At last, they cleared enough wood for Aric to move the rest himself. He crawled out from the wreckage of the ship, covered in cuts and bruises. Though he staggered, he got to his feet readily enough, brushing dust and debris from his clothing.
"It's a miracle," he said. "Don't think I broke anything." Then his knees collapsed, and he had a coughing fit.
Berig knelt beside him. "You all right?"
"The smoke's getting to me. We need to get out of here."
Berig and Lara supported Aric as they pushed through the smoky corridor. The fires raged hotter than ever, nearly blocking their path. Every few seconds, the ship groaned, and Berig was sure everything would come crashing down.
But the corridor remained intact. For now.
By the time they reached the ladder, Berig was sure he'd pass out. His lungs couldn't get enough air. Aric climbed the ladder first, helped by Berig and Lara, who followed close behind. When they reached the deck, they all collapsed.
The battle was over.
Chapter 55: A Deadly Path
Kara's party reached the edge of the mountains, where Diana directed them to a narrow pass. She stopped and looked back at them. "This is the safest path we'll find, but that doesn't mean it's safe by any means. We can expect monsters."
"What kind of monsters?" Kara asked
"You don't want to know."
They started through the pass, which sloped gradually upward. For the first few hours, nothing threatened, though Kara could have sworn she heard distant movement. In the mist, it was impossible to see much of anything.
Tobias, Josef, and Diana led the party through the pass. As far as Kara was concerned, she'd rather stay back with Aren. Neither of them trusted Josef, and Diana had a cold personality.
Aren gazed into the distance, as if he could see through the mist. "Just think. On the other side of these mountains, we'll be in Krinir's territory." His expression tightened. "I'll find a way to make him pay."
Kara put a hand on his shoulder. "I know how strongly you feel about this, but you have to know you don't stand much of a chance against him."
"I know." Aren sighed and took a few silent steps. "Maybe I am insane. Maybe I should give this up. Lena and Alia are dead. Millersville is destroyed. I can't undo his deeds."
"I've seen what a desire for vengeance can do to somebody," Kara said. "It makes you unable to see the foolishness of your own actions."
"I don't even know if I want revenge anymore. Now, I feel more numb than anything. All this traveling has given me a lot of time to think." He wrapped an arm around Kara's shoulders. "I've realized something important. I'm doing all this for you."
Kara looked into his eyes. "Thank you."
"I care about you. I want to see you get back home. That's more important than a foolish desire for vengeance." He chewed on his lower lip. "In fact, I think I might come with you. I don't know exactly what I feel, but I think I might love you."
Kara didn't know what to say to that. She did have feelings for Aren, but professing her love was terrifying. "I think I might share those same feelings."
"I know it's hard," Aren said. "We've been through so much. After a while, you don't feel human anymore." He shook his head. "But maybe that's the best reason to fall in love. Even in the midst of all this hardship, we've gotta hold on to our humanity."
"I can't disagree with that," Kara said, and before she knew it, their lips had locked. The kiss was awkward and hesitant at first, but then Kara lost herself. She pushed Aren against the rocky wall, and they remained together, embracing each other and kissing.
Tobias cleared his throat. "Is it really the time for that?"
Kara and Aren broke apart. With a smile, Aren said, "Maybe not, but I don't regret it."
"Neither do I," Kara said.
She'd kissed men before, but there was something more to this kiss, something special. Feeling happier than she had in a long time, she looked into Aren's eyes. He returned her gaze with a broad smile, as if inviting her to kiss him again.
But Tobias was right. They had to remain aware of their surroundings. No telling when a monster might show up.
For the next few hours, they walked through the gray mist. The farther they traveled, the more Kara felt trapped. If a monster did threaten them, they'd have nowhere to run. The pass was maybe twenty feet wide, and sheer cliffs towered on both sides. It was enough to make anyone feel small and insignificant.
Occasionally, they passed caves, but Diana warned them away. The worst monsters lurked in these caves.
Something growled deep within the mist. Kara froze, peering into the distance, but she couldn't see anything. Her heart hammered. Another growl sounded from up above, then another, and another. The entire party glanced up, but then more growls came from behind them and from in front of them.
"What the hell is growling like that?" Aren asked.
"I have no idea," Diana said.
A shadow stirred in the mist ahead of them. Diana blasted it with fire from her staff, and it let out a horrible, ear-piercing shriek. The sound made Kara feel like throwing up. Her legs threatened to buckle, and her vision blurred.
"Don't do that again!" Josef shouted.
Diana glared at him, looking unsteady on her feet. "Then what the hell are we supposed to do?"
"Let me think," Josef said. "Your magic isn't powerful enough."
The growls became louder as the monsters closed in. Kara looked ahead. Something enormous was visible through the mist. Looked back. Saw the same thing. Her heart felt as if it would burst out of her chest.
The shadow from behind launched itself at Kara. She raised her sword, but she wasn't quick enough. It landed atop her, knocking the wind out of her and pinning her to the ground. She struggled beneath it, trying to get her sword out.
The monster looked like a giant lizard. Red spikes ran along its back, and it tried to gouge her with its claws and pierce her with its long fangs. But she held it back long enough for Aren to tackle it to the side.
She struggled to her feet while Aren wrestled with the lizard. She wanted to stab it, but she wasn't sure she could without hurting Aren.
Aren's staff clattered to the ground. He reached for it, but the lizard jumped atop him. Kara charged it, holding out her sword, but when she tried to plunge her sword through its thick skin, it felt as if her sword had hit a stone wall.
"Do something!" Kara shouted to Diana, Tobias and Josef.
"He's too close," Josef said. "Anything we do to the lizard will also hurt him."
Tobias stepped forward, however, and pointed a finger at the monster. A shard of ice burst from his fingertips, striking the lizard in the side. As soon as it hit, Kara felt a crushing wave of hopelessness. The ice bounced off, just like her sword.
Kara had to take matters into her own hands. She joined Aren and the lizard and tried to wrestle it away from him. It was too large, though, and with every passing second, those fangs came closer to Aren.
Heart pounding, Kara tried to stab it again and again, but every sword thrust bounced off its tough skin. Then she had a sudden idea. She wrapped her arms around the lizard's neck. It thrashed, but she held strong, wrestling its head away from Aren.
"Stab it in the eye," she said, knowing she had only a few more seconds.
Aren had a dagger in his hand. He thrust the dagger upward, piercing the lizard's eye. It let out that same horrible shriek as before, and Aren convulsed on the rocky ground. When he fell still, Kara's heart climbed into her throat. He couldn't die like this.
She felt dizzy, her vision blurry. For a moment, she thought she'd pass out.
The lizard continued shrieking, the sound stabbing into every inch of Kara's body. She trembled violently. Her vision darkened. All she could hear was the shrieking. Her thoughts became a confused mess, and a strange calm overtook her.
This sound was going to kill her. There was no way around it.
"Kara!"
She continued fading toward nothing
ness.
"Kara!"
Dying felt more peaceful than she'd thought it would.
"Kara, please come back to us."
Her eyes came open, but she couldn't focus on the world around her. The air felt brutally cold. She was shaking more fiercely than ever. Gradually, the world became clearer. Tobias stood over her, his expression troubled.
"Kara, can you hear me?" he asked.
Her mouth didn't want to move. Her throat felt dry. At last, she croaked out a feeble response. "I—what happened—where's Aren—is he all right?"
"How do you feel?" Tobias asked.
Her voice became stronger. "I asked about Aren. Is he alive?"
"I'm not sure what condition he's in," Diana said from a few feet away. "He was closest to the monster when it shrieked. He still has a pulse, but he won't respond to anything I do."
Kara crawled across the rocky ground, lacking the strength to stand. She reached Aren's side and pressed her ear to his chest. There was a heartbeat, but it was faint. She brushed her hand across his face, praying he'd wake up. He didn't respond.
"No, Aren. Please don't die on me." She struggled against tears. "I love you. There I said it. Now you're supposed to wake up."
No response.
"Aren, didn't you hear me? I love you."
He didn't stir, didn't make a sound.
"Wake up!" she shouted, tears streaming down her face. "Please, wake up."
"He isn't going to wake up," Josef said. "I've read about this creature. Its shriek is fatal to anyone that close to it. It's only a matter of time until he dies." He took a step closer and moved his hand as if he were going to put it on her shoulder. "I'm sorry."
For the first time, she thought she heard true sympathy in Josef's voice. It wasn't enough to make her trust him, but at least he was still human, deep down.
"You're a sorcerer," Kara said. "Can't you do something for him?"
"I'm not a healer," Josef said. "Neither is Tobias. There's nothing we can do."
Kara lay atop Aren, wishing she could change things, wishing the world could stop existing around her. She couldn't lose Aren like this, not when she'd finally realized how she felt about him. Maybe there was something she could do, some miracle she could conjure, but she had no magic, and miracles were in short supply these days.
As she lay there, his breathing ceased. The next words were the most difficult she'd ever uttered. "He's dead."
Chapter 56: The Labyrinth
Kara walked in a fog. She had no idea how she managed to put one foot in front of the other. Everything felt cold and lifeless. An oppressive weight had settled over her.
They'd left Aren where he'd died. There was nothing else they could do for him.
It was still hard to believe. Hours ago, he'd been full of life. They'd shared their first kiss.
And now he was dead, another person lost to this cruel world. Another person she'd failed. Aren wouldn't have been here if not for her. She was leading them all to her deaths just so she could get home. How could she be so selfish?
"I want the rest of you to go home," she said. "I can do this on my own."
"No, you can't," Tobias said. "And Aren wouldn't want you to go on alone. We chose to come here with you. We knew the risks."
"Nobody deserves to die like that," Kara said.
Josef's expression was cold, distant. "The world doesn't care what we deserve. All of life is a game of chance. Aren lost."
Kara pushed against him with all the force she could muster. Her anger felt like a raging current. "How can you say something so heartless?"
"That's the way I see the world."
Kara glared at him. "Well, I hope I never see it that way."
Josef started walking, leaving Kara a few steps behind. Had his moment of tenderness before been only a brief change from his normal behavior? Now he seemed colder than ever, as if he didn't care that Aren had died. In truth, Josef probably didn't. He was in this for his own reasons and didn't care about any of them.
With every step, Kara felt like stopping. Maybe a monster could find them and kill her as well. She had no idea what might await her in the afterlife, but maybe she'd have a chance to see Aren again. Something wonderful had developed between them, and now it was gone.
Taken away before she could appreciate it.
Somewhere in the distance was the sound of flapping wings. Whatever was making that sound had to be enormous. Kara broke out of her thoughts and peered through the mist, but she couldn't see anything. The flapping grew louder, a menacing sound.
"What do you think that is?" she asked.
Josef looked genuinely terrified. "We don't want to know."
"They're not supposed to be anywhere near this pass," Diana said.
"They?" Kara asked. "Do you know what this is?"
Diana nodded. "It's a dragon."
The flapping grew louder and louder, echoing through the pass like thunder.
"How large are these dragons?" Kara asked.
"Large," Diana said, "but not so large that it won't be able to enter the pass."
Kara spotted a cave ahead and to the right. She remembered Diana's warning about these caves, but what choice did they have? It was better to face an unknown monster than one that would surely kill them.
She turned to Tobias and Josef. "Does your magic stand any chance against a dragon?"
Josef shook his head. "Dragons are highly resistant to magic, and because they are creatures of magic, they can kill those of us who are immortal."
"Then I think we should hide in that cave." Kara pointed ahead. When the others frowned, she said, "Would you rather die out here?"
She had no idea where this sudden certainty had come from. Had the danger allowed her to forget about Aren, at least for the moment?
"She has a point," Diana said. "The dragon will kill us if we stay out here."
The flapping had grown almost deafening. Somewhere up above, a shadow was visible through the mist. The shadow grew closer. The dragon's wings sent mighty gusts of wind through the pass. Then the fire came.
It started behind them, spraying through the pass in a steady stream. The air grew hot. The fire was thirty feet away. Twenty. Ten.
Kara pushed her legs as fast as they'd go, but she wasn't fast enough.
"Hit the ground!" Josef shouted. "I'll shield us."
Kara didn't even recall flattening herself against the rocks. All she could think about was the heat. The air shimmered, and Kara was sure she was about to die. With the prospect of death so close, she realized she didn't want to join Aren. Not yet.
She had to get home first, had to know what had happened to Nadia, to Ander, to Aric. Had to show them she was still alive. Aren had wanted her to get home. He'd believed in it so strongly, and she couldn't give up on his dream. But would she ever have the chance?
The flames grew hotter. The dragon roared. The air became suffocating.
But the shield held. The flames lashed at the invisible barrier but couldn't penetrate it.
"We need to keep moving!" Josef shouted. "Into the cave!"
They raced the last few feet and darted into the cave. The dragon's flames pushed beyond the cave's entrance, so they delved deeper into the darkness. Diana lit the tip of her staff, allowing them to see a few feet.
At last, they reached a point beyond the reach of the dragon's fire. They waited there as the dragon continued growling. How long before it decided to leave them alone?
"What if it stays out there?" Kara asked, shaking so much she could barely stay on her feet. She felt trapped, and panic flared in her chest.
"We'll have to hope it doesn't," Diana said. "It's that simple."
A growl sounded, coming from somewhere within the cave. Everybody looked deathly pale in the light from Diana's staff.
The growl came again, closer. Rocks shifted. There was a place nearby where the cave branched, and soon the monster emerged from this fork in the path. It had them cornered.
&nb
sp; "We'll have to go deeper into the cave," Josef said.
Tobias took off running. "I don't like the sound of that."
The rest of the party followed. Kara could hear the monster behind them, but in the darkness, she couldn't see it. Pounding steps grew closer. The monster growled again.
The farther they raced into the cave, the more unstable the ground felt beneath them. More than once, Kara heard rocks collapsing somewhere nearby. Would the entire cave fall apart beneath them? Her breath caught in her throat, and her chest felt tight with panic.
Everyone in the party linked hands so that they wouldn't get separated amidst the shaking. Kara clung to Diana on one side and Josef on the other. Touching his hand made her feel a little sick.
A resounding crack split the air, and the ground gave way. The entire cave was collapsing. Kara screamed, the sound lost amidst the thundering noise.
She expected to feel something beneath her, expected to hit the ground hard.
But there was nothing. She fell through empty air, through darkness, screaming the entire time. Maybe Josef was right. The world was a game of chance, and they had lost.
Then Kara felt as if some unseen force were squeezing her. In the chaos and darkness, she could no longer see the rest of the party. She reached out, hoping to find them, but they weren't there.
Then it all stopped. She lay atop rocky ground, drenched in sweat, her heart pounding in her ears. Dizzy and disoriented, she scanned her surroundings. First, she saw Diana, Josef, and Tobias. They looked dazed but all right. The entire party lay now in another cave, but this one was illuminated by blue magical light, giving their surroundings an eerie feeling.
They all got to their feet shakily. "Can somebody tell me what the hell just happened?" Kara asked.
Tobias glanced around for a few moments. "If I'm not mistaken, we've just been taken to the Labyrinth. Very unusual. Somebody among us must be a Weaver."
"I don't know what any of that means," Kara said.
"The Labyrinth is perhaps the heart of the Shadowed Land. It contains some of the most powerful magic, some of the most fearsome monsters. It's also said to be the location of the Nexus." He smiled weakly. "I know what you're thinking. It seems like a perfect opportunity."
World in Chains- The Complete Series Page 92
