Chapter 148
The cavern is eerily quiet, the only sounds our ragged breathing and the faint hiss of lava cooling in the distance. The darkness presses in around us, broken only by the dim orange glow from the molten rock seeping through cracks in the walls.
“Do you hear that?” I whisper, my voice barely audible.
Cora freezes, her eyes narrowing as she listens. A faint, wet slithering sound echoes from the shadows, growing louder with each passing second. My stomach twists, a chill running down my spine despite the suffocating heat.
“Stay behind me,” Cora orders, her voice low and firm.
I open my mouth to argue, but the sound of claws scraping against stone cuts me off. A massive shape slinks into view, its body glowing faintly in the dark. The creature looks like something pulled from a nightmare—its slick, amphibious body is the size of a truck, with the smooth, glistening skin of a salamander and the segmented tail of a scorpion, tipped with a jagged, glowing stinger.
Its eyes, yellow and luminescent, lock onto us, and I swear I can feel its malice.
“Run,” I whisper, my voice trembling.
“Not an option,” Cora says, her voice steady as steel. She steps forward, her posture rigid and ready.
The creature screeches, a high-pitched, ear-splitting sound that sends me reeling. It lunges, its massive claws swiping through the air, and Cora shoves me to the side. I hit the ground hard, the breath knocked out of me as the beast barrels past, narrowly missing us.
Cora doesn’t waste a second. She pulls a blade from her belt—curved and wickedly sharp—and charges at the creature, aiming for its glowing underbelly. The blade slices through the air with precision, but the creature twists, its scorpion-like tail lashing out. Cora ducks just in time, the stinger slamming into the ground where she stood moments before.
“Phoebe!” she shouts, her voice sharp and commanding. “Now would be a good time to use that lightning of yours!”
I scramble to my feet, my heart pounding. The storm inside me stirs, crackling at the edges of my consciousness. I raise my hands, summoning the energy, and a bolt of lightning arcs from my fingertips, slamming into the creature’s side.
The cavern erupts in light, the smell of ozone filling the air. The beast screeches in pain, its glowing body writhing as the lightning courses through it. But the sound of the screech is drowned out by a louder, more ominous noise—a deep, groaning rumble as the walls around us begin to tremble.
“Stop!” Cora yells, her voice frantic.
“I can’t!” I cry, the energy surging out of me uncontrollably. The walls crack and splinter, and with a deafening roar, part of the cavern collapses. A torrent of molten rock spills into the space, the heat searing my skin even from a distance.
“Cora!” I scream as the magma flow rushes toward her.
She dives to the side, rolling across the uneven ground as the molten rock consumes the spot she was standing on moments before. Her blade clatters to the ground, forgotten as she scrambles to her feet. Her face is pale, her breath coming in short, ragged gasps.
“Stop it!” she snaps, her eyes blazing as she turns to me. “You’re going to kill us both!”
The weight of her words hits me like a punch to the gut. I drop my hands, the lightning fizzling out as the storm inside me subsides. My chest heaves, my vision blurred by tears of frustration and fear.
The creature isn’t done. It lunges at Cora again, its claws slicing through the air. But this time, she’s ready. With a speed and precision that leaves me stunned, she ducks under its swing, grabs her blade, and drives it into the creature’s underbelly.
The beast lets out a guttural roar, its body convulsing as Cora twists the blade. She pulls it free with a sharp tug, the glowing ichor spilling onto the ground and hissing against the rock. The creature stumbles, its massive form swaying unsteadily before it collapses with a final, shuddering screech.
For a moment, the cavern is silent, save for the distant rumble of the volcano and the faint sizzle of magma cooling. Cora stands over the creature’s body, her chest heaving, her face streaked with soot and sweat.
I stare at her, my mind reeling. The calm, calculating scientist I’ve always known is gone, replaced by a battle-hardened warrior. There’s a ferocity in her eyes that I’ve never seen before, a ruthless efficiency that chills me to my core.
“Are you okay?” she asks, turning to me. Her voice is softer now, but there’s an edge to it that I can’t ignore.
“I’m fine,” I say, my voice colder than I intended.
Cora takes a step toward me, her expression softening. “Phoebe, I didn’t mean to—”
“Don’t,” I snap, cutting her off. I can’t look at her, not after what just happened. Not after what I almost caused. “Let’s just keep moving.”
I don’t wait for her response. I turn and start walking, my legs trembling with each step. My chest feels tight, my thoughts a whirlwind of anger, fear, and guilt.
Behind me, I hear Cora sigh softly, her footsteps following after a moment’s hesitation. The silence between us is heavy, filled with unspoken words and unresolved tension.
As we press deeper into the lava tubes, the weight of what just happened lingers like a shadow. For the first time, I’m not sure if we’ll make it out of this alive.
And worse—I’m not sure if I can trust myself to help us survive.
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