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  We eventually come across a split in the tunnel. Three different directions each as ominous as the last.

  “Which way?” I ask, peering down the tunnels trying to get a hint about where they lead. Two of the tubes climb up and out of sight while the third middle tunnel snakes down and to the right.

  The middle tunnel is the only one with any sort of lighting as the small trickling river crawls down through it.

  Nathanial grips his sword tightly as he approaches each tunnel. “The central tunnel might be submerged, and in any case, it is traveling down. That doesn’t seem like the way to get out.”

  Melissa eyes him. “But it could be. Nothing’s been as it seems here so far. We could always follow each tunnel for a while and see where it leads before making a decision, though it could be easy to get lost if the tunnels split further down.”

  Lucas runs his hands through his hair. “Let’s not forget only one of the tunnels is lit, and we don’t have any supplies to make torches.”

  Lexa's handshakes in mine, and I look up at her pale, tight-lipped face. The magic has hurt her badly. I look at the group and clear my voice, “Maybe we can rest here while we choose a tunnel?”

  Tash eyes Lexa and me with concern. “That sounds like an excellent idea. I am wreaked.”

  All eyes turned toward Lexa for approval. She gives a tight nod, and everyone breathes a sigh of relief.

  We all move out of the water, our boots glowing from contact with the luminous liquid. Together we pile against the wall and I sigh as I lean back against the smooth damp rock, all my limbs aching and throbbing. Magic certainly has a price, and I am not so sure I am willing to pay it. Then again, we would have surely died without it.

  I glance at Lexa's wounds. The green lines still stand out vividly on her skin and they even cast some light on the wall behind her. It was strange the way the magic tracks only appeared on her body when the dogs were repelled from the light bubble. Maybe it was Lexa's magic that pushed them away?

  Melissa kicks a fist-sized rock into the shallow stream, and I watch as it rolls out to the other side and glows. “We could roll some rocks in the water and use them to light the way in the dark tunnels.”

  A terrible wailing that makes my hair stand on end comes back from the entrance of the tunnel. Silence descends on the group as we all stare back the way we had come.

  “That didn’t sound good,” Lucas whimpers.

  Lexa nods and then with great composure, pulls herself to her feet. “We cannot stay here, we have no food or water, and even as we speak, we may be tracked by those beasts outside.”

  I grumble and pull myself to my feet as my whole body screams in protest at the movement. “Which way?”

  Lexa considers the tunnels. “I agree with Nathanial, I believe the water will pool together in the third tunnel, but we have no way of knowing how far it leads. Let’s take the tunnel to the right first and see what our options are.”

  Lucas, Tash and I fumble around in the stream rolling rocks in the water until the glowed brightly I gather a whole bunch of smaller pebbles and cram them into my pocket.

  Glowing rocks in hand, we venture into the right-chosen tunnel. We travel in near darkness; the stones help, but not much. The walls reflect their strange blue light and creatures of the night skitter from the edges of the glow.

  Thirst tickles my throat, and my cracked lips do their best to absorb the tiny amount of moisture in the air. Already my head has begun to ache. We won’t be able to go much longer without water. I eye the glowing rock in my hand and lick my dried lips. We may have to consider the possibility of drinking from the bright stream.

  We travel down this path for no more than five minutes before we find the way blocked by an old cave in. Massive rocks are piled so high and packed so tightly together that even a team of people would take weeks to clear the tunnel.

  “Well, this isn’t the way,” Melissa announces for anyone who had somehow missed the literal wall of rocks. We turn and retreat down the path and gather in front of the three tunnels once more.

  Nathanial walks right past us and up to the left cave entrance, stooping to peer down it. “It seems to be clear but there is a part right at the beginning that looks quite narrow. As long as I can get through it, the rest of you should be fine.”

  I glance over at Lexa's weary features, and I fight with the exhaustion within my own body. Hopefully, we find a way out soon. And hopefully there won’t be any mutants of any kind waiting for us there.

  We squeeze through the left side entrance one at a time. I nudge Lexa in before me, and I move last, dropping little glowing stones on the ground behind me with every three or four paces.

  This cave is much longer than the first, and it requires a fair bit of squeezing to get through and I force myself through one such gap, and the wet rock face sticks to my hair, pulling at it with its clammy grasp. I exit the narrow space and step into a room dotted with stars.

  I gape at the stunning ceiling, and it takes time for me to realize the light is caused by little blue-white grubs that hang from the ceiling, their ends glowing brightly and lighting the small cavern space around us.

  “What are they?” Tash asks, staring up at the roof.

  Lucas steps closer and inspects one, poking it gently with his index finger. The little grub lights up brightly in response, and something sticky comes away with Lucas’s hand.

  He holds it up to the group as if it is undeniable proof. “These are glow worms. They make silk to catch their prey, insects and the like. It’s okay, they’re harmless.”

  The group noticeably relaxes at his words. For the last few hours every type of glowing thing we have encountered has been monstrous creatures that crave blood and flesh. I am not going to lie, it is a relief knowing these worms aren’t going to try and eat me.

  Trickling catches my attention, and I turn towards the sound. A small stream of clear water dribbles from a hole in the rock face and pools in the bowl-shaped cup below it. Someone painstakingly went to great efforts to carve that stone bowl, chiselled lines still stand out prominently.

  My heart hammers in my throat, and my thirst roars into life demanding to be fed. Gently, I touch Lexa's hand and show her the man-made fountain.

  Lexa's green eyes follow my pointed hand. “Water?” she rasps out.

  The rest of the group turns around eagerly.

  Lucas pushes his glasses up his nose. “Where?”

  Lexa points at the wall, and the group crowds around the small stream. Taking turns, we each fill our hands and drink as much as we need.

  After everyone is satiated, I wet my hands and wipe the drying blood from my face. Lexa follows my lead.

  She turns to the group. “Let’s rest here for a time. Feel free to explore but do not go too far. There has been one rock fall in this tunnel already, and I do not want to lose any of you in another.”

  Everyone nods and pokes about. Personally, I have absolutely no desire for anything except sleep. I slump to the ground and inspect my arms. Some of the smaller blue lines have faded, but the deeper ones remain nagging me with pain. Lexa, still has a long green line over her forearm and a few on the left side of her neck.

  I put my hand to my pocket and find the necklace still securely in place. I am still not game to put it on, but my fear of losing it is almost as strong as my fear of using it.

  Lexa sinks down beside me and puts her head in her hands. “I don’t know how they are still going.”

  I smile ruefully. “They didn’t just use their life force to repel mutant dogs and screaming mushrooms.”

  Lexa chuckles into her hands. “I suppose we should have heeded the words of the gifted elders. They told us this magic would have consequences.”

  “But without it, we would all be dead.”

  Lexa rubs her arm gingerly. The smaller of the magic wounds have started to close, so they no longer ooze green light, but the skin around them is red and inflamed.

  I look up at Lexa's
face and study the way her dark brown curls fall from her hair tie to rest on her face. “I think it was your magic that repelled the dogs when they came into contact with our light bubble.”

  Lexa looks at me with surprise. “What makes you say that?”

  I swallow. “Every time one of the dogs struck the light bubble, it flashed green, and a new line appeared on your body.”

  Lexa raises an eyebrow. “You have lines on your body too.”

  I nod and look at the score of blue cuts across my arms. “Mine appeared steadily after the first blue flash. I think it is possible our magic may be specialized.”

  Lexa stares thoughtfully at my arms. “What is your specialty?”

  I shrug and give her a grin. “I didn’t say I had it figured out. I could be putting it together all wrong.”

  Lexa nods. “Even so, it is a theory we should consider going forward.”

  Tash pops her head out of a narrow gap she had been exploring. “You two should come and see this.”

  Lexa shakes her head and climbs to her feet before holding her hand out to me. “No rest for the wicked.”

  I smile and take her hand, acutely aware of how it feels grasped in mine. She helps pull me to my feet, and along with the others we head over to the place where Tash's head materialized from moments before.

  Everyone else squeezes through the gap. Lexa and I are the last to force our way through the hole. Her hand clenches mine, apparently seeing what Tash wanted to show us a moment before my own eyes adjust to the dim glow of the rocks Tash set out. When I see them, I gasp and clench Lexa’s hand right back.

  In the ghostly light, two skeletons lie side by side on a ragged mat.

  Chapter five

  The Solarian’s

  They appear to be holding one another with their meagre belongings scattered around them and a lot of dried blood staining the mat.

  I notice a tattered basket near my foot, and I carefully open it. The lid pulls away from the rest of the container even with my attempts at being gentle. Inside is a leather pouch, better preserved than the basket, a rolled hide and two metal water canteens.

  I pull everything from the basket and lay it on the floor. Melissa bends over the skeletons and inspects them. “Neither of them had weapons, and I very much doubt these injuries were caused by a human.” She pauses and points to the leg of the one closest to her. “Those are tooth marks and if I had to guess, I would say these unfortunate people encountered the same beasts we did.”

  Tash wipes her face. “What a sad place to die alone.”

  “They weren’t alone,” I say as I look over the two embracing skeletons. “They had each other.”

  Lexa crouches down beside me, her knee brushing mine. “What have you found?”

  She selects the rolled hide and gently opens it revealing hastily scribbled words loop across the surface.

  I swallow. “Is that written in blood?”

  Lexa nods and reads the words aloud, “Darkmor's magic is flawed. He can be stopped.”

  I sit back on my feet. “He can be stopped,” I repeat and furrow my brows. “His magic is flawed.” I look up at the group. “I don’t understand my magic, how am I supposed to find the flaw in his?

  Lexa shrugs and carefully pockets the note. “Your guess is as good as mine. But it is certainly uplifting to know he is not without his flaws.”

  The rest of the group nod and Lucas looks down at the white bones. “What I would give to have a single conversation with these guys.”

  “I think we came a bit late for that,” Melissa quips as she inspects the damaged bones more closely.

  I open the pouch still in my hand and find some tarnished silver coins and two golden rings with the word ‘forever’ engraved along the inside. It gives me a small rush of hope for what the world could be like without Darkmor.

  Within the deepest corner of the pouch, I find a small square of leather with a scary face drawn onto it. I study the image, the mouth is lopsided and filled with jagged teeth and the eyes, one slightly larger than the other, both stare into my soul. Why would someone draw a picture like that and put it with their most precious items.

  I glance back at the picture of the disfigured face. That will work its way into my dreams and the eerie light of the glowing rocks isn’t doing anything to help.

  Uncomfortable, I stuff the picture back into the pouch and turn to the other items on the floor in front of me.

  Nathanial stoops to collect one of the tarnished silver coins. “This is the currency of Solaris. See the Phoenix on the back.”

  “How do you know what currency from Solaris looks like?” Lucas pries.

  Nathanial clenches his fists. “My father used to collect coins like this.” The tension visibly affects the room as we enter an awkward silence. I am dying to ask about Nathanial's dad but every time it is brought up everyone becomes nervous. It is probably best to leave it for now. I am sure the answers will come out soon enough.

  I hold up the rings from the bag. “I think they were mated.”

  Lexa takes the rings from my hand and inspects them. “How were they allowed to keep these?”

  Lucas pulls at his shirt. “They kept it a secret?”

  Melissa shakes her head. “These bones are almost two decades old, judging from the bleaching. The coins only help to confirm my suspicions. I think these people were Solarian’s captured in one of the first waves, but they escaped Darkmor only to die here.”

  Tash nods. “I don’t see any other way they could have been allowed to keep mating rings.”

  I hold the two small rings in my hand and slowly return them to the pouch. I tie it and the coins securely to my belt.

  I look at the bones. At least they were together in the end.

  We crawl out of the small space and Nathanial goes to clean and fill our newfound water containers.

  Lucas shifts his feet awkwardly. “The way ahead of us is blocked and there is a gap, but it is too narrow to crawl through. I was looking into it when Tash called us over.”

  Lexa sighs. “Alright, everyone, have a drink before we go. We will head down the third tunnel. We will see where it leads us.” She sighs. “We may have to swim.”

  My stomach clenches. I can’t swim. My cheeks flush as I encounter yet another thing I cannot do. Thanking the darkness in the cave, I keep the information to myself.

  We head back down the cave and weariness pulls at my limbs, insistent that I pay attention to it. The problem is that even if we do stop, I am not sure I will be able to rest in this strange and hazardous world. At least in the arena, I knew what wanted to kill me, and before today I had never been attacked by a plant.

  We squeeze past the narrow corner and once again face the three tunnels. Only the middle remains, with the stream tumbles lazily over pebbles.

  We head down the glowing tunnel and walk in silence for a while.

  Lucas scuffs his heels in front of me. “My feet hurt.” He complains, distracting me from my thoughts of what is ahead of us. “Also, my throat,” he adds.

  “That’s probably from all the running and screaming we have done today,” Tash replies, her blue eyes bright with the reflected light from the stream.

  Melissa chuckles. “I am sure there was more screaming than running coming from Lucas.”

  “Very manly screaming,” Lucas adds in his deepest voice.

  A smile spreads across my cheeks, and even Nathanial lets out a short bark of laughter.

  The silence returns, and my stomach makes its demands known to the world. A loud rumble echoes across the tunnel walls, and my cheeks burn red.

  “We need to find something to eat,” Tash declares as she sloshes along through the shallow, glowing water.

  “Yeah, before Claire starts deciding which one of us would be the easiest to take down and have for dinner,” Melissa suggests with a sly smile. “It’s Lucas by the way.”

  “Hey!” Lucas squeals in protest, holding his hands up. “You don’t want to ea
t me. I’m all lanky and tough. I’m not good to eat at all.”

  “You’re right,” Nathanial agrees. “She would probably eat you and be hungry again in half an hour anyway.”

  Tash and Melissa roar in laughter while Lucas and I scowl at them.

  Lexa chuckles and gently runs her hand down my arm sending a wave of tingles across my body. “I am sure we will find something to eat soon,” she reassures me with one of her half-smiles. “If not, I will help you catch Lucas.”

  Laughter erupts from my throat.

  Lucas runs his hands through his hair and grumbles, “I can’t trust anyone.”

  The shallow water rises steadily from our ankles to our knees as we trudge through the cave tunnel. Ahead of us, the tunnel widens suddenly, and rocks break through the calm, shimmering surface. Thick moss clings to these rocks, creating patches of green amongst the glowing ice blue liquid.

  Dotting the moss are tiny purple flowers that open to reveal red pollen, casting a rich sweet scent into the cave around us. Small insects buzz around these little purple flowers before shooting off to climb into a hive of some kind in the upper corner of the cavern roof.

  On the moss, in clumps, hangs clusters of small pink balls and my stomach rumbles again. Maybe they are edible?

  My eyes are drawn to columns of glowing stalactites and stalagmites that grow haphazardly throughout the cavern, adding to the strange splendor of the pool.

  The glowing water gently ripples its way through the bizarre landscape, causing light to dance across the ceiling in hypnotizing patterns. The whole scene is astonishing.

  I cast a glance at Lexa, who is taking in the scene before us in much the same way. She walks ahead of me and stoops to inspect a bunch of the pink fruits.

  “If I say this place is beautiful, are you guys going to ruin it somehow?” I ask, taking in the view.

  “No,” Lucas quietly replies as he stares at the cavern around us.

  “Give it some time, and I am sure a horrible monster of some sort will,” Melissa comments, narrowing her eyes at the view in front of us with extreme suspicion.

  Tash nudges Melissa's shoulder with her own. “Mel, why do you always have to be so negative?”