Page 52 of A Curse of Breath and Blood

With no other option, I reluctantly followed him.

20AELIA

Tharan madea torch out of his undershirt and the matches he carried. The light barely fought back the ever-encroaching darkness.

The tunnels in the cave twisted and turned, playing tricks on our minds. Dampness seeped into my bones, making my teeth chatter with cold.

“We’re never getting out of here,” I moaned. My body begged for sleep, but my mind ran wild with questions. Who was the cloaked sorcerer? Where were Amolie, Roderick, and Lucius? My chest tightened with concern over things I had no control over.

“These tunnels can’t go on forever,” Tharan said. “We’ll find a way out.”

Caiden rubbed his arms as we headed through the treacherous passages.

We entered a cavern where a pool of black water lay still as glass below a narrow bridge. Putting his finger to his lips, Tharan pointed to the water, wiggling his fingers. I got the hint: a monster lurked in the underground lake.

I held my breath as we crossed the narrow pathway over the water, the torch’s light reflecting off the still surface below.

With every step I took, my pulse raced faster. Tharan moved gracefully as if he had done this a thousand times. The sound of our padding feet on the bridge undulated through the massive cavern.

My heartbeat blasted in my ears:thump, thump, thump. I prayed we were almost across.

A wave rippled across the placid lake beneath us. I swallowed hard. We needed to move quickly. Whatever lurked in the water knew we were here.

The bridge dipped down. We were near the end. My heart soared, but something felt off. The water was too still.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end.

“Aelia!” Caiden called from behind me.

A slimy tentacle wrapped itself around my waist, pulling me into the abyss. My head went foggy as the creature slammed me into the water.

I screamed, but the water filling my lungs stifled my voice.

Nothing but murky blackness surrounded me as pain ripped through my chest.

Stabbing at the tentacle, I fought to get free.

The kraken released me, howling in pain, and I clawed my way to the surface.

I burst through the surface, gasping for air. “Caiden, your electricity. Use it!” My voice cracked as I swam aimlessly in the water.

“It’ll kill you too, Aelia.”

“Just do it!” I screamed before another tentacle hooked itself around my leg, dragging me back under. This time, my eyesight adjusted in time to see a set of vertical teeth, the size of a grown man, chomping at me.

Lightning cracked, and a flash of white light filled the cavern. Heat like a thousand fires blazed through my body. The water muted my screams.

The creature released me.

I floated to the surface.My muscles spasmed uncontrollably. Barely able to move, I tried my best to stay afloat.

“Aelia, grab the vine,” a voice called from above.

My hand shook as I reached for the smooth bark of the vine. Wrapping itself around my wrist, the three men heaved me out of the water, where I dangled.

The beast stirred back to life beneath me.

“Hurry!” I cried, just as a force pulled me down—down closer to the abyss.

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