Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15

F iona

As the blinding light enveloped us, a shiver ran down my spine. Not again! How did this keep happening to us? Nyx was a serious bitch. It could have been worse than her sending us places. Unless this time, she dropped us in a pit full of vipers. It was clear she didn't want to get her hands dirty. I prayed she didn't suddenly feel that she could hurt us and get away with it. If she were caught, Artemis would have her brother and father backing her, which Nyx and the other gods and goddesses knew. It was why lesser gods continually sent their children or creatures after us.

My stomach dropped when Tarae's house faded away. It was replaced by an eerie emptiness that seemed to stretch for eternity. Nyx's power carried us through the void. Panic surged, dumping adrenaline into my system when it felt like I was being pulled apart. The last time this happened, Violet died a bloody death and was reborn. My hand reached for my friends. The feel of their palms in mine settled my worst fears. We had each other no matter what.

It was a huge relief when the pulling eased instead of increasing. My mind twisted and turned as much as our surroundings as I determined why. Every instinct I had told me it was because Nyx was trying to use the power of the shield, and it didn't play well with hers because it was created by Metis.

I was so caught up in those thoughts that I didn't have time to brace myself for the inevitable impact. My hands tightened around my friends' as the wind whipped past us, carrying a chill. It was one that seeped into my bones. Where in the hell were we headed? Better yet, what awaited us at our destination?

With a sudden jolt, we landed with a thud. The ground beneath us was solid and unforgiving. I blinked, my eyes adjusting to the dim light that surrounded us. As the world came into focus, I let out a snort of disbelief. "Well, this is just perfect," I remarked dryly, taking in our surroundings with a wry grin. "She sent us to a dungeon? How original."

The room we found ourselves in was indeed reminiscent of an underground prison. Complete with damp stone walls and flickering torches that cast long shadows across the floor. And as was fitting with the cliche setting, there was an undeniable sense of foreboding in the air. Something sinister lurked just beyond the reach of our senses.

Violet looked around with disdain. "She plucked this right out of some fantasy novel."

We exchanged a glance, each of us silently acknowledging the gravity of our situation. We were trapped in the murky depths of the dungeon. We needed to find a way out. The stench of decay and despair made it difficult to focus at first. The stone walls loomed ominously as did the cold, damp floor. My stomach flipped when I saw the iron shackles dangled from rusted chains. Was that the fate that awaited us?

"Are we alone?" Aislinn asked. She opened her mouth to say something else and snapped it shut when a noise startled us.

We stood frozen in disbelief as nightmarish creatures skittered and slithered around us. Violet shivered and said, "I think they heard you, Ais."

Aislinn was too busy dodging razor-sharp claws that sliced through the air with terrifying precision to reply. We all were. They seemed to grow more frenzied with each lunge. And their eyes started gleaming with malice as they closed in on us.

"These things are positively delightful," I muttered sarcastically. My snark was lost when I yelped and dodged a close swipe from one of the creatures. "We should give them a name. How about... nightcrawlers?"

Violet shot me a wry grin. "Sure, why not?" she replied. I love it when her sarcasm matched mine. "But I think 'Nightmares' might be more fitting."

Aislinn's focus was squarely on the task at hand as she lunged forward. She was holding a rusty blade she must have snatched from a nearby table. "Can we save the naming ceremony for later?" she quipped. It wasn't a surprise to hear her voice tight with exertion. She was the worrier of us, and it had only gotten worse after she got pregnant. "We've got bigger problems right now."

And indeed, we did. With the creatures closing in from all sides, it was all we could do to stay one step ahead of them. Adrenaline surged through my veins, igniting a flicker of defiance. No matter how dire the situation, we would fight to emerge victorious.

Their twisted forms moved with unnatural grace. They looked like they should be lurching along. "Stay close," I called out. It would be easier to protect one another's backs that way. "We need to make it harder for them to get to our backs."

"Right behind you, Fi," Violet replied. Her stance shifted as she grabbed a pipe and swung it in an arch.

Aislinn squared her shoulders, but her expression was a mix of fear and resolve. "Let's show these nightcrawlers what we're made of," she declared.

With a collective nod, we sprang into action. The dungeon became a whirlwind as we unleashed our unique brand of magic upon our foes. Violet conjured bolts of crackling fire and sent them hurtling toward the nightcrawlers with deadly precision. Aislinn called upon the elements, summoning gusts of wind and torrents of water to buffet our adversaries from all sides.

I conjured a magical bomb and tossed it at a nightcrawler. I immediately regretted it when part of the creature hit Aislinn, throwing her off-kilter. Regrouping, I lunged towards the nearest rack of implements. I couldn't use my bow and arrow effectively in such tight confines. I seized the first thing I touched. It was a length of rusted chain. I winced when it cut my hand. Its edges were sharp with age. I swung it at the creature before me and had to duck when Violet's flames whizzed past me.

"Shit. Sorry!" she called out before she snatched up a wicked-looking iron hook. Its surface was stained with dried blood.

I hit the nightcrawlers closest repeatedly while fighting the wind and trying to keep my hair out of my eyes. Following our lead, Aislinn stopped her elements, dropped the small blade, and then selected a heavy iron mace. It was terrifying with the dried blood all over it.

We fought with everything we had. But despite our best efforts, the nightcrawlers proved to be formidable opponents. Their razor-sharp claws and fangs sliced us with terrifying speed. We dodged and weaved, narrowly avoiding their deadly attacks as we fought to gain the upper hand .

"Watch out for their claws!" I called out. One had caught my forearm, and it was now burning like acid had been thrown on it.

"Watch out, Fi!" Violet shouted.

Turning, I deflected a nightcrawler's lunge with a barrier of shimmering energy without thinking. "Damn, they're fast!"

Violet's eyes narrowed in concentration as she unleashed a flurry of projectiles at our foes. "We can't let them overwhelm us," she shouted. Her voice rang out above the chaos of battle.

Aislinn's movements were fluid and precise as she fought with everything she had. "Keep pushing forward," she urged.

A nightcrawler lunged towards me with blinding speed. Its claws came mere inches from my face. With a quick sidestep, I narrowly avoided its attack. One time, I wished I could celebrate the little moments in battles.

Violet wasn't as fortunate as me. Another creature lunged at her from behind. She wasn't fast enough, and its claws grazed her arm as she twisted away. She winced in pain but fought on. We'd gotten good at fighting through the discomfort.

Aislinn gave up on her mace and summoned a wall of flame to ward off a group of advancing nightcrawlers. That was a smart move and the only reason they didn't overwhelm her. The flames licked at their twisted forms but didn't follow them when they retreated. Violet and I were too close and would have been burned too.

We'd gotten separated more than I liked, and I yanked my friends closer. I questioned that decision when the creatures closed in on us. Their baleful eyes gleamed with malice. Adrenaline coursed through my veins, sharpening my senses and heightening my awareness of every movement around me.

A creature lunged at me with startling speed, and with a deft sidestep, I avoided its attack. My heart was pounding as I countered with a swift kick to its side. But even as I landed the blow, another creature surged forward, its fangs snapping at my boot. I spun on my heel, meeting the next creature head-on with a flurry of strikes and parries.

"We need to find a way out of here," Aislinn gasped between breaths, her voice strained with exertion. "We can't keep this up forever."

I nodded in agreement. My mind raced as I scanned our surroundings for any sign of escape. Unfortunately, all I could do now was fight like my life depended on it.

Suddenly, I found myself surrounded by a swarm of relentless nightcrawlers. With a sarcastic quip hanging on my lips, I conjured a spell intending to disperse them. I couldn't beat them all. They were separating us and isolating each of us. I had to get out of this predicament.

With my intent firm, I muttered the words, casting the spell. But as the energy of my incantation surged forth, it crashed with an unseen force in the dungeon. The collision created a violent feedback loop that sent me hurtling backward.

My limbs flailed as I flew through the air with violent speed. The impact of the stone wall was so sudden and jarring that it sent shockwaves of pain reverberating through my body. My head felt like it would split open, and my vision swam. I struggled to regain my bearings as stars danced before my eyes.

Aislinn's voice pierced through the haze of pain, calling out to me with a mixture of concern and urgency. Through blurry vision, I saw her and Violet rush to my side. Their expressions were etched with determination as they shielded me from the advancing nightcrawlers.

As the battle raged on in front of me, I was helpless to do anything to assist my friends. I would have died right there and then if my two best friends hadn't fought hard to repel the relentless creatures. With each strike, they pushed back against the tide of darkness. Their strength was bolstered by our unbreakable bond.

Guilt ate at me as I watched them give everything they had into battling the nightcrawlers. It was harder to sit there injured and wishing I could help than it would be to do the actual fighting. If anything happened to them it would be my fault. I was the one who cast that spell. To my relief, the final nightcrawler fell a few minutes later.

"Fi, are you okay?" Violet's voice cut through the haze of pain. It was filled with genuine concern as she bent down to check on me.

I managed a weak dip of my chin before nausea stopped me. My breath came in short, uneven gasps. "Not... not good," I managed to choke out. The pain made it difficult to form coherent words.

"Aislinn's looking for a way out. Hang in there," Violet reassured me.

As if Violet's promise spurred Aislinn on, her determined voice echoed from across the dungeon. "Hey, I think I found something!" she called out.

Violet's gaze flickered between me and Aislinn, torn between concern for my well-being and the urgency of Aislinn's discovery. "I'm going to go check it out. Hang in there, Fi. Don't die on me," she said softly before rushing over to join Aislinn.

My eyes slipped closed, and a second later, a hand on my shoulder jolted me awake. The movement sent searing pain racing down my spine. "We found a way out, Fi. We're going to get you help. C'mon," Violet urged.

"No... can't. You... go," I managed to reply.

"We aren't leaving you," Aislinn snarled.

Through bleary eyes, I saw them reach for my arms. I braced myself as they helped me to my feet. The world spun dizzily around me, and I fought back the bile rising in my throat. Each movement sent waves of pain radiating through my body. It was so much that I struggled to remain upright.

"I think I'm gonna hurl," I managed to choke out between gasps, my stomach heaving with nausea.

Violet's expression tightened with concern as she steadied me. "Try to hold it back. You're going to be alright. You have advanced healing abilities. You just need to hang in there, Fi," she murmured, her grip firm but gentle.

The room continued to sway ominously, and I knew I was in bad shape. "Guys, I've got a concussion," I confessed, my words slurred and disjointed. "You need to leave me here."

Aislinn's eyes widened in alarm when she heard the defeat in my voice. She shook her head vehemently. "No way," she insisted. "We're sticking together, Fi."

I was holding them back, and when they tried to get me moving, I doubled over and retched. The acidic taste of bile burned my throat. Violet's hand rubbed soothing circles on my back, but there was little comfort to be found in my agony.

I stopped objecting and put my energy into putting one foot in front of the other. They had my arms slung over their shoulders and carried the burden of my weight so all I had to do was shuffle. Each step felt like I was going to puke again and then pass out. As we staggered toward the tunnel, I couldn't shake my overwhelming sense of helplessness. It was marginally better when we made it to the opening in the cave wall.

Gripping onto Violet's hand for support, I braced myself for the ordeal ahead. We left the dungeon's gloomy ambiance behind as we slowly trudged through the labyrinthine corridors discovered behind the break in the wall. We couldn't have outrun an asthmatic in a full-blown attack, thanks to how little I could move each step. I willed my body to heal even faster. I measured my improvement in the amount of jostling I could withstand.

Needing a distraction, I focused on our surroundings. The torches lining the passageways flickered erratically as we passed. Their feeble light barely penetrated the thick darkness that cloaked our surroundings. And all I wanted to do was lie down and go to sleep. Correction. I wanted to take some pain pills and then pass out. My body ached, and the cuts burned like a bitch, but it was my head that was the worst.

"I'm serious, guys," I insisted, wincing as a sharp pain shot through my temple. "You need to go. I'll only slow you down."

Violet's expression hardened, her determination shining through the dimness of the dungeon. "We're not leaving you behind, Fiona." Her voice was stern. There'd be no talking her out of it. "We're a team, remember?"

Aislinn nodded in agreement. "And no one gets left behind. Besides, we've faced worse odds than this," she reminded me, her voice echoing softly off the damp walls. "And we've always found a way out. Together."

Despite their words of encouragement, a heavy sense of doubt gnawed at my insides. I was usually the optimistic one. It was impossible for me with my head and body hurting so badly I could barely walk. "But we can't use magic in here," I protested, frustration tingeing my tone. "We're practically sitting ducks."

Violet's eyes gleamed with sudden inspiration. "What if we use our magic to sense any traps or dangers ahead?" she suggested. She was stunning when a spark of excitement lit up her features. "We could feel our way through the darkness and avoid any problems along the way."

Her idea sparked a glimmer of hope within me. I was grateful for her quick thinking. I couldn't have thought my way out of a paper bag. "That might just work," I admitted. The prospect of escape suddenly felt within reach.

Every step felt like wading through molasses, so I was relieved when we stopped. The air smelled of damp earth and stale air. My shoulder got wet when I leaned against the wall. I would check what was seeping through my shirt if I had the energy. Since I didn't, I chose to believe it was water.

Aislinn's voice cut through the silence like a beacon of reason amidst the gloom. "Come on, Fiona," she urged. "Send your magic ahead of us. It's our best chance of making it out of here in one piece."

I hesitated for a moment, my nerves prickling with uncertainty. Sending my magic out into the unknown was a daunting prospect, especially with my head injury. But with Violet's lack of elemental powers, I had to step up to the plate. She couldn't open the earth and send her magical feelers through it.

With a deep breath, I focused my energy. I channeled it into the ground beneath us. With a flick of my wrist, I commanded the earth to part. Instantly, I created a gaping hole in the tunnel floor. Then I sent my magic swirling down into the depths below.

As my magic spread out like tendrils of mist, I felt a rush of exhilaration wash over me. It eased the pain and stopped the worst of the spinning. My elemental magic had always bolstered me. I hoped this improvement lasted when I was done. It would be nice not to be on the verge of throwing up.

Setting that aside, I focused on what I was discovering. It was as if I could sense every nook and cranny of the tunnel and each twist and turn that lay ahead. The sensation was dizzying, almost overwhelming. The nausea got bad, but I pressed on, determined to push through the discomfort. It was nowhere close to being as bad as it had been while we walked.

And then, just as I was beginning to lose hope, I felt something. A faint shimmer in the darkness, like a distant beacon calling out to us. "Oh, my gods," I announced in shock. "The shield is just up ahead."

Aislinn's eyes lit up with excitement. "What? Should we go after it? I mean, I know we want to grab it, but what if it sends us," her voice trailed away as she thought it over. "That's our ticket out of here. It can send us back to Nocturne. At least from there, we can get home."

Violet nodded in agreement. "We proceed with care. We're not out of the woods yet," she cautioned as she scanned the darkness ahead. "Stay sharp, everyone."

We continued our journey through the dimly lit tunnels with renewed vigor. Well, they had a pep in their step. I clung to Aislinn and Violet like a lifeline. Each step sent jolts of pain shooting through my body and into my brain. But as we ventured deeper into the labyrinthine passages, a glimmer of relief washed over me.

"Hey, I think my magic's helping," I remarked, my voice tinged with surprise. "I'm no longer swallowing vomit every other step."

Violet shot me a skeptical look. Her brow was furrowed in concern. "If you say so. You don't look any better. And you're not moving any faster."

I nodded weakly, a small smile tugging at the corners of my lips. "It's like my powers are kicking the healing process into an even higher gear or something. See, I'm even talking more smoothly."

Violet snorted. "Yeah, that was as smooth as Rocky Road ice cream."

She had a point. Despite the slight improvement in my condition, I couldn't navigate the tunnels alone. With each step, I leaned heavily on Aislinn and Violet for support. Their unwavering presence provided me with the strength to carry on.

"Thanks, guys," I muttered. My gratitude was palpable in the air between us. "I couldn't do this without you."

We walked in silence for another hour or ten. Aislinn suddenly broke the silence, making me jump and subsequently throw up. "Sorry!" she said. "But we must be getting close now. I can feel it in my bones."

I nodded in agreement, my heart pounding in my chest. The thought of finally escaping the confines of the tunnel filled me with a sense of eager anticipation. And then, as if on cue, we rounded a bend in the tunnel and came face to face with our salvation. Before us stood the shimmering outline of a door. It was like a beacon of hope in the darkness.

"We made it," I breathed as relief washed over me like a wave crashing against the shore. "We made it."

Violet grinned, her eyes shining with triumph. "Told you we'd find a way out," she quipped with a hint of mischief.

With a collective sigh of relief, we paused at the door. It was an invisible barrier. I could see a table inside the room. Clasping hands, we stepped through and emerged into a room. The sight that greeted us took my breath away.

"We just jumped out of the frying pan and into the fire," Violet whispered so low I had to strain to hear her above the pounding in my heart.