On the Evil Scale: Keeper of La Tecla (The Key) Book Two

Morning finally crept upon the island; those that would venture to the ruins, gathered near the gates once more 6:30am sharp, well as except Yzavela, Anthony and Erik, who the rest waited for, pacing anxiously.

“Are you sure about this?” Anthony muttered.

“Yes.” I answered confidently, looking at him.

“And what are you sure of?” Erik wondered.

“You will see.” I grinned.

“That’s not cryptic.” Erik moaned.

“Trust me.” I reassured.

“Always.” he nodded, then noticed something different about her, “I know isn’t the time to ask but is everything all right, you seem a bit, I don’t know, different.”

“Now isn’t the time to talk about it but it’s all good.” I smiled, then looked at Anthony, unable to hide the affection and happiness on my face and in my eyes.

“Ah.” Erik grimaced, “I see.” he walked ahead.

“Finally!” Leonus barked, hearing three voices approach, followed by a bark and roar as Yzavela’s wolf and dragon accompanied her, “We were all waitin’ for your lordship.” he mocked, gesturing at her.

Rolling my eyes, I then leered at the Scotsman, steaming quickly.

“Yza, you’re steaming.” Anthony whispered softly to her.

“Am I, didn’t notice.” I groaned, “Are you ready?” I announced, then looked around, receiving eager nods from everyone but Leonus, who scoffed, “Is there a problem?”

“No.” he shook his head, “Nothin’ at all.” he turned.

Clenching my gloved fists, I held back my words and temper, then I caught the sight of Wyatt standing by holding a bag in hand hanging down by his side.

“Excuse me…” I looked at Anthony and Erik. Walking toward the Demon, I looked around, softly asking, “Is it done?” I wondered.

“Yes.” Wyatt nodded, handing her the bag, “Just put them on, latch the lock and the Lycynian they’re intended for will be bound.”

“Thank you.” I appreciated, “Listen Wyatt, I’m sorry that I even had to drag you into this but…”

“It’s done. We can talk about it later.” the Demon nodded, “You’re needed over there, not here.”

“Right.” I tucked the shackles in my bag, “But we will talk later.” I held out a hand, waiting for a shake.

“Of course.” he accepted her hand, giving it a quick shake.

“Yza!” Caleb called out.

Hearing his voice, I turned, running back toward the garage, “Ready?”

“Yes, so can we stop chitchattin’ and get out there before the day is lost?!” Leonus growled.

“But how are we going to get through the snow?” Sarah whimpered.

I smiled, then with perfect timing, I turned toward the garage where men drove two Bandvagn 206 vehicles toward us, and since the snow storms that hit the island packed the grounds with layers of new snow, it was too thick for us to tread through by foot.

“And you two…” I looked at both Erik and Jonathan, “don’t break them like you’ve done in the past?”

“How do you know about that?” Jonathan stuttered shyly.

“The mechanics informed me.” I grinned, “They’re fueled and ready.” I leered toward Leonus, “Oh, I’m sorry…did you have something to say?”

“No.” he growled, approaching one of them, taking lead with Derek, cramming themselves into the vehicle with Sarah, Jonathan and Nathan and Luke.

Nick, Caleb, Erik and Jeremy, Thomas, Anthony and I rode in the second while Zanzabarr rode in the cargo hitch with the packed gear.

Once the gates had opened upon Wyatt’s orders, the Bandvagn’s drove through the tunnel then veered around the wall heading Southwest back into Ravenswood; Abraxas soared above, examining the terrain from above, taking in the sight of footprints scattered across the island leading back to the ruins. Driving forward at a medium pace, there were fresh deep scratches embedded in the bark of the trees, as if something marked its territory.

Pausing the vehicles, allowing the engines to rest, Sarah reached out the window, running her gloved fingers across the deep scratches of the nearest tree, noticing the bark was splintered with tree sap oozing from the damage.

“What happened here?” her voice quivered in fear.

“They marked their territory.” Derek hollered, “They know you’ve been through here, and offered a warning not to venture back.” then he sniffed the air, as did Leonus and Anthony.

“What is it?” I looked at the Italian in front of me.

“Death is in the air, I don’t have a good feeling about this.” Anthony muttered with distaste.

“For once, I agree with the man-whore.” Nathan mocked.

“It’s too quiet.” Thomas’ raspy voice echoed.

“We should get moving.” Leonus advised, “Be careful of ditches and sink holes hidden beneath the snow, they’re treacherous and if hit the wrong way, can topple over the mobiles.”

The Scotsman was right.

Slowly driving forward, we finally arrived at the tree line where we parked the mobiles by the trees. Once the keys were in returned to my possession, hidden away in my bag, everyone shuffled around, gathering our weapons and gear, removing our heavier coats in the process, laying them on the seats of the crafts.

“Are you wearing your ring?” Anthony rasped softly, standing behind Yzavela, strapping his sword belt around his waist.

“Of course.” I smiled, turning to him. Removing my left glove, there it was, the ring shining from the morning sun that shone through the gaps of the clouds, “Right where it should be.” I kissed him quickly.

“What the bloody is that?!” Erik rushed over, grabbing her hand. As he looked at her, then over at Anthony, he barked bluntly, “You’re…” he scoffed, “you’re married?!”

“Not that it’s any of your business but we will be.” Anthony’s voice deepened, but with pride.

“What’s going on over there?!” Leonus barked loudly.

“Nothing.” I groaned, “Erik please, this has nothing to do with you.”

“Nothing to do with me? When were you going to tell me?!”

“To be honest, I wasn’t.” I huffed, then turned away with Anthony.

Erik huffed, kicking the snow.

Approaching the ruins, snow had been disturbed from the constant flow of traffic in and out, with massive footprints overlapping one another, making if difficult for both Leonus and Derek to determine how many creatures there were.

“All right, now what?” Luke pondered.

“I have something for everyone.” I laid my backpack on one of the nearby boulders, removing watches of futuristic design I discovered in the Room of Secrets, “Here…” I handed then out accordingly.

“I doubt these creatures need to tell time.” Leonus mocked, turning it over before placing it on his thick wrist.

“They’ll provide us with communication and have GPS tracking, that way we can keep track of each other, or help us navigate through the tunnels.” I groaned, “But if you don’t want it, find your own way or better yet, find yourself in the Boar-wolves’ lair and have you head bitten off.” I smiled gleefully at the idea.

Everyone remained silent, strapped the watches on their wrists.

Knowing he couldn’t object to the suggestion, he clicked his tongue against the front of his teeth, then turned away.

“Wait…” I called out after him. Watching as he turned with a deep frown, I finished, “Do you even know to turn it on?” I mocked.

“Let me guess…” the Scotsman barked, “it’s the little green button.”

“Red, actually.” I turned, calling Zanzabarr and Abraxas.

The other men, and Sarah, laughed quickly.

Stepping closer to the hole in the ground, Anthony carefully peeked through the snow, observing the stones descending beneath their feet.

“Don’t get too close…” Thomas came up behind his brother, “don’t want you falling in again, and this time, suffering a worse fall.”

“Mm.” Anthony moaned, then knelt down, studying footprints that resembled boar and wolf embedded in the snow of the surrounding area, “These weren’t here before, at least not both wolf and boar.” he glanced back at Thomas, who also knelt, “They’re new.” he finished. Reaching for a handful of the snow, he raised it close to his nose for a quick sniff of the scents that were so foul, Anthony pulled his head away, tossing the snow away.

“Their scent…” he looked at Thomas, “it’s not normal.” he frowned then turned, calling Derek, Nathan and Leonus over, “What do you think?” he stood, dusting snow from his hands and knees.

Leonus flashed the Italian a frown, then he and the other two men knelt, following the same course of action.

“Wow, Leonus…look at you, you’re in your natural state. A mutt with his nose to the ground like a good bloody dog.” Caleb remarked sarcastically, placing his hands on his hips. Glancing toward Anthony and Yzavela, he shrugged, “Sorry. I didn’t mean you.”

“Mm-hmm.” I moaned, then looked up at Anthony, running a hand across his cheek, softening the frown that distorted his features, “Are you okay?”

“Si…” he glanced down at her, gently wrapping his arms around her, “it’s just being around one another this close is just tense, that’s all.” he grinned, “I’m fine, really.” he leaned in, placing a soft kiss to her cheek.

“Ugh, please…” Sarah rolled her eyes, turning away strolling toward a large boulder, sitting on its ledge.

Leonus grunted as he stood, dusting his hands together. Rolling his tongue across his teeth, he barked bluntly; his breath fogged thickly in the Winter air.

“Anthony’s right, this isn’t type of scent I’ve ever smelled before.”

“You should know, wouldn’t you Redwood.” I added sarcastically.

“Yza...” Anthony rasped softly.

“Do you have a problem with me?!” Leonus growled.

“You’re just figuring that out?! But yes, and I think I can speak for everyone here when I say we all do!” I clenched my fists.

“Watch it runt…” Leonus warned, taking a step toward her but then paused, watching as Abraxas and Zanzabarr approached, growling and hissing aggressively, “but remember, accidents can happen, you know. You could clip, fall or hurt yourself and we wouldn’t want that, would we?” he stared at her with his red wolf eyes with a smug smirk, then taking a quick sniff of the air around her, he finished in a blunt rasp, “I smell fear, are you scared?”

“It’s not fear Leonus, it’s hatred and disgust deeply rooted.” I took a step forward, leering up at the man’s 6’6 bulk, “But I’ll watch my back, if watch yours and remember this saying Leonus…the bigger they are, the harder they fall.” I pushed his bulk aside, walking away.

Derek smirked, admiring the young woman’s guts to have stood up to such a man like Leonus and without fear.

Suddenly, without warning, as everyone gathered around the holes in the ground, a gust of the winter winds swept through the ruins, and unfortunately carried a putrid smell permeating from underground; black tufts of fur blew across the snow, before getting caught on the sharp edges of nearby rocks or frozen blades of grass.

“Bloody hell, what’s that smell?!” Caleb mocked, “It smells like wolf ass or something!” he pinched his nose.

Everyone laughed at the Wraiths’ humorous remark, all except for Leonus and Nathan of course.

“Sorry, but fact is fact.” Caleb hissed, “You guys stink!”

“Bloody hell Caleb…shut it already!” Sarah snapped bluntly.

“At least we don’t smell like death.” Leonus strolled over, standing in front of the Wraith, leering at him.

Glaring at the Scotsman, Caleb placed his hands on the handles of his guns, wanting a reason to use them, and they weren’t dart guns.

“Give me a reason, oh please…” the Wraith hissed deeply.

“We don’t have time for this!” Nick sped forward, standing behind Caleb, “Come on man, let it go…you’ll get your chance one day but it isn’t today.” he gripped his friend’s arm, pulling him away.

“Nick’s right, we don’t have time for this!” I ordered, interrupting the tension between Wraiths and Lycynians, “We are wasting time up here, and we don’t have all day, now we’re going to put aside this god damn childish bullsh*t and focus on Lucy, that’s why we’re here!” I looked at Caleb, receiving a respectful nod as he backed away, then I turned to Leonus, “Agreed?”

Leonus scoffed, letting out a deep growl, before turning away.

In silence, aside from faint whispers, everyone gathered their supplies, leather bullet proof vests, strapping and buckling the necessary belts and hooks needed to carry our weapons, rope and flashlights.

Erik however, had a difficult time with machete belt, he couldn’t get the buckles to snap in place around his upper thigh. Standing there, he mumbled to himself, fiddling with in frustration before tossing it away, kicking snow at it.

“Erik?” a woman’s voice spoke behind him.

Turning around, he gazed upon Yzavela standing there.

“What do you want?” he groaned, kneeling for the belt.

“Watch it…” I warned, not liking his tone, “I came over because…”

“Don’t, please just don’t.” he turned to her, “I don’t want your help.” he leaned in, “You should be over there helping your fiance, not me.”

“I don’t even know why I bother trying to be friends with you.” the words spat from my mouth.

“Yeah?! Well, likewise love.” he stared at her coldly.

“Okay.” I nodded, then turned, returning back to Anthony’s side, as he strolled over, cautiously approaching the entrance, “Be careful.” I pleaded softly, gripping his arm worriedly.

Offering her a comforting smile, he adhered to her pleas, but glanced at the hole. Removing his flashlight, he shone the light near the ledge that crumbled from the constant vibrations on the ground; his dark eyes could see the upper chunks of rock and crates.

Erik bit his lip, then turned, managing to get the straps and buckles in place, adjusting the machete afterwards.

“All right, listen up!” Leonus barked loudly, as he glanced around at the men and women in his company, “This is what we’re going to do. Since none of us made the trek in or out, we don’t what lays ahead for us down there, so I think we should…”

“Excuse me Leonus, if you don’t?” Derek interrupted bluntly, “I have made many climbs in or out of complicated situations just like this, and stomping our way down the steps isn’t the way to go. We don’t the weight capability and if we bombard them with too much, too fast, it could cause the ground to collapse on us from above.”

“What are saying?” Leonus complained, folding his arms.

“We have rope, tie it around one of the pillars and frozen roots.” the Samoan looked around, “It will give us a strong enough support, but if you don’t like the suggestion, I’m pretty sure there are others here that would love to just throw you down and see what happens.”

Soft laughter echoed in the silence from the onlookers nearby.

Glancing at the man, Leonus sneered then raised his gaze toward the sky, shielding hie eyes from the sun.

“Fine.” he groaned, lowering his hand, looking at Derek, “Do it.”

“Not that I needed your permission.” Derek growled, then turned as he began tying the ropes around one of the taller-in tact pillars, then around the frozen roots for extra stability, “The climb shouldn’t be that difficult, so just keep your grip firm and slide down inch by inch, that way you can prevent yourself from losing your steady footing.” he instructed firmly, then glanced toward Yzavela and Sarah, “You two shouldn’t have a problem since you’re obviously the lightest, you will go last.”

“No!” Leonus growled loudly, snatching the rope from Derek’s hand, “If anyone is leading this venture, it’s going to be me, it’s what we’ve agreed on!” he leered toward Yzavela.

“If it gets your a** underground, be my guest.” I gestured toward the ground, then took steps forward, “Remember, accidents can happen. You could slip, fall or hurt yourself. We wouldn’t that, would we?” I snatched the rope from his hands, tossing it back to Derek, “Let’s go.” I announced, then veered around Leonus’ bulk, “Abraxas will go first, that way he scan the area to make sure there’s nothing waiting for us.” I looked around, “Is that all right with everyone?” I received nods in agreement, “Abraxas…” I summoned him forward. Holding out my arm, he flew landing on my upper arm and shoulder. I gave him a set of instructions to inspect the cellar below, “Inspect it only, all right?”

“Yes, Mother.” the small dragon purred. Pushing himself from her shoulder he flew high in the air, then turned, diving underground at least 8 foot deep. Stretching open his wings, he ignited his scales that illuminated the area in a bright reddish hue, then scanned the cellar with his thermal vision, seeing nothing that would cause him, or the others any danger, aside from the bats nesting tightly along the rocky ceiling, “It is safe, Mother.” he roared softly, landing on one of the crates near the stacked debris.

“He says it’s safe.” I revealed, looking at everyone.

“Does he now?” Leonus mocked, shaking his head with disgust.

Zanzabarr went first, thumping his massive paws against crates and boulders, until landing roughly. Sniffing around quickly, he snorted then turned, watching as figures gathered around the hole above. His chain leash rattled along the ground, creating a faint echo bouncing off the walls throughout the cellar.

The climb wasn’t difficult, but it was slippery because of the melting snow from our boots on the smooth rocks and crates.

Sarah however, froze along the way, holding onto the rope, shaking it. Whimpering softly, she was afraid of venturing any further.

“I can’t do this.” she shook her head, “I can’t do this.”

“Sarah…” Jonathan called out to her softly, as he looked up at her, “I know you can do this, you’re almost there.” he stood by the crates, “Just jump down.”

“He’s right!” Nathan added, sanding nearby, “Just let go of the rope.”

Glancing over her shoulder, Sarah looked at Jonathan and Nathan.

“Bloody hell!” Leonus barked, rushing forward. Pushing Jonathan and Nathan aside, he climbed back up the debris, reaching a strong arm around the young woman’s waist, pulling her from the rope then turned, tossing her toward the two young men that caught her.

“What the hell was that?!” Sarah cried.

“Leonus, what the f*ck mate?!” Jonathan argued.

“That’s my sister!” Nathan growled.

“Aye, she is…” Leonus huffed, leaping down, “and now she’s down.” he turned, glancing upward, waiting for the last member to descend, “Move your a** Rapunzel…we’re all waitin’ for ye!” he mocked.

Sneering, listening to the Scotsman’s voice, I carefully turned, while I gripped the rope tightly upon Derek’s instructions as he stood above me.

“Easy, easy…” he reassured her, “just take it slow.” he nodded.

Slowly, I climbed down, but glancing over my shoulder, I shouldn’t have looked down because I lost my focus, loosening my grip from the rope, but thankfully I wasn’t too far up off the highest crate. As I landed roughly on my side, the debris creaked loudly before hands reached out, gently sweeping me off the surface and into their arms. Opening my eyes, I smiled, looking into Anthony’s dark eyes.

“Thank you.” I appreciated, as he placed my feet on the ground.

“Anytime.” he grinned, then raised his gaze, watching as Derek was last to descend in one swift jump, sliding down the rope with ease as if the height and conditions didn’t phase him, “Will it hold?”

Yanking it roughly, Derek turned to the Italian.

“It’s not going anywhere.”

“This is definitely an old cellar.” Nick looked around.

“I’m surprised Marxus didn’t tell me about it.” Leonus groaned as he shone his flashlight around.

“There are a lot of things he didn’t tell you.” I gripped Zanzabarr’s chain leash, keeping it from scraping across the rock beneath our feet.

“Psst…” one of the mortals, Luke hissed, “over here, there’s a tunnel over here behind the broken crates. There…” he pointed toward it.

“Right, let’s go.” Leonus announced, receiving no argument.

With our weapons drawn, cautiously marching forward, nothing but a pitch blackness blinded our vision. We couldn’t even see our hands in front of ours faces or the light shining from the above as some had tried glancing back. Only the Wraiths and Lycynians, Zanzabarr and Abraxas, could see through the darkness with their supernatural and paranormal night vision.

“I can’t see anything.” Luke muttered, holding onto a shoulder ahead of him.

“Me either.” Jeremy added.

“Me three.” Sarah whimpered, knowing she held onto Jonathan.

“Me four.” I complained, slipping on the smooth rough-cut stone. I grunted, then felt hands gripping around my waist, “Anthony, is that you?” I whispered.

“Yes.” he answered, gripping hers tightly.

“Abraxas, we need light.” I telepathically instructed, feeling the small dragon perched on my shoulder. Feeling him nudge against my neck, I watched as his scales softly ignited, highlighting the tunnel ahead and behind, just enough so the hue didn’t draw attention from a far distance, “Good boy.” I smiled, then glanced toward Leonus, “What!”

“Nothing.” he groaned, knowing the light sources were useful, but he wouldn’t admit it. Glancing at Erik and Jonathan, he watched as they created orbs of light that hovered above along the ceiling, following them as they moved forward, “Pfft.”

Continuing our dangerous stroll through the tunnel, there were loud clicking sounds of some sort coming from all directions, lasting only a few seconds before ceasing rapidly.

“What was that?!” I whimpered femininely.

“Sounds like bugs. Or rats.” Caleb smiled, knowing her fear, and that of Erik’s as well, “Ouch!” he hissed, feeling her hand slap his arm.

“That’s not funny.” Sarah argued.

Removing glow sticks from his backpack, Derek dropped them every 12 feet feet or so, creating a bright enough trail behind, so he and the others could find their way out for retreat. However, taking a break, he paused leaning against the wall that felt damp and cold against his back, even through his thick jacket.

“Derek?!” Luke wondered.

“Derek, what’re you doing?!” Leonus growled.

“We’ve been down this tunnel too long.” the Samoan complained, “I mean, we should’ve arrived something, or somewhere, by now. Can’t possibly be that many places to go, and from the direction I’d say we are going, we’re not too far from the ledge of the cliff.” his dark eyes looked around.

“He’s right.” Nick nodded, “I can hear the waves.”

“Me too.” Caleb affirmed.

“Of course you can.” Leonus mocked, leering at the two Wraiths, “I say we continue forward, we’ll examine the rest of the tunnels and if it leads us nowhere, we’ll take a step back and rethink some things.”

“If it leads somewhere?” Jonathan mumbled, “Where the hell else do you think they lead, genius?!”

Standing toward the back momentarily with Anthony shaking my head, I couldn’t believe the scenario, “OH MY GOD, HERE I AM IN A CAVE WITH LYCYNIANS, DEMONS AND WRAITHS WHO ARE ARGUING LIKE CHILDREN. I AM GOING TO LOSE MY MIND, I JUST KNOW IT…” I thought then laughed softly, “IT CAN’T POSSIBLY GET ANY BETTER.”

Ignoring the Demon’s remark, Leonus shone his flashlight around, examining the walls, taking notice the creatures gouged them out, and not by any mortal tools, but claws. Running his gloved fingers along the chipped rocks, he glanced back at the path behind them, “There has to be a way to find out how far deep we’ve gone so far?”

“Two hundred feet, maybe more.” Derek announced, holding a mile meter in hand.

“Two hundred feet?!” Jeremy wondered, “Now I know we’ve missed something.” he looked around, then glanced at his brother, Luke, “I don’t like this.”

“Shh!” Sarah hissed loudly, hearing clicking sounds once more, along with loud crackling beneath her feet and from the surrounding walls, “Shh, listen…what the bloody hell is that?!” she held her machete in hand, gripping the hilt firmly.

Directing the flashlights toward the ground and walls, with Abraxas’ glowing scales brightly, the most horrific thing was revealed as they slowly uncurled themselves from their rounded bodies and crunchy shells. The insect, with a cockroach’s body and centipede legs, and antennae, their large pincers clicked together. A normal f*cking roach is ugly enough, so imagine this thing that is a foot long! They looked like something you’d find in a scene from STORM TROOPERS movies, you know, the giant insects?!

Everyone scampered in place, jumping around, trying to keep them from crawling up their legs and across their feet, leaving trails of a thick slimy-goo, however, I wasn’t so lucky for as once scampered across my feet, clicking its pincers, I had released one of my loud Banshee-like screams which echoed up and down the tunnels ahead and behind us, as well as bursts of my Aura, but unfortunately as I expressed my fear, my scream caused more to escape from hiding; they scampered across our feet once more, or showered upon our heads from crevices in the ceiling. Their movements brought dust, small pebbles and pockets of large cave worms to open. They slimy bodies squirmed everywhere, through our hair and down our necks.

As the insects and works fell or skittered, they sizzled against my red Aura and that of Abraxas’ as well, so is anyone up for BBQ bugs and worms?

Everyone, including Leonus, squirmed around, shaking them off their heads and shoulders, cutting the insects with the swords or machetes, even stomping some in place, but they were difficult to squash for their outer shells were hard and tough, taking several attempts.

Or should I say crunchy?

Abraxas managed to swallow a few of the insects whole, enjoying the taste, so he diminished their numbers, while Zanzabarr whined for a few fell upon him, clicking loudly and pinching his ears with their long pincers. Shaking them off, as well as worms squiggling through his black fur, he barked gripping the insects by their bodies, viciously thrashing them around, before crunching them in half by the strength of his powerful jaws.

The insects clicked then skittered back into their crevices along the jagged, uneven ground, while the worms slithered away into the dark shadows.

Looking around, grunting and moaning in complaint and discomfort, it took everyone moments to regain their composure which wasn’t an easy thing to do, especially for Sarah and Yzavela who stood in place, squirming and shivering off the sense of their crawling legs all over their bodies.

“Oh my god, I can still feel them!” I whimpered, shaking my arms.

“Me too, oh god…” Sarah shrieked softly.

Sighing heavily, listening to Anthony’s soft comforting voice, I took a series of deep breaths, nodding with him until I felt something on my back, crawling up onto my head. Feeling it moving through my hair, knowing the movements didn’t belong to worms, I watched as Anthony took a step back with fear in his dark eyes, gripping the hilt of his sword in one hand, and his flashlight in the other.

“Wh...” I whimpered, standing frozen, “what is it, there’s something on my head, isn’t there?!” I closed my eyes, hearing clicking loudly in my ear. Opening my eyes, before anyone could answer, I watched as the insect crawled down my face, bracing the lower part of its body tightly on my hair while the upper part hovered down. Squeaking, I thought their outer shells were ugly enough but looking at its large underbelly with the squirming legs, was indescribable! Dropping my sword, releasing another ear piercing scream, I grabbed two of its legs, pulling it off my head, igniting it quickly, before throwing it against the wall behind me, “Die, die you mother f*cker!” I stomped on it several more times until it crunched beneath my feet, leaving a pile of shattered shell and legs in its unknown colored thick goo-like blood.

Watching as she continued stomping on the insect until there wasn’t anything left, Leonus growled then spotted another one landing on her wolf’s back. Stomping forward, he reached out his left hand and grabbed the insect by its antennae, throwing it against the opposite wall. He huffed, then glanced down at the wolf, wondering why he had cared enough to rescue it from the persistent bombardment of the insects.

“Shh…” Leonus shouted deeply, “shut her up, someone shut her up!” he watched as Yzavela continued stomping in place, cursing loudly.

Shaking my head, I suddenly felt someone come up from behind me, placing their right hand over my mouth. My eyes widened in fear, as I looked up into Caleb’s big brown eyes.

“Listen…” he whispered in her ear.

Breaking my gaze, looking around, I watched as everyone remained still, listening to a loud rustling in the distance from the tunnel laying ahead, echoing over my fading screams. Once it ceased, Caleb slowly removed his hand, gently placing his hands on her shoulders, giving a friendly squeeze, followed by a faint grin.

“Are you trying to alert the creatures that we’re here?!” Leonus softly argued, stomping toward her, “Or this time, having the cave crashing down on us?! The f*cking bug is dead, there’s nothing left, so shut…” he pointed an affirmative finger at her, “the f*ck up or I’ll make ye.”

“That’s enough!” Derek growled, “She was caught off guard, Leonus.” he stood in front of her, “We all were, and you did quite your share of grunting and shouting.”

“Hey, guys…” Jonathan announced, “what’s that?!” he quickly gazed at the ground, watching as pebbles bounced in place as the ground and walls, vibrated violently.

“Now you’ve done it!” Leonus complained, leering at her.

“Now what?!” Sarah held onto his Nathan’s arm.

“We move forward!” Leonus ordered.

“Are you serious?!” Luke complained.

“If you want to go back, no one will stop ye but if you’re going to be here, shut up and move!” Leonus gestured both hands at the tunnel ahead and the one behind, “It’s your choice, at this point, no one will blame you.”

Luke said nothing, shaking his head.

Nodding, Leonus gripped his axe tightly, leading them forward.

“Are you all right?” Anthony nudged Yzavela, speaking telepathically.

“Yes, I will be.” I looked at him,“I can still feeling their legs, ugh...” I shivered, then called for Abraxas and Zanzabarr who trailed behind, “I want you two close, come here…” I summoned them forward.

Abraxas quickly shifted into another wolf, walking alongside them.

“How far have we come?!” Leonus looked at Derek.

The Samoan removed his mile meter, reading the details.

“Two-fifty.” he mumbled.

“Two-fifty?!” Jonathan rasped, “Where the hell are we going?!”

“Ugh, bloody hell…what’s the smell?!” Sarah suddenly complained.

“It’s coming from that way!” Nick pinched his nose, pointing one of his axes forward down the tunnel ahead.

“Do we follow it?!” Nathan wondered, covering his face.

“We have no choice.” I gagged.

“Mmm.” Leonus groaned.

Strolling forward, the company didn’t very far because across their path was a clearing, revealing a massive open pit filled with some kind of a thick liquid, where steam crawled across the surface. A hole in the ceiling above, shone a light upon the pit as if highlighting it in a deliberate placement. This must have been where that putrid smell must have come from. Covering our faces the best we could with our scarves and masks, it didn’t help. Burning our eyes, squinting, some of us turned away in disgusting, retreating back down the tunnel just a few steps.

Zanzabarr whined, pawing at his nose offended by the smell. Even Abraxas found it unsettling, shifting back to his dragon form, swiftly retreating into Yzavela’s arms, releasing low, unsettling purrs.

“Shh, it’s all right.” I comforted the wolf and dragon, sitting on one of the nearby boulders for just a moment while the others decided on what actions to take next, and at this point, it didn’t matter who was in charge, we were to far underground for it to make a difference.

“Please tell me this isn’t where they sh*t.” Caleb mocked with disgust as he pinched his noise, “Bloody hell, I think I’m going to be sick.” he turned, leaning against the wall, buckling over with dry heaves.

“Me too…” Nick hissed, then sped nearby, taking deep breaths.

“Shh…” Jeremy spat, “listen!” he looked around.

As everyone looked at him, he pointed his ears, signaling for us to do the same; heavy footsteps echoed throughout the tunnels. Suddenly, our watches too, alerted us of movement somewhere underground with us. Glancing down, red dots appeared on the small holographic pop-up screens, dots that came straight toward us. Squinting ahead, we focused our flashlights seeing red eyes charging toward us, with deep grunts, high-pitched squeals and muffled snorts following close behind.

“Against the wall…move, against the wall!” Derek instructed, “Your lights, turn them off! Turn them off NOW…”

Following his orders, we hugged the wall, pressing against the wall.

With Abraxas in my arms and Zanzabarr heeled close, I leaned into Anthony’s embrace as he wrapped his arms around me from behind.

Standing quietly in the darkness of the tunnel, feeling the dampness, we watched the most grotesque sight we never could have imagined. From the faint glow of the glow sticks on the path down the tunnel behind us, they gave off just enough light to observed the scene; four shadows emerged, grunting and squealing, followed by shuffling and plopping into the pit that splashed from something disturbing its surface.

Sarah whimpered loudly, before feeling Nathan’s hand covering her mouth; she looked around watching as everyone else covered their own mouths, keeping themselves from vomiting.

“They’re taking a bloody dump…” Caleb whispered, frowning.

Reaching out his right hand, Leonus pulled the Wraith close and in doing so, their feet shuffled along the ground creating a disturbance that attracted the creatures’ attention.

Derek reached out, roughly pushing the men back against the wall in a hard thud, and examining their faces with his Lycynian vision with a fluorescent tint, he grunted as he pulled them apart.

“Psst…” Nick hissed, tapping the men’s shoulders, “psst!” he urged, alerting them that the creatures were beginning to venture toward us.

Remaining perfectly still, leaning against the wall, the four creatures slowly approached, grunting and snorting aggressively. Just as Erik and Jonathan created a barrier in front of us, making our presences invisible, we felt their noses sniffing the ground, feeling heavy bursts of air against our boots.

Zanzabarr shifted, backing away but reaching down, I quickly placed a hand around his nose, keeping him in submission.

“Mother…” Abraxas spoke to her telepathically.

“Shh…” I urged, “not now.”

“We can’t do this!” Leonus complained telepathically, “They suspect something, we can’t do this…”

“He’s right.” Jonathan spoke.

“I know.” I agreed, looking at the two men, “But we have to do this.” I leaned against Anthony’s chest, “We have to find Lucy, we are not leaving her here a moment longer.” I finished for all to hear, except for the Wraiths.

As the creatures hidden in shadow continued pressing against the suspected intrusion, they paused hearing a loud growl-like squeal fill the tunnel, echoing off the walls in a deeper, eerie screech.

Our eyes bulged for just the echoing sound, whatever it was calling them back, was much larger and aggressive. Watching as the creatures retreated, scampering across the pit, they vanished, thumping against the rock that vibrated momentarily before ceasing completely. As we glanced down at our watches, the red dots disappeared off screen.

Derek peeked his head around the ledge of the tunnel, giving word it was all clear. Cautiously, he led those behind him forward out of the tunnel.

“Save the flashlights…” he suggested, turning off the gadget, “we’re not going to use them from here on out.” he tucked it on his belt.

“If we’re not using the torch, than how are we going to see?!” Sarah complained, scraping something off her boot, “We’re not like you, or the Wraiths, those of us that are mortal can’t see.”

“She’s right.” Jeremy added.

“Here.” Derek handed out glow sticks, “They’ll last twelve hours.” he snapped them, activating the light source within the stick, “And I don’t think we’ll be down here that long, so they’ll last.”

“That’s great, but how are we getting across the sh*t pit?!” Erik, in a huff, complained arrogantly. He glanced at Nick and Caleb, hearing their faint scoffs, then shared a knuckle bump with them, “We could always toss Leonus into the pit, see if he floats.”

“Enough!” I ordered, leering at him.

“Sorry.” Nick mumbled, “But we can always teleport over there, but I don’t think the dogs will it too much.” he looked at the Scotsman, “It was just a suggestion.” he shrugged, hearing his argument under his breath.

“And it was a good one Nick, thank you.” I praised, “And it might come in handy if needed, but to avoid another hissy fit between bats and dogs, let’s find another way.” I leered toward Leonus, “Agreed?”

Leonus said nothing, pushing past her small shoulder.

Luke and Jeremy, shining their glow sticks around, hoped to find a way around or across, but their mortal eyes were limited, seeing very little.

“We need light shining from above.” Luke suggested, “These aren’t enough.” he raised his glow stick, giving it a quick shake then aimed it back toward the ground, “Maybe we can dig out the hole up there?” he looked toward the ceiling where light shone through the hole and onto the surface of the pit.

“No…” Leonus argued, “any disturbance could cause it to collapse, and that’s not what we need, we can’t be trapped in here with these monsters. Besides…” he gestured toward the ceiling, “how would we even reach it, it’s too high up.”

“He’s right.” Jeremy pondered, “But it was a good thought.” he gave his brother a brief grin, before patting his shoulder.

Glancing at Abraxas in my arms, I asked him for his assistance, giving him the instructions to illuminate the area once more with his Aura. I received a brief nod before he crawled up onto my shoulder, reaching for the nearby wall, crawling along the ceiling up and around.

Everyone else watched, wondering what the small dragon was doing.

“What is he doing?!” Leonus questioned, watching as the Zyphyn’s black scales began glowing, “He’s going to ignite the gaseous fumes from the pit, get him down…get him down now, you stupid girl!” he turned to her, pointing his axe toward the dragon.

“She knows what she’s doing, Leonus.” Erik argued, “She hasn’t put us in danger yet, unlike someone we all know.” he glared.

“Besides, it’s not a real flame, you dumba** it’s an Aura. Very much like Yzavela’s.” Thomas proclaimed truthfully.

“They’re all right.” Anthony added boldly.

“Of course they are…half-breed lovers!” Leonus mocked.

“Excuse me?!” Jonathan protested.

Huffing deeply, concentrating hard enough, I clenched my fists, then quickly threw my arms out. In the process, the Lycynian and Demon were pushed forward, falling face first over the ledge of the pit. They attempted pulling away from my magical hold, especially Jonathan for he was a pureblood but in this moment, my intent was too strong for him to counteract.

“This is what’s going to happen.” I warned, shifting my stance, “If I hear one more god damn complaints from anyone, Wraith, Demon or Lycynian, I will throw you in this pit and leave you here, and no one will help you out!” I grunted, “I’m getting sick and tired of this f*cking bullsh*t between all of you, and I won’t tell you again! Either we work together, or you leave, it’s as simple as that! Understand?!” I threatened in a low tone, loosening my grip which lowered the two men closer to the pit’s surface, “I didn’t hear you!” I demanded.

“I just want to find my sister!” Jonathan pleaded.

“And you?!” I pushed my left hand forward, lowering Leonus inches closer to the steaming surface.

“Jes*s, Leonus…wallow you f*cking pride!” Derek barked.

“Yes!” the Scotsman reluctantly barked, “Yes, I understand!” and as he turned his head away, he closed his eyes, feeling nauseous from the horrific stench that stung his nose and eyes.

“Excellent.” I groaned. Pulling my hands toward me, Jonathan and Leonus flung backwards away from the pit, landing on the ground. I breathed heavily, feeling a headache quickly stomp its way across my skull, then glanced at the ceiling where Abraxas continued crawling, “Brighter, Abraxas…” I ordered, then clenched my fists, leaning my back against the wall.

“Are you all right?” Anthony worried, rushing toward her.

“Yes.” I nodded, looking at him, “I’m fine, thank you.” I smiled.

“Hey, how did you do that?” Erik approached, wondering curiously.

“Magic, just magic.” I answered, then watched as Abraxas’ Aura had brightened, illuminating the cavern.

As he pushed himself from the ceiling, flapping his wings, he created a disturbance within the nest of bats that scattered from their place, flying erratically, causing the intruders below to cover their heads. The small dragon enjoyed himself, catching quite a few and between the bugs, worms and bats, he had himself good levels or protein.

Zanzabarr growled, jumping and snatching at any of the winged pests, growing agitated by their loud squeaks and small claws digging into his fur.

Managing to contain his fear, Erik moaned in complaint as he waved his arms around, chasing the bats away before releasing blasts of his arcane magic that startled the creatures, creating a barrier around him, and the two brother, Luke, Jeremy and Nick.

Jonathan too, shielded himself and Sarah, Nathan Derek and Caleb, then he watched as Yzavela managed to create a fiery barrier around herself, Anthony, Thomas, Leonus, and Zanzabarr.

The bats squeaked, flying around the intruders once more, before the vermin turned, flying down the tunnel behind them, or through the hole above.

Once the barriers were dismantled, Zanzabarr barked briefly.

“Zanzabarr?” I whispered, looking down, thinking he was beside me, “Zanzabarr?!” I feared, for he wasn’t by my side as commanded, “He isn’t here, where is he?!”

“There, he’s over there!” Luke pointed across the pit.

“How did he get over there?” Caleb ran his fingers through his bangs.

“Zanzabarr, come here!” I snapped, pointing at my side, “NOW!”

The wolf barked, then turned, strolling toward the right, treading in slow steps, along a hidden curve around the ledge of the pit, close to the wall. His massive paws cautiously stepped as his bulk hugged the wall.

“I see it…” Jeremy stated, “look there…” he pointed.

“Great, another pit. Just what I needed.” I complained, remembering the first one I had encountered, and failed to swing across.

“Don’t worry, I got you this time.” Erik added softly, “No chains, or traps.” he grinned, looking at her.

“Don’t jinx it.” I shook my head, then glanced at Anthony, hearing a faint cough, “And yes, I’ll have you there this time too, if anything happens.” I grinned, holding onto him briefly before I knelt, greeting Zanzabarr who ran toward me, licking my face quickly, “What were you thinking, don’t do that again.” I scratched his jowls, then kissed his snout, after receiving a brief bark that echoed, “Good boy, shh…”

“All right, let’s get going. Again.” Leonus announced. As he marched along the ledge with Derek and Thomas, side stepping while keeping their backs firmly against the wall, they finally made it around to the other side, but not without Thomas’ foot slipping at the very end; it crumbled from the constant traffic back and forth.

“Thomas!” Anthony worried, taking steps forward.

“I got him!” Derek grabbed the man’s arm with swift reflexes.

“Thank you.” Thomas appreciated.

“No problem.” Derek nodded, then once he and Thomas stood next to Leonus, he turned to the others waiting on the other side of the pit, “All right, come on over but be careful of the ledge, it’s starting to crumble.” he nodded toward Anthony and Yzavela, receiving nods in reply, then he turned to Leonus, “What’s the matter?” he noticed the disgruntled frown on the Scotsman’s face.

“Nothing really, we just have another problem.” he mumbled.

“Of course we do.” Thomas huffed.

“If the ledge is crumbling, we can’t take the chance.” Anthony rasped softly, placing his hands on his hips.

“He’s right.” Nick nodded.

“We can portal over there.” Jonathan suggested, “I mean, we can see where they’re standing so it’s not like we’re portalling in blindly.” he gestured behind him.

“I don’t think we should.” I bit my lip, “Magic unfortunately creates that buzz which we don’t need bouncing off the walls, non offense.” I looked at Erik and Jonathan, “I trust you, don’t get me wrong, but you have to admit that I’m right.”

“No, you are.” Jonathan nodded, then glanced across the pit where Thomas, Derek and Leonus stood whispering softly, waving their arms around expressing the tension between them, “Maybe we could, I don’t know, speed this up? They look like they’re going to kill each other over there…”

“Nick, Caleb…you can get us across right?” I turned to the Wraiths.

“Yep.” Caleb grinned.

“Yes.” Nick nodded.

“Good. Let’s go.” I ordered. Holding onto Anthony’s hand, I turned to Caleb, reaching for his while Nick, standing between Erik and Jonathan, who held Sarah’s fearful hand, uncomfortably took their hands, “On the count of three.” I teased.

“Three.” both Wraiths muttered, then in a blink, they teleported in a swift burst of black mist, appearing behind Thomas and Derek, “All done.” they joked, pulling their hands free from the strong grasps.

“Now what?” Sarah whimpered, growing tired of the long trek and spit spats between the Lycynians and Wraiths.

Derek, with experience, suggested that everyone split up then asked if Abraxas could scout the tunnels ahead that lay ahead, split in three, like a forked pattern.

Since he apparently can take on any form, from what I’ve heard, I’m sure he can use a sonar, Echolocation.” Derek revealed.

“I know what it is, thank you.” I argued, “But yes, he can.” I looked in Leonus’ direction, hearing him scoff at the suggestions being made, “Do you have something to say Leonus, if so I’ll be more than happy to throw you in there.” I pointed toward the pit, “Remember what I said.”

“Yeah, yeah.” the Scotsman mocked, “You and I loathe each other, I think everyone on the bloody island knows that, but if you wanna be the one to lead the way, go ahead.” he gestured toward the tunnels, “I won’t stop you.”

“Oh no, after you.”I too, gestured ahead, “After all, you wanted to be in charge so go ahead.” I smiled mischievously.

“Leonus…” Derek growled, “don’t.” he stood in front of the man.

“Do it, Abraxas.” I finished, looking at the small dragon that landed on a nearby boulder, still engulfed in his own Aura that shone from his sleek scales.

“Yes, Mother.” the Zyphyn bowed his head, then raising his gaze up toward the ceiling at a cluster of bats that hadn’t scattered, he tilted his head, listening to their squeaks of Echolocation. Stretching his massive wings, he released a quick roar, grasping the ability as easily as he breathed, “But will you know what it is that I discover?”

“Derek will help with that.” I gestured toward the Samoan, “Ready?” I received a nod, watching as he quickly removed a stopwatch from his pocket.

“This is ridiculous.” Leonus muttered, crossing his arms.

“Stop the timer until you hear his roar.” I ignored Leonus’ complaint.

“Got it.” Derek nodded.

Abraxas flew, flapping his wings steadily and slowly, releasing a blast of sonar-like sounds that scanned the tunnels, detecting objects and masses ahead.