Chapter 24 – IT

  Kaelin’s breath came in short, sharp bursts as she pressed her hands against the rough stone wall. The Fire Salamander was on the other side of the wall. Had it fled? Were Lena and Zephyr okay fighting it by themselves?

  Faint embers still clung to the edges of the freshly formed barrier, their glow casting flickering shadows against the cavern walls.

  Her fingers twitched. Time magic could be unpredictable, but if she could just rewind the moment before the wall formed – what was she thinking? She had never been able to turn back time that far. And certainly not on such a large area.

  She clenched her fists. “Think. Think.”

  The tunnels stretched out before her, winding into darkness. The only source of light came from the occasional molten cracks in the stone, where the heat of the salamanders had warped the rock. Going back the same way they had come wasn’t an option. She had to push forward.

  She moved cautiously, footsteps light, ears straining for any sound beyond the crackling heat. If the second salamander had fled, where had it gone? And more importantly – were there others lurking down here?

  A distant scraping sound made her freeze.

  Her pulse quickened as she turned toward the noise. It wasn’t the sound of claws against rock. It was heavier, more deliberate. Something was moving beyond the next tunnel bend.

  Kaelin exhaled slowly, shifting into a low stance. If it was the salamander, she’d have to be smart about this. A direct confrontation wasn’t ideal, especially with how drained she felt. But if she could get past it, then that would mean the path connected to where the others were.

  A shadow flickered against the molten glow. Too tall. Too humanoid.

  Her stomach twisted. That wasn’t a salamander.

  The scraping grew louder, the sound of metal dragging against stone. Then, a voice – low and rasping, the syllables thick and guttural. Kaelin didn’t understand the words, but she knew one thing: whoever was speaking wasn’t friendly.

  She took a slow step back, pressing herself against the cave wall. The air felt colder, despite the heat radiating from the molten veins. Her mind raced.

  Who else could be down here?

  The figure stepped into view. Cloaked in tattered, soot-stained robes, its face was hidden beneath a dark hood. In one hand, it held a jagged, rusted blade. The other looked to be clinging on to thin air.

  Kaelin’s breath caught in her throat.

  The figure tilted its head, as if sensing her presence. Then, without warning, it gripped the rusted blade tighter.

  Kaelin braced herself, expecting an attack. But instead of striking at her, the figure drove the blade into its own stomach.

  Kaelin’s eyes widened in horror as the figure staggered, blood spilling from the wound. A gurgling rasp escaped its lips, and just before it collapsed, she heard the whispered words:

  "For the cause."

  Then, silence.

  Kaelin stared, frozen, as the body slumped against the cavern floor.

  Kaelin stood, stunned, as she stared at the fallen figure. Blood pooled around the rusted blade lodged deep in its gut, staining the ground in dark crimson. The air felt thick with unease, the remnants of the figure’s whispered words – “For the cause” – echoing in her mind like a curse. Her pulse quickened as she cautiously stepped closer, her eyes scanning the motionless body, trying to find any hint of information.

  Was this an ally? An enemy? She couldn’t tell.

  The figure’s tattered robes were soaked in blood, the fabric clinging to the form in an unnatural way. They were plain, worn from use, but they didn’t seem to belong to any specific faction she recognized. The person’s hands were still tightly gripping the rusted blade, knuckles white, as though they had held onto it in defiance even in their final moments. Kaelin’s mind raced, searching for any clues that might help her understand who or what had just given its life in front of her.

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  She knelt slowly, her fingers brushing against the knife that had fallen to the ground beside the body. It wasn’t like anything she had seen before – not in the academy, not in any of the books she’d read.

  Kaelin’s eyes narrowed. She was no stranger to the world, but this felt… wrong. She couldn’t bring herself to take it. Not yet. The figure, the knife, everything about this felt like it belonged in some dark and twisted book. Was there something lurking even deeper in the cavern? Were they trying to keep her out? Or had this person been a part of something she didn’t understand?

  She glanced back down at the body, looking for any identifying markings. There was nothing. No insignia, no distinguishing marks on the skin. The robes were nondescript, stained with ash and blood. The person’s face was hidden beneath the dark hood, but the rest of their body was skeletal, frail. Not someone who had lived a life of luxury or power, this was a life spent in the shadows, in hardship.

  A cold shiver ran down her spine.

  The words from the figure’s last breath gnawed at her. For the cause. But what cause? Was it a cult? A rogue faction? She had no answers. No direction.

  She stood slowly, her heart still pounding in her chest. She had to keep moving. Her instincts screamed at her to leave, to avoid getting caught up in whatever dark web this figure had been part of. But a part of her – the curious, determined part that had gotten her into so much trouble already – wanted to understand. She wanted to uncover the truth.

  But before she could make a decision, another sound sliced through the silence. A new scraping noise. Different. Like claws dragging against stone.

  Kaelin’s head snapped toward the tunnel entrance. She froze, every muscle tensing, her eyes darting to where the sound had come from. The scraping grew louder, and this time it wasn’t just a distant echo.

  It was close.

  Too close.

  Her stomach lurched. The figure had been the first, but it wouldn’t be the last. Kaelin’s fingers tingled, her pulse quickening as she reached for her magic. Time magic. She could slow it down, speed herself up, but there was no guarantee it would work in this confined space, especially not with so much uncertainty. There was no time to waste.

  She gritted her teeth and pivoted toward the tunnel that stretched deeper into the darkness. She couldn’t afford to be here when whatever else was lurking in the shadows arrived. She turned her back on the body, her senses on high alert, and bolted toward the tunnel.

  The scraping sound followed her, now unmistakably louder, as if the unknown presence was in pursuit. Kaelin’s boots pounded against the stone floor, echoing through the winding tunnel. She didn’t dare look back. Didn’t dare to slow down. The fear of what was chasing her, or what might happen if she was caught, was enough to fuel her flight.

  Her breath came in ragged gasps, her body already drained from the earlier fight with the salamanders. But she had no choice. She had to move faster, had to find a way out before she was cornered. She sped up her legs, the walls of the tunnel narrowed as she ran, the heat from the molten cracks above casting an eerie, flickering glow.

  The air was thick, stifling, and the smell of burning stone mixed with the sharp scent of blood.

  Every footstep felt heavier than the last as she sprinted through the winding passage. Her mind raced, each thought coming faster than the last: Where was Lena? Where was Zephyr?

  She could still feel the weight of their absence, the knowledge that they were likely on the other side of the rock wall, unable to help her now. The isolation clawed at her, but there was no time to dwell on it.

  The scraping grew louder, closer, and she could almost feel the eyes of whatever creature or person was pursuing her. What it was didn’t matter. What mattered was survival.

  Kaelin’s foot caught on a jagged rock, and she stumbled, barely catching herself before crashing to the ground. Panic surged through her chest, but she pushed it down. No. She couldn’t afford to fall. She couldn’t afford to let herself be caught.

  She pressed forward, faster now, her breath ragged and shallow. The tunnel seemed to stretch on endlessly. Each turn, each new bend in the cavern only seemed to lead to more darkness. The light from the molten cracks barely illuminated her path. She had no way of knowing what lay ahead, what dangers might be waiting around the next corner.

  Then, as if on cue, another scraping sound echoed in the distance. The thing following her was persistent, relentless. And now there was another.

  Her heart hammered in her chest. She could feel the weight of the air, thick with the threat of whatever followed, pushing her forward, making her feet move faster, more erratically. She couldn’t stop, couldn’t slow down, not even to rest, because she knew that if she did, the thing behind her would catch up.

  She reached a junction in the tunnel. Three paths stretched before her, all equally dark and unwelcoming. She paused for a split second, her mind racing, trying to weigh her options. Each direction seemed to lead to more unknowns. But one thing was clear: she couldn’t afford to hesitate. The sound of the scraping was growing louder again.

  Her eyes flicked to the left, then to the right. The centre path seemed like the most direct, but it was also the most exposed. Without thinking, she dove down the path to her right, her feet pounding against the stone floor.

  The sound followed her, growing louder. She could hear something. No, someone moving, a series of dragging footsteps coming closer. But she didn’t dare look back. She couldn’t.

  With a final burst of speed, Kaelin sprinted down the narrow tunnel, her heart hammering in her chest. Whatever was behind her was relentless, and she couldn’t let it catch her.

  The path ahead was a blur, and as the sound of the scraping grew louder still, Kaelin’s breath hitched in her throat. She could feel it coming for her, but she was too far down the tunnel now to turn back.

  And in the distance, she could see the faint glow of another molten crack.

  She was close to something. Something she could only hope would be her salvation.

  As she drew nearer, the scraping stopped.

  And a chilling silence filled the air.