Chapter 25 - Escape

  Kaelin pressed on, forcing herself forward even as her lungs burned and her legs screamed in protest. The eerie silence that had replaced the scraping sounds was almost worse than the noise itself. It meant that whatever had been following her was either waiting, given up, or more likely had found another way to catch up.

  The narrow tunnel twisted and turned, the molten cracks in the walls offering little comfort as they cast erratic shadows around her. Every flicker made her pulse spike, her senses on high alert. She wasn’t just running blindly anymore – she needed a plan.

  Her mind raced as she tried to piece together what she knew. The figure that had killed itself. The strange rusty knife. For the cause. None of it made sense, but she couldn’t afford to dwell on it. Survival came first.

  Up ahead, the tunnel widened into a cavern. Kaelin slowed her pace, pressing herself against the wall, scanning for movement. The cavern’s ceiling stretched high above, jagged with stalactites, and a small pool of molten rock bubbled at its center, giving off a dim orange glow.

  No immediate threats.

  She stepped forward cautiously, eyes darting to each of the three tunnels leading out of the cavern. She had to pick a path, but without Lena and Zephyr, she had no idea which way led back to the surface.

  Then – a sound. A faint, rhythmic tapping.

  Kaelin turned sharply toward the nearest tunnel on the left. The sound wasn’t the unnatural scraping from earlier, this was different. It was methodical, controlled. Footsteps.

  Heart hammering, she edged toward the sound. If it was another of those figures, she needed to know. Holding her breath, she inched forward, careful not to let her boots scrape against the stone.

  The tunnel stretched on, the sound growing louder. Then, just ahead, she saw it – the body of the figure from before, collapsed where it had fallen. A pool of dark blood had soaked into the stone beneath it, but the body itself remained eerily still.

  Kaelin hesitated before stepping closer. The sight of the jagged blade still lodged in its gut made her stomach turn, but she had to check. If this thing had carried anything – anything that could explain what was happening, she needed to know.

  She crouched beside the corpse, her fingers hovering over its robes. The fabric was coarse and stained, smelling faintly of ash. Carefully, she patted it down, searching for pockets, weapons… anything.

  Nothing.

  Frustration flared inside her. No sigils, no notes, no clues. Only the strange rusty blade it had held in its grasp before it died.

  Maybe I should take it… I bet Aric will know something.

  A chill ran through her. Whatever strange religion had been at work here, it wasn’t just any old cult. And it was still out there.

  A distant noise snapped her attention back to the tunnel. The rhythmic tapping had stopped. Silence pressed in around her, thick and suffocating.

  Then, a new sound – movement. And it wasn’t alone.

  Kaelin shot to her feet and bolted, dashing down the nearest tunnel without hesitation. Her pulse roared in her ears as she ran, twisting through the darkness. The heat from the molten cracks seared her skin, but she didn’t slow down.

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  She couldn’t.

  ***

  Zephyr

  Zephyr moved quickly through the tunnels, keeping Lena close. The molten glow of the cavern walls cast flickering shadows around them, but his focus remained sharp. He knew Kaelin had been separated, but getting lost themselves wouldn’t help her.

  “We need to find her fast,” Lena murmured beside him, gripping her staff tightly.

  “I know,” Zephyr said. His tone was clipped – efficient. Worrying wouldn’t help. Thinking would.

  They had doubled back twice already, avoiding paths that felt too unstable or led deeper into the tunnels. His mind worked through the layout, searching for the best route to Kaelin. If she had kept moving, she’d be searching for them too.

  Then, a distant sound—quick, sharp footsteps.

  Zephyr tensed, motioning for Lena to stay close. “Someone’s running.”

  Lena’s breath hitched. “Kaelin?”

  Zephyr wasn’t sure. But he had a bad feeling.

  They pressed forward, picking up speed. If it wasn’t Kaelin, then someone else was moving through these tunnels. And after having almost lost his life to a salamander, he wasn’t eager to find out who else might be lurking down here.

  They turned a sharp corner, only to freeze in place as another noise echoed from a different tunnel – a low, breathy laughter, distant but unmistakable.

  Lena swallowed hard. “Tell me that was just the wind.”

  Zephyr’s expression darkened. “It wasn’t.”

  The sound faded, leaving only the faint crackle of molten stone. Zephyr’s grip tightened on his spear. Whatever else was down here, it was watching. Waiting.

  But they had no time to waste.

  “Come on,” he said. “We’re close.”

  ***

  Kaelin

  Her heart pounded as two figures emerged from the darkness. Relief flooded through her when she recognized them.

  “Zephyr? Lena?”

  Lena exhaled sharply. “Kaelin!” She rushed forward, gripping Kaelin’s arm. “Are you okay? We lost sight of you when the salamander collapsed the tunnel.”

  “I’m fine,” Kaelin said, though her hands still trembled from the adrenaline. “But something else is down here.”

  Zephyr’s upturned eyes scanned their surroundings. “We need to keep moving. If you saw something, we can’t stay in one place.”

  Kaelin nodded. “I ran into someone. Or something that looked like a person. They had this rusty knife, but it looks odd. And then they–“She swallowed. “They killed themselves. And I think there are more of them.”

  Zephyr’s jaw tightened. “Great.”

  Lena paled. “That’s… terrifying.”

  “Did you see anything?” Kaelin asked Zephyr.

  “Just more tunnels and a few salamander tracks,” he replied. “But if there’s something else down here, we shouldn’t wait to find out what it wants.”

  Kaelin didn’t argue. The idea of getting out of here, together, was the only thing keeping her from panicking completely.

  They moved quickly, retracing their steps through the tunnel. The air was thick with heat and the scent of molten stone, but Kaelin remained focused, listening for any signs of movement.

  Then, in the distance – laughter.

  Kaelin stiffened beside Zephyr, and she felt the shift in the air. Not just fear, anticipation.

  “I don’t like this,” she muttered.

  Zephyr agreed. “Neither do I.”

  They pressed on, the laughter fading as they reached a fork in the path. Zephyr exhaled sharply. “The left tunnel should take us up toward the surface. The right… I don’t know.”

  Lena gripped her staff tightly. “Then we stick with what we know.”

  Kaelin nodded. “Agreed.”

  As they took the left path, Kaelin couldn’t shake the feeling that something. Someone was watching them.

  And it wasn’t finished.

  Kaelin took in a deep breath as they emerged from the tunnels, the cool night air washing over her like a wave of relief. The oppressive heat of the underground had left her clothes damp with sweat, and the fresh breeze was a welcome change.

  Overhead, the moon cast a pale glow across the rocky terrain, and in the distance, the dense forest loomed ahead. Despite the exhaustion weighing down her limbs, a sense of triumph coursed through her. They had survived the tunnels, but the test wasn’t over yet.

  Zephyr exhaled sharply beside her, his grip on his dagger finally relaxing. "We made it."

  Lena stretched, rolling her shoulders. "I swear, if I never see another salamander again, it'll be too soon."

  Kaelin couldn't argue. She glanced over her shoulder at the cave entrance, half-expecting something to follow them out. But nothing came. The horrors that lurked in the tunnels were behind them now. Even so, unease prickled at the back of her mind. Something about what she had seen – about that hooded figure and its strange clothes, the knife, it didn’t sit right with her. But she shoved the thought aside. She could worry about it later.

  Zephyr pointed toward the forest, where the land sloped downward into a wide valley. "That's Great Boar territory. If we move quickly, we can take them down before the test ends."

  Lena groaned. "Do we have to?"

  Kaelin smirked. "Want to finish this test with a lower score?"

  Lena sighed. "Fine. But let's make it quick."