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We moved slowly, easing our feet down with each step to avoid making a sound.
The cave was the kind of dark that left my eyes aching to find any scrap of light. According to Jessamine, the Rakshasa slept during the day. Once we were close to the nest, she would wake them and distract them to pull the creatures away from their nest. Luz working with her was the only thing that comforted me about this plan.
My foot landed on something soft, and I pulled away. Elisa stumbled into me and froze. Her chest rose against my back, and I reached behind me to clasp her hand. She gave my fingers a squeeze, but it didn’t comfort me; it only drove up my fear.
She’d already faced death at the hands of the merfolk, and now we walked into a dark hole full of monsters. Saints, we were a bunch of fools. Sai and I had always done reckless tasks to complete jobs, but I’d never considered it from this side. It was no wonder Elisa worried so much. Having the person you loved—the being who held your heart and soul—in danger’s way was terrifying.
I tiptoed around whatever soft, unnamable thing I’d tread upon and stretched my arm out to keep my fingertips connected to the cave wall. Elisa gripped the back of my shirt to follow. Orman reached out his arm, which I could just perceive the outline of, as if to protect our group and keep us from anything that might attack while we separated from the safety of the wall. When we reached it again, I released a breath.
A chirp echoed through the space. I darted my hand out for Elisa’s and we crouched together, tucking behind juts of rocks. Orman lowered beside us, his eyes glowing as he tapped into his magic. His ability to perceive spaces and motion without sight was a useful skill in this situation. Another warble echoed around like the haunting whistle of a bird cry.
Something rustled nearby and a growl echoed through the cave, trembling the sides like an earthquake. Heavy breathing picked up, and some creature yawned before a thump landed near us. Elisa sucked in a breath, and I tucked an arm around her and prayed she wouldn’t make any more noise.
A light flashed.
My heart rate raced forward.
Another pulse of light.
Another.
The world flashed between too-bright illumination and painful darkness. My eyes ached as they tried to adjust, and I leaned against the wall as massive creatures pounced out of a pile of fabric scraps and feathers. They came into view in the flashes of light—at least five times bigger than Orman with bright orange bodies and ebony stripes. The creatures were furry but possessed human-like bodies except for their lengthy teeth that dimpled their faces, long tails, and claws at the end of their fingers. As they moved towards the front of the cave, they drew blades.
When they all cleared out, I turned towards Elisa and Orman and nodded.
We inched up over the rocks before dashing towards the nest.
The fabric tangled around my ankles, and I sank into the piles of it, my feet dragging.
More light flashed and Elisa’s eyes glowed as she tapped into her powers so she could use her magic to search. Orman moved through the feathers as silent as a windless day. He could be surprisingly stealthy despite his personality. His eyes also gleamed with magic.
Light continued to pulse.
Someone yelled in pain, and we all jerked towards it.
“Luz,” Elisa said.
God damn it. “Find the stones quickly.” Maybe we could send Elisa out with the jewels and Orman and I could locate Luz. The commotion of fighting broke out in the distance and the sounds echoed around making the roars and screams and clanging sounds echo. Elisa turned towards the noise.
“Found ‘em,” Orman said as he lifted a bag and untangled the cord. He spilled the contents onto his palm and in another beat of light two jagged-edge pieces of emeralds sparkled.
“Good,” I said. “Let’s go.”
We turned to step out of the nest and Orman gasped and looked up. A massive cage dropped. Elisa froze and Orman yanked her to his chest, narrowly saving her from being hit by a bar. As he released a heaving breath, shock froze me. Did fate have it out for Elisa? Then another terrible thought crossed my mind. Orman had wasted his perception abilities to save her. He could have rolled out of the cage but instead all three of us now stood trapped. I grabbed the bars and gave them a shake. They didn’t seem magical—not that I was the best judge of that—but they were heavy enough that the trap didn’t budge.
Jessamine approached, her light softening to a gleam which glistened on the fur of the creatures prowling behind her. She placed her hand on her hip. “I’m afraid you won’t be going anywhere.”
Shock rolled through me, but I kept my expression neutral and my posture straight. “Where’s Luz?”
Jessamine smirked as she scratched her fingers into the fur of one Rakshasa. “No longer a problem.”
“You bitch,” I said through my teeth.
Jessamine laughed, and the creature beside her growled. “Not yet,” she said to him. “We wait for our Prince Sai to come to the rescue. Then we shall all have what we wish. The only thing worth more than these jewels is the Prince.” She turned and sauntered away, her light dimming with her.
Oh, fuck.
Orman slammed his shoulder into the cage, and it didn’t even shift. His brow furrowed in the dimming light, his expression worried. That was not fucking comforting. Orman was never concerned. He plunged into everything without a drop of hesitation. I hadn’t followed my intuition. I’d lead us into this damned cave, agreed to work with Jessamine, got us trapped, and Luz harmed. At least I hoped they were only harmed and not killed.
