We stare into the abyss, listening to the wind howling through the tunnels, blasting cold air into our faces. Taking a deep breath, I shoulder into the darkness, sword gripped in hand. I hear the other following me. Verity's footsteps scuff over the floor, while the Fae pace silently. The tunnel walls are roughly carved stone, barely high enough for me to walk without stooping. The tunnel curves imperceptibly, so slowly and gradually that I don't notice until the daylight at the entrance winks away. I stop, suddenly in complete darkness. Slowly, my Fae eyes adjust to the dark, and I press on.
“I can’t see,” I hear Verity whisper fearfully.
“Mortals,” Erzur sighs.
“Hold on to me.” Thal’s voice echoes towards me and I hear the soft whisper of flesh over flesh as Verity takes his hand.
Jealousy blooms in my chest, but I press it down, intent on focusing on something other than myself. It means nothing. I should be grateful he's keeping an eye out for her. I press forward again, peering around corners before moving on. The tunnel splits apart into two paths. I lean into one, sniffing, and recoil as the stench of rotting meat assails my nose.
“Shit,” I hiss, covering my face with a sleeve.
“You’re not far off,” Erzur says, sniffing. She curls her lip in disgust.
I turn to Sadal. “Which way?”
He looks between the two tunnels before finally pointing to the one on the left; the one that doesn’t stink like rot and death. “I think it’s this way.”
“You think?” I snap.
“It’s been hundreds of years since I was last here,” Sadal whispers defensively. “So, yes, I think.”
“Damn you,” I mutter, ducking into the new tunnel.
The air in this tunnel smells dank and old. I follow Sadal's quiet directions as we wander through the mines. From time to time, we pass discarded pickaxes or wagons still filled with obsidian—now covered in a layer of dust. Bones litter the ground in some of the tunnels, and I make out teeth marks on them. A shiver of warning trails up and down my spine in tunnels like that. The feasters can't be far off.
Suddenly, I hear chittering echo towards us and I freeze. In the middle of choosing between three routes, we’re trapped dead center. I spin slowly, trying to make out where the noise is coming from, but in these tunnels, the sound comes from everywhere. Our fear is palpable, dangerous, and will only draw attention to us. I take a deep breath, leaning into each tunnel to get a better gauge on the chittering.
“It’s coming from behind us,” Verity whispers, pressing into my side.
I glance over my shoulder, listening to the tunnel we just came from. Scratches against stone join the strange noise. It’s coming closer. “Go, go,” I hiss, urging the group in the tunnel to the left. It smells fresher.
“Are you sure?” Erzur asks, hesitating.
Sadal shrugs. “I’m not sure of anything.”
More voices join the first, and I know the creature is not alone. We duck into the tunnels and I linger in the back, facing the way we came. Three creatures burst out of that tunnel, sniffing and licking the air. Their backs are curved and bent, spines almost piercing through their papery skin. They open their mouths, revealing stubby, razor-sharp teeth. I hold my breath, inching backward as the rest of my group disappears around the corner. These things are following us, searching for us. They chitter, communicating until one of them crawls forward on all fours. It hovers at the entrance to this tunnel, tongue flicking out from its lipless mouth. Whatever it is, it appears to be blind. Another creature barks, snapping its teeth with a deadly sound. Slowly, they slink into another tunnel, disappearing from view.
Still not daring to breathe, I turn and run as noiselessly as possible to meet my group. They’re waiting around the corner, swords raised. Sadal leans forward, his chains clinking softly. “What did you think of my little pets? I designed them myself. It took thousands of years of breeding.”
“Quiet,” I snap. “They’re looking for us. We need to move quickly. Sadal, are we almost out?”
“Oh, yes, it shouldn’t be long now.” Sadal nods. His shoulders sag. “What I wouldn’t give to see one of my sweet, little miners again.”
“I don’t like this,” Verity murmurs, wrapping her arms around herself. She glances around, eyes wide and pupils dilated in the dark. “Something is wrong.”
Erzur slips past her, running a hand along Verity’s arm as if to frighten her. “Are you a seer? Or just a coward?”
“I prefer realist,” Verity says stubbornly.
“Let’s keep moving,” I say, interrupting before the two can bicker anymore.
The hairs on the back of my neck are raised and I feel tingling along my spine. Verity is right, something here is wrong. Horribly, dangerously wrong. We get through two more tunnels and the air begins to warm just as I realize the danger. Sadal throws his chains against the stone wall, and the sound bounces through the tunnels like an alarm. I spin, brows raised and mouth gaping as he hammers away at the wall. He cackles gleefully, lips split into a wide grin.
“I want to see my pets,” he sings.
Thal tackles him, driving him to the rough ground. They wrestle, grunting as Thal tries to get an advantage over the wiry Dark God. "Shut up," Thal hisses, clamping a hand over Sadal's mouth. He hisses and pulls his hand away, the palm coated in blood.
Sadal laughs, blood staining his teeth. “Come, my little miners!”
“What is that?” Erzur is at my side, her eyes wide and focused on a tunnel branching off into the bowels of the mountain.
Thal and Sadal quiet, hardly breathing, as we strain to listen. And then I hear it. The sound of many feet scraping over the stone floors, claws grating. Chittering echoes towards us, hundreds of voices. Thal is on his feet, dragging a squirming Sadal with him. We back away, hearts pounding.
“Go,” I whisper.
