Chapter 17

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The beam of Damon's flashlight cut through the inky darkness like a knife, dancing across the jagged walls of the cave. Brody's light soon joined it, the beams crisscrossing in an erratic pattern as we cautiously made our way deeper into the cavern.

But something was…off.

I blinked hard, convinced my eyes were playing tricks on me. Wherever the light touched, I swear I saw shadows moving, always a fraction of a second ahead of the illumination. It was as if the darkness itself was alive, retreating from the light with an unnatural intelligence.

"Do you guys see that?" I whispered over the sound of water dripping somewhere in the distance.

Damon swung his flashlight in a wide arc, the beam catching on glittering mineral deposits before plunging back into darkness. "See what? The overwhelming amount of nothing, or the creepy rock formations that look like they want to eat us?"

Still, I saw his hand tighten on the flashlight, his knuckles white with tension. He'd noticed it, too.

Brody's light joined Damon's and focused on a particularly dark corner. For a split second, I could have sworn I saw something. A mass of writhing shadows, perhaps. Then, it vanished, leaving behind nothing but bare rock.

"It's like the shadows are playing hide and seek," Brody muttered, his voice gruff with unease. "Always one step ahead."

The air in the cave felt thick, almost syrupy, making each breath a conscious effort. The temperature seemed to drop with every step we took.

Zara huddled closer to me. "In all my years of magic, I've never felt anything like this," she whispered. "It's as if the darkness is…hungry."

A skittering sound echoed deep in the cave, making us all freeze. Damon and Brody's lights swept the area frantically, but again, the shadows seemed to retreat ahead of the beams, always remaining tantalizingly out of sight.

"Well, I guess we know where all the evil shadow puppets hang out on their days off. Any chance we could, I don't know, find a cave with a better Yelp review next time?" Damon's voice lacked its usual bravado.

Despite his attempt at humor, the tension was like a suffocating wool blanket, stealing our breath, scratching our skin. We pressed on, huddling closer together, our eyes straining against the darkness. The compass continued to pull us forward, deeper into the heart of the cave. The shadows grew thicker, more substantial with each step.

I sensed we weren't merely walking through darkness. We were being allowed to pass, observed and evaluated by something beyond our comprehension. And I feared the moment it decided we had gone far enough.

Our only consolation was that the compass glowed in the dark, its ethereal blue light casting an eerie glow on our faces. I clutched it tightly, my knuckles white, feeling the cool metal bite into my palm. The soft pulsing of its light seemed to match the frantic beating of my heart.

Unfortunately, the compass' unwavering needle kept leading us deeper. Each step felt like a battle against my instincts, every fiber of my being screaming to turn back.

Damon's breath emerged in visible puffs as he muttered, "Great. We're following a glow-in-the-dark Happy Meal toy into the bowels of hell. What could possibly go wrong?"

Brody shushed him sharply, his body tense as a coiled spring. He held his flashlight like a weapon, ready to strike. "Keep it down," he hissed. "We don't know what's down here."

The tunnel narrowed, forcing us to walk single-file. Zara's trembling hand clutched my shoulder, her fingers digging in almost painfully. The walls seemed to press in on us, the rough stone scraping against our arms as we shuffled forward.

A low rumble echoed through the cavern, and loose pebbles skittered across the ground. We all froze, barely daring to breathe. My mouth went dry, and I could taste the metallic tang of fear on my tongue.

"Please tell me that was someone's stomach," Damon whispered.

The compass tugged insistently, urging us onward. I swallowed hard, trying to dislodge the lump in my throat. "We need to keep moving," I managed to croak out.

As we pressed on, each breath felt like drawing in molasses, and a fine sheen of cold sweat broke out across my brow. The darkness seemed to press against our skin, an almost tangible presence.

The compass' glow pulsed stronger, its blue light intensifying with each throb. Writhing shadows danced on the cave walls, twisting into grotesque shapes that seemed to reach for us. My heart hammered as I tried to convince myself they were tricks of the light. But deep down, a primal part of me knew better.

"Whatever's waiting for us, it's close," Brody murmured. "Be ready for anything."

I couldn't hold the compass and use my bow, so I reluctantly holstered it and took out my blade. The others withdrew their swords with a series of metallic whispers that echoed ominously.

Suddenly, the compass jerked violently in my hand, nearly wrenching my wrist. Its glow flared blindingly bright, illuminating a sight that made my blood run cold.

"There!" Zara gasped.

Off the path, partially obscured by a jutting rock formation, stood another statue. But this one was different. Around its neck hung a heart-shaped green pendant that pulsed with an inner light matching the compass.

"The Heartstone. It has to be," I whispered.

Damon took an involuntary step toward it, then caught himself. "Oh, no. Not falling for that again," he muttered, shaking his head as if to clear it.

Brody's grip on his sword tightened, his knuckles white. "It's off the path," he warned, his gaze darting between the statue and the writhing shadows that seemed to be closing around us.

"We can't leave it," Zara pleaded, her eyes wide with desperation. "My sister…"

The raw anguish in her voice tugged at my heart. But it wasn't only Zara's sister who needed the stone. Justice flashed into my mind, his brave face masking the pain and weakness consuming him. Maybe the Heartstone could make him stronger, give him a fighting chance against whatever was slowly killing him.

The ironclad responsibility pressed down on me, as heavy as the oppressive air around us. Two lives, possibly more, hanging in the balance. The decision to risk everything for the Heartstone suddenly felt both impossibly difficult and absolutely necessary.

"Justice needs it, too," I whispered. The others turned to look at me in surprise and understanding. "The Heartstone. It might be able to help him, make him stronger."

Their expectant gazes were fixed on me, waiting for a decision. The compass pulled insistently toward the statue, its glow matching the pulse of the amulet. Every instinct screamed danger, but we had come too far to turn back now.

I tightened my grip on my blade. "We go together," I decided, my voice steadier than I felt. "Watch each other's backs. And no matter what happens, no one touches that statue except me."

As we stepped off the path, the shadows seemed to retreat, slinking back into the darker recesses of the cave. The absence of their writhing presence was almost more unnerving than their visibility. My skin prickled with goosebumps, every nerve ending on high alert.

I couldn't shake the feeling we were walking into a trap. My mind raced through the possibilities, each more terrifying than the last. Maci and her demons could be lurking in the darkness, waiting to spring an ambush. The thought of her cruel smile made me shiver.

Or more likely, I realized with a sinking feeling, we were about to come face-to-face with the creature that had turned all those people to stone, including Zara's sister. Some kind of Medusa, perhaps? The mythological implications made my head spin. Whatever it was, it had to be incredibly powerful to overcome Zara's coven.

As we inched closer to the statue and its precious cargo, the Heartstone's green glow intensified, casting long, distorted shadows behind us. The silence was oppressive, broken only by our shallow breathing and the occasional drip of water echoing from deep within the cave.

Damon's voice broke the tension. "Anyone else feel like we're starring in our own horror movie? Because I gotta say, I don't like our odds of being the final survivors."

Brody shot him a warning glance, but fear lurked behind his stern expression. We were all thinking the same thing. We were voluntarily walking into the lair of a monster, armed with little more than hope and desperation.

With each step, the feeling of being watched intensified. Whatever was waiting for us, whatever had lured us this far, was about to reveal itself.

Whispers vibrated off the cave walls, growing louder.

Come and take the stone. Soon, you'll be ours.

As I reached toward the Heartstone, fingers trembling, I couldn't help but wonder. Had we made the biggest mistake of our lives?