I bite down on my tongue, putting a little more pressure on the boulder. It’s stuck. Pulling my hand out, I notice something on the rock. Long, thin scratches from where something tried to claw its way out. Dozens of marks. Glancing back at the boy, my belly churns.He tried to escape.And from the haggard appearance of him, he’s been trying for days.
When he wasn’t in the cavern with us… is this where he’s been?
My eyes find Drazak and I shift to the side. “I can’t move the rock. The opening is behind it.”
“Watch him.” Drazak cocks his head toward the boy. I nod and climb my way down. Drazak catches me at the bottom with a quick hug. He lifts my dagger from its sheath and hands it to me. “I will move it. Use this if he tries to move.” He levels his eyes on me. “I mean it, Milaye.”
“I’ll use it. I’ll protect myself and you.”
Drazak glares at the boy once more and then turns to climb the slope. When he gets to the boulder, I see him test the hole as I had. He notices the scratches too.
I turn back to the boy and make my way over to him. He glares at me warily. I keep my dagger in hand, but show the boy my palm. I kneel beside him.
“Are you alone?” I ask although I know the answer.
No response.
“Did you like the ration—err, food?” I rub my belly for meaning.
His eyes shift down for a second. He hisses.
“I’m glad,” I say. “I would like it too if all I had to eat were bugs.” A beetle scuttles over a small rock by my feet. I change the subject. “Can I see your hands?”
Silence.
I point to his hand. “Hands,” I repeat.
His hands twitch. His nails are cracked—gone. I rub my fingertips, imagining his pain.Nagas have claws… They use them to defend themselves.This boy has all but trusted his little life to us. Unless he manages to bite me, he has no other means of defense. He slides his hands under his tail.
I frown but don’t push it.
Drazak grunts. I rise and take a few steps away. Drazak’s back is to the wall where the hole is, one arm through the crack. He’s trying to dislodge the rock. His face is scrunched from the effort. He stops and tries again.
A stream of rocks tumbles down.
“Milaye,” he calls down. “I need…” Another grunt.
“My help?”
“Your help,” Drazak says.
“Stay back and near the wall,” I tell the boy as I start for the top. “If it comes down, it’s going to come down fast. Be ready to move.”
Once I reach Drazak, I start digging and tossing rocks where they might have lodged under the boulder. Drazak watches me, waiting for my cue before pushing again. I move to safety behind him.
He pushes. The crackle of dirt fills my ears, then more grunting. He stops. I get back down and start digging at the rocks again. We do this several times, and by the third, the boulder shifts. He pushes harder, putting all his strength behind it.
I suck in my stomach. Drazak grits his teeth, his jaw ticks, and beads of sweat pour down his face. His muscles bulge, smoke pools out of his jewel like it’s a waterfall, and the plume of it nearly drowns out the light. It eats at it, making parts of the streak vanish entirely.
I’ve never seen anything like it. Was it doing the same to the campfire?
The boulder drops, and I’m barely aware of it. Drazak falls to his knees in a huff as it crashes down, grinding the stones beneath, building momentum as it falls. I put my arm under his arm, helping him stand.
Sunlight is bathing us.
We’re free.
We’re free because of Drazak.
