Page 51 of The Dragon Shifters' Enemy
I think not!Valerius was both amused and wary of this suggestion.
Hmmmm, we’ll have to try it sometime,Caden teased.Oh, oh, is that the valley?
It was.Ahead of them, just over a final spine of rock, was the valley where Landry’s cell phone had pinged.Valerius found himself holding his breath as he strained to see or hear anything of the Behemoth ahead of them.
I don’t see anything or anybody!Caden cried, his distress rolling over their bond.
Evidently, he still had held out hope that whatever had harmed Celestine and likely killed the other Falcon Shifters had miraculously left Landry alive and unharmed.But, however unlikely that hope had been, Valerius was disturbed that he saw nothing but stone and snow.
Go lower, Raziel,he instructed his Dragon Spirit.We need to look for tracks.
The Black Dragon Spirit complied and Iolaire followed along after as they circled lower and lower.The snow was displaced.He saw footprints and the tracks of what could have been snowmobiles all leading along the center of the valley’s narrow floor.
There!Caden cried.Do you see it?
At first Valerius did not see it.Then he realized that Caden had already followed the tracks to their conclusion.There was a cave at the end of the valley where two slices of rock had grown together at the top, but let a mouth of darkness between them at the bottom. All the tracks led in there.
That is too small for the Behemoth,Valerius remarked.
The opening was large, but there was no way Iolaire could fit inside, let alone Raziel or the Behemoth.
Yeah, we’ll have to shift and go inside in human form,Caden said, sounding both eager and a little trepidatious.
I do not know if this is at all wise,Valerius said.
You’re the one that reminds me all of the time that our human skin is as tough as Dragonhide, remember?Caden pointed out.Besides, we can’t turn back now without finding out what’s inside there.
Caden had a point.The other Falcon Shifters could be alive in there, if injured.Landry, too, could be a prisoner inside.Perhaps they would find a frostbitten Jasper Hawes as well.They did have to go inside.
Without further discussion, the two of them both shifted about thirty feet up in the air and dropped effortlessly into a superhero pose before rising up.The cave entrance now looked far larger than it had before.It yawned menacingly before them.A strange scent--rather like ozone--filled the air. The hair on the back of Valerius’ neck and arms was standing up.
I do not like this place,Raziel grumbled and put a shielding wing around Iolaire.
Neither do I,Valerius agreed with the Black Dragon Spirit.
Caden surprised him--as Caden often did--by crouching low and moving without hesitation towards the cave’s entrance.Caden was brave, but he knew the young man was afraid of this place.He dreaded what he would find inside.There were two large boulders that were just outside the cavern.Caden crouched down behind them and Valerius did the same at his side.
I don’t hear anything or anyone, do you?Caden asked.
No, the cave feels empty,Valerius agreed.We should be able to hear heartbeats if anyone was nearby.I hear nothing but the wind and the snow and the fall of dank water.
That sounds almost poetic, Valerius.Caden smiled at him.It was a brief smile, but he treasured it.
I have hidden depths.Valerius flashed him a grin.Let’s go inside.
The two of them crept around the boulders and entered the cave’s mouth.Within a few steps the light from the outside failed to illuminate any deeper.The change from light to dark was blinding.The two of them could see nothing as their eyes adjusted.But Valerius’ hearing and scent became extra keen.But still he heard nothing.
We are alone, Valerius said.
That doesn’t make sense!Caden blinked rapidly.Whatever hurt Celestine must be here.
Or it has moved on, knowing we would come,Valerius pointed out.
We would have seen it, wouldn’t we?I mean if it were the Behemoth,Caden said.
Yes, one would think,Valerius answered cautiously.Let’s keep going.
The ground of the cave was remarkably smooth.Valerius saw that it had been leveled and cleared of large rocks.The reason why became obvious as they turned a corner and found snowmobiles with trailers behind them.
