28. Sybil

Chapter 28

Sybil

H ow are we supposed to get up there?" I shade my eyes from the sun finally appearing after days of incessant rain.

The six of us, with burned clothes and exhausted expressions from surviving a wildfire, stare up at the succession of snow-cloaked jagged peaks like the spiny backbone of a monstrous being. The mountain's rocky face is steep and unforgiving, making me feel dizzy at the thought of having to climb all the way to the cave nestled on its side, hidden in the shadow of the other mountain close by.

"Please tell me there is a secret underground tunnel. A magical portal. Gosh, I'd even take one of those awful spiders dragging me up there. I hate heights," I groan as I turn toward Axton, who merely shrugs.

"I know as much as you know, love. If you think I consciously decided to scale a mountain the last time I was here, you are mistaken. You see that little path on that mountain?" he says, indicating a narrow wooden bridge hanging off the edge of the mountain. My knees almost buckle at the thought of stepping foot on it. "Hundreds of years ago, miners worked in these mountains, looking for Goddess knows what. But professionals like myself?—"

"You mean thieves," Aries interrupts, and Axton rolls his eyes.

"It's still a profession, I'll have you know. Anyway, people built the bridge on the side of the mountains to access the caves and... have a look." He shrugs as he checks his filthy nails. "That's where I was going to take you, but to access that path, we'd have to walk all the way around this other mountain and up a very questionable ladder, if it's still there. If you want to keep walking that direction for, say, another seven days, I'd be happy to take you there."

"No, no more stalling. We have to retrieve the book." I steel my resolve, swallowing my apprehension as I scan the wild, rocky terrain, peppered with tufts of grass. The trees thin out dramatically over the last fifty feet, leaving only scattered scraggly seedlings dotting the mountain ahead with little chance of shelter.My eyes fall on my tattered brown boots, their soles consumed after weeks of travel. Alphaeia better keep me attached to this mountain because my shoes certainly will not. Aramis comes to stand next to me, his eyes still bloodshot and lips dry from the smoke he inhaled. I go to rest my hand on his cheek, magic tickling my fingertips, but he stops me.

"Save your magic. We don't know what will happen up there. I am well."

"I am the healer. I will tell you if you're well or not. Now, stop being such a hero all the time." I raise my other hand and rest it on his chest, light gently pulsating through his black tunic. Aramis closes his eyes, the relief apparent, and it makes me want to slap him for being so strong headed.

When he finally opens his eyes again, the blue of his irises are their usual shade. Aramis' breaths are more controlled, and the fatigue is gone from his shoulders. I raise my eyebrows at him and tug at the bond.

You're welcome .

I am still trying to understand how the bond works. The steady flow of Aramis's emotions always seem to be there when I focus on them, but ever since screaming his name during the kidnap, we haven't been able to talk mind to mind again. But that did not stop me from trying.

Like red lightning, Phoebe, in her fox form, comes bounding down the mountain after a quick run to scout the surrounding area. She jumps from behind a rock before her magic pulls her into her demi form—pointed ears peeking through her red hair.

"There seems to be a small path up the mountain, but it's narrow." She shakes her head, ears twitching. "It's not going to be an easy hike."

"No time to waste then," Nero booms, rubbing his hands together. "Ye better get climbing, worm," he says to Axton as he shoves him onward.

"Woah, I got you here," he protests, throwing his hands into the air as he stumbles.

"No, the deal was you get us to the book. I don't see a book laying around anywhere here," Aramis says, gesturing to the ground. A muscle in his jaw ticks as he stands above him. "Get up."

Axton scrambles to his feet, kicking dust into the air as he moves away from Aramis and brushes himself off.

"I, for one, don't want to be caught halfway up the mountain when it gets dark. Without the cover of trees, we'll be exposed to giant, bloodsucking bat creatures and goblins. I would take hiking over a chimera coming to look for a snack up here," Aries warns, counting deadly creatures on his fingers.

"Yes, yes, thank you wolf, I get the jist of it," Axton chides and we all try to suppress our snickers. "Not that it matters if we die on our way up the mountain when we're willingly entering a dragon's lair expecting to be welcomed for tea. Chances are, we'll die either way," the thief mumbles as he takes on the rocky ground.

"It would be smarter if we left the camping gear at the base of the mountain," Marcelene says wisely as she sets down her bag and begins unloading the items into a pile beside her.

"Less weight to offset our balance. Also, Nero, Phoebe, Aries and I would be faster if we fully shift. When we reach the top, we can assess the situation and think about a plan before entering the cave."

I nod, nibbling at my lip before casting my eyes over the small group. "I wouldn't blame any of you if you wanted to stay below–"

"I haven't traveled halfway across Shadowvale with you, Sybil Vandeleur, to be denied seeing a dragon's hoard firsthand," Marcelene says, putting her hands on her hips. Seeing her back to her old, commanding self fills me with joy.

Nero snorts behind us, and she glares at him over my shoulder. "If ye wanted to see a dragons hoa–"

"I wasn't talking to you–" she quips, narrowing her brows, but I don't miss how her lips press together to stop them from curling upwards, her cheeks glowing pink.

I unstrap my tent and sleeping roll from my healing satchel and tighten the strap along my chest. As much as it weighs, it's worth keeping. The lack of food and good sleep we had experienced in the last few days affected my magic's restoration cycle. I can feel it dormant within me, only a hand reach away, but the thought of using it for more than simple healing tricks makes my breath hitch and hands shake.

Noticing we're still, Axton grumbles as he pulls himself onto the ledge and edges along the steep incline.

"I'll take to the skies, but stay close," Marcelene says before her form wavers, shrinking in her feline shape. She stretches her wings, muscular legs bunching before launching into the air above us.

"See you at the top," Phoebe says before she and Aries follow Marcelene's lead and scamper up the mountain,leaving a cloud of dust in their wake

"I'll stay with me feet on the ground this time around." Nero takes the lead before me, his wings tightly tucked behind his back. Aramis' warm hand touches the small of my back before giving me a boost onto the ledge. The rough rock bites into my hands as I pull myself up.

"How long do you think it'll take us to reach the cave?" I say as I edge along the narrow path, staring at Nero's broad back and wings.

"I can nae say, lass." He shields his eyes and looks above us, where the mountains stretch endlessly. "But only a fool would climb this peak to steal from a dragon's nest." His lips purse into a thin line.

"It wouldn't be the first foolish thing we've done," Aramis says behind me.

"Remember that time ye decided to sneak out to see if basilisks laid golden eggs under the violet moon," Nero says as his wings tremble with laughter.

"What I remember was your oaf of an ass urging me on, knowing full well it was a fable," Aramis growls from behind me. "And my father made the two of us clean the stables for a week for our insolence."

"Aye, but for the look on yer face, I would have cleaned them for a month."

As we continue on, storm clouds roll in, swallowing the sun in their encroaching darkness and casting long shadows on the rugged terrain. The path up the mountain is a jagged ribbon of rock, twisting and turning unpredictably beneath my feet. My legs burn with exertion, calves stinging as the incline increases, and I must keep pushing myself upward. Every breath is a labored gasp in the thinning, cold air. Marcelene circles back around to check on us, signaling that the path above is clear before flying back ahead. Lightning flashes in the distance, followed by the boom of thunder.

A violent rush of wind suddenly rises beneath me, howling and whistling in my ears, and I waver, desperately clinging to the rough rock face as it mercilessly batters my bare face. My heart pounds like a thundering drum, the rhythm of fear echoing in my ears. I peer down, my vision blurred by the vertigo that threatens to overwhelm me, and the vastness of the valley below stretches out before me—splotches of vibrant green peek out between the jagged gray rocks, contrasting against the desolation.

"You've got to keep going," I tell myself, my voice barely audible over the roaring wind. I try to steady my trembling limbs with a deep inhale, but the rocky ledge crumbles. I slip on the loose rock and fall, landing hard on my hands and knees. Pain shoots through my palms as I scramble, trying to find leverage. My hands scrape against the rough stones, sharp edges cutting into my skin as I plummet downwards, the world spinning in a chaotic blur.

Searing pain rips along my shoulders as the unforgiving straps of my healing satchel dig into my skin but my descent seems to have stopped. I force my eyes open through the haze of pain, and I see Aramis, his face flushed red from exertion.

"I've got you," Aramis says. His grip on my bag is tight, his knuckles white with strain. Nero spreads his wings wide and flies behind me, helping to hoist me up as I scramble against the crumbling rock wall.

"Thank you," I whisper, turning my head. He presses a chaste kiss to my brow. My heart clenches in my chest at his words, heat flooding my veins at the simple gesture.

"I will always protect you," he says as he releases me and a chill runs along my skin as I break his gaze.

"Come on ye love birds, least Axton gets away," Nero says. "He'll likely get eaten by the dragon before we have a chance to search for the treasure due to his sticky fingers if he gets too far ahead."

Aramis scoffs behind me. "I doubt that. He's a spineless fool."

"There is more to him than he lets on," I say, looking up. Sweat beads on my brow as the sun rises higher in the sky, breaking through the gray clouds despite the chilly spring air.

Marcelene sweeps by, her broad white wings ruffling in the air. She lets out a long screech before pushing ahead of us. A rock falls from above, bouncing off the ground at my feet and tumbling over the edge. From our height, the valley below has begun to blur into a map of green and white. My stomach plummets as I realize how high we had already climbed.

"Don't look down," Aramis says, placing a gentle hand to the small of my back. I turn, brows furrowing, to face him. "Tell me about your childhood. A wise healer once told me talking helps calm the nerves."

I tilt my head forward against the steady surface of the cliff, letting the cold of the stone touch my face as I try to settle my breathing. I study the planes of his face. The corner of his lips curl up, a small dimple forming in his left cheek—one I have never noticed before.

"There isn't much to tell that you haven't already seen," I say as I take a tentative step, my hands gripping the rock before me. "My parents shared a small cottage with me in Bellevue. They mostly provided healing services to the village and surrounding towns, but occasionally they were called to the kingdom like for the birth of the Kallistar queen's infants."

"I remember," he says.

"That was before–" My throat tightens, tears pricking the corner of my eyes as their faces swim in my vision, the details blurring with time. I clear my throat, easing my way around a gnarled root sticking out in the path.

"You must miss them very much," he says. I nod silently, a gust of wind kissing away the tears clinging to my lashes.

"Does it ever get easier?" I turn and face him. "You lost your mother over a hundred years ago. It's been ten years since their passing, but it still feels fresh when I think about them."

"I spent so long letting my hatred for the people who killed my mother fester inside me that I didn't allow myself to grieve," he responds honestly. His warm fingers brush along mine as we inch along. "Tell me about the village, your pastimes, anything. Did your parents ever try to have another child?"

"They did, but unicorn shifters are rare. I don't even know my grandparents or if I have other family. My parents never spoke of them." I pause, watching as Nero awkwardly helps Axton scramble up to the next ledge before propelling himself afterwards with the help of his wings. He turns and extends a hand to me. My feet scramble against the stone wall as he helps me up. I roll onto my side on the small shelf, lungs burning from the effort of shoving my body up the steep incline of the mountain.

Aramis follows suit, dusting himself off.

"Come, my pomme sucrée. I've got you," Aramis says as he grabs my hand, our fingers intertwining. I give him a reassuring squeeze as he pulls me to my feet.

We follow closely behind Nero, nearly running into his back when he stops abruptly. "Can ye feel that?"

Axton pauses, crouching low as the path widens and the slope lessons.

"What is it?" I pant, resting my free hand on the wall next to me. The last rays of sunlight disappear as dark gray clouds fill the sky above us. Despite the chill in the air, sweat runs down my neck, soaking my chemise.

"I'm nae sure," he says, glancing up. Marcelene circles once, twice, before diving down and landing on the edge above us.

"Are we close?" I call up and she nods before ruffling her feathers and looking behind her as if urging us to hurry up.

We hastily scramble, hands grasping at the rough rock surface as we ascend the last twenty feet, until we emerge onto a vast, flat expanse of stone and the dark opening of a cave.Lightning splits the air, somehow casting the opening in more shadow The deafening crack of thunder follows. The mouth of the cave, once the same natural grayish brown of the mountain, is seared black from the dragon's fiery breath.

Beside me, Marcelene's eyes narrow into slits, her pupils fixating on the darkness ahead. A low whisper escapes her lips, "I have a bad feeling about this."

Rain pours relentlessly, drenching us within seconds, yet we're all waiting for someone to take the first step into what could become our final resting place.

"Looks to me like we have two options. Die burned to a crisp by dragon fire, or die by being hurled off this mountain and shattering our necks on the jagged rocks below," Aramis shouts over the howling wind, Without hesitation, we all break into a sprint, charging toward the cave entrance.

"Well, this certainly complicates things," Nero remarks, lifting a hand projecting a ball of flame. The jagged, soot-covered walls glisten with an oily sheen. Breathing is almost impossible as the air is thick with the acrid smell of smoke, charred rock and something else—something vile that makes my stomach turn. I lean forward to peer over Nero's shoulder and gasp. Bones of all shapes and sizes cover the entirety of the cavern's floor, and I realize with horror that death is the thing I could not put my finger on.

I can smell death.

"I think we're in the right cave," Marcelene says, toeing a pile of bones with her boot. "But we have a problem." She points to the back of the cavern, where two more tunnels go deep into the mountain and I feel deja vu.

"Which way should we go?" I inquire, my gaze shifting back and forth between the two openings. A growing aversion toward caves begins to take hold of me.

We all turn to Axton expectantly.

"Guys," he says, opening his arms. "You really think I remember?"

Aries unsheathes his dagger and starts swirling it between his fingers, eyes fixed on Axton, making the thief slowly step away from him until he backs up to one of the walls.

"Why don't you use your unicorn powers to feel which direction we should go?" He points at me, and my eyes fly to Aramis to ensure his sword is still at his side and that he is not severing Axton's hand. He rolls his eyes reading my thoughts and instead says, "Why don't we use you as bait?"

Aramis walks up to Axton and grabs him by the front of his tunic, hauling him up. "Which direction do we go, thief? "

"Let me go," Axton chokes, feet scraping against the stone wall. "I don't remember! I swear there was only one tunnel two hundred years ago!"

"Why would it need a second tunnel?" Aries scoffs, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Let him go," I sigh, softly touching Aramis' arm. He throws Axton to the ground where he sputters and coughs, rubbing his throat.

"We have to make a decision," Phoebe says, her gaze locked on the depth of one of the tunnels.

"Aye," Nero chimes in, picking up what appears to be a human femur and tossing it into the air. "Unless yer hoping to become a dragon toothpick. Let's pick a tunnel and stick together. If we come up empty handed, we can take turns watching guard and try the other path."

"What do you think, Marcelene?" I walk to her side where she's examining each entrance. "They both look and smell the same to me."

She sniffs the air before each opening. "They're nearly identical. But my instinct says we should go to the left."

"Let me shine some light," Nero says, scooping a thick branch from the floor between bones and lighting the tip. He hands the makeshift torch to me, then steps in front of Marcelene. "Axton, why don't ye lead the way?"

"I don't think–" he begins.

"Be a good lad now," Nero growls and Axton scrambles ahead of them, mumbling something about being unappreciated.

We travel together down the dark, damp tunnel, our footsteps resonating with a haunting echo. The air grows thicker, laden with the stench of sulfur, andI cover my nose with my sleeve.

"Look at this," I say, running my fingers over four thick, distinct claw marks carved deep into the rough stone, their width exceeding the span of my hand.

"I don't like this," Axton whimpers, his body trembling as he cautiously navigates the tunnel ahead of Nero and Marcelene. The floor is uneven, littered with the fractured remains of stalactites that have fallen from the ceiling.

Suddenly, a chilling gust of wind howls through the air, extinguishing the flickering flames and plunging us into impenetrable darkness.

"What was that?" I ask, reaching out blindly until my hands hit a warm chest and I find the familiar scent of cedar and bergamot.

"I don't know," Aramis whispers, pulling me close, his warm hand enveloping mine. "Nero? Light?"

"Working on it," he says as a small butterfly of living flame manifests in his hands. "Is everyone alright?"

The ground beneath me trembles and a deep rumble reverberates through the air, causing me to lose my balance and fall onto my hands and knees, the cuts from my plunge earlier on the side of the mountain reopening. Amid the deafening silence, a high-pitched scream pierces through, sending chills down my spine.

Nero's butterfly flutters above our heads, barely illuminating the space. I rub the dirt from my face, blinking to clear my vision as I count out our party members.

"We need to move," Aries growls, his wolfish eyes glinting in the soft flames.

The earth quakes once more and tiny pebbles rain from above, pelting my head and sending clouds of dust into the air. In that chaotic moment, Lemon, tucked away in my pocket, emits a small squeak.

"It's okay, boy," I cough, holding the edge of my cloak over my face as I try to peer around, but Nero's flame butterflies do little to cut through the darkness. I take a step forward when the ground beneath me crumbles away. Trembling and wide-eyed, I frantically claw at the unforgiving ground, my heart pounding in my chest as my feet dangle helplessly in the abyss.