Page 41 of Eclipse Bound
"There should be a side passage ahead," Rowan said through chattering teeth. "It leads to a higher chamber that eventually exits on the canyon rim."
They reached the passage, pulling themselves out of the stream onto a rocky ledge. Solar immediately brightened, his energy regenerating now that he was free.
"The passage narrows ahead," Rowan warned, already crawling forward. "We have to go single file. Be careful."
Eclipse flowed into the tunnel behind her, his twilight form adapting to the confined space. The rocky surface scraped Rowan's palms and knees as she navigated the cramped passage. Water dripped from her soaked clothes, leaving a trail she hoped would blend into the landscape’s natural discoloration.
"How much farther?" Solar called from behind, his voice strained. The passage was clearly compressing his energy.
"I don't know exactly," Rowan admitted. But where else could they go but forward? "These caves are extensive. But if we keep climbing, we should reach?—"
A blue pulse of energy struck the rock wall inches from her head, sending stone fragments flying. Rowan flinched, covering her face.
"They've found us," Solar shouted.
Eclipse's energy surged protectively around Rowan. "Continue forward. I will delay them."
"No!" Rowan grabbed at his twilight form as it began to flow past her. "We stay together!"
Another energy pulse hit, closer this time. The narrow passage amplified the sound, making Rowan's ears ring.
"There's no time to argue," Eclipse insisted. "The passage is too confined for effective defense. You must reach the surface and contact the others."
Before she could protest further, Eclipse's form compressed impossibly thin, slipping past her and flowing back toward their pursuers like liquid shadow.
"Eclipse!" Rowan called after him.
Solar hooked her by the waist and easily pushed her in the other direction. "Move! His sacrifice will be meaningless if we are captured as well."
Sacrifice.
The word sent ice through Rowan's veins despite her rational mind telling her that Eclipse couldn't be killed by conventional weapons. She hoped that was true and highly doubted it was. She scrambled forward with renewed urgency, ignoring the scrapes on her hands as she clawed her way through the narrowing passage.
Behind them, flashes of purple-blue light illuminated the tunnel, accompanied by shouts and the distinctive sound of the energy weapons discharging. Eclipse was fighting, buying them time.
The passage suddenly opened into a larger chamber. Rowan tumbled out, Solar right behind her, his golden light revealing a cavernous space with multiple tunnels branching off in different directions.
"Which way?" Solar demanded, his form pulsing with agitation.
Rowan spun around, trying to orient herself. "I... I'm not sure." The admission felt like acid in her throat. She was completely lost. "I've never been this deep in the system."
A distant, muffled boom shook the cave, sending small rocks pattering from the ceiling. Solar's light flared in response. Rowan started to cry out and muffled her mouth with her hands. Tears streamed down her cheeks.
"Eclipse.” Rowan felt a wave of panic rising. "We need to go back for him."
"He would want us to continue," Solar insisted. "To warn the others."
Another rumble, stronger this time, sent a shower of dust raining down on them. Cracks appeared in the chamber's ceiling. Each vibration felt like an accusation. They had abandoned Eclipse in the caves.
"The structure is destabilizing," Solar observed. "Eclipse's energy must be interacting with their weapons."
Rowan's mind raced, torn between going back for Eclipse and pressing forward to safety. A memory surfaced, something she'd read about local cave systems. The main passages followed underground water channels. If they kept following them, it would take them up or out.
They ducked into the tunnel just as another explosion shook the caves. This passage was larger, allowing them to move more quickly. Time felt out of alignment in the cave. They rushed and hid, but constant fear made minutes seem like seconds. Solar's light illuminated their path, revealing more petroglyphs and strange mineral formations. At one point, they had to stop so he could find a sliver of sunlight to recharge.
"What exactly are these weapons Milano possesses?" Solar asked as they climbed higher through the winding passage. "They are not familiar to me."
"I don't know," Rowan admitted.
