Many times before, I had skillfully descended great heights with a simple glide. In fact, I could adjust my wings to catch the air currents and effortlessly skim through the sky. I knew exactly how to feel free as a bird. In stark contrast, the freedom of descending into the deep abyss with effortless gliding was far from that elevated sensation of control. There was only the dim light of my little lantern to guide me, and the darkness that surrounded me hid any obstacles that could be potentially dangerous to my safety. I could not afford to drift at ease. There were no air currents. There was no broad view of my surroundings. There was only darkness.

  As I glided directly below into the abyss, my eyes began to adjust. After first entering the hole, it was narrow, but it expanded greatly to a massive cavern, bigger than I could detect in its fullest expansion. My ears picked up the sound of water rustling below. The further I plunged into the cavern, the more eerie it became. I could hear the sound of water dripping from stalactites, disrupting small pools of water on the floor. The small lantern gave off enough light for me to notice the bottom of the pit, and I landed on solid ground. It felt firm, slightly damp, and not a threat to my safety—much different than the rest of the underground.

  Looking above, I could only see the small haze of a glowing light, and I listened for the distinct sound of the mechanism of the pulley system. Taffy had informed me that they would lower it, and that I should wait so I can attach the twine to the platform. As I waited, my eyes scanned the dark outlines of the eerie cavern. It was different from what I had seen before. This cavern was carved by natural forces, unlike the mined tunnels formed by the pickaxes of the Tamarines. The natural glisten of unscathed glistening stones in the rocks reflected my lantern light. Light from above extended across the area as I noticed a small platform lower from the pulley rope. The platform held several lanterns fastened by leather straps. As I watched it lower, the light cast from the lanterns unveiled only partial view of the large cavern. I glanced at my compass, and my eyes looked north, but I could scarcely make out the dark shadows ahead.

  “That could be where the possible tunnels are,” I said out loud, and my voice carried throughout the spacious cavern. I imagined the hand-drawn map Taffy had showed me, creating a map within my own head as I moved the compass around. When the lantern-filled platform finished its descent, I moved over to it. I tied the yellow twine to the rope and began to make my way north towards the suspected area where the miners could be trapped.

  I cautiously walked north, allowing my lantern light to guide me. I did not feel comfortable enough to fly the entire time as I traversed through the unknown area by foot. The cavern was expansive in size but filled with rock columns and formations that were difficult to see until the light cast upon their true forms. I maneuvered my way around the pillars, occasionally needing to fly over rock platforms that blocked my desired path. I scanned the ground, hopeful to find the missing workers wandering about or waiting to be rescued. I listened for any noises that could give me clues, but I only heard the sound of dripping water and the echoing noises of my footsteps. I continued glancing at my compass, allowing it to guide me north. My pacing was slow as I traversed through the ominous cavern, occasionally calling out for Lillie or for any signs of survivors within the cavern. Up ahead, I noticed the northern wall, and dark outlines appeared.

  “Those must be the tunnels,” I said while examining the area further ahead. “No wonder it was taking so long. How could they even get up there?”

  I should focus on the caves closest to the ceiling. That is where the survivors could have fallen from the surface above, since they aren’t here in the cavern.

  Satisfied with my plan of action, I scanned the area. Only a few columns obstructed my path, but I decided to begin my ascent, and I carefully maneuvered through the columns. As I ascended higher, the outline of more openings became apparent. Some water dripped on my face, and I looked directly up, then dodged to the side as I nearly ran into a thin stalactite.

  I felt my heart race as the shock of nearly piercing my eye buzzed through my body, and I noticed that as I got closer to the ceiling of the cavern, more stalactites were revealed by the lantern light. I had to weave through the draping rock formations as I ascended higher, and the actual understanding of the area began to confuse my flight path. I glanced down at the compass, and breathed a sigh of relief as I was still following the right course of direction.

  Then, suddenly, I saw something glisten in the darkness near the wall of dark outlines, and I flew straight to it, landing on the flat surface of the cave. I found a metal tool and a rope attached to the stone wall. I examined it, allowing the strong chord to shake from far below, and I guessed that it was left behind by the previous rescuer-team member.

  “Lillie!” I called out, causing a rumbling vibration of my voice, and my eyes darted around as I feared causing a disturbance in the earth.

  Silence.

  The cave was nothing but a naturally forming inlet, so I ascended to another opening. I looked around, walked deeper into the cave, but found nothing. I looked for clues—anything that indicated that another person had been here. I continued flying around, entering caves, and looking for signs of survivors, only to find secured ropes left behind by the previous rescuers and empty inlets. Some openings were wide, others deeper within, but all ended without any indication of hope. As I ascended higher, I noticed there were no longer ropes left behind, but there were still caves, many caves—so many caves.

  “Lillie!” I cried. I called out her name periodically and would wait for an answer. But I heard no reply, only a short echo, and the deafening silence that followed. Nevertheless, I kept searching each cave, jumping from one to the next, over and over, ascending higher in my pursuits.

  Until, I found an opening, but it appeared different. As I drew closer, I noticed it was completely round in structure, unlike the others I had searched before.

  “Lillie!” I cried once again. This time, the echo repeated itself from a further distance.

  A tunnel.

  I entered the cave entrance, which I had hoped was a passage—one that could lead further north where the survivors could have fallen. It was only a theory, but the Tamarine miners were already well established with their ability to chart through the darkness. I trusted Taffy and her team—I followed their guidance, for their desire to help was genuine.

  The light of the lantern guided me through the entrance. It was different from the tunnels of the mine. The mines were hand-manipulated, supported by wooden beams. The cavern caves were jagged and naturally occurring.

  This tunnel had rippled but smooth rock formations. It felt stable yet, for some reason, more terrifying. It did not make eerie noises of ready-to-collapse rocks, but my mind began to wonder about the formations.

  What made these tunnels?

  The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, and an uncanny feeling overcame me, and I darted my eyes away from the walls of the curving tunnel. I pressed on, forcing myself to not run away with my imagination.

  Just focus on finding Lillie.

  I followed the eerie path as it curved but stayed horizontally the same. It was large in size, yet not enough for me to use my wings to their full extent. Perhaps partial, for simple gliding, but not enough to fly through. There was no rumbling, the air felt different, and I eventually came to a large opening. As I entered the open area, the tunnel split into several other tunnels. An overwhelming feeling of disappointment overshadowed me as my eyes scanned the ominous area. I tugged on the yellow twine. It was loose, but it was starting to run out of material. How much further could I go? What happens if I run out and still haven’t found the others?

  Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  “Great,” I said. “Now what?” I slumped onto my knees on the cold stone surface. It was smooth—much smoother than I expected. As a surge of pain from my empty stomach caused me to cramp, I realized I hadn’t eaten since I was with Lillie’s parents. Even though I ate heaps of food with them, I was accustomed to eating many times a day, fueling my exertion of constant activity.

  I didn’t even know how much time had passed since I first woke up that morning. It could be the middle of the day or the night—how could I know? How could anyone know what day it was in the depths? The shadow of doubt, uncertainty, and hopelessness crept over me as my stomach growled from neglect. I hung my head and clutched my aching side. My hair dangled in front of my face, and sweat dripped from the tips. Again, I looked down at my hands, feeling shame of the smoothness of my dark skin, and lack of scars in comparison to these hard-working people risking their lives everyday just to survive.

  This pain in my stomach is nothing compared to theirs. How can I be so selfish?

  I stood up, pushing the damp strands of hair out of my eyes. Yes—I was hungry—but my hunger pains were irrelevant compared to the survivors stuck in their current situation. I knew I had a safe way out, but Lillie was trapped. Her safety was all that mattered at that moment, for I was her only hope.

  I decided to just start with the tunnel on the right. I would follow it and hope for the best. However, I quickly discovered that it led to nothing but a dead end, and I returned to the large opening. I gathered the twine as I retraced my steps, winding it back onto its spool. I entered the next tunnel. As I walked, guided by the light of my lantern, I noticed dark shadows on the ground, and I picked up my pace. The scene was clear upon closer inspection, and I saw a large pile of rocks and looked around, noticing the tunnel walls and ceiling had collapsed, dismantling the circular passage.

  A cave-in!

  “Lillie!!” I shouted, causing bits of sediment to fall from above, but I clambered over the pile of rocks, then jumped over, partially gliding to the other side. I continued through the dismantled passage. It led to a dead end, but the area was heavily disrupted. As I twisted, I felt a tug of the twin at the belt, and fear began to surge.

  Oh, great. That’s the end.

  I retraced my steps while winding up the twine that had collected dirt and debris as it dragged loosely behind me. It caught on several rocks, and I tugged at it, nearly snapping it.

  Fool! Don’t be so reckless!

  Thankfully, the twine was still in once piece, and I exited out of the tunnel and back into the opening, and I stepped in front of the next passage. An eerie feeling overcame me once again as a warm, foul smell came drifting from the area. My throat felt dry, and my heart beat fast, but my adrenaline spiked once again. I allowed my safety-twine to drop, and I trekked forward. I came upon more signs of a cave-in sooner than the other tunnel. I could sense I was getting closer to something. This time, I examined the rocks, checking for limbs—just in case. I dreaded the thought of finding a lifeless body, but my instincts told me I had to check.

  I am not prepared for this. How could this happen to me?

  A sudden, clear awareness of the situation came to my mind. I was looking for a group of people who had fallen into the depths. I had pushed myself to look for Lillie and was dragged into searching for others. The very horrible image of multiple lifeless bodies overwhelmed my mind. No amount of training or guidance from my past could have ever prepared me for that moment. Was I really capable of handling the situation?

  I had seen blood and dead animals before. I had often witnessed the destructive behavior of bears violently ripping apart their prey, but never had I ever faced such emotional ties to death. I truly did not have any idea how I could face the very real potential of witnessing something horrific—the death of someone I loved. Yet—if I did not continue, who else would find the lost people? Who else would rescue Lillie? Who else would return to the surface to inform the others who cared about her what happened?

  No. I couldn’t let her just fade away! Lillie deserves a better life.

  She deserves to be known for who she really is—even if I didn’t know her completely. I pushed my thoughts aside, accepting that I was Lillie’s last hope—I was the group of survivors’ last hope. I ignored the fear of finding her dead, allowing the catalyst of hope to guide me.

  The light of my lantern flickered along the path, guiding me onward. The passage was heavily damaged, and I had to climb over more rocks, carefully examining each new disruption. The air felt warm and smelled weird. Again, I hit a dead end, this time clearly made by a cave-in that ended the tunnel.

  “Lillie!” I yelled at the rocks that ended the path. My ears perked as I listened for any sounds besides the low rumbling. I was tempted to push the rocks and try to move the blockade, but Taffy’s voice echoed in my head. She explicitly told me not to move anything.

  “Lillie, are you there?” I called out again.

  I waited for the echoes to stop.

  Silence.

  I turned back, grabbing the twine as I returned to the open area. There were three more tunnels to explore. I entered the next opening; that time, the air was instantly warm, and the weird smell turned foul and rotten—like rotten eggs from an abandoned bird’s nest. The eerie feeling became stronger, and my head spun from the uncertainty and all my instincts were running rampant. As a Teragane, I should have long escaped from the situation. I had never pushed myself beyond the initial alarms of instincts. This was all new territory, and the old teachings were betraying my new ambitions.

  Further in, caved-in rocks completely blocked the passage, but there was a small opening that I noticed near the ceiling. I climbed the pile of rocks, and I squeezed my body through, careful not to tear myself up. I could barely see down from the pile I had just clambered through. Some rocks fell, and it sounded like a faraway distance from below. I slowly climbed down, wanting to fly, but my footing was precarious, and I was afraid of getting hurt. The floor had been extensively broken through, and the tunnel did not appear like its normal smooth way. The foul smell filled the air, and I covered my nose for a moment.

  Snap!

  The sound startled me, causing me to lose my footing on the uneven ground, and I fell to my knees, feeling a drastic cut rip through my leg.

  “Raaahhhh!” I screamed, unable to hold back as pain in my leg shot throughout my body, and I grabbed my limb and seethed through clenched teeth. The sound of disturbed rocks echoed around the area again, and I looked down at the spool of twine on my belt.

  The end of it was frayed, clearly broken.

  I looked back and saw the other end of the twine trapped between the rocks I had just climbed over.

  “No!” Pain and anger overwhelmed my mind. I heard unsettling noises as my scream echoed around the unstable area, vibrating throughout. I imagined the rocks falling from the ceiling, crushing me like I had been told would happen if I were to linger near the sounds.

  Was I too late? Was this the end of my story? After all my training of survival, had I betrayed myself to my very own demise? Me? A strong, mighty Teragane built for the skies—was I to die down here, crushed by the very rocks shifted by the vibrations of my voice?

  I breathed heavily as the intensity of the pain began to subside, and the unsettling noises of shifting rocks stopped. Fear of being crushed to death abated, for the time, and I leaned down to examine my wounded leg. I removed my hand from where I was gripping, noticing blood oozing from the tear in my trousers. My hand was covered in dirt and blood, no longer noticeably smooth and causing guilt.

  The foul smell permeating the area filled my nostrils, and my stomach ached with nausea. Sweat dripped from my forehead down into my eyes, and I rubbed my face with my sleeve, smearing debris and sweat. My eyes stung, and I winced, feeling almost depleted of motivation.

  “I must be crazy,” I said out loud to myself as an unusual moment of humor rose in my chest. What would the Teraganes of the mountain think if they saw me right now? My parents would scold me for disregarding my instincts and following my emotions. The Sage would remind me, again, that I was in need of further guidance because I wasn’t grown enough to make my own life choices.

  What would Cami think? I started to laugh at the idea of Cami lecturing me.

  “You might as well dig your own grave down there,” he would sneer. “Only a fool would go to the depths for some girl.”

  Yeah, that girl made the delicious marmalade you enjoyed so much.

  I coughed through the laughter of a crazed man, but the dryness in my throat grew worse, and the sweat and blood dripping from my body felt disgusting, and the queasiness in my stomach perpetuated. I pushed my hair aside, smearing blood on my forehead. I didn’t care if the others on the mountain would call me crazy. I shook my head at the thought. I knew Lillie was not just some girl.

  Let me die down here if it means that I was Lillie’s last hope. If I am to die, what an honorable death! To die for the girl I love—yes, I could die with ease knowing I tried my best, for she was worth every effort I have made to come this far.

  Then, ever so quietly, I heard something. I steadied my breathing, narrowing my eyes and ears. I heard the faint sound of muffled noises. I stood up straight and walked further into the darkness. Again, I heard it.

  The quiet, muffled noise of voices.