Chapter 19
HOLLYN FOLLOWED CLOSELYbehind Kai as they quickened their pace. The worm slid back into its homey hole, and Kai paused to give it a nod before moving on down the path.
“Did you tell it we appreciate its help?”
“Yes, and I asked if it knew anything about the amulet.”
“Anything?”
“I think its actually just a baby, so no, it didn’t have any information about it.”
“You mean, there’s an even bigger worm in these caves somewhere? Like a mama? Or a papa”
“It’s possible, but I don’t know how that works exactly. The little guy didn’t really have a name, and I’m not entirely sure they don’t just procreate by splitting in two.”
“So, a twin then? Got it. Did you give it one?”
Kai didn’t stop, but he looked over his shoulder and asked, “One what?”
“A name?”
“Chewy.”
Hollyn smiled. She liked the fact that he’d thought that the worm needed a name even before she’d suggested it. It showed that he had respect for all living creatures. “Ahh, Chewy. I like it. And if we come across its sibling, we can call it Munch. Chewy and Munch, quite a pair.”
They ran on, spiraling deeper into the depths of the mountain. Occasionally, they came upon a fork in the path, but Kai seemed to know every time which way they should go. Hollyn got the idea again that he wasn’t telling her everything. She couldn’t help but wonder if he had some ulterior motive for helping her. There was something more going on here than she knew.
Much later, when they came to the next fork, she watched him closely. He lifted his head and turned it one way and then the other. When he pointed at the tunnel on their right, she knew he could hear something that she didn’t.
“How did you know which way to go back there?”
“Hmm?”
He was doing it again. She knew that if he didn’t want to answer her question or didn’t know how to answer her question without revealing too much, he stalled by acting like he didn’t hear her. It gave him time to come up with an acceptable answer.
“We could have gone either way. Why did you choose the tunnel on the right?”
“Fifty-fifty shot.”
“Yeah, but we’ve had a few of those fifty-fifty shots. I’m not a betting woman, but I would bet that lowers the odds of getting it right. Something is telling you which path to choose.”
He shrugged, but as they rounded a bend, the cave opened up into a bedroom-sized cavern at the back of which a solid rock wall greeted them. A quick look around the area revealed no other path except the way they had come.
“No. No! Impossible. This is the way we need to go.”
Kai rushed forward and put his hands on the back wall. He rested his ear against it as well.
“It’s here! I know it is! We must find a way through.”
“I knew it! I knew there was a way you were able to track it. You can hear something, can’t you?”
He looked at her and gave a quick nod. “I hear a song of sorts. It’s not a siren song, but it’s similar. Haunting and sad. I’ve been able to follow it, but this wall shouldn’t be here.”
“Do you want me to kick it? Maybe that will reveal another hidden door or something. Or do you think Chewy would come and eat through it?”
“Worth a try, I suppose.”
