“Yes. This is personal now,” he responds.
And that is all it takes to have me fully submerging myself into the curling, gray air. Tunnel four is as long as the walk through the residential section and spits out into an abandoned section of the mine. It’s full of twists and turns. Lots of hiding places.
The mists thicken quickly, and the ground is slick with moisture. I tread carefully as my men follow in silence. The air swallows all the sound from our boots as we walk. I clutch the sword on my hip, my instincts taut and ready to withdraw it at a moment’s notice.
The tunnel begins its first curve, and I still haven’t seen a thing. My estimation would be that these monsters inhabit similar spaces, but move in a solitary fashion.
A sound overhead alerts me to a shifting in the rocks. I gesture for everyone to stop and hold their breath, withdrawing my sword and using it to motion for them to fan out. Vann is trembling by my side, but his grip on his own weapon is steady.
We wait in silence, and I can feel the tension radiating off of my men. And then, a snarl reverberates through the tunnel, and Vann growls back, ready to attack. I catch his arm and steady him. That seems to snap him back into the moment.
We hear the skittering first. It’s coming from the direction of the snarl, and it’s getting louder. I stand my ground.
And that’s when I see it. Red eyes on the ceiling before the first creature drops to the ground. The beast that had attacked Estela looked like a man with black hair, red eyes, and moonlight-pale skin. This one is the same, but injured. As the spell light cuts through the mist to see him, his right arm is a twisted amalgamation of flesh and bone that shouldn’t exist.
I raise my sword in defense as the creature lunges towards me. It’s quick, but not quick enough. I swing my blade, and it lands on its arm, severing it from its body. The creature howls in pain, but doesn’t give up. It keeps coming at me with its other arm, but I’m ready for it. I dodge its attack and thrust my sword straight through its chest, killing it instantly.
As the creature falls to the ground, part of the mist clears, and we see the rest of them in the distance. They’re closing in on us fast.
My heart pounds in my chest as I ready myself for the fight ahead. My men follow my lead, their weapons at the ready. The mist around us is thick, but I can see the shapes of the creatures as they stand up. Eight pairs of glowing eyes.
Luth and Salo start stone bending, causing chunks of rock to fall from the top of the cavern and onto their heads. One falls, and I use my stone magic to move a slab of stone atop the beast.
A crunch resounds as Luth and Salo continue their assault on the remaining creatures. They focus on the ground beneath the beasts, causing sections of the tunnel to crumble and trap them in place. My men and I take advantage of their immobility and strike them down one by one.
Blood decorates the walls of the tunnel, and the scent of death lingers in the air. I wipe the sweat from my forehead and take a deep breath while the rush of adrenaline courses through me.
I turn to the hunters and stone benders, looking at each of them in turn. They’re all injured to some extent, but their eyes gleam with determination. They know what we’re up against, and they’re not afraid to face it head-on.
The crash of metal against stone echoes through the tunnel. I whip around to find Vann facing off an exceptionally tall beast, one slightly taller than either of us. The creature stands there for a moment, its glowing eyes assessing us and our battle skills.
I take a deep breath before joining him in the fray—the two of us working together to take on the creature. The Butcher and his Cleaver. Our blades clash, and sparks fly against the stone as we fight against it with all our might. Every strike is met with a defensive counter and every parry is met with a powerful attack.
Finally, we manage to wear it down enough that it is vulnerable. I grab onto its hair and pull. Taking this opportunity, Vann thrusts his sword forward straight into its chest and crudely cuts out the part of chest where its heart once was. We wipe the sweat from our brows and admire our handiwork—the monster now lays dead at our feet.
The creatures are scattered across the ground. We take a moment to catch our breath before beginning to make our way back up towards the surface of the mountain range.
“Well done, men!” I cry, embracing each hunter in turn.
The stone benders bow their heads reverently in response, and then I turn to my advisors. I pant with the adrenaline of death.
“We have won a victory through courage and struggle," I declare to Vann, Salo, and Svanna.
Vann and Svanna smile proudly at me in agreement, but Salo's face is cold and unreadable. Something about his expression causes my gut to lurch. Liana had said only nine were in the tunnels. Without warning, something comes up behind me.
I spin around, brandishing my sword like lightning. But it is too late. One last creature has found us.
An intense blaze of pain ruptures my neck as the teeth penetrate deep into the flesh. My vision swims as the writhing darkness begins to cloud my senses, yet still, I grasp at the vast wound as blood gushes between my fingers. I am unable to look at the damage inflicted upon me. Agonizing heat scorches down my back, and then all fades away into blackness.
Chapter30
Turquoise
ESTELA
The rules of the pebble game are simple enough. Everyone is given three small stones, which they toss into a ring at once. After the count of three, we all dart for the scattered rocks. The one with the most wins.
The women up the stakes by betting chores, or even crystals. I point out the tourmaline and feldspar. They were my favorites to touch, and I am proud of my progress with Liana. I have not gone to the mines yet, so my own collection is lacking.