A long, quiet breath passed before he answered, “You’ll just have to trust me.” No smirk or joke lay hidden behind his words. His face displayed a quiet stoicism as he looked into the distance. Seda briefly admired how genuinely handsome he looked when he wasn’t being an asshole. Not in the radiant, jade-hued way she’d felt with Cahir, but in something darker—sharp and rugged, created by evil rather than light. She silently scolded herself for the thought, biting the inside of her cheek with irritation. This was the same man who pretended to care for her and then disappeared into the night. He could have justtold herwhat he was doing before breaking her trust like that.
Cahir scoffed, but Seda drew her knife and moved forward,pushing through the thick plants and getting closer to the keening sounds with each step.
The others joined her at her side. She reached out and ran her hand down Elco’s scales, whispering more to herself than to him, “We can do this.”
With every step they took,the moans grew louder, and when they reached a narrow cave entrance in the cliff face, the sound became so overpowering that it silenced all other noises.
The entrance was narrow and crusted with glowing amethyst gemstones sharpened like daggers.
Seda held her hands over her ears, trying to block out the cries from within, but Elco said into her mind, “I cannot fit.”
Seda’s eyes widened in realization. The entrance was just big enough for them to go through. Not only could Elco not make it within, but she also couldn’t use her magic. This entire thing was already going wrong. She turned back to him, readying to leave this whole mission behind, but Kalon held his hand out.
“I know what you’re thinking, Seda. Elco can stay here and wait for us. He can be our backup if things go wrong,” Kalon said over the lamenting sounds.
She looked up into his seafoam-colored eyes. She didn’t want to leave Elco here. She didn’t even want to go into this hole anymore.
“Seda?” Roya asked, walking up to her and placing her hand on her arm. “You need that stone.”
She glanced at Cahir, who watched her intently, knowing he would follow her lead. If she decided to leave, he would guide her away. If she went inside, he would stand by her side. Her eyes searched his, seeking confirmation.
He held his arms open, and she went into them, hugging him tightly. She felt the whisper of his breath in her hair and his rapidlybeating heartbeat against her ear. “What do you want to do?” he asked.
“What I want and what I need are two separate things,” she choked out. “I’m worried about you going in there.” Her arm flew out in the direction of the crystallized hole as her face dug into his chest.
“I’ll be okay,” he said as he rested his hand against her head.
Her friends were right. They needed the stone this monster hoarded to help the people in Joro. This was more than just about her and her fears.
She took a steadying breath and stepped away from Cahir and walked toward Elco. She pressed her forehead against his, hoping this wasn’t the last time she would embrace him. “If we don’t come out in one hour,leave. Find Benny and make sure he’s okay. Will you promise me?”
“I offer no such vow. I’ll remain until the world exhales its last breath. Until the end of time. I’ll not leave this place unless it’s with you.” His reply made her eyes sting, and she let out a choked sob.
“Please,” she pleaded.
He growled and pulled away from her. “I promise an hour…ish,” was his only reply before he focused his glowing, red eyes back onto the entrance.
She stepped away from him.
“Ready?” Roya asked with furrowed brows as she watched the tear roll down Seda’s cheek.
Seda nodded and roughly wiped the show of weakness away.
“Ready,” she replied in the strongest voice she could muster, looking at the others and steadying herself.
“You stay here, as well, Suza. Get word back to Noctrya if we don’t return,” Kalon said, looking at the petite woman.
Suza nodded in response as she bit her bottom lip nervously, looking between the entrance and her master.
Roya took the lead and stepped through first, with Kalon following second. Seda looked at both Cahir and Elco one last time before she stepped into the cavern.
She inhaled the strange scent of lavender once within. The jagged edges of the cave offered no support with the crystals. Seda avoided grabbing the wall and stepped cautiously across the rocky floor. As they descended, the narrow walls began to widen slowly, and the moaning grew painfully loud. The pungent floral smell, mixed with decay, made Seda cover her nose with her hand, suppressing a gag.
“What the fuck,” she heard Kalon mutter over the noise. He paused in front of her, and she moved in between him and Roya.
She gasped when she saw the source of the wailing and tried to flare her magic in defence, but felt a sudden weight descend upon her, like a heavy blanket soaked in water; no magic came forward.
The cavern gradually leveled into a narrow corridor. The immense walls were adorned with severed heads staked to the crystals, their twisted faces moaning with pain. Various shades of blood ran down the amethysts they were staked upon, pooling onto the floor below and glowing against the light emitted by the stones.
