My pulse hammered as Kael fought off a trio of the zombie-like attackers. His ears were flat against his head and his teeth were bared as he swiped out with his claws. He managed to catch one in the leg. When it fell, he wasted no time springing forward and ending its life. The other two rushed at him, and the shifter spun with a feral roar that ripped through the darkness.
Kael’s terrible claws tore into one of the attackers, and the undead creature’s bones collapsed to the floor. The other one brandished a mist-forged sword. Only a quick curling of his body saved Kael from losing his head. He dodged another stroke of the sword and swiped out with a paw.
He didn’t see the other attacker breaking from the shadows and rushing toward his back with a knife.
“Look out!” My voice bounced from the walls as I ran .
I was on the verge of releasing more magic to send the thing crashing into a pile of bones when hands grabbed me from behind. I shrieked as a pair of bodies clutched at me. With a sharp twist, I broke free of one of their grasps and shoved my hand against its chest. It erupted into a scatter of charred bones. The other body tightened its hold on me with cold, unforgiving fingers.
“Get off!” I had no idea if the thing even understood words, or what made me think it would release me if it did.
Across the room, Kael roared. Bones clattered to the ground, but I couldn’t see the shifter. I fought against my own attacker’s grip. As I made another twist to try to break free, he threw me. I hit the hard, stone ground with a grunt. My right elbow smacked sharply, and I nearly let go of my knife as pain reverberated down my arm.
I gasped, and my stomach dipped. The floor beneath me tilted, as if it had been sitting on a massive hinge, and I skidded downward toward an edge that ended in darkness.
Try as I might to grab a hold of anything to stop me, momentum was already in full force. The edge rushed to meet me. I tipped off the floor and then was jerked to a stop. I gasped, the strap of my bag digging into me. Below me, there was nothing but darkness. I turned my head to find Kael, the strap of my bag clenched tight in his teeth. He huffed, and his claws scraped on the slanted floor as he struggled to pull me upward.
As soon as my arms reached the edge, I braced them on the floor and hauled myself up. In the tumble, my magic had left me, but I summoned it once again. My breath was shaky, and my heart raced as I peered down into the black space that could have been the end of me.
“Thanks.”
Kael sat beside me. His pattern of spots shifted as his sides heaved in and out. I glanced behind us, worried there would be more attackers, but there was only silence and shadows .
Was that a test, or were they put there by the mage? The uncertainty made me more uneasy than the animated bodies.
I squinted before us. There was nothing but the dark drop below us and a rock wall on the other side. It was too far for us to jump across, and there was no bridge. We couldn’t climb across on the sides, either; it was too sheer. Even if I had been able to find footholds, I doubted Kael could make it across as a jaguar.
He sighed deeply beside me and tilted his head as if to say, “Now what?”
“There has to be a way,” I muttered.
I peered over the edge again. Whispers seemed to float up to me from the depths, calling, beckoning me to follow.
My grip tightened on my knife. There was no other way…except down.
“I think we have to drop off into the dark.”
Kael got up and started to pace. He snarled and shook his head.
I stuffed my knife into my pack. “It’s the only way. It has to be. We can’t go back and unless you can sprout wings, we can’t get across.”
I scooted closer to the edge and swung my legs over.
The shifter grabbed the back of my light jacket with his teeth and gave me a sharp tug as he growled. I tilted my head back. His eyes flashed angrily in the light of the magic caressing my fingers. Lightly, I reached back with my free hand and stroked the soft, spotted fur of his cheek.
“Listen, you’re really pretty, but I don’t know you well enough to have your teeth on me yet.”
Kael released me with a surprised huff, and I hurried to drop off the ledge.
I was chased into the shadows by a frustrated snarl. My arms cartwheeled as cold air whistled past me. The freefall lasted a few heartbeats, then icy water surged over me. I kicked my legs until my face broke the surface; I heard a splash somewhere behind me.
The current was strong and tugged at my limbs as it swept me farther into the dark. I let out a startled yell as I crashed into a rock. My face bounced off it, and then the water twisted me, pulling me downstream.
I struggled to bring up my magic again as the current tried to suck me back under. Finally, I managed to grasp it just in time to see a wide bar of dirt and stone hugging the base of the massive rock wall. I kicked toward it with all my strength and heaved myself up with shaking arms. I rolled to my back and pulled in deep breaths as my muscles burned.
The water splashed to my left, and I turned to find Kael shaking water from his fur like a dog. He hurried over to me and sniffed loudly all over me. He nudged at me incessantly, an almost whining sound humming in his throat.
I pushed him away. “I’m fine.”
He stuck his nose to my cheek, and his warm breath brought a stinging sensation. I reached up to find a cut, most likely from crashing into the rock.
I shoved him away again. “It’s just a scratch.”
Kael sat back on his haunches and growled.
“We didn’t have a choice. We’re alive, aren’t we?” I didn’t know jaguars were capable of rolling their eyes.
I climbed to my feet with a groan. A shiver rocked through me. It was freezing down here. I was going to die of hypothermia before we even reached the relic.
I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. My magic swirled and hummed beneath my skin. I drew on it, and with the light around my fingers came warmth. It didn’t dry my clothes, but I was no longer shivering.
Cool. I have a built-in heater , I thought with a smile.
Kael gave another shake to dispel more water. His wet fur glistened in the light of my magic. Was he cold, too? At least he was in his jaguar form. His spotted coat would probably keep him warmer.
I tipped my bag, and water poured out. I grimaced. How much of my stuff was ruined?
“Well, now what?” I asked.
Kael rolled his shoulders. I walked along the ground with my boots squelching. There had to be a way. The whispers had led me down here.
I peered toward the water rushing by. Maybe we hadn’t ridden the current far enough. I shook my head. That didn’t seem right. The way was around here somewhere. I strode to the wall with Kael padding silently beside me.
The cavern stretched into darkness on both sides. Wall in front and river in back. There had to be a way.
A slight breeze kissed my cheek and brought a chill down my neck. I rubbed at the goosebumps, then froze.
A breeze?
I turned my face toward the cool sensation. There, at the base of the wall, was a dark opening I’d missed before.
“Kael, over here.”
I crouched by the opening. It was just big enough for us to squeeze through one at a time. I started to go first, but Kael shouldered me over. He growled and swiped at me with a clawed paw. His teeth shone in my small light.
I sighed. “Fine. You go first if you’re going to be a grouch about it.”