Chapter 312 (1/2)

Chapter 312

Ellie

I heard the creatures skittering through the darkness before I saw theht artifact I carried only lit up about ten feet around h to shoas co

There were three, maybe four of them, and they were still at least fifty feet down the tunnel

Cave rats

We’d first discovered theeThe beasts hadn’t posed ee shelter; in fact they’d proven really useful since we could eat theh protein into our refuge would have been a lot more difficultStill, people had to be careful, because the cave rats could be dangerous for so on their own

Thankfully, I had Boo with me, so I wasn’t too worried about one pack of cave rats

The rodent-like mana beasts were about the size of wolves and moved in packs like wolves tooFrom e could tell, they were the do off the san arrow into itBoo huffed, but we’d practiced this beforeHe would stay behind ot close, then I could fall back while he charged forward

The scratching of the cave rats’ claws on the rough stone floor of the tunnel suddenly quickened, but I waited until I saw the first pair of eyes glowing red in the reflected light ofhuht flew into the darkA second arrow had been conjured and nocked by the tiht between the lead rat’s eyes

The beast tue ofinto another cave rat I couldn’t see yet

The third beast sprinted past its dead co heavily like a little bear, but it didn’t make it much closer before one of my arrows struck it in the joint between the neck and the shoulderIts legs gave out and it slid forward on its chest, wheezing horribly

I put it out of its h the skull

The tunnel was silent except for the soft sound ofbehind me

“Sorry boy,” I said with a smirk“I promise I’ll leave some for you next—”

Move its hard claws to creep slowly across the tunnel ceilingIt was shrunken andout wildly

Moving slowly, I set an to draw back, but the creature reacted much round, spinning in the air to land on its gnarled little feet, then opened its grotesque as

I loosed my arrow, but the cave rat—if it even was a cave rat—leapt to the side, spun, and bolted down the hallway, quickly ht source

Stu backwards to escape the fu down the tunnel after it, hoping to hit it blindly, but the arrow only iainst stone and then fizzled out

Boo roared and barreled past e cave rat, ready to tear it apart

The tunnel s my eyes run and my nose burnI stepped back further and waited, a cold shi+ver running upaway the goosebumps that had appeared on my ar back down the tunnelFrom the absence of fresh blood on his muzzle, it was clear that he didn’t catch the creatureI didn’t like the idea of that creature hiding so like a bat, watching , Boo,” I said resting y furThen, to reassure ht me: “Eyes up and bow steadyNever falter and always ready”

Moving quickly and quietly, I heldin the airThe dead cave rats lay in twisted luh drawtunnelsI’d have to be cautious on round town

I looked at every jutting protrusion of rock on the ceiling and walls, and on two different occasions I shot an arrohat turned out to be loose stones that had fallen froht they had looked like cave rats lying in wait

Each twist and turn of the path leading to Elder Rinia’s little cavern made my heart beat more and more as I crept around the blind corners, bow at the ready, waiting for the y beast to jump on me from above or breathe out its noxious fuht artifact that hung over the crack in the wall that served as Elder Rinia’s doorLetting out a deep breath of relief, I realized that the burning in s, and that it was painful to breathe

The gas…

Rushi+ng forward, I slipped through the crack and burst into the small cavern that Elder Rinia had clairunted fro out in the tunnel while I talked to Rinia, but he could sensebehind h to helpin a wicker chair with her feet held to a weak little fire that burned within a natural alcove along the far wall of the cave

She turned as I stuh her door, one brow raised“Ellie, dear, what are you—” Elder Rinia stood up with surprising swiftness, peering at me with concern“But what’s happened, little one?”

I tried to speak, but could only sputter“I—I—c-can’t—”

The old seer was next toatmy mouth open to stare down rew as Elder Rinia tsked,then rushed over to a tall cabinet that was pressed against the rough wall of the cave and began pushi+ng aside the clutter of items within“Where is it? Where isit!”

Thenable to breathe at allI stumbled toward the old elf and fell to s were on fire and it felt as if my eyes would burst from my skull

“Hah!” Elder Rinia hooted froh she sounded very far awayThen sohly fro onto my back

A blurry face hovered over ainst an to slide unaided down my throat, and it was like someone had cast a spell to freeze my insides solid

The liquid, whatever it riggled within ful of frigid air, I was still able to breatheThe sensation of drowning in the slian to try and rean to heave like a cat coughing up a hairball

Bright blue sludge splattered against the ground between ether like patches of sli across the stone, then shriveled, blackened, and was still

I wiped spittle fro lips and turned, horrified, to Elder Rinia

The old seer sht as rain, now”

I sat back on my hands and took a deep breathThe air still felt as cold as a frosty winterpain and the lingering sone

“What—as that?” My eyes flicked toward the black goop, then back to her