what happened after unlocked

chapter fifty-eight ~ the fight

"I don't mean to be rude at all, or anything," Marella complained, "But how many more miles do we have to walk for before we get to this cave you speak of?"

Sophie's legs ached just like the rest of them. She swore they'd walked past at least three notable biomes. She'd seen snow, sand, forest and ocean in the last three hours alone.

"I know it's close," Nico said, limping a little. "I've been there before. But I don't have the leaping crystal. Sorry, guys."

The group groaned.

"Hey, has anyone thought that maybe we should call Maruca and Stina and Dex and Jensi?" Biana suggested. "We need all the help we can get, and the four of them are incredibly talented."

"But...we're just finding a dagger in a cave," Izabella told her. "Why would we need four more people? I'm sure we'll be fine."

"Gethen is planning on killing them, Iz," Nico whispered to his sister. "I think we need all the help we can get."

Biana whispered into her Imparter before Izabella could object.

The ground under their feet turned mossier, until small trees and shrubs began to pop up around the leafy area. Sophie almost tripped on multiple damp rocks poking out of the soil.

The foliage in front of them made way for the beginning of a river, which lapped onto the banks on either side of it and splashed their shoes. The ground became muddier, but the trees became more iridescent.

"This is it," Nico murmured, keeping his voice low. "We're almost there. Just another few hundred yards."

A tingle of curiosity shot down Sophie's spine, and she wondered why. Was it strange that she felt so energized, now that she was close to something that could help her?

After walking for a few more minutes, the group speeding along like they'd die if they didn't – which was partially true – they arrived at some sort of rock wall. Vines covered it and it didn't seem to lead anywhere.

Izabella and Nico exchanged glances before they swept the curtain of foliage aside and revealed a small opening, unnoticeable unless you looked really closely.

The group filed in one by one, each having to contort to get through the gap. The space they found themselves inside was almost pitch-black, but for the opening they'd gone through.

Sophie shivered, but when she felt Keefe standing beside her she was immediately calmer.

A click sound interrupted the darkness. Nico held an elvin lantern to his face, appearing almost ghostly, but he turned away, leading them further in with the lantern floating ahead.

Sophie's heart pounded as she stepped further away from safety. The silence of the cave entrance was unnerving. The elves made sure to keep distances between them, but kept each other in sight, so that they didn't trip over each other's feet.

They reached light faster than Sophie expected. The cave widened in front of her feet, leading into a large cavern, stalagmites and stalactites trickling from above and below in spiky icicle shapes. The group was forced to weave their way around the maze of rock formations in the cave, Izabella and Nico leading them all the way.

What was sitting in the center of the cave was far more trivial than Sophie expected. It was just a dark rock, covered in a mess of moss and wriggling bugs, with a wrought-iron handle poking out from the top.

But it was far more dramatic when she realized she was being drawn to it. The group parted to make way for her, her eyes glued to the handle of the dagger.