Chapter 25

Chance woke with a start. He inhaled sharply and his eyes snapped open. His body was resting on a hard surface and his knee hurt. Darkened shapes were all around. Once his eyesight adjusted, he realized he was wedged into the recesses of an opening in a rocky wall. Confused, he couldn’t remember where he was or how he’d gotten there.

With his hands, he felt for grips in the rock to help pull himself out. It took a minute to stumble free. When he contacted the floor of the illuminated passage, it was nearly too hot to touch. His bronzed skin gleamed in the light and he noticed he was slick with sweat.

It was obvious why. The heat in the air was thick with moisture, making it hard to breathe, like a sauna. While he struggled to inhale enough oxygen, he wracked his brain to recall what happened. He’d been here for a reason. He was here to find something important. Something important for Ana.

As soon as he thought her name, a vision of her glowing in the cavern filled his mind. Everything rushed back to him, ending with Ryan repeatedly smashing his head, knocking him out. After that, he couldn’t remember anything. Including how he got in the pathway.

But where was Ana? He suddenly remembered. It was hot in the passage for a reason. He swallowed a painful breath and ran toward the light, hoping it was her.

Every step he took led him closer to the cavern, building more tension in his stomach. Afraid of what he’d find, he pushed ahead.

God, Ana. Be alive, be alive.

The opening of the chamber was before him. When he jumped down into the grotto, his heart stopped. Only inches of water remained and the light he’d been running toward was not coming from Ana, but sunlight which poured through openings in the ceiling and far wall. Crumbled stone lay in piles across the ground.

Cool currents mixed with hot air, but it didn’t matter. He didn’t notice. He didn’t feel the sweltering water on his feet or notice the burnt smell of minerals, paper and flesh in his nostrils.

All he cared about was finding her. She had to be there. Somewhere.

He ran across the glimmer of melted gold and traced over every inch of the cavern. When he came across the bones, he stopped. Two intertwined skeletons lay in the shallows, the legs of one disappearing under a large piece of stone.

Chance swallowed and with all of his might, rolled the rock over. He squatted down and touched one of the skulls. It was larger than the other and a different shape, although neither struck him as human. Humanoid, maybe.

Not convinced either belonged to Ana, he stood up and looked at the stony rubble. Without stopping, he began to move every rock he could in search of her.

He didn’t even notice Batukhan enter the space until his voice said next to him, “What happened?”

Startled, Chance stood up and spun around to face him. Panting, he answered, “I don’t know. Mac took off to check out some wall paintings and I went ahead. Ana was here with Ryan and she was glowing hot—”

Chance looked around wildly, not wanting to meet Batukhan’s eye. He continued, “Ryan started beating on me and I don’t remember anything else. I just woke up wedged into some rock in the passage. Where have you been? Didn’t feel like coming to help?”

Chance rubbed his forehead a little rougher than he should have and roared in frustration. He could imagine that if Ana had been there, she would have told him he was being unfair to Batukhan, which he knew he was.

His friend frowned, but Chance still didn’t want to look at him. Batukhan put his hand on his shoulder, which felt like a hammer pounding Chance into the earth, and said, “I’m so sorry, Chance. I had no idea you were in danger. You know I couldn’t come with you because of the hemlock. I’ve been trying to shift so I could come in and only a few minutes ago I was able to. I followed your scents through the pathways and they led me here, to you.”

It was obvious he wanted to say or ask more, but thought better of it. He simply stood with his hand on Chance’s shoulder, waiting for him to say something.

When Chance did speak, it came out choked up. “Did you find her?”

His friend’s answer was soft and low. “I found no one.”

Just what he feared.

He couldn’t accept any of this. Ana had to be there. She wasn’t the reason for the heat or apparent cave in. She was safe. She had to be.

Strange, strangled noises filled the cavern and he realized it was him. He couldn’t breathe. Not in a world without Ana.

“Help me look,” Chance said between gasps and went back to work overturning rocks.

Without a word, Batukhan joined him, moving anything that wasn’t attached. When he came across the two skeletons he stopped and looked at Chance. “Those are the remains of the great howler and a gorilla.”

“I know,” Chance said, “keep looking.”

“That means my old friend is gone.”

Pity and sadness were reflected in Batukhan’s eyes as he studied Chance. There was too much despair to be felt by Chance alone. It was overflowing everywhere, like a poisonous fog around him.

Chance ignored the fact he’d overturned all of the rocks and stones multiple times without a trace. Beside him, Batukhan stopped after searching the entire space. “I do not know how to say this, but I feel I must. As painful as it is, I do not think we will find your Ana here. The destruction around us is proof of that.”

Not wanting to hear any more and filled with fury, Chance launched at him. Screaming and spraying spittle, he yelled, “I won’t accept that! She couldn’t have left me. I can’t survive without her! I don’t want to.”

For a minute, Chance wasn’t sure if he was going to hurt him and Batukhan seemed to be wondering that himself. He watched Chance through wide eyes, but didn’t move away. Unblinking, he answered, “What you feel for Ana is how I feel about Lifen. The fear you are living is in my heart as well. I worry if Lifen is alive. Daemon took Ana—do you think he did that without causing more damage? I think you know him best of all. I must find out if she is safe. I am going back to the boat and then the marina to call. I would feel better not leaving you here alone.”

His words filtered in slowly. It took Chance a while to process what was said. He looked at Batukhan, who was wearing a deep frown. He could see the concern in his friend’s eyes.

In a breath, something changed. Like a line being cut, emptiness consumed Chance and he no longer cared. He didn’t care what happened to him, what he did or where he went. None of it mattered. Not anymore.

Batukhan walked away from him to the opening in the far wall. He climbed through and disappeared.

Chance stared at the orange sandstone walls, feeling empty and alone. Black ashes swirled in the water at his feet. He watched them drift for a moment before following Batukhan out of the cavern.