Page 63 of Trapped By Claws
The air had gone so still down here. It was stale and smelled more of minerals than anything. Places like this could go bad so fast. Sweat trickled down the neckline of my dress and the middle of my back. Nothing stirred.
He suddenly pointed to the left. "This way."
We only walked a few steps to the left when he stopped again in front of a puddle of dark water. He halted and adjusted his sleeves.
Wait.
What?
This?
"This is it?" I adjusted the bag over my shoulder, alarm flaring through me.
He gave me a sober look. "This is the start of passage that will get us to the temple. This cave system moves along most of the shallows in the North Sea."
"It's so small…"
He nodded as he crouched down. His claws grazed the still water, making it ripple. His gaze moved from the water to me. "Yeah. It's not the easiest path. Now you know why I didn't want you to have to take it with me." He sighed, his throat bobbing. "If something happens to me, you can use the runes to feel your way along."
I crouched beside him, searching for marks. If anything happened to him, I'd drag him through. We were getting through this together.
He took my hand and pressed it along the underside of the stone. My fingers slid against the grooves. They were deep, easy to feel at least.
"The runes guiding us to the temple have three lines and an arrowhead pointing in the opposite direction of the way we wantto go." His expression remained solemn. "If the worst happens in there, they'll guide you out."
"Good to know. But you'll be with me." I said the last part with a hard emphasis, knowing he was implying that something was going to happen and I'd have to choose between living and saving him. "I'm not leaving you behind."
His brow remained furrowed. "We shouldn't delay." He glanced over at Tagger and snapped his fingers. "You follow close. Don't leave Mena."
Then it was my turn. His gaze held mine for a breath. I couldn't believe how intense the emotions that raged through me were. How much I wanted to be with him and near him. I put my arms around his neck and drew in a deep breath as I held the second of the pale-blue orbs.
Fear flared through me. My whole body tensed as I imagined sliding into the narrow, watery chasm.
"Try to relax if you can," he whispered, stroking my hair.
"How long will this part take?" My heart raced faster.
"It's…it's about two and a half miles. There are lots of air pockets. Remember the runes." With one more whispered word of encouragement, he then leaned forward and slid us into the dark water. It was so narrow he had to take us in headfirst.
That made it so much worse. The cold soaked around my head while my legs twitched on the stone before Corvin dragged me into the narrow passage. All the warmth leeched from my bones within seconds. The stone scraped against my back. But it also pressed against the back of my hand which was against his neck.
Oh, Creator, help!
This—this was some sort of hell.
Corvin pressed us deeper into the dark waters, moving us through this tiny passage. Though his movements were smooth, I still felt the stones move beneath us and around us.
A thousand fears pecked at my mind.
It wasn't swimming. It was crawling underwater.
What if there was something else in these waters? What if we reached a blockage? What if the air pockets weren't there?
The tunnel constricted around us. Rocks scratched over my arms and back. Then a ledge pressed against the back of my head as Corvin wriggled us through.
I hated this. I hated it!
And I couldn't breathe.
