I shook my head. “Sounds like it’s coming from everywhere.”
The thumping grew louder and louder, echoing along the stone and bouncing off the walls of the cave.
I strapped the quiver to my waist and pulled an arrow as I stepped away from Ace.
“Not much room,” he noted, unsheathing his dagger.
He was right. I wouldn’t get more than one, maybe two shots off before I’d get crowded. Bow and arrows weren’t meant for confined spaces like this.
“It’s more room than if we went down one of the tunnels.” I nocked the arrow, drawing the string back with practiced precision. My hands trembled, though, betraying the fear creeping into my chest.
And that was all kinds of wrong. I was Artemis, Guardian of the Forbidden Forest and I did not fear anything.
I took deep breaths and calmed my nerves.
The cavern’s shadows danced erratically, and somewhere in the deep, dark recesses of the tunnels, a horrible scrape of something large moving along the stone floor grew louder.
I glanced at Ace, and he shook his head. He couldn’t figure out which direction the sound came from any more than I could.
Running was an option…but we might end up running straight into the monster or trapped in a smaller area.
“We could just guess?” I suggested. “Or go out the way we came in and hope the hunters aren’t waiting on the other side.”
“How lucky are you feeling right now?” Ace asked. “Because I feel like all mine has run out.”
He had a point.
The cave trembled as the massive creature slithered from the shadows, its gargantuan body coiling and undulating with a sickening hiss along the stone. I had little time to react, much less take in much detail, as it moved straight toward us.
Large.
Scaly.
Slimy.
Teeth.
So many teeth.
I dove to the side and rolled to my feet, keeping my bow out to avoid crushing it. When I straightened and turned toward the monster, the air from my lungs caught in my throat.
It was a thing of nightmares—a serpent-like behemoth with an obsidian hide covered in thick armoured plates that glistened with a strange, oily sheen under the dim light. The monster split open its large, circular maw to reveal row after row of jagged, serrated teeth that curved inwards.
Curved inwards to prevent prey from crawling back out.
I shuddered.
If we’d run down any of the tunnels, it would’ve trapped us. It would’ve run us down and without any room or space to evade its attack, it would’ve gobbled us up.
Under the flickering light from the torch and small fire, the beast’s small, beady eyes gleamed. Along its sides, short, bristling setae twitched with every movement as if searching for vibrations along the ground. Two wispy antennae, thin as gossamer threads, stretched out in front of the beast.
The monster shifted toward Ace and surged forward. I drew my bow and released arrow after arrow. Each hit the target but bounced off the armoured plates to clatter to the ground. Ace dodged the worm’s attack.
The air in the cave grew thick, suffocating my lungs. The walls closed in.
With only the small dagger in his hand, Ace fought the beast, his movements graceful, fast, and deadly. The ragged whisper of his breath echoed along the cavern walls as he slipped through the shadows, gaze locked on the beast. His every motion was fluid and would be beautiful to watch if we weren’t facing our own deaths.
I released more arrows. They bounced off the plates with no effect until finally one arrow sliced through the air and embedded deep into the creature’s thick hide between two armoured plates. A sharp screech echoed through the cavern, and the monster recoiled, but only for a moment.
