Ashlen squealed and jumped five feet away from the dark space where she had stopped. We spun to the sound of the voice. I stared hard at the dark corner, trying to see a form. A very tall, robust man stepped out of the shadows. He was dressed in a dark blue button-down shirt, brown pants, and heavy-duty hiking boots laced halfway up his calves. His dark brown hair fell past his shoulders, falling in large waves; gray streaked his hair around his face. A large bushy beard fell nearly to the middle of his chest. But it was his eyes that captured my attention first. They were black as the night sky with no stars. He seemed to look through us.
“What can I do for you?” he spoke again.
No one said a word just stared. I looked at Callum, who had his mouth open. That was a first for him, and he turned to me. All I could do was shrug. I scrutinized the stranger.
“I’m guessing you don’t know how to get out of here since you just appeared out of nowhere?”
The man looked slightly amused by what I could tell by his mouth, twitching, “Follow me.” He moved into the darkness and disappeared. “Watch your step.”
We collectively looked at each other, measuring the decision to follow.
“I’m not waiting.”
I glanced at everyone first then followed the mysterious man. I stepped into the dark corner, having to squeeze past a large stalagmite in the process, and came out on the other side into another larger tunnel. The man stood a few feet away, waiting. He watched me for a moment. Callum appeared right behind me with Ashlen, Harris, and Raleigh bringing up the rear. The man continued on at a slow and deliberate gait, his left foot dragging slightly. We walked for maybe twenty to thirty minutes. The tunnel began to slope upward, which signaled that we were heading to the surface.
“So, sir, how is it that you came to be here?” I asked, somewhat tentatively.
“First of all, my name is Morgan, in no way am I a sir. And I will tell you my story when I’m good and ready.” His deep rough voice replied smartly.
Well, he was certainly snippy.
The only light we had to see by was Callum’s mysterious little stick. Callum had his fingers wrapped around my upper arm. He constantly bumped into me. I was slightly annoyed and amused about him being so close. I couldn’t help but think about that moment in the cavern. I glanced at him, but we were mostly in the dark, so all I could see was the light reflecting off of his eyes.
I heard rather than saw the end of the tunnel. A roaring sound echoed through the darkness. I knew the end was close. We finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. It opened up into a small cave that sat behind a large waterfall. The water thundered and splashed over the rocks. A cool breeze blew through, bringing with it the smell of clean, freshwater, and mud. I took a deep breath letting the scent coat my lungs; it smelled wonderful.
Morgan sat down at the edge of the cave, staring off into the open; his scraggly hair stood to attention around his head like a halo. Everyone had caution and wonder creased onto their faces. Ashlen gestured me toward him. I walked over to the man and sat with my knees tucked under me. Callum came and sat beside me. Ashlen, Harris, and Raleigh cautiously settled beside us. They still looked pretty wary of our new friend.
The man faced us, “I’m guessing you’re part of Charles’ family because there’s no one else who would be carrying that damn sword across their back.”
25
He woke up lying on his stomach. He kept breathing in the moist smell of dirt. The dripping of water annoyed him. His body felt sore and exhausted like he had run a fifty-mile marathon.
Slowly he rolled over to lie on his back, every muscle and bone protesting as he maneuvered his body. A groan escaped his lips. Rocks jabbed into his back. He hated the feeling of uselessness.
His eyes slowly opened to reveal a cave. He needed to get up and move. He needed to move quickly. It hurt so much. Slowly, he sat up. His arms were laid by his sides, and his head drooped forward. He carefully tucked his legs under him and pushed to a standing position. He braced himself against the cave wall. Mud seeped under his fingernails as he dug his fingers into the wall, trying to keep his balance. His breathing labored, and it wasn’t getting easier.
His bag was near the opening of the cave. He staggered toward it and slid down the wall to the floor so he could easily pick it up. He pulled out his shirt and tugged it over his head. He carefully strapped his weapons onto his back, legs, and chest. Slowly, he gained strength as he went through the motions. Strapping the bag back onto his back was the finishing touch.
He leaned against the opening of the cave, trying to ensnare some remnants of energy that might be lying around inside of him. The dark mountain loomed over the cave. The tallest peak stood like a beacon to the right of the opening.
With the pulse of light giving way back to darkness, he pushed away from his crutch by the wall and headed for the tallest peak.
The quick burst of sunlight receded.
He would be free to fly in minutes, free to let the beast go. Tonight, was the night for the Nightlins to take back what rightfully belonged to them.
He stretched his limbs out to the maximum point, the slick black skin pulling tight, feeling the strength pulse through his veins. His wings flexed, and his claws extended. The power was intoxicating, and he wanted more. They had said he would have more power, but now he wanted his power crammed to capacity. He wanted the power to fill him up so much that he thought he might burst.
The night was almost there again. He could taste it on his tongue and breathe it into his lungs. He reveled in the thought of soaring through the air. They will be so surprised. Oh, how he couldn’t wait to see their faces.
He walked to the window and yanked the sheets away. Remnants of light seeped through
the cracked shutters the light hit part of his arm, he hissed and instinctively moved away from the sun streaming in. He studied his arm to see that some of the black skin now had blisters. He made a low animalistic noise. Leaning against the wall, he waited patiently for those pesky sun rays to disappear completely. The past twenty years had taught him well at being patient.
26
Outside, the cave entrance was a small pond. Where the water was so clear that, even in the dark, I could see the bottom. Around the pond were thin, delicate trees. Large boulders were littered across the grass and next to the water. Moss and algae grew along the entrance of the cave. Green ferns and vines dangled off the edge of the waterfall and grew from cracks in the rocks.
The mountainside began where the pond ended. The side of the mountain traveled straight up about a hundred feet; there was no way to climb up it without some rigging and ropes. The rock face was completely smooth. The smoothness continued on either side, traveling off into the distance for five hundred yards or more. At the top, trees were leaning over, and the mountain kept sloping upward, blocking out part of the sky.
“So, are you a Realmer like us?” I asked.
We were seated around a small crackling fire mostly made up of small, wiry twigs that were burning up pretty quickly.
The man nodded, one long leg propped up with his elbow sitting on his knee, “Yes, when things began to go to pot, I decided to leave Kingston. Things changed so much that it was time to go. There was so much conflict between everyone. I wasn’t going to be part of it.” He tilted his head, as if thinking, “I was one of Charles’s generals and a trusted friend. Well, as good of a friend as he could have. He wasn’t the nicest man.”
I nodded, “Yeah, I know. I read about him.”
Morgan leaned back with his legs stretched out in front of him, resting his elbows behind him. “Charles told me that he was going to entrust me with the secret of Willow, but I never really believed him. I’ve tried to find it. Maybe you will have better luck than me.” He gazed outside the cave, “We will have to wait till daylight though. The light will show you the way.”