Page 32 of Solar Bound
Nine
What the hell was she doing?
This was the very definition of stupid.
There had to be, what? Miles of cave systems? Did she really think she could feel her way to Solar’s energy?
Something inside her told her she had to try. She’d never forgive herself if she didn’t.
The deeper Dani ventured into the cave, the colder it became. Her flashlight beam bounced eerily off the damp walls, revealing strange formations that cast distorted shadows. Water dripped somewhere in the distance, a steady metronome counting down seconds she didn't have to waste.
"Solar!" she called again softly, her voice met by the darkness. She willed his glow to show her the way to him.
No reply. Just her own echo, mocking her.
She told herself she could turn around and make her way back to the entrance at any time. That was before the cave veered in two different directions and then two more.
Dani pulled Pete's map from her backpack, shining the light on the weathered paper. Faded lines and cryptic markings offered little guidance to someone who'd never been caving before. According to Pete, if Solar and the others were following water channels, they'd emerge either here or half a mile north. But the map showed a maze of interconnected tunnels between her current position and either exit.
"Okay, think," she muttered to herself. "What would Solar do? Where would I go if I were an alien in need of sunlight to fuel myself?"
He'd follow the most direct route, she decided. Like him, light traveled in straight lines when possible. She traced a path on the map with her finger, finding what looked like a main passage that led deeper into the system before branching toward both potential exits. It wasn't much, but it was a plan.
And that was if Solar was guiding the others. She had no clue what Eclipse or Rowan would do. Or where they’d go. And then there was Milano. Who knew which direction they would chase them?
Shit. Shit. Shit.
What should she do?
Dani moved forward, careful of her footing on the slick cave floor. She hated the cold darkness. The passage narrowed, forcing her to turn sideways at points. The rough rock scraped against her back, leaving her shirt damp from the moisture seeping through the stone.
A distant boom shook the cave, stronger than the ones she'd heard outside. Dust and small rocks rained down, forcing her to cover her head.
"Solar," she quietly pleaded, genuine fear creeping into her voice. She wanted to yell but what if he wasn’t the one to answer?
The tunnel widened into a chamber where several passages branched off in different directions. Dani consulted the map again, but in the dim light, the faded lines blurred together. She was running on instinct now.
Too bad her instincts knew very little about caves.
Something caught her attention. She saw a faint scorch mark on the wall of one passage, as if something very hot had brushed against it. Solar?
It was the best clue she had.
Dani hurried down that tunnel, hope pushing her forward. The passage sloped downward, the air growing damper. The sound of running water grew louder until she emerged into a larger chamber where a stream cut across her path.
She played her flashlight across the water. According to Pete's map, following this stream would eventually lead to one of the exits. However, there was no indication of which direction to take. Upstream or down?
A soft glow emanating from upstream caught her eye. Too steady to be a flashlight, too golden to be anything but...
"Solar," she breathed, breaking into a jog along the streambank.
The glow disappeared around a bend. Dani quickened her pace, splashing through shallow parts of the stream where the path narrowed. She rounded the corner and stopped short.
The chamber ahead was empty. The golden light was gone.
"I saw you," she called, frustration edging her voice. "Solar, if that's you, please."
Nothing. She must have imagined it.
