Chapter 85 The Oasis in the Volcano pt2
Pressure.
So much pressure.
Something on my chest, pushing, pushing…
Kissing?
My eyes fly open and I cough and sputter, spitting out too-hot water into the darkness as strong hands thump my back.
“Thought we lost you there,” Oberon says, a touch of thankfulness in his voice.
I blink in the darkness, unable to see a damn thing.
“Everyone else?” my voice cracks as I cough and spit.
“All here, a little worse for wear,” I hear Zaries say from somewhere to my right.
“I’m not thirsty anymore,” Malachi jokes.
A weak laugh bubbles from Sylvain’s mouth. “You smell better too.”
It takes a few moments for me to gather my wits, but when I do, I summon a ball of light and wince at its sudden shine.
“Oh…fuck,” Sylvain gasps.
“Nobody move!” Zaries commands in a harsh whisper. “Nobody even breathe.”
As my vision adjusts, my horror grows. All around us, sleeping in heaps and piles, are wildcats.
The enormous spotted yellow beasts snore gently, their deceptively soft-looking fur practically begging to be petted.
I’ve only ever seen one of these predators once, high above Obsidian Reach where it could never have caused anyone within the walls any danger. But now? We’re well and truly fucked.
Oberon swallows next to me, the sound much too loud, and closes his fist over mine. The light in my hand extinguishes as the rest of us gather in a tight circle.
“We’re going to have to do this in complete darkness,” Oberon whispers.
“It’s a miracle they didn’t wake, we—” Zaries starts, but a growl coming from far too close silences him immediately.
“How are we supposed to get through here without being able to see?” Sylvain whimpers quietly.
I hold Oberon’s hand in the dark, both of us knowing what we have to do, but neither of us know how we’re supposed to help the others to do what we can do.
“Zaries, come here,” Oberon whispers quietly, reaching into the darkness until he finds Zarie’s shoulder. “You’re going to hate this, but do exactly as I say. Sylvain, you too, but with Anara.” He pauses and I can feel him look around in the dark. “Malachi, don’t move a muscle. We’ll come back for you.”
“Fuck that shit, y’all are taking me first or I’m gonna start shouting,” Malachi hisses in anger.
“Fuck! Fuck, fine!” Oberon snarls. “Zaries, wait for us in the water. Malachi, come to me. Flatten your chest against my back, and for the first time in your life, do exactly as I say!”
Sylvain is glued to my back, her legs moving as mine do.
With my eyes closed, I sense my surroundings. Knowing from training where to set my feet, where to not move. I listen to the sound of the great cats breathing, shifting, rolling over. I listen to the sound of dried bones crackle under their bodies.
I listen to it all, and by listening, I see.
We make painstakingly slow pace as we move through the cave, only to find a solid rock wall on the other side.
“Shit,” I curse, feeling the wall desperately for any sign of an exit.
“I’m going back for Zaries,” Oberon says, and before I can respond, I feel him move away.
Silently, the three of us feel the stone expanses containing us. The cats seem to be centered away from the damp walls, which is a godsend, but still there is hardly enough room to move without fear of kicking one in the dark.
I hear the scattering of small rocks right before I sense Oberon and Zaries getting close. Sylvain is at my side, her hand in mine, but Malachi is farther…
I focus my senses, trying to find him, and I register the faint grinding of rocks in a distant corner of the small caverns. Malachi found a hole in the wall, and the oaf is climbing through in an increasing panic.
I hurry, as fast as I can in pure darkness surrounded by hundreds of murder mittens attached to what I’m going to assume are very hungry pussy cats. Reaching the sound of the scraping, I lash out an arm and grab Malachi’s ankle.
“What are you doing?” I hiss.
“Fucking escaping, what do you think I’m doing?” Malachi grunts.
It’s loud, too loud. The sound of snoring cats pauses for a moment. Claws shift against rocks, bodies moving in the darkness.
We all freeze, even Malchai in the hole, before panic sets in and the bastard starts to scream.
The yowling of wildcats fills the room as they rise, hissing and screeching.
Giving up all caution, I throw my light into the cavern and illuminate it all at once. There are several holes all over the walls, and as we watch in terror, the young cats dart into them and race away. The adults, however, turn on us with gleaming orange eyes and three inch long fangs.
“Fuck you, Malchai!” I scream, and call on the heat low in this damnable mountain and pull fire from my fingers.
I throw fireballs and Zaries swings his blades, while Oberon defends Sylvain from a particularly large monster of a cat.
"Hurry the fuck up, Malachi!" I demand, my voice a frantic edge in the chaos. The hole he's found is our only chance, the sole escape route that can fit us all.
I hear him curse and scream, his voice mingling with the roars of the feral cats closing in on us. A moment later, he falls through on the other side.
"Sylvain, go!" I roar, and Oberon thrusts her into the hole. Her terrified eyes meet mine for a split second before she's gone. Oberon follows right after, his movements quick and desperate.
Now it's just Zaries and me, hacking and slashing at the feline flesh with blade and fire, our breaths ragged and our muscles screaming. Each swing, each burst of fire, is a fight for survival.
"You next," I tell Zaries, my voice firm despite the terror clawing at my insides.
He tries to argue, but I grab him with the last bit of wind power I have, hurling him into the hole with a forceful push. The effort leaves me gasping, but there's no time to rest. Fireballs fly from my hands, illuminating the dark tunnel as I back in, the heat scorching my skin.
The tunnel starts to shake, rocks tumbling around me like a deadly rain. "Hurry!" I scream, my heart pounding as I scramble back faster than ever. The tunnel is collapsing, the weight of the mountain threatening to trap us in its stone grave.
Something grabs my ankle, a vise-like grip that yanks me backward. I yelp in surprise as I'm pulled out of the tunnel just as it collapses behind me, the sound of cats being crushed under the weight of the mountain forever burned into my brain.
I cough and gag, my lungs burning, covered in mud and blood as I pull myself to my feet. The small alcove we're in is dimly lit, shadows dancing across the walls.
Malachi stands in the center, panting hard, his body streaked with blood. Dozens of dead cats litter the ground around him. His eyepatch is gone, replaced by savage claw marks that mar the entire side of his face. His one good eye gleams with a wild, triumphant light as he turns to face us.
He starts to laugh, the sound hearty but cold. “Fuck this fucking Gauntlet! Nothing can stop us now!” he declares, thrusting a blade up into the air like he’s the hero of the city.
“We aren’t done yet, asshole!” Zaries barks, right before he punches the bastard in the good side of his head. “That's for waking up the whole goddamn mountain!”