They remained silent, waiting for the noise of its travel to die down. Raine sighed, running a hand over his face as he willed his heart to slow.
“Explain,” Maeryn whispered.
“Didn’t you see its eyes? They’re covered by skin. They don’t work.”
“You’re right,” Raine said. “Common with a lot of animals who live in caves.”
“Exactly,” Ava said.
“How can we use this?” Casimir asked.
“It likely senses its prey using vibrations. If we don’t move and speak very quietly, it won’t find us.”
“But we can’t just stay here frozen forever,” Raine responded.
“I know…” Ava said.
“Could we set a trap? Or trick it somehow?” Maeryn asked, her yellow eyes glowing in the starlight hovering above them.
“Maybe,” said Ava. “But how do we kill it? Your magic hardly did any damage.”
Casimir stroked his beard. “We’ll need to focus on the softest parts. Its mouth perhaps? Or in between the armored plates on its body.”
“What if we just run back to where we fell in and have Gisela pull us out?” Raine asked.
“It’s too fast,” Casimir said. “It’ll be upon us the moment we start to climb.”
Are you all alright?Sabriel asked.
“So far, yes. We’re coming up with a plan to get out. Wait for us by the trap and when we give the signal, Gisela needs to send down her vines.”
They needed a larger space to fight it. Attempting to do so in the tunnels would make it almost impossible to avoid injury as its body took up almost the whole channel. If they could find somewhere to hold their ground, they could lure it there and take it down. Hopefully.
“Back the way we came,” Maeryn said. “I saw a glimpse of a cave when we were running.”
“Are you sure?” asked Casimir.
“I’m certain.”
“And how do we get to this room without alerting it?” Casimir asked Ava.
She bit her lip. “As quietly as possible.”
Tension filled the air as they prepared to sneak back the way they came, Casimir leading the way. They stepped as softly as they could, making every effort not to jostle a rock or scuff their feet.
Raine scanned the tunnel around them. Gouges ran along the walls, likely from the creature’s sharp legs as it pushed itself through the maze, and sand was sprinkled along the walkway, crunching with each step.
But it didn’t sense them. They kept their footfalls light as they closed in on the open room.
Maeryn pointed ahead. “It’s just a little further on the left,” she whispered almost inaudibly.
But Casimir raised his arm. “Wait. Listen.”
Raine strained to hear, but there was nothing. “I don’t hear anything.”
“Shh…”
He listened again, trying to pinpoint what Casimir had heard. There. Growing louder. The familiar sound of the Jarouki’i skittering toward them. In front of them. Not behind them.
