Page 92 of The Demon's Fire
Not moving from the cavern mouth, Skyler listened for what seemed like hours. But the only sound was the thundering roar of the waterfall. No Kole.
She nodded off, dreaming the commander was slumped onto the ground, injured. She called to him, shouting to get off his demon ass, no matter how bad the pain. He didn’t hear her. Her eyes snapped open, and she shook her head to wake up.
Hours passed. The light began to fade. Still, she huddled near the opening, not exploring for the supplies Kole said were here. Her chin bobbed up and down until she awoke with a start.
Skyler crept to the entrance to peek outside where she saw a dark shadow. It was Kole, struggling on the ledge. He was bloodied, barely inching along it.
But she had never been so excited to see anyone. She realized she cared for the brutish savage commander. More than she wanted to.
Skyler leaned out the mouth of the cavern as far as she could while keeping a grip on the inside wall. She extended her hand. “Here,” she screamed above the roar of the falls.
“No. Get back.”
Ignoring his growly shouted order, Skyler snagged Kole’s wrist. With a firm hold, she grasped his arm to steady him. When he was level with the cave entrance, she scooted to the side to give him room to maneuver.
At the opening, Kole lost his footing. Slipping, he dangled from the edge, holding on by only his fingers.
Skyler, in a panic, grabbed for his hand. “Use me.”
“Get away. I’ll take you down with me.”
“Listen to me, you ape. I’m helping you. Now, pull the fuck up.”
Kole flexed his biceps as he leveraged himself higher and higher. When she could, Skyler latched onto an elbow to help drag him through the entrance.
On his stomach, he gulped for air. After a few moments, Kole struggled to his feet, which was when she got a good look at him.
“Oh my God. What did they do?” She put his arm over her shoulder, leading him toward a wall.
Leaning him against it, Skyler slipped Kole’s shredded tee over his head. On his chest was a gaping hole. In the dim light, she saw his arm had been chewed. Those, along with other wounds, were oozing black gunk, spreading even wider as she studied them. Skyler glanced down at his pants, which were slashed at his thigh and lower leg.
“Iron,” he gasped. “Poison.”
She looked for a comfortable place to lay Kole.
“Gagans release claws. Like throwing stars. Couldn’t dodge them all.” Kole pushed away from the wall. “Bedding. Food. Water. Everything we need. Further back.”
“You can’t make it.”
“Yes, I can.” He shoved her aside, stumbling toward the dark interior, growling.
“Stubborn man.” Skyler grabbed his arm again to steady him. Deeper into the cave, she could no longer see. Kole touched his fingers together, creating fire, illuminating a large chamber where boxes were stacked.
When he collapsed onto the ground, he plunged them into darkness.
Skyler sank beside him. “Kole, I need to see to find stuff.”
Fire again streamed from his fingertips while he pointed toward a long cut-out section in the rock.
“There. Ledge.” Kole panted, clipping his words.
She rushed for the shelf, grabbing five lanterns, noting they were filled with oil. She took them to Kole to light. With the cave brighter, she eyed a large mattress on the floor near one wall of the chamber.
“Come on.” She urged him to his feet, trying to lift him. “Let’s get you into the bed.”
He shook off her hand. “Can’t touch. No bedding. Contaminate. Poison.”
“Is there a medicine here? I don’t think you can make it to the Healing Pond or Spriggan Enclave. Of course, we’ll do it if we must.”
