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Suddenly, there was a loud cracking sound. I stopped moving, and the others also paused in place.
"What was that?" Stephan asked, and I felt the same concern in his words, which welled inside me.
"Whatever it was, it didn't sound good," Tanael analyzed from further ahead.
At that exact moment, a tremor went through the earth, followed by a quake and more cracking noises, until the ground slid away; we were swept away and fell screaming into the depths.
CHAPTER 41
Myrina, Myrina!" Sam gently shook me. "Are you okay?" His bright blue irises scrutinized me with concern. He held his flashlight, and the light burned in my eyes.
"Ow," I groaned as I tried to lift my head. My head was pounding, and for the second time that night, I felt like I'd been run over by a freight train.
High above me, there was a large gaping hole in the ceiling. It must have been our tunnel that had finally collapsed. No wonder I wasn't feeling well, given the height I had fallen from. Actually, I should have been dead. Sam hadn't been scratched, and I didn't need to look for Tanael and Stephan to know they hadn't hurt themselves either.
Sam carefully helped me up. Everything spun when seated, and I had to close my eyes.
"Here, hold this against your forehead." As I lifted my eyelids, Tanael stood over me and shakily handed me a handkerchief. I stared at him in confusion.
"You're bleeding," he explained coolly, avoiding my gaze. His face was ashen.
"Oh," I breathed and hastily grabbed the towel. Still squatting next to me, Sam shook his head with a sigh as he scowled at his friend. Then he took the handkerchief from me and dabbed it carefully over my forehead. I sucked in a sharp breath.
"You hit your head pretty hard," he muttered. "Maybe we'd better take you to the villa. It's a miracle you survived the fall from that height." He looked incredulously at Tanael, who was staring at me in amazement.
"No," I said firmly. "We'll keep going. I'll manage."
As proof that my words were true, I stood up quickly—too quickly. The dizziness promptly set in again, and Sam supported me.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, everything's fine. Just give me a moment."
"We don't have a moment," Tanael intervened, flaring up. "Sam's right, you have no business here. I'll take you to the villa, and then the three of us will go on our way."
"Don't you dare push me away again, Tanael!" I walked towards him with my index finger outstretched. Pain and dizziness were forgotten.
"Not wanting to be with me. Not loving me..." The last words nearly broke me. "That's one thing. But wanting to take away my place in this group, this mission, is another. And yes, I will have to accept the first, but certainly not the second!" I stood demonstratively before the God of the First Light and glared at him resolutely. "Stop acting like a jerk, and let's move on."
He glared back angrily.
"Fine. We'll keep going, but I don't want to hear any complaints if you don't survive this mission," he growled.
"Don't worry, I certainly won't complain then. After all, in the realm of the dead, a man who really loves me awaits me," I spat in his face.
Suddenly, Sam pushed himself between us.
"Well, I think it's time to move on before one of you says something you'll regret later," he said, quickly pulling Tanael away from me.
"It's too late for that anyway," I whispered, turning around so I didn't have to look into the god's eyes. I couldn't bear his coldness now.
I also took the flashlight from my rucksack and searched the cave we had fallen into to distract myself. The Hades mark had been itching terribly since I woke up, and I had the urge to scratch my upper arm the whole time.
"The wound on your forehead isn't bleeding at all." Sam, who had joined me, observed my forehead in disbelief. "How's your head?"
The pain and dizziness were blown away, thanks to Tanael's argument's distraction.
"Everything's fine again. Don't worry about me. I can take more than meets the eye." I grinned, and he responded with a somewhat artificial laugh.
