And then I was back over the ledge. My weight collapsed against the frosted stone of the cavern floor. Ethan released my tail and dropped down, resting on his heels as he let out a huge breath.
I scrambled up, snapping my teeth at him.
“What the hell?” He glared at me.
Shifting forms, I returned his ferocious stare. “That was my tail.”
“Well, sorry,” Ethan said. “I guess I should have let you fall.”
I stared at him; an abashed smile finally won out over my humiliation.
Ethan shook his head, laughing. “Some thanks.”
“Yeah,” I said, knowing I should offer him a real apology, but my butt still hurt. “I guess I owe you.”
Connor scanned the cavern, eyes narrowed. “’Twas beauty killed the beast.”
“What?” I frowned.
“The cave.” Shay followed his gaze, shaking his head in frustration. “It’s the death trap. That’s why there’s no mutant spider.”
“Fascinating.” The scratch of Silas’s pencil on paper echoed in the cavern.
Connor glared at him. “You know, this would go a lot better if you didn’t talk.”
Silas ignored him, lost in his furious note taking. He inched up near the invisible lip of the pit, trying to peer into its depths. “Impressive.”
Ethan set off another flare, tossing it into the space where I’d fallen. For the briefest moment I could just barely make out the shape of the abyss. A perfect circle, probably four feet in diameter. The flare fell and fell and fell. Its red gleam finally disappeared, but there was no sound of it hitting any surface. Just silence that settled into my bones, making me shudder.
“Oh God,” I whispered, trying to press back the vision of myself falling. I glanced at Ethan, swallowing hard.
He just nodded. He lit another flare, chucking it ten feet ahead of us. It bounced once on the ground and then it too disappeared into another invisible chasm.
“Damn it.”
He did it again. This time hurling the flare twenty feet beyond our group. It didn’t hit anything, vanishing from sight almost instantly.
Mason whined. He and Sabine circled me nervously, their fur brushing up against my skin.
“Fantastic,” Connor said, crouching down. He turned his head back and forth. “How are we supposed to get through?”
“How many crevasses do you think there are?” Shay asked.
“No way to know,” Ethan said. “The flares hardly make out the holes. This cavern was built to trick the eye. Even with the change in light it’s tough to know how well we can mark them.”
“Let’s throw Silas in another one,” Connor said. “Maybe they aren’t all that deep.”
“Hey!” Silas moved away from the edge.
Shay took a knee next to Connor. “You guys brought ropes, carabiners, and pitons, right?”
“In case we had a climb in store,” Connor said. “You got a plan?”
Shay was already pulling the axes off his back. “I’ll have to climb, all right, but on my belly.”
“What do you mean you?” Ethan asked as Shay handed him an ax.
“How often do you guys climb?” Shay asked. He’d taken a rope from Connor and was looping it around his body.
“When we have to . . . ,” Connor answered, his brow furrowing.
Shay grimaced. “That’s what I thought. That means I’m the most experienced. I’ll set the line.”
“No way,” Ethan said. “You may have the most experience, but you’re also precious cargo. We can’t risk you.”
Shay smiled. His canines were sharp. “How many of your friends, and mine, do you want lose because we got stuck here? You or Connor will take forever to get across. I know how to do this. I’ll be fast.”
I’d begun trembling at the thought of Shay crawling between crevasses none of us could see. I also wondered if he realized he’d just numbered Ren among his friends.
Connor ran a hand through his hair, agitated. “How can you be sure about that? We don’t know how far this trap goes.”
“See how the cavern narrows about fifty feet out, leading right to that crawl space?” Shay pointed to the far end of the glittering space. “I’d put good money down that the trap ends there. Tordis is on the other side of that next passage.”
“You don’t know that,” Connor said.
“Yes, I do.” Shay lowered his gaze, suddenly quiet. “I can feel it.”
Connor snorted. “Well, at least the Force is with you.”
“Shut up,” Shay growled. “Let’s get started. Give me the pitons.”
Adne tossed him a backpack.
“We shouldn’t endanger the Scion,” Silas said, turning to Adne. “What about opening a door?”
“A door where?” Adne said, gesturing toward the invisible death traps. “Even if we found a ledge out there, who knows how wide it would be? Someone could step through the door and fall right in a hole.”
“Which is why I’m going out there,” Shay said. “I need to get to the gap on the other side of the chamber. If this setup is like Haldis, this is the trap; the other side should be clear sailing.”
“If you fall before you get there—” Ethan began.
“The piton will catch me and you guys can haul me back up,” Shay cut him off, hammering one of the pitons into the floor with the blunt edge of his ax and knotting the rope around it. “I’ll make my way across, set the rest of the pitons, and secure the line at the other side. Then you guys hook safety lines on and get across quickly. No one will fall. Or if they do, they’ll only drop a few inches before the line catches them.”
“I don’t know . . .” Connor looked uneasy.
Adne sighed, kneeling down to help Shay locate the remaining cams and carabiners. “It’s a good plan, Shay.” She met Connor’s warning glare. “You know it’s a good plan. And the only plan. Pascal is counting on us and we’re already well over time. We didn’t plan for that second group of Guardians.”
“Fine.” Connor handed Shay another rope. “Attach this one too. We’ll hang on to it in case the piton gives.”
Shay gave him a hard look. “My piton won’t give. I’m not a moron.”
I scrambled up, snapping my teeth at him.
“What the hell?” He glared at me.
Shifting forms, I returned his ferocious stare. “That was my tail.”
“Well, sorry,” Ethan said. “I guess I should have let you fall.”
I stared at him; an abashed smile finally won out over my humiliation.
Ethan shook his head, laughing. “Some thanks.”
“Yeah,” I said, knowing I should offer him a real apology, but my butt still hurt. “I guess I owe you.”
Connor scanned the cavern, eyes narrowed. “’Twas beauty killed the beast.”
“What?” I frowned.
“The cave.” Shay followed his gaze, shaking his head in frustration. “It’s the death trap. That’s why there’s no mutant spider.”
“Fascinating.” The scratch of Silas’s pencil on paper echoed in the cavern.
Connor glared at him. “You know, this would go a lot better if you didn’t talk.”
Silas ignored him, lost in his furious note taking. He inched up near the invisible lip of the pit, trying to peer into its depths. “Impressive.”
Ethan set off another flare, tossing it into the space where I’d fallen. For the briefest moment I could just barely make out the shape of the abyss. A perfect circle, probably four feet in diameter. The flare fell and fell and fell. Its red gleam finally disappeared, but there was no sound of it hitting any surface. Just silence that settled into my bones, making me shudder.
“Oh God,” I whispered, trying to press back the vision of myself falling. I glanced at Ethan, swallowing hard.
He just nodded. He lit another flare, chucking it ten feet ahead of us. It bounced once on the ground and then it too disappeared into another invisible chasm.
“Damn it.”
He did it again. This time hurling the flare twenty feet beyond our group. It didn’t hit anything, vanishing from sight almost instantly.
Mason whined. He and Sabine circled me nervously, their fur brushing up against my skin.
“Fantastic,” Connor said, crouching down. He turned his head back and forth. “How are we supposed to get through?”
“How many crevasses do you think there are?” Shay asked.
“No way to know,” Ethan said. “The flares hardly make out the holes. This cavern was built to trick the eye. Even with the change in light it’s tough to know how well we can mark them.”
“Let’s throw Silas in another one,” Connor said. “Maybe they aren’t all that deep.”
“Hey!” Silas moved away from the edge.
Shay took a knee next to Connor. “You guys brought ropes, carabiners, and pitons, right?”
“In case we had a climb in store,” Connor said. “You got a plan?”
Shay was already pulling the axes off his back. “I’ll have to climb, all right, but on my belly.”
“What do you mean you?” Ethan asked as Shay handed him an ax.
“How often do you guys climb?” Shay asked. He’d taken a rope from Connor and was looping it around his body.
“When we have to . . . ,” Connor answered, his brow furrowing.
Shay grimaced. “That’s what I thought. That means I’m the most experienced. I’ll set the line.”
“No way,” Ethan said. “You may have the most experience, but you’re also precious cargo. We can’t risk you.”
Shay smiled. His canines were sharp. “How many of your friends, and mine, do you want lose because we got stuck here? You or Connor will take forever to get across. I know how to do this. I’ll be fast.”
I’d begun trembling at the thought of Shay crawling between crevasses none of us could see. I also wondered if he realized he’d just numbered Ren among his friends.
Connor ran a hand through his hair, agitated. “How can you be sure about that? We don’t know how far this trap goes.”
“See how the cavern narrows about fifty feet out, leading right to that crawl space?” Shay pointed to the far end of the glittering space. “I’d put good money down that the trap ends there. Tordis is on the other side of that next passage.”
“You don’t know that,” Connor said.
“Yes, I do.” Shay lowered his gaze, suddenly quiet. “I can feel it.”
Connor snorted. “Well, at least the Force is with you.”
“Shut up,” Shay growled. “Let’s get started. Give me the pitons.”
Adne tossed him a backpack.
“We shouldn’t endanger the Scion,” Silas said, turning to Adne. “What about opening a door?”
“A door where?” Adne said, gesturing toward the invisible death traps. “Even if we found a ledge out there, who knows how wide it would be? Someone could step through the door and fall right in a hole.”
“Which is why I’m going out there,” Shay said. “I need to get to the gap on the other side of the chamber. If this setup is like Haldis, this is the trap; the other side should be clear sailing.”
“If you fall before you get there—” Ethan began.
“The piton will catch me and you guys can haul me back up,” Shay cut him off, hammering one of the pitons into the floor with the blunt edge of his ax and knotting the rope around it. “I’ll make my way across, set the rest of the pitons, and secure the line at the other side. Then you guys hook safety lines on and get across quickly. No one will fall. Or if they do, they’ll only drop a few inches before the line catches them.”
“I don’t know . . .” Connor looked uneasy.
Adne sighed, kneeling down to help Shay locate the remaining cams and carabiners. “It’s a good plan, Shay.” She met Connor’s warning glare. “You know it’s a good plan. And the only plan. Pascal is counting on us and we’re already well over time. We didn’t plan for that second group of Guardians.”
“Fine.” Connor handed Shay another rope. “Attach this one too. We’ll hang on to it in case the piton gives.”
Shay gave him a hard look. “My piton won’t give. I’m not a moron.”
