Chapter Sixteen

“Wait out here,” Yuri said. “There’s no reason for you to do this.”

Eve stared at the dark gap in the ground and imagined lowering herself into it. Acid rose up in her throat, and she swallowed it down.

Then she imagined Yuri finding the spear without her and everything screamed in denial. She’d come this far; she could do this.

Face your fears.

Anyway, they might find the spear just inside the cave, and they’d be in and out in five minutes. Probably quicker.

She cleared her throat. “No, I can do this.”

John was on his knees by the hole, shining a torch inside. “It’s only a little over five feet deep. We can drop down safely.”

This was it. Her heart was thumping, speeding up. But she ignored the panic clawing at her guts and sat on the edge. Taking a deep breath, she twisted around and lowered herself. He was right; her feet touched the ground and she forced her fingers to loosen, letting go. She stood in the light from the opening, staring up at the blue sky.

Keep me safe.

Then the light was blocked as Yuri lowered himself into the cave. Then John.

She’d mapped out the underground passageways, using Star’s image, and given them all copies. Just in case they were separated. Now she flicked on her torch and studied the map. Mostly narrow, twisting tunnels, but they widened into chambers in a couple of places. She flashed her light around the walls and ceiling. Dark rock. It wasn’t too bad, she could just about stand up straight, though the men were stooping.

Her beam found the entrance into the first tunnel. About three feet across. She could do this.

She set off, flashing the light in front of her, hearing the shuffling footfalls behind her and Yuri’s slow, steady breathing. She counted out her paces as she walked, measuring the distance.

“You should hit the turn-off any moment now,” Yuri said.

She didn’t answer. She wasn’t sure she could speak.

She was back in the metal box. Total darkness. She’d thought they were going to bury her alive. That she’d never see light again. The walls had pressed in on her. She’d screamed until her throat was sore, and she could feel the same scream welling up in her now, clawing for release. Finally, she’d blacked out, believing it was the end, only to wake up in her cell. And have them repeat the process. Again and again. Until it was indelibly printed on her brain. A part of her soul.

Now the rocks above seemed to close in, pressing down, so heavy. They were going to come crashing down, burying her…

“Eve?”

She’d stopped. Without realizing. She closed her eyes so any darkness was of her own making and she was in control again. She counted her breaths, breathing in through her nose and out through her mouth. Up to ten. Opening her eyes, she gripped her flashlight in her sweaty palms, swinging it around so the light played across the rough rock walls. She found the opening, black against the darkness. Big enough to walk through, and she calmed a little.

The first chamber was just up ahead. Only a few more feet.

She counted the steps until the walls widened. But she knew immediately that she was shit out of luck. There was nobody here. No spear. The chamber was about ten feet by ten feet, clear of anything, nowhere to hide.

She checked the map again, though she knew which way she had to go; she was just putting off the moment. She flashed the light around the chamber, found the tunnel leading out. This time she had to stoop to enter. It was still wide enough to move easily. But she knew what was coming.

The tunnel narrowed until the rock touched her on all sides. Her mind and body closed down. She literally could not move. Petrified in place. Unable to drag the air into her lungs.

“Eve?” Yuri spoke from behind her. “Are you okay? Is the tunnel blocked?”

She tried to speak, but all that came out was a quiet whimper. A hand grabbed her from behind, and she was being pulled—almost dragged—backward. She closed her eyes.

“It’s okay, you’re safe, Eve. Talk to us.”

She forced her eyes open. They were back in the chamber, and she sank to the sandy floor, light-headed, gulping great breaths of air.

I’m okay. I’m okay.

She looked up and found the other two watching her, Yuri with a worried frown, John’s face expressionless.

“You’re going back,” Yuri said. “We’ll take you back, and then we’ll decide what to do next.”

“No. I just need a moment. I’m not going back,” she snapped as he opened his mouth to argue. “I’ve come this far. I can do the rest.” She hoped.

Yuri turned away; his fists clenched at his side. He really was worried for her. Which was sweet but unneeded. She was quite worried enough on her own.

Finally, he came back to stand in front of her. “Okay then. But let me go check it out. It’s just a short stretch. But if it’s too narrow, then we’ll turn back and find another route. Just wait here, for five minutes.”

He was right. She might relax if she knew what was coming. She nodded. “Okay. But come straight back.”

Yuri removed his rucksack and held it in front of him while he bent over and almost crawled into the tunnel, disappearing from sight.

Think about the Spirit Banner.

Think about the Eternal Blue Sky.

So vast and open. A small measure of peace washed through her. She opened her eyes to find John Chen watching her.

“You must think me a complete wimp.”

“Actually, the opposite. There’s no such thing as bravery without fear. We all have things that haunt our nightmares. You know your fears, and yet here you are.”

She supposed he was right. In some ways, these last few days, she’d felt like she was waking from a nightmare she’d been trapped in for a long time.

She felt steadier, so she got to her feet and crossed to the tunnel, peered inside. Yuri should be coming back soon. But she heard nothing. She turned to John…just as a loud roar filled the cave. The very rock trembled.

“What was that?”

“An explosion,” John said.

She guessed it was from close to the entrance. An earthquake? Or had someone followed them? Blown up the entrance to stop them from getting out. John was already running out of the chamber. She followed him, her fear gone for the moment, swallowed by a greater need to survive.

Ahead of her, John skidded to a halt, and he whirled around. “Go back!”

“What—”

He reached for her, grabbing her by the shoulders and hurling her backward. “Run!”

She scrambled to her feet, clumsy in her panic, and she was running back the way she’d come. In her nightmares she always stopped at this point, looked back. But now she didn’t. She kept going. She dived for the chamber as the world erupted behind her, a roar filled her ears, and everything went black.