A roar shakes the stone beneath my feet, and I crumple to the ground, clinging to the wall at the opening. The last torch is several feet back, flickering in gusts of air.
Where could wind be coming from down here?
Unless… it’s not wind, it’s breath. I swallow.
When I’d first come through the gates and into the mountain, I was brought past the pit filled with drakai. It felt different than this. Smaller. But maybe that was just my perception at the time.
We walked across a stone platform that had some lighting and guards. So, I don’t believe this is the same location. Is it a different pit? Is it near that walkway?
A grating sound builds. Screeching. The rumbling of a creature growling.
How many are there?
There’s a pressure on my chest. There is a tingle on the back of my neck.
It’s the feeling of being watched.
I should be horrified. Terrified beyond anything I’ve ever felt before. And while I am certainly afraid, I am not lost. My mind sharpens.
If I’ve made it here, it means I could make it out.
I rush back into the hall to steal the torch from the wall and reenter the opening above the drakai pit.
What do you seek?The voice causes me to stumble a step, and I barely catch my balance on the uneven stone wall before tumbling forward.
A deep feeling of ancient magic swirls around. It is restless. Eager.
Freedom, the voice whispers over my skin.
I shiver at the uneasy feeling. Is it just in my mind? Fear can make you think strange things. Am I hallucinating now? Is any of this even real?
I force my body straight and inch forward again, allowing the light from the flickering flame to illuminate the area around me.
Find me.
Light reflects off uneven black stone several feet ahead, so, the pit is not particularly wide. A shadow shifts below, slithering.
Skin so soft. Just a taste.
I pinch the bridge of my nose.
Surely that’s just my imagination…right?
I don’t see a path across the pit, but beside it, the wall extends to the right, along with a ledge that is several inches wide.
Wide enough to walk on. Not wide enough to feel comfortable on.
I press tightly to the stone, but even then, I am dangerously close to the edge.
Only a few feet forward and I have to stop, panting. Spots line my vision. My fingers tingle.
If I pass out here… I won’t survive.
I force another few steps before stopping. Three breaths, then three more steps. Three breaths, three steps. My foot slips, and I whimper, eyes pressed tightly closed.
When I open them, though, I find an opening up ahead. It’s dim, but there is something there. With trembling breath, I take the final few steps until I reach the wider platform.
I slide down to solid ground, panting desperately. I made it. I don’t know where I am, but I made it across that platform.
