Chapter 59 The Journey to the Underground Chambers

Chapter 59 The Journey to the Underground Chambers


Sera’s POV

A scream ripped through the cabin. Blood sprayed across the broken wood as the hunter stumbled backward outside.

“Move!” Terry barked.

That finally got everybody going.

My mother climbed into the tunnel next while Maera shoved weapons down after her. Cold air rushed upward harder now, carrying the scent of damp stone and old earth.

The front door cracked again under another violent hit, wood splintering across the floor while the hunters shouted outside.

“There’s movement inside, move faster!”

My pulse pounded hard against my ribs.

“We’re seriously running into a hole underground?” I whispered. “Everybody in my life suddenly loves caves and secrecy.”

“This isn’t the time, Sera.”

“That’s everybody’s favorite sentence too.”

Another crash hit the cabin, the hinges groaned loudly.

Damien stepped closer to the entrance beside Terry while Caden grabbed the walls to steady himself.

“You shouldn’t even be standing,” I snapped at him, you’re bleeding.”

“I’m multitasking.” he said with a lip bite that was meant to be seductive.

I stared at him in disbelief. “How are you flirting during this?”

“Near death experiences changed me.”

Despite everything happening, a laugh almost escaped me.

Maera grabbed my arm quickly. “Sera.”

I hated this life already.

The door burst partially open then, enough for an arm to force through.

Terry reacted instantly, his blade flashed once.

I crouched near the opening reluctantly.

“I really hate this.”

“You complain a lot for somebody powerful,” Maera muttered.

“I’m developing personality under stress.”

Behind us, another hunter slammed against the broken entrance.

Damien drove him backward immediately with enough force to send both crashing outside.

The sound of fighting exploded instantly after.

Growl, shouting and then wood breaking.

I turned sharply. “Damien!”

“I’m fine!” he shouted back.

That did absolutely nothing to calm me down.

Caden moved toward the doorway despite limping slightly.

Before I could argue again, another hunter lunged through the doorway holding silver blades.

Everything happened too fast after that.

Caden shifted partially before the hunter even reached him.

Claws tore forward violently, the scream that followed made my stomach twist.

The hunter hit the wall hard enough to crack it before collapsing.

I stared at Caden,blood covered one side of his arm again where the wounds reopened, but he barely reacted to it.

“You’re hurt,” I whispered.

Damien slammed another hunter into a tree hard enough that I heard bones crack from inside the cabin.

Terry cursed suddenly. “More are coming.”

Fantastic, absolutely fantastic. Maera grabbed my shoulder firmly. “You need to go faster now.”

“I’m not leaving them.”

“You are if you want them alive.”

That hit hard enough to shut me up because she was right.

If I stayed, I’d hesitate and if I hesitated, somebody would die.

Another hunter appeared near the doorway suddenly, aiming directly at me.

Everything inside me reacted instantly, power exploded outward before I even thought about it, the walls shook violently.

The hunter flew backward like somebody had ripped him out of the air.

He crashed into the trees outside with a sound that made everybody freeze briefly.

“Oh fuck.”

My hands trembled immediately afterward.

“I didn’t even touch him.”

Maera looked more alarmed than impressed. “Control it.”

“I’m trying!”

“No, you’re panicking.”

“I’m allowed to panic!”

“Not with power like yours.”

Another growl ripped through the clearing outside. Caden staggered slightly beside the door now, exhaustion finally catching up to him.

I moved toward him immediately.

“You need to stop.”

His teasing faded after hearing my tone.

“I will,” he admitted quietly.

For one second, everything between us felt too real again, just him standing there injured because of me.

My chest hurt instantly, Damien rushed back inside then, breathing heavily.

“We have maybe two minutes before reinforcements arrive.”

“That many?” Terry asked sharply.

“There were scouts.”

That explained everything, hunters didn’t move this aggressively unless they already knew what they were looking for.

I was the only person they needed.

“And if more hunters show up while we’re inside some underground death cave?”

No one answered my question, the forest outside suddenly erupted with distant howls.

My stomach dropped.

“Oh no.”

Damien’s expression darkened immediately. “They’re calling others.”

“We’re out of time,” Maera said firmly.

This time nobody argued, Terry disappeared into the tunnel first while my mother moved farther below carrying supplies. I climbed down next reluctantly, cold stone scraping against my palms as darkness swallowed us completely.

Caden followed behind me slower than everybody else.

Damien came last, the second Maera sealed the entrance above us, the world changed instantly.

The tunnel stretched endlessly ahead, narrow stone walls lit only by tiny lantern flames Terry carried carefully.

Water dripped somewhere deeper below.

“This place is horrifying.”

“You adjust eventually,” Terry said.

The tunnel sloped downward gradually as we walked or tried to walk.

Caden struggled beside me more with every step.

Damien glanced toward us briefly before looking ahead again.

That tiny movement carried more emotion than actual words somehow, which made things awkward again.

The deeper we moved underground, the stranger the air felt. I stayed closer to my mother unconsciously.

“How far is this place exactly?” I asked.

“Far enough beneath the territories that outsiders rarely find it,” Terry answered.

“That sounds comforting and terrifying at the same time.”

The tunnel widened eventually into a massive cavern lined with old stone markings carved directly into the walls.

I slowed immediately.

“What is this place?”

“The outer chambers,” Maera replied.

The ceiling stretched unbelievably high above us while underground rivers flowed beneath narrow stone bridges ahead.

The sound of rushing water echoed through everything. I stopped breathing for half a second.

I was barely holding myself together already.

Caden noticed my expression change. “You okay?”

“Yeah.”

I looked away quickly, because somehow he always noticed things I didn’t want noticed.

Terry moved ahead toward a massive stone archway partially hidden by shadows.

“We’re close.”

“Close to what exactly?” I asked.

“The inner chambers.”

Terry stopped walking instantly.

“What is it?” my mother asked sharply
.

Nobody answered immediately, it made my chest tighten.

The air ahead felt wrong suddenly. Terry lifted the lantern higher slowly toward the massive archway ahead.

And that was when I saw the figure standing there already.