Page 62 of Lion Conquers All
Rhal cracked his neck to the right and then the left. “The cave is a decent size. They shouldn’t be out of air yet. But there had to be at least fifty feet of rock blocking the entrance.” He pointed to a pine tree poking out of the rock pile. “That tree stands next to the mouth of the cave. Or it used to.”
Col shoved on another rock at the base of the pile and the ground shuddered a warning.
“This is why I couldn’t see them. No matter how many times I flew around the mountain. There was no heat signature to find because they were under the mountain.” Col growled and fisted his hands.
“It’s also why it took so long to track them. Their scent has been fading since they got trapped. There was no fresh trail to find.” Owen stepped closer to Col and put a hand on their chief’s shoulder.
“I can’t hear them.” The pain in Col’s voice ripped a hole in Aarav’s heart. “We should’ve come sooner. If we had come out right away—”
“Col. You can’t blame yourself. These are children, yes, but they ran away. They chose to hide from the people that cared for them and loved them. Some of the blame rests on their shoulders. Now we’ve found them. How do we get them out?” Knox stepped up next to Owen but didn’t touch the dragon.
“All of you need to back away. My dragon has the strength to dig them out, but all the rocks above us are going to fall too. There’s no way to stop them. This landslide is going to be even bigger before I get to the bottom of it.”
Aarav stared at the broken mountain face. Even if he could manage to dig through all the rocks, what about the kids below. What if the cave had already… Pain hit Aarav like someone had reached into his chest and made a fist around his heart. He pushed down the heavy boulder of dread and breathed through the sticky sick feeling in his stomach.
“Let’s go, brother.” Shenn tugged at Aarav’s arm. “We need to let him try. He’s not going to give up until he knows for sure. And we can’t go back to their parents until we have something definitive to tell them. You know that. They are waiting on us. Depending on us. Everything rides on us being able to find these kids.”
Aarav turned to face his brother. “Do you think they’re still alive? I can’t hear them. But it’s so much rock.”
Shenn’s countenance darkened. “If they were far enough back in the cave, I think it’s possible…as long as the cave itself didn’t collapse in the slide.”
Fuck.He hadn’t even thought of that.
What if they were digging the kids out of a grave?
Shenn tugged again. Veers joined him and they both moved Aarav away from Col. Everyone was moving to the south, away from the ridge and the path of the rocks.
The group climbed a bluff not too far away, but high enough they could see over the tree line. And high enough they could see Col. He’d already shifted, and the big black dragon was meticulously pulling away some of the higher boulders and sending them rolling down the hill away from the mountain.
Only time would reveal the secrets the mountain had buried.
He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and texted Connie.Aarav: Col is digging out a landslide. We think the children holed up in a cave, but the entrance is blocked. It’s going to be hours before we know anything.
His phone chirped back a few seconds later.Connie: Thank you for letting us know. I’m here at the cabin with Sarah Roberts. Please be careful.
The mother was at the cabin waiting.
Aarav: We are safe. How is my brother?Aarav texted again.
Connie: Dyna and Mira are healing him. I’ve been told he will be good as new soon.
He breathed deeply and little of the knot in his stomach came unwound. He stared at her message and almost put the phone away when the three little dots appeared that meant she was typing again.
Then the dots disappeared.
Then they came back.
Gone again.
He squeezed the phone in frustration.
Connie: I need you to kiss me again when you get back.
Aarav’s hand shook and he had to consciously squeeze the phone to keep from dropping it.Kiss her.By the gods he wanted to run straight to her right this second. She wanted him to kiss her. Asked for it in writing.
“What are you over there grinning about like a horny teenager who got laid?” Shenn bumped his shoulder and leaned against him, peeking over at the phone.
“Shut up.” Aarav typed a reply on his phone and checked it twice. Then re-read her text twice.
