“Bring it on,” she says.
Jinx gives me a look that says I told you so, which I ignore. We head out to Starbucks. We’re almost there when Sailor puts her hand to her chest.
“I can feel it. The pull of the power,” she says. “But it’s not painful like last time. Does that mean there’s no threat?”
“It means the Boundless aren’t tampering with the gem right now, but it doesn’t mean there’s no threat. We have no real idea what’s down there,” I say.
“Where are the others?” Sailor asks.
“Meeting us at the gate,” I say. “They’re probably already there by now.”
As we step into the alley I see I’m right. The others are already there. Mel rushes forward and hugs Sailor, who laughs and hugs her back.
“Wow, you’d think I’d been missing for weeks,” she says.
“It’s just good to see you back out and about and looking so good,” Mel says.
“Thanks.” Sailor grins.
“Right, guys,” I say, switching into leader mode. “Let’s get this done as quickly as we can. We need to get down there and grab the gem, and we need to be vigilant. We have no idea what’s down there. And we need to keep Sailor in the middle of the group where she’ll be the safest. No arguments, Sailor.”
I get the last part in as she opens her mouth, no doubt to complain. She closes it at my tone, and although I know she’s bursting to argue with me, she doesn’t. Grudging acceptance is the closest I’ll come to a win, so I’ll take it.
“I’ll go first; Aziza, I want you at the rear. Everyone else, get yourselves organized around Sailor.”
I pull the potion out and open up the bottle. I take a mouthful and wince at the bitter taste. I swallow it and hand the bottle to Mel.
“Cheers,” she says to no one in particular before she takes a drink and pulls the same face as I did.
When everyone has drank some, I push the gate open, draw my sword, and step inside. I start down the concrete steps. Ya-Ya is right behind me, and I realize an eerie blue glow is radiating from her. I pause and turn around, concerned for her, but I see what she’s doing and I relax. Cupped in her hands is a little ball of blue lightning.
“Just in case the gate closes so we can see where we’re going,” she says.
I nod and turn back to the front. Other than that brief exchange, everyone is quiet as we descend, on high alert, and the only sounds are the echoing of our footsteps and the odd intake of breath as someone stumbles slightly.
We reach the corner where I found Sailor, and I shudder as I remember her limp, almost lifeless body flopping in my arms. I push the thought away. She’s right here, she’s fine, and I intend to keep it that way. I round the bend, leading the team down further and further. At a guess, I would say we’re now at least two or three stories below ground level. The only light is the light formed by Ya-Ya’s blue ball. At least the potion is working and we can breathe easily.
After what feels like forever, the staircase runs out and a small area opens out in front of us. There’s a solid brick wall broken only by a gate that matches the one at the top of the staircase.
“Anyone else feel like we’ve descended right into Hell?” Sunday asks.
“I figure we’re a level or two below it,” Aziza replies.
Their voices echo around the small chamber, startlingly loud in the small opening.
“I’m going to open the gate. Cover me,” I say.
I wait until the team forms a lose semicircle behind me and then I move to the gate. I give it a hard push and it creaks open slowly on rusty hinges. A swarm of brown rushes towards us, the creatures flying at us making a skittering noise. I can hear gasps behind me and I can hear weapons being drawn. The tiny flecks of brown swarm past me and I spin to face the others, to check they’re alright. I can hear little screams in amongst the skittering noise, and I start to raise my sword.
“Stop,” Sunday shouts. “Guys, stop. They’re just bats.”
He manages to get through to the team. A few shaky laughs sound and I watch as Ya-Ya carefully untangles a bat from Aziza’s hair.
“Rye. Look out,” Mel shouts.
I spin around. The creature advancing on me now is a hell of a lot more dangerous than a bat.
CHAPTER NINE: THE BALLOWS
I look into the yellow-green eyes of a Ballow, a snake-like creature whose bite is so highly venomous it can kill with one drop. This one is a big one—at least twenty feet long and as fat as a cow. It rears up off the ground, bringing its head level with mine, hissing at me. Its mouth opens wide as it strikes towards me, and I can see the venom dripping from its fangs.
I duck and swing up with my sword, but the Ballow retreated the second it struck and it hangs back at a safe distance, still watching me, its eyes never leaving my face.
“Rye. Duck,” Aziza shouts.
I drop without hesitation as a ball of fire flies over my head. The Ballow might have gotten a safe distance back from my sword, but if it thought it could escape Aziza’s fire, then it was very much mistaken. The ball of fire slams into the Ballow’s face, and for a moment, I can see its scales singeing, curling up at the edges. It lets out a roaring hiss and rears up and then it slumps to the ground as the fire consumes it.
“Fuck,” Jinx curses from behind me as I come back up out of my crouch.
I turn to look at him and I see the whole team staring past me in horror. I turn, expecting another Ballow. Instead, I see hundreds of tiny
