Page 33 of Creatures of Chaos

Talon’s gaze tracks from the wall to my face. “Do you trust me?” he asks, the shadow of a wicked smile curling the corners of my mouth.

“Not really,” I say, unsure if that’s a lie or not.

He chuckles, unoffended. “Probably smart, but unfortunately for you, you don’t really have a choice right now.”

He’s not wrong. And if it’s between a smashed hand and being stuck down here until I die of thirst, some broken bones are the better option.

Taking a deep breath, I look away, fortifying myself. “Okay, just do it.”

Talon cracks the rock against the stone wall, and I brace myself, expecting a bolt of pain to hit me, but it doesn’t come. Instead I hear the sound of rocks cascading to the ground. Ittakes a few hits, but finally enough of the tunnel wall is chipped away that I can squeeze my hand out.

My fingers are stiff and cold, but other than that I’m no worse for wear. I clench and unclench my fist, working the blood back into my hand. I don’t know how he managed that without hurting me, but I’m glad for it.

“Thank you,” I say, looking up at Talon, and he nods.

“We should get going. Time is running out.”

“Right. Chaos,” I say, a deep melancholy falling over me when I remember Jules stole my hard-earned Chaos coin. The chances of finding another before time runs out are less than zero. It’s only the first trial and I’ve already failed.

Falling into step beside Talon, I heave a defeated sigh as we make our way back up the tunnel to the fork.

“So, the brutish wolf shifter took your Chaos coin?” Talon asks, almost casually.

I glance over at him; the faint light from the mini flashlight illuminates his mouth and part of his cheeks but leaves the rest of his face mostly shadowed.

“How did you know?” I ask, a note of suspicion creeping into my voice. Had Talon been hiding in the shadows the whole time? Could he have stopped Jules’ attack but chose not to?

His eyes glow silver, reminding me of the way Jules’ eyes reflect light in the darkness, but not quite the same. “I overheard her bragging to someone about it.”

Right. That makes sense. “That sounds like her,” I admit, my shoulders sagging.

“Where did you find a coin?” he asks.

“The first cavern after the tunnels. The one with the shallow pool and the water monster.”

He tilts his head, but I can’t see his face clearly enough to read his expression.

“How did you manage that?”

I shrug even though he probably can’t see the motion. “There was a device camouflaged as a stick in the cavern. When I put it in the water, it kept the beast at bay. I think through some sort of vibration, or maybe even a high-pitched sound I couldn’t hear. I waded into the pool and got it.” It was an oversimplification of what really happened, but I didn’t feel the need to tell Talon I’d almost been eaten alive.

“Brave,” he says, and I scoff. “Seriously. Once I saw that a Leviathan was guarding that coin, I passed right on by.”Leviathan? Is that what that monster was?I make a mental note to look it up later. “It takes intelligence to find a workaround like that.”

Or just dumb luck. But I find I like Talon’s compliments, so I don’t contradict him.

“Well, it doesn’t matter now. That coin is long gone. I guess Becks was right. I shouldn’t have bothered entering at all. All I got for it were some near-death experiences.”

We reach the fork in the tunnels, and I turn to go down the right one, but when Talon doesn’t follow I stop and turn back toward him. The flashlight is pointed right at me, but he angles it down when I lift a hand to shade my eyes.

“Let’s go,” I say, but Talon just stands there, staring at me.

He stays silent long enough that I start to shift under his regard. Finally, he reaches into his pocket and pulls something out. He takes my hand, and a zing of awareness travels up my arm. Flipping my hand over, he presses something into my palm. I look down and gasp.

A Chaos coin.

“I can’t take this,” I say, and try to give it back to him.

What are you doing?my mind screams at me.Of course you can take it. Close your fingers around that treasure and run for the exit.

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