Chapter 23

The further we head into this crevasse the more difficult the terrain becomes. "Onyx, how did you even find this?" I whisper the words out as our voices echo all around. The slightest noises seem to make the rocks shift and move at will. So, we are trying to be as quiet as possible.

"It was simply another darkness. I was bored and my mind was elsewhere. We had all become lazy and none of us were paying attention like we should have been when, out of nowhere, Taze was grabbed right next to me. It was as if the wall came alive and swallowed him up. I've been friends with Taze since we were younglings, and I didn't even think about it. I just ran after them.

"It didn't take long for me to lose them or to realize I was practically lost myself. It took me most of that darkness to find my way back. I have been going out every rising since trying to find him and the others. Several times, I've barely got away from their scouts before they caught me.

"I think the only reason I have been able to escape them at all is that I can darken my stripes. During this last rotation, I knew they were up to something as I was seeing more and more of them in the outer cavern. I was sure the new walls would hold them back. I have no one to blame but myself, as I should have warned the others. Inches in front of me, I have witnessed these things disappear. They have learned to use the shifting walls and cracks to their advantage. They can practically flatten their entire bodies to squeeze through if need be."

"Onyx, have you been able to find a holding area or a certain place where they might all be gathering?"

"That's where we are headed. There is a gate on one side that they seem to take everyone to originally. After they are there a while, the breeders select the ones they want and then they separate the others. Not everyone is used, some are … eaten. I didn't know this until last rising."

"Frack, what a damn nightmare." Instantly, I start pulling myself along faster through the newest collapse in this tunnel. My only thought is on the females and the fact I can't lose them like I did Mother. Every step forward, I pray to the Lord of Light that he spares them that wretched fate.

Wecome over a ridge only to find SiN standing at the bottom of a cavern, looking around. "The odor is different here. I swear it's like I am smelling a perfume of some sort."

"It's because we are close to their breeding grounds. TheWaldrin put off a pheromone, luring the other ones in heat towards them. They don't just breed with others. From what I have been able to tell, there are layers to their society. There are guards and soldiers, these are the ones that invade and take our people, but there are also the workers. These seem to expand and take care of the caverns they are all living in. The breeders must stay damp, so they're always next to a water source. They are bigger and the brains of the outfit. Once, I saw one of the breeders lure a soldier into the water … It didn't come back out. There are thousands of them all crammed into the upcoming area ahead. ButI don't know where they are taking our people once they leave that gated area."

"How much further?"

Beforeeither could say a word. I walk towards the wall, and in my heart, I know they are just on the other side. "We're here. I can feel her." Looking around, I start searching for a way over this section, only to find a small crack.

SiNappears next to me. "Let me go see what I can find."

Hedisappears, his entire body turns to a fine mist before it heads into the small crack. When he doesn't come right back, I start tearing at the sheer rock face with my bare hands. I must find a way in. Completely focused on the task, I jerk back when SiN's face appears without a body. "What is your pet name for the girl? She doesn't trust me."

"Amori."

"Be ready; I am going to try to get them out. Hopefully, this rock will stop shifting. You two try to find something to block the crack from closing any further while I am in here."