Page 32 of Creatures of Chaos

A few days ago, all I wanted was to have the opportunity to fight Jules one-on-one, but not like this. Not when I’m already exhausted and stuck in a dark tunnel with a shifter who has excellent night vision and earth powers.

Spinning, I take off toward the fork in the tunnels, veering left without really knowing where I’m going but hoping to see faelight from the group in front of me soon. I need to get away from Jules or else something very bad is going to happen. Her chuckles follow me as I run. I must have picked the wrong tunnel because there’s no faelight and the temperature drops.

The tunnel cants to the left, but I don’t realize it because the light is so poor, and I clip the wall with my shoulder and stumble. Before I can right myself, a hand dives into my hair. My head gets wrenched back painfully and I fall to the unforgiving ground. Sharp rocks cut into my palms right before I’m jerked to my feet by my hair and then slammed back against the tunnel’s arched stone wall hard enough to knock the wind out of me.

“Pathetic as always,” Jules says. I can’t make out her features in the darkness, but she’s close enough that her breath skids across my face.

Coughing, I try to catch my breath as I swing out wildly, but blinded as I am I only barely connect with some soft part of her body. I swing again, aiming for what I think is her face, and my fist slams into something fleshy but hard. I think maybe her cheek, but Jules is a tough wolf shifter, and before I can follow up with an uppercut to her chin she clamps a hand around my throat. I go wild, clawing and punching whatever I can reach.

Jules cusses and tries to stop my attacks, but like a cornered animal I throw everything I have at her, unleashing in an explosion of pent-up anger and frustration. But Jules has magic and night vision and I don’t, so she still has the upper hand. Grabbing my arm, she slams it against the wall behind me. The rocks instantly swallow my palm and fingers, tethering me to the tunnel.

I scream in frustration and try to yank away from the wall, but I’m not strong enough to break free from the rocks she reformed around my hand. While I’m distracted trying to free myself, she shoves her hand into my pocket and pulls out the gold Chaos coin.

“No,” I yell, trying to snatch it back, but she easily dodges. “That’s mine.”

“It’s mine now.” I can’t see her in the darkness, but I hear her walking away, chuckling under her breath.

Like a fast-working venom, fear paralyzes me. She’s going to leave me alone and trapped down here. There’s more at stake here than failing out of the first Chaos trial. No one else has come down this tunnel. I’m all alone.

I tug on my trapped hand, but it doesn’t budge. I don’t have anything to chisel through solid rock. If I can’t free myself, who is going to find me?

“Don’t do this, Jules,” I call after her retreating footsteps. “I could die down here.”

“Here’s hoping.” Her voice sounds very far away, or maybe that’s just my mind playing tricks on me.

For the second time in one evening my life is on the line, but trying to appeal to Jules’ compassion is useless. She doesn’t have any.

Think, Locklyn, think, I command as I force thoughts of my body rotting and decomposing in this labyrinth from my mind.

My imprisoned hand starts to go numb. I crouch down as far as I can, but with one arm stretched above me and the other reaching down, I can’t quite reach the tunnel floor to search for a rock to use to break apart the stone encasing my hand. I strain hard enough that my shoulder could pop out of joint any minute. As much as that would suck, it would give me the couple of extra inches I need to reach the ground, so I don’t stop pulling.

When I stop to catch my breath, the air around me has gone eerily still. A sense that I’m not alone crawls over me and I slowly straighten, trying in vain to see something, anything, through the absolute darkness.

Trepidation skates down my spine like bony fingers rubbing over my skin, giving me chills.

Someone’s here. I know they are.

“Hello?” I call into the abyss. My voice echoes down the tunnel walls.

I hold my breath, straining my ears to pick up on sound, but it’s as silent as a tomb.

“Looks like you could use a hand . . . literally,” says a familiar deep voice, and the air I trapped in my lungs comes out in a rush.

“Talon. You scared me half to death,” I say, laying a hand over my beating heart.

There’s a soft click and then light shines from Talon’s hand. I think it’s faelight at first, but then realize it’s just a small keychain flashlight.

He flashes the light in my direction, and I lift a hand to shield my eyes.

“You do look a little worse for wear, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say half dead.”

I wait until he points the thin beam of light out of my eyes before answering. “That’s just because you don’t know the night I’ve had.”

“Need some help?”

“Yes.” I’m hoping Talon has earth magic and can easily undo Jules’ handiwork, but instead of using powers, he searches the ground until he finds a rock about twice the size of his fist and palms it. I get a little nervous when he lines it up with my trapped hand.

“You’re going to crush my hand with that if you’re not careful.”

---