‘I promised we wouldn’t kill them.’
Kassie bit a lip to stop a giggle at the slack jawed expression of shock on all faces.
‘W-w-hat?’ stuttered Chaieth, raising his hands in question and stomping his rear feet in confusion. ‘Why would you say that?’
The loud assent from the group made Gredel hold both hands back in a defensive gesture and he gave a grim nod.
‘I know it’s not the normal way but the Cyqs use the lizards as watch guards. They prevent other creatures reaching this cavern.’
‘Did you promise not to kill them all?’ demanded a Nyjen. Gredel stared flatly at the violet eyed man.
‘As few as possible. None is best.’
‘How are we meant to manage that?’ moaned a goblin.
‘Vork’s have excellent vision in both dark and light. But they can’t adjust to sudden changes in it. We get the girls on the four outer points of the group and have them flash their energy to keep the lizards blind. You can do the same with your torches; just put a blade across to muffle it. It takes about five seconds for the lizards to adjust to changes,’ Gredel explained.
Kassie went still with trepidation and looked over at Cat and Loi who wore the same expression.
Oh shit, Cat thought. This’ll be interesting.
Do we keep the same time? thought Loi.
I don’t think that will matter, Sian thought. It might work better if we’re out of sync with this.
Weird how it’s harder not to kill things, Kassie thought, the others agreeing.
‘Gredel, that sort of flashing will blind us too,’ Belsesus pointed out from where he stood beside Chaieth. ‘Our eyes have adjusted to the lack of light in the caves.’
‘He’s right,’ agreed a goblin, the others nodding along. ‘We’ll need to shield our eyes.’
Everyone turned to their packs, hunting through them. Kassie watched Rumal deftly fold a small drying sheet lengthwise, creating a long thin bandana and handed it to her before taking another out and doing the same again.
Leseach handed me a strip of fabric and I tied it around my forehead, tugging gently to make sure it slid into place easily. The thin fabric still allowed me to see through it, but might deflect the flashes. I didn’t want to be completely blind. Everyone else did the same and when I looked around laughter bubbled up. I clapped a hand over my mouth when a giggle squeaked out and those near turned to stare at me. Fully armored centaurs, goblins, soldiers, and Nyjens wore them, the Halenine fae too. The serious stern expressions coupled with confused frowns at my giggle proved my undoing and I doubled up, laughing harder than I’d laughed in months.
Loi turned my way and grinned.
‘Mass ninja induced hysteria?’
I held my knees for support and managed a nod, laughing more at her comment. When the laughter reduced to giggles I worked at stopping them and straightened up, face flushed, and attempted a serious expression. The crowd of confused ninja faces set me off again.
While it made him happy to see her laugh, the timing wasn’t appropriate. Still, watching her crying with laughter while she sat on the ground clutching at her stomach brought a smile to his face and Ignatius started to chuckle. The cavern soon echoed when everyone joined in the odd moment of hilarity, lifting the tense air from all. When they all settled down, Ignatius offered a hand to Catherine who now lay on the ground, chest heaving from laughing so hard. She accepted it and he pulled her to standing.
‘What was so funny?’
She shook her head, biting back giggles.
‘It’s an Earth thing.’
‘Come on then.’
Ignatius led her to the entrance where Rashid, Belsesus, and Larvaste waited. The other three girls, along with Sabyn, Daron, and Rumal, joined them.
‘Spread yourselves across the floor, one at the entrance, one at the exit and two in the middle. Keep the flashes going the whole time and once the last are through, follow. We’ll stand guard on the exit in case any vorks try to get through.’
‘Ready?’ Ignatius asked Catherine and she took his hand.
‘Just don’t let go,’ she said, then pulled the fabric over her eyes. Ignatius adjusted his as they stepped to the edge.
It was a decent drop into the cavern, a short leap for the griffons or maybe a long step down for Sito, and I gasped in shock at the fall into utter darkness. The instant our feet hit stone I flashed my energy out wide and bright, making sure to keep it weak enough so I didn’t fry anything. The room lit up, light bouncing off the angular rocky walls. Shrieks like nails dragged over corrugated iron filled the air and I caught a glimpse of lithe bodies scurrying madly about. Beside me, with my hand in a death grip, Ignatius muttered something under his breath then yelled back to the others, ‘Thirty at least!’
‘Lights out,’ I said, extinguishing the energy.
‘Count,’ Ignatius said, and he led me across the floor. ‘Keep your feet low.’
Two, three, four, five, I counted silently while fumbling across the cavern with him, grateful for the solid hold he had on my arm when I stumbled again and again.
‘Flash!’
The cavern lit red and again I spied the lizards through the fabric, all frozen mid-step.
‘Shit! Did they gain on us?’
‘Don’t worry,’ he growled. ‘Just focus on counting.’
Three, four, five.
I heard and sensed it when Kassie and Rumal dropped in behind us, and flashed my energy out. In the moment of brilliant visibility I noticed the lizard on my right again.
I’d swear it seems closer, I thought. It was rather beautiful; two diamond shaped heads on elegant necks meeting the smooth lengthy body. Large, almost finger-like, claws on its widely spread feet and such huge eyes, all faceted like an enormous fly eye. The eye blinked.
‘FLASH!’ roared Ignatius.
‘Shit!’ I yelped when it dived at us and flashed my energy out.
Screeches filled the air again, the noise reverberating painfully throughout the room. Ignatius gave my arm a tug.
‘Count.’
When I started my count Kassie flashed and the extreme lights cut through the thin fabric. All I could see when I closed my eyes were splashes of light against the red of my eyelids and the same again when I opened my eyes.
So grateful Ignatius is leading, I thought in relief. The Lieutenant had locked onto the exit like a homing device, moving us forcefully across the cavern. Loi and Sabyn followed in after Kassie and now my head and eyes rang from the mass of lights, the sounds of energy flashes, and the shrieks from defensive lizards.
At this rate, I thought when I let another flash off, I’ll stumble right over a lizard by accident. Sian and Daron took their position by the entrance and the four of us girls linked in.
Okay guys, Sian’s thought came through. Easiest way to do this is to each flash on a count, Cat, one, Kassie, two, I’ll do three and Loi, four. Hopefully the erratic pattern will help.
Good, thought Kassie. Five seconds is too long.
Did you notice that too? I thought.
Yup. Damn sure of it.
I thought so too, Loi added.
With the count loud through our link we started the pattern and Daron called to those waiting in the other cavern. Ignatius and I now stood only meters from the exit and he switched with me, so he could guide those coming through with his free arm. Now we’d stopped moving I kept my eyes shut, relying on the count. I could feel and hear men passing by, the brush of an arm or the clop of hooves.
Okay, Loushka’s coming through. We’ll need to spin the energy through the room to prevent any shaded spots, Sian thought. On your next count.
I need to see what I’m doing, I thought and opened my eyes. With my free arm I made a swirl motion, releasing the energy through the cavern. It lit everyone up, spinning past their feet and over their heads, highlighting Loushka’s beautiful red undertones. The griffon squinted while slowly moving forward.
‘You’re killing my
eyes, Cat.’
‘Sorry. Better than being chewed by vorks.’
‘I don’t know about that,’ the griffon grumbled.
‘Meh! Don’t be a sour puss.’
When Loushka moved past us I reached a hand out and tugged the tuft on her tail.
‘Nearly out, grumpy.’
‘Thanks, Cat,’ she thought dryly.
The spinning motion felt easy now I had the hang of it and I closed my eyes again. Ignatius, I’ve no idea how, squinted the whole time, his bandana just above his eyes. I heard Kerak purr when he passed by and I blindly reached a hand out, just touching the edge of an armor plate on his leg. Leynorah called out as she rode by on Phroma’s back and I smiled in the direction of her voice while setting off another swirl of energy. The vorks kept up their shrieks and we heard the occasional sound of nails scraping over rock when they attempted to move but the constant bursts of light against the dark kept them immobile. They punctuated their shrieks now with irritated whistles that broke off on a loud ‘clak’ of annoyance.
‘Hi friends, I’m the last. You can start moving after me,’ Sito thought, when he started his turn through. The men, Ignatius included, all called out thanks and the dragon ambled slowly past. Ignatius pulled me out the way when Sito exited and called out to the others.
‘Come now, keep up the flashes.’
We kept the count running while I focused on the girls’ life lights, watching them draw closer. Kassie and Rumal exited, with Loi and Sabyn close behind. Sian and Daron drew closer and I kept up the count in my head, flashing on three and one. Just before Sian’s count of four, I heard a stumbling noise then a thud.
Sian? I thought in alarm, unable to hear her via our link.
‘Sian tripped! She’s out cold,’ Daron shouted.
I threw my energy out, squinting against the light and caught a glimpse of Daron slinging Sian’s limp form over a shoulder. I watched to make sure he got out okay. Ignatius helped him through the exit. The scuttle of nails turned me cold when I realized I’d forgotten to count and I dropped my energy, plunging the cavern into darkness. My heart pounded as I started to count, pulling the fabric around my head down to my neck. I’d seen several lizards much closer to us than I wanted. Before I reached three I heard a sound I couldn’t recognize and Ignatius dropped my hand.
‘Ignatius?’
At the sound of dragging I flashed my energy out and swore. Ignatius lay spread-eagle on the ground, face and body limp while three lizards attempted to drag him away, like wolves with a corpse. They froze at the flash and I lunged forward, grabbing his ankle and yanked, pulling him toward the exit. A morbid tug of war started when they jerked back, wrenching him from my grip.
‘Fuck off!’ I yelled angrily.
With a thought I surrounded Ignatius in my energy then flared it out, this time using heat and light. The lizards dropped him in an instant, smacking into each other in their haste to get away. Using the energy to hold his weight, and to shield his back from the rough floor, I dragged Ignatius to the exit and yelled for help. Rashid and Sabyn appeared and reached in, hauling us out.
The men draped the Lieutenant’s limp form over the back of a cavalry soldier. Two other soldiers stepped forward to guard the exit and prevent the vorks from coming through. Leseach watched it, then turned back to Sian who lay on a bedroll, staring at the ceiling of thin triangular stalactites.
‘How are you feeling?’
‘Concerned.’
Leseach leaned over the frowning girl.
‘Why?’
Sian extended a hand and pointed at the ceiling.
‘What’s the likelihood of those falling down during the night?’
The teasing tone made Leseach shake her head.
‘Well, I see you’re feeling better. Up then, I need to see to my next patient.’
Sian winked and climbed to her feet, stepping off the bedroll straight into Daron’s arms and the two of them moved away to where Nesha and Sito rested.
The men laid the Lieutenant out and she squatted beside him, lightly running her fingers over his swollen hand. The saliva stung and numbed them in an instant. Grabbing the moistened cloth she used for a compress, Leseach wiped her fingers clean then pressed the tips against the mail covering her knee, testing.
‘Can’t you do anything?’ Sabyn asked while he watched, his dark blond brows drawn, eyes flicking from her to Ignatius.
‘I’m not sure. It may wear off in time,’ she said nonchalantly. Indeed the Lieutenant already had some control back; a few of the muscles around his eyes twitched while he attempted to glare at her. The tiniest smile threatened to break loose at his expression and Leseach sat back, pretending to consider the options before her, enjoying the moment.
To be entirely incapacitated while those around observe must be awfully frustrating for him, she thought with an inward snigger.
‘I can help,’ Cat said, and she sat on the other side of Ignatius.
So much for that amusement, Leseach thought. She bowed to the Princess then stood, about to leave.
‘Do you want me to fix your hand?’ Cat asked.
‘No. Thank you. I want to see how long it takes to wear off.’
Leseach moved away and Rashid followed. I watched for a moment, amused when the Lieutenant casually lifted her hand with the pretense of examining it. All those near the couple stiffened when Leseach went dangerously still. Rashid just as casually released her hand while asking appropriate questions. The internal struggle visible on Leseach’s face while her eyes narrowed and shoulders stiffened, made me smile. She answered his questions in a calm, even voice and Rashid nodded, smiling blandly and not moving until she did, then matched her stride when she stalked to the fire, still asking questions that she appeared compelled to answer, despite her obvious irritation.
Beside me Sabyn snorted and I glanced over, meeting his amused eyes.
‘Rashid always did love a challenge,’ he muttered before looking down to Ignatius.
‘You can fix him, cousin?’
‘I think so. Guess we’ll soon see.’
Sabyn stood, reaching down to squeeze my shoulder. ‘I’ll leave you to it then.’
Let me know if you need any help.
I looked up to meet Loi’s gaze.
Will do. Thanks.
I turned back to Ignatius and gave a reassuring smile, hoping to calm the panic visible in his eyes. Letting my eyes un-focus I raised energy and watched his life light glow before me. Unlike the normal healthy glow it looked muddied, coated in a brackish green shade and dim. Extending the energy I enveloped his life force and lifted his swollen hand, the source of entry. With some effort and concentration I traced from the center of his being out, following the venom. When I had the whole track clear in my mind I slowly and carefully applied heat, watching his life form for any signs of distress. The venom refused to budge. I increased the heat, then with a silent apology, increased it some more. The hand in mine stiffened then constricted, the Lieutenant’s body contorting while I burned the final traces of venom from his system. When the flame glowed its normal vibrant color, I released it.
‘Ignatius?’
His eyes came back into focus. Still expecting nothing, Ignatius attempted to draw a breath and felt a rush of sheer relief when his lungs, finally, filled with air. The sharp inhalation seemed to catch in his throat and he rolled to the side, coughing hard.
Small hands held him, patting his back and an awkward sideways glance showed Catherine leaning over his side, anxiously regarding him, her plait dangling against his heaving chest.
‘Take it easy, small breaths.’
He wheezed and managed a nod between coughs. Catherine sat back, out of his immediate line of vision and he heard her comment to someone.
‘Hell! I didn’t realize he couldn’t breathe!’
Too damn right, he thought, finally getting the coughing under control and flopped onto his back. The quarter hour or so had felt like eons. His ears rang and
body seemed to hum with energy, even though he knew Catherine had withdrawn hers.
‘A drink,’ he croaked and a goblin helped him to sit, Catherine offering a water bladder. The cool liquid helped to drown the last of the fire she’d left within. The goblin left but Catherine stayed at his side.
Ignatius shut his eyes, ignoring everything for the moment, needing peace after the terrifying lack of control. The sudden darkness after seeing that blasted lizard too close for comfort, then the slight sting. After that he’d felt nothing. It didn’t occur to him, until they slung him across the centaur’s back, that he couldn’t breathe. By the time Catherine worked on him it had almost been too late.
‘How did you do it?’
Catherine’s quiet question made him open both eyes, regarding her in surprise.
‘Do what?’
‘Survive without breathing! It must have been ten minutes or so.’
Scrubbing both hands over his face; eyes tired from the flashing lights and his face tingling unpleasantly, Ignatius leaned his elbows against his bent knees then regarded Catherine, with her serious, earnest expression.
‘I swim. It’s part of the General Guard training and breath competitions are part of it too. I often won,’ he added with the hint of a smile.
Catherine looked impressed and went to say something when a loud shout rang out. Across the cavern a couple of soldiers yanked a vork out of a nook and killed it. Catherine glanced back to him with excited eyes then stood, making her way over along with everyone else. The Northerner caught Ignatius’ eye while she walked, shadowed by Rashid, to where the crowd poked and prodded the dead lizard. The recollection of that alien’s freakish eyes smirking made him thoughtful and he regarded the Northerner, squatting beside the Princess while they examined the vork. With a casual glance to check no one watched Ignatius went through the medicine basket left behind by Leseach and located just what he needed. Pushing the basket back in place, he stood and stretched, working out the kinks, then went to sort out his bedding while running through an idea in his head.
Feel the Burn Page 22
