Chapter 10

Ten

I don't know the meaning of true terror until the starting horn blares for the Chaos trial and I plunge headfirst into the darkness. It isn't long before any light from the main caverns disappears and I'm completely blind, stumbling over the uneven, rocky ground, listening to the shuffling feet and shouted curses of my fellow competitors as they rush in front of me.

Finding the tunnel wall, I make slow progress into the abyss, my muscles tense and senses stretched as I move forward, listening for a potential attack. I haven't forgotten Jules' mouthed words before the trial began. It feels like at any moment I'll be struck down.

I don't have a plan for how to make it through this first trial. The only things I know about the tunnels are what I'd learned when I came to Deepseat Caverns with my parents years before, which isn't much. And the factoids that do come back to me in the moment are wholly unhelpful and only scare me more. Like the guide's warning not to wander from the group because there are over a hundred miles of tunnels that crisscross and zigzag beneath the earth. They cautioned us that getting lost in the labyrinth wouldn't only be frightening, but also potentially life- threatening. Collapses were common in some of the tunnels, and so they weren't all safe for passage. And the danger of collapses in certain sections meant that not all of the subterranean paths have been charted, so rescue would be even more difficult.

I do my best to shove those dark thoughts from my mind, knowing the fear won't help me as I wait for my eyes to adjust, but the more time ticks by I realize that isn't going to happen. In order for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, there has to be some light, but I'm so deep into the caverns none exists down here. Shifters with night vision and fae with light magic definitely have the upper hand in this challenge.

The tunnel narrows and I have to duck to keep going. Visions of being swallowed by a giant rock monster fill my head, spiking my blood pressure. I never thought I was claustrophobic, but the confined space in the tunnel, along with my blindness, are becoming too much for me. I slow my footsteps, wanting to turn around or sink to the ground and curl into a ball, but I force myself to keep moving forward, even if it is at a snail's pace.

Eventually I reach a junction. Using my hands as guides I figure out that there are three separate paths I can take. I've fallen so far behind the rest of the competitors that I can only hear faint echoes of voices up ahead, but I have no idea which of the offshoots they're coming from. And even if I did know, that wouldn't mean it's the right one. None of us have any context for where these Chaos coins are hidden or how to make it out of the maze of tunnels.

Indecision freezes my limbs, making it feel like I'm encased in a block of ice, unable to move in one direction or the other. The guide's warnings slither through the cracks in my mental shields, reminding me of the consequences of getting lost in the vast underground labyrinth.

I close my eyes. If I don't pull myself together I'm not only going to get disqualified from Chaos before it barely starts, but I truly will get lost in these tunnels. I take two slow breaths through my nose and let them out slowly through my mouth.

You've got this. Creatures underestimate you. Use that. Talon's whispered words ring in my head and I latch on to them, letting them wash over me and finding strength in them and myself. With one more calming breath, I snap my eyes open, newfound determination flowing through my veins.

I've got this.

The air around me stirs, gently moving through the tunnels as if the caverns are breathing. I reach out, feeling the chilly bite of the air, woodenly moving in front of the next tunnel and the last, testing the temperature of each. The first tunnel is the coldest, and the last the warmest, at least relatively speaking since all the air is cold.

My goal is to find a coin and make it to the surface. The only weapon at my disposal right now is logic, and I know hot air rises and cold air sinks, so I make the decision to go down the third tunnel where the air is slightly warmer. With my hand still trailing along the wall, I pick up my speed, practically jogging in the dark. It's not more than a minute before I hear the echoes of voices coming from somewhere in front of me. Sweet relief floods my system. I don't know if I picked the tunnel that will take me to the surface, but at least I'm not down here alone.

The farther I travel, the more I'm able to pick up little details here and there as well, telling me there's a light source of some sort ahead. After a couple of twists and turns the tunnel lets out into a round cavern. Little pinpricks of blue and green light dot the ceiling like constellations, casting a soft glow over the space. And in the center of the cavern is a crystalline pool, the surface as smooth and still as glass.

"I'm telling you there's one right in the middle," a female to my left says, pointing to the center of the pool. "Right there."

I crane my neck to see what they are talking about and catch a glint of gold. A Chaos coin.

"I'm going to get it," she says, and starts forward, but as soon as her foot lands in the water a scaled beast the size of a full-grown crocodile emerges from under the sand at the bottom of the pool. It snaps its jaws at the girl, who immediately shifts into a parrot and starts flying around the cavern, squawking her head off. The beast submerges back into the pool, disinterested in taking chase.

It takes the girl several minutes to calm down. Finally landing next to her friend, she shifts back into her creature form. She has a small cut on her calf. It's probably only an inch long and barely bleeding, but she bursts into hysterics, talking about how her blood is going to draw the beast out of the water again for it to eat her.

I would have found the whole thing humorous if I wasn't so shocked. How is anyone supposed to get the Chaos coin with a water monster guarding it?

The pair ignore me, or don't even notice I'm there, I'm not sure which, but I stay quiet as the girl's friend tries to calm her, letting her know she's safe and assuring her that the sharp-toothed beast isn't going to crawl out of the water to eat her. But the parrot shifter isn't having any of it and eventually bolts from the cavern. Her friend follows, leaving me alone in the dim space with just the shallow pool and water beast to keep me company.

Making sure I'm not within snapping distance of the beast's jaws, I grab a stone about the size of my fist and lob it into the water. The beast stirs once again, splashing and flashing its jagged teeth at me, but then it just slides below the water when it realizes it was only a stone. The monster doesn't seem interested in stalking prey outside the waters, so that's at least something.

I stare at the coin in the middle of the pool. Even in the relative darkness the gold shines, almost glowing. I take a tentative step forward, the tips of my shoes only inches from the shoreline, and contemplate what to do next. I could abandon the coin like the two others had, hoping I can find another before the time runs out. That's what every other competitor who'd passed through this cavern decided to do, not deeming the coin worth the trouble of the water beast that guards it. But considering I'm so far behind everyone else, the other coins have probably been picked over. This may be my one and only chance to retrieve one.

I huff, putting my hands on my hips. There has to be a way to get that coin or it wouldn't have been placed there . . . right?

Casting a glance around me for something, anything I can use to get that coin, I notice a long stick propped up against the side of the cave.

That's weird. I expect rocks and sand beneath my feet. Even the glowworms lighting this cave aren't out of place, but what's a piece of wood doing in an underground cavern? Did someone bring a walking stick down here?

Being cautious not to set foot in the water, I carefully, but quickly, skirt the pond until I reach the stick. It comes to just above my waist and is a little thicker than my thumb. I bring it closer to my face, noticing etchings running up and down the shaft, but it's too dark to make them out. Also weird.

I'm wasting time looking at this random piece of engraved wood, but I can't shake the thought that there's something important about it. Like it was placed in this cavern on purpose. Or for a purpose.

At the very least I can use it to test the shoreline. Maybe there's a spot to enter the pool where the beast won't attack. Turning, I position the stick over the waters and then slowly drop the end. I'm expecting the water beast to snap at it the moment it breaches the surface, but that's not what happens at all. The moment the stick enters the water, the shaft vibrates, making small waves in the pool. There's a muffled shriek and the water beast appears from under the sand, but rather than clamping its jaws around the wood, it shoots to the opposite side of the pool, thrashing back and forth in obvious anger or distress.

More of the beast is visible than before and I notice it's shaped like a large fish, with a pair of small dorsal fins along its spine and two powerful pectoral fins like a shark. I don't see any legs, but its head looks like a crocodile and its entire body is covered in thick scales like a reptile.

A shudder starts in my chest and runs down my limbs. It's super ugly and extra terrifying. I've never seen anything like it before, and I'm probably going to be having nightmares about it for the rest of my life.

I glance down at the seemingly harmless piece of wood in my hand, knowing it's not actually a stick at all. It has to be some sort of device that's activated by the water. Yes, it has a rough bark-like exterior, but that's probably just camouflage to throw off the Chaos competitors. In all honesty, I don't really know what I'm holding, but it's clearly keeping the water beast at bay and that's really all I care about.

The beast breaches the surface on the other side of the pool to release another furious shriek that sounds between a bird caw and lion roar. I'm not sure how long this stick-like rod is going to keep the monster away, so I quickly pull off my boots and wade into the pool, gasping as freezing water hits my bare legs. It takes me no time to reach the center, but the water is far deeper than I realize, coming to my chin.

I start to shiver, my limbs aching from the frigid water, and my fingers start to lose feeling. The coin is right at my feet, but I'm going to have to dunk under to grab it. Taking a deep breath and squeezing the rod as best I can with numb hands, I dive down, snatch the coin from the pool floor, and then quickly resurface.

Water trickles down my face and I brush a chunk of wet hair out of my eyes and look down at the golden object in my hand. The Chaos coin has the same emblem stamped on it as was on the flyer, a circle divided into four sections with symbols in each and an inner circle with a cross.

I clench my fist around the treasure and start back toward the water's edge. The beast thrashes in agitation and shrieks behind me, running my nerves completely raw. I pick up speed, wanting nothing more than to be out of the icy water and safely planted on solid ground. The water is up to my thighs when I trip over a large rock and pitch forward. I have the sense to keep my hand around the gold coin, but I drop the rod when I put a hand out to catch myself.

The beast lets out another horrible shriek and then it falls silent. I freeze, looking over my shoulder but not spotting the monster anywhere.

My heart beats frantically, pushing blood through my veins quickly enough to make me forget about the cold. I have to get out of this pool immediately or I'm not going to make it out of this trial alive. I'm not so far from the pool's edge, but far enough that if the beast attacks I won't make it in time.

Reaching down, I search the pool's floor for the rod I dropped, knowing it's the only thing that will keep it at bay. Sand and rocks shift through my hands, but I can't find it in the murky waters.

There's a splash behind me, and when I look over my shoulder a wide mouth full of serrated teeth are coming straight at me.

No way am I dying like this. A late-night snack for a cavern monster.

I bound forward, the water slowing my steps as I sprint for the edge of the pool. Part of me knows it's useless, but my fighting spirit refuses to give up.

I don't have to look behind me to know that the water beast has almost reached me. I already feel its phantom teeth clamping down on my flesh, tearing into skin and muscle and crunching through bone.

The edge of the pool is only feet away, but it might as well be a mile.

With my heart racing, my foot snags on another rock and I plunge forward, landing face-first in the water just as the beast lunges and snaps its jaws in the air where I was standing. Its body comes crashing down next to me and I'm doused by a wave of icy water. Jerking out of the way of a second snap, I scramble to my feet as the monster thrashes in the shallow waters to chase me.

It's only two large steps to the pool's edge. But just as I'm about to take the final step out of the pool, the beast throws its body sideways, bashing into my knees and knocking me over. When it rolls over me I lose my breath as I'm crushed beneath its weight.

While it struggles to right itself, I drag myself to my feet, hacking up water. I fling myself out of the pool and onto the rocky ground, shuffling as far away from the edge as possible.

The beast releases another rage-filled shriek and thrashes its tail, slapping the water in anger, but doesn't try to reach me now that I'm out of the pool. After its temper tantrum subsides, it maneuvers itself into deeper waters then submerges.

I stay lying on the ground, gasping for air. It's only when the waves and ripples disappear, leaving the surface of the pool as smooth as glass, that I close my eyes and sigh a breath of relief. Taking deep, even breaths, I will my blood pressure to return to normal.

After a while, feeling starts to return to my numb limbs and I notice my hand aches. Opening my eyes, I look down to find my fingers still clenched around the Chaos coin.

Unbelievable. I can't believe I held on to it.

A wholly inappropriate laugh burst from my lips, and I struggle to a sitting position. The unhinged sound bounces off the walls of the cavern. It's a solid minute before I regain my wits and push to my feet—waterlogged, dirty, exhausted, but otherwise unharmed.

After wringing out my hair and putting my boots back on, I store the coin in my skirt pocket and slog to the cavern's exit, following the same path the girls before me did.