To Scale the Emerald Mountain (The Willowbane Saga #1)

37. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

ALEC

7 years ago

Parting the great curtain hiding a gaping opening, I enter the mouth of the cave hidden behind vines as thick as my forearms. Taking a deep breath, I ready myself for the task ahead. I light my torch, knowing it will do little to penetrate the inky, unnatural darkness that stretches ahead of me.

I could hardly believe it when Ellya described the vision she had. My heart stuttered when she allowed me to see the vision, knowing what she Saw—knowing what it meant. I had been here before as a boy, with my brother and Ellya’s father. No older than Ellya is now, we happened upon this place one summer.

We explored the surrounding mountain forests of Rhydelle Castle, venturing farther than Locane and I had before. We had spent several nights camping in the woods when Locane found this opening that I stand within now; a small tunnel in the side of a cliff hidden by thick overgrowth and tangling vines. Not even Milo had found this hidden corner before.

The curiosity of boys took hold, and we went within .

The darkness did not initially deter our inquisitiveness, but the further we went along, the more our unease collectively grew, a tight grip from a phantom hand, choking us with doubt.

It was not until we rounded a corner and came into view of the strange underground waterfall—shining like a beacon in impenetrable darkness—that unease morphed into pure dread. It clung to my skin like an oily sheen, seeping into my pores and rendering me motionless. I stood, eyes unblinking on the waterfall before us emitting a strange, unearthly glow. I could sense that my brother and friend were experiencing the same thing as I.

It was Locane who broke out of it first, laughing with uncertainty and saying, “This place is weird.” Attempting to make light of what felt like a heavy situation.

Milo glanced back and forth between us and said, “Maybe we should just go?” A surprising suggestion coming from Milo, as I was always the voice of reason in our trio.

Locane smiled at Milo. “We didn’t just walk through pitch black for miles to turn scared when we finally found something interesting. Come on, let’s get closer.”

And so, we did.

As I stood at the edge of the pool, I more closely inspected the waterfall before us. It was strange in the way that it looked and the energy it emitted.

The water itself was more like a mist that floated rather than fell. The green hue it gave off grew brighter the longer I stared. It pulsed like a living heartbeat, that strange luminescence calling to me.

It was then that it became apparent the green light and the strange energy were not from the water itself, but rather in the wall behind it .

The unease I had just moments ago returned with fierceness as the surface of the pool started to ripple out from the center and water began lapping against my feet.

“What the…” Locane said under his breath, retreating slowly as he noticed the sudden disturbance in the water.

“Again, I think we should go.” Milo’s voice came through tinged with fear.

At that moment, a head of some sort became visible, rising with dangerous and deliberate ease. I backed away, not ready to turn and run, too intrigued and curious to know what might follow us.

The shoulders broke the surface.

The creature started walking towards me in the shallow water, revealing more of itself.

It had a svelte, feline body covered in scales that shifted in color from onyx to a poisonous dark green, shimmering back and forth. The creature had a long, forked tail, both pieces covered in small barbs. Feet with three long talons, front and back. Its face was truly terrifying. Serpentine with a flat nose. Purple catlike eyes with vertical lids blinking at me hungrily, and a smiling mouth filled with jagged, red teeth.

“Yooou,” it hissed at me.

I knew in my bones that it had singled me out, and only I could hear it.

With that single, threatening word, I lost all sense of bravery and pride; I fled.

Locane and Milo followed quickly behind me. We did not stop until we made it a mile away from the strange cave.

“I don’t know what that place was, but I’m never going back,” Locane declared with a shaky laugh. We all agreed.

It took me many years of intense research to find a name for that creature, and the little I could find claimed it as a myth; the favored creature of a god.

As I march down that underground passage now, I take stock of my weapons, preparing myself to face the lonyx I know is waiting for me. My swords are strapped to my back and multiple daggers are sheathed to my body, as well as one tucked in each boot.

Sooner than I remember, the view of my destination takes form in the humid darkness. Pausing, I double check for the tool I will need to complete my task: The crude stake made of willowbane—bone white with etchings of runes. It is strapped at my waist, easy to reach in the likely event that I will have to work swiftly.

The cavern is no different from all those years ago, no different from the vision Ellya showed me. The same smooth surface of the pool despite the water misting in from above; the same emerald glow; the same dread and doom.

Cracking my neck, I take a deep breath, wasting no time stepping into the shallow water.

As expected, the water ripples from the center, gentle waves of warning.

The lonyx appears much quicker than its slow ascent years ago, mostly likely due to my own swift pace.

I unsheathe a sword, ready to strike the moment it pounces.

It leaps up out of the water, arcing straight above my head, droplets of water raining from its underside.

My stare follows to where it lands on the shore behind me.

Its mouth is wide in a terrifying grin of challenge. It inhales through that flat nose, taking in my scent.

“Yooou,” it hisses the same as it had all those years ago.

Raising my sword, I ready for the lonyx to strike.

It bounds for me with unnatural speed. I swipe, aiming to slice it from throat to belly.

It spins midair at the last moment, just barely being nicked on the chin. It screeches in fury, the sound resonating like a gong, before splashing back beneath the surface of the pool.

It attacks me underwater, and I roll to the side to avoid the swiping of those scythe-like talons, submerging myself.

Breaking back above the surface, I shake liquid from my hair and face when the creature comes for me, its face hovering above the water.

Unsheathing a dagger with a scream—the noise swallowed by the muffled acoustics of the cave—I charge towards the lonyx and plunge the dagger into the thick scales of its shoulder.

The blow is not fatal, but I take the opportunity to move closer to my goal.

The pulsating green behind the mist taunts me; it calls to me like a lover with seductive words.

I am almost to the waterfall when the lonyx leaps to the cavern wall. Its long talons dig into the rock where it lands. It grins at me with a hiss, trailing its eyes to my destination.

Without a doubt, it knows what I am here for.

The lonyx’s deadly grin widens, baring those jagged red teeth, before it starts to run along the curved wall of the cavern. Its long talons gouge into the wall and kick up sprays of chipped rock in its wake.

We both scurry towards the same thrumming beacon in a race of wills.

Running through the water slows me considerably.

Shifting my sword to my left hand, I pull the willowbane stake from my belt with my right, prepared to pry the fucker from the rock wall as soon as I reach it .

I am sure it will not be easy. I did not expect any of this to be easy, but all I can do is try and hope that it is worth it.

The lonyx reaches the glowing green before I reach the mist.

It digs its claws into the rock, placing its body directly over what I seek and turns its head backwards and counterclockwise, looking at me over its shoulders, upside down, that terrifying grin widening at me through the hazy mist.

As I clear the waterfall, I throw my sword at the creature.

It jumps into the pool before the tip of my sword digs into the stone, the lonyx narrowly avoiding what would have been a fatal hit.

I allow myself a half second to inspect the gem, webs of pulsating, venomous green veins snaking away from it with each steady beat.

The moment costs me; the lonyx jumps out of the water behind me and digs its long talons into my right pectoral. It swipes all the way to my back, ripping my flesh open with jagged, fiery pain, stiffening my spine.

I let out a bellowing scream as I raise the stake and rear back with all my strength— crunching through bone as I strike the lonyx right between the eyes.

Putrid viscera sprays the back of my head, the side of my face, with an acidic burn as its talons slide out of me just below my shoulder blade.

The dead creature splashes into the water behind me.

Breathing heavily and bleeding profusely, I hold the stake tighter in my hand.

I close the final distance between myself and the emerald, digging the tool into a small crack between the gem and the wall. It gives easily, far easier than I expected, and falls with a soft thump into my open hand.

The glow instantly fades; the only light left comes from the still pulsing veins that were surrounding the gem. With each beat, the light dims more and more in the absence of its lifeforce. I collect my sword, sheathing it before turning back to the shore.

My heavy feet trudge out of the pool, and I lay on my back to catch my breath.

From the insufficient light of my torch, I can just make out the large emerald cradled in the palm of my hand and laugh.

Only resting for a moment longer, I collect myself and start heading back towards the mouth of the cave, staunching the flow of blood from my shoulder with my ruined shirt.