Page 63 of The Satyr's Guilt
“Someone’s calling.” Darius rushed to theentrance.
Jarek leaned closer to the opening.
“I need help dragging her out of here.” Thecavern muffled Kara’s voice.
Jarek unstrapped his weapons, dropping tohis stomach.
“Let me go in, Comm,” said Darius. “I’msmaller than you.”
“I’ll fit.” Jarek left no room for argument.One of his Firebrands in a dark, tight space was enough. He wasn’tabout to let two go in there.
He dragged himself forward on his elbows ashe headed through the mouth. When his shoulders scraped the walls,he squirmed until they passed through the tight opening.
Shit. I hate being enclosed like this.Claustrophobia, here I come.
Continuing to slither like a snake, he drewdeeper into the cave. Though light was long gone, his djinn visionadjusted. He paused when he reached a fork. He could go either way.He sniffed the air. His sense of smell was not nearly as good asClese’s, but it would do. He turned to the right, crawling alongthe path with only a little extra room.
“Comm, is that you?” shouted Kara.
“Yeah. On my way.”
“Couldn’t you find a smaller or lessimportant volunteer to do tunnel duty?”
“Nobody’s less important than I am.”
Kara snickered. “Keep following my voice. Ithink you’ll come to another fork. Go to your left.”
“Got it.” He squeezed his fear of tightplaces into a small ball, holding it in his gut.
After about twenty yards, he saw light fromKara’s cell. “Almost there,” she called out.
His elbows pulled him through the narrowopening into a larger space where the Amazon sat huddled over ahuman who was curled onto her side. Unmoving.
Jarek stood, bending slightly forward. Heglanced at Kara, who clasped the female’s hand. “Is this how youfound her?”
“Yes. She’s alive but barely. I’d guessshe’s dehydrated and could use a good meal. Her elbows and handsare really scraped up. Probably from crawling into the tunnel. Lotsof cuts on her arms, her legs. Maybe from the glass we saw at theberserker’s hut. She’s tight-fisting a piece of it, like aweapon.”
Sure enough, she gripped a large, raggedshard of glass. Jarek pried it out of her hold. A long chain waswrapped around her waist, locked onto a collar at her neck. Musthave been a bitch to crawl in here with the extra weight. Heexamined it, wedged his fingers between her skin and the collar,and snapped it. Together, he and Kara untangled the chain fromaround her. She didn’t wake.
The Amazon said, “We’ll have to drag herout. Feet or hands?”
Jarek left the decision to her.
“I’ll take the hands. I think I can crawlbackwards better than you can. Happy to say I’m not as bulky asyou.”
“Let’s hope she stays unconscious during thelong haul.” Jarek removed his shirt and pulled it over the female’shead, extra cushion for when they dragged her on her back. “Theadded layer could keep her from getting more scratches.”
They began their journey. Kara scootedbackward through the tunnel by wiggling her hips. Jarek assisted bypushing the female along, his hands gripping her thighs while heshoved forward.
When she cleared the entrance, Karastraightened and pulled the human all the way outside. Jarekcrawled out.
Darius swept the female into his arms andrested her on a grassy spot, using his shirt as a pillow.
Jarek stretched, taking a big swig of freshair, happy to be in the open. He retrieved a canteen from his pack.“She needs water.” Cradling her head in his large hand, he dribbledliquid onto her lips.
No reaction. He tipped the canteen to hermouth. This time, she coughed but grabbed for his hand, squeezingtight. She gulped the water.
While he re-capped the canteen, her eyessnapped open. She screamed.
