SATELLITE HEART [A BARLEY LIGHTFOOT x READER STORY]

chapter 24

The room that was the bottom of the steps was huge. It was complete with a tall ceiling that you couldn't see the top of and the echo of water drips. Every word that you spoke to Ian echoed around the space. 

But most curiously, at the bottom of the seemingly-endless staircase, hidden in the complete and utter darkness, was a single large step that formed into the slanted cave wall that dripped with a thin stream of murky water, probably from the creek above. There wasn't a tunnel leading out of this place. There wasn't a secret passage to carry you to the next room. It was just this huge space, this loud echo, this eerie feeling --- and there was that single step right at the far end of the room. There was just the step and on top of that step was a lone pedestal. 

And on top of the pedestal was a giant chunk of an emerald. 

"Ian!" you shouted in surprise. You gripped his wrist and squeezed hard. "Look! It's right freaking there!"

"Ouch, I know. I can see it." He pried his wrist from your grip. You took a step toward it. "Wait! We don't know what could happen if we just grab it. There are most definitely traps." 

You glanced around. "Well, how do we avoid them?" 

"Very carefully," he said. 

You followed Ian in every move and step that he made. He seemed to know what he was doing --- and he probably really did know what he was doing. He had gone on far more quests than you had, anyway, and he'd probably run into his fair share of traps hidden in caves and secret passages. You stepped everywhere that he stepped, you kept your eyes peeled, and you did not make a sound as he carefully moved towards the step across the room. 

But you couldn't help but feel like you were doing all of this for nothing.

"Ian, what if stepping on that step triggered the trap, but it, like, failed on us? What if this place really was supposed to come down on our heads or something and it just didn't?" 

"I guess that's a possibility," he said, "but we should still be careful. We can't go at this too confidently. If something goes wrong..."

Eventually Ian got to the step. He got up first. You followed. The two of you inched forward slowly, fingers trembling, eyes wide. The emerald was sitting on a pillow of velvet, shimmering in the warm glow of the torch. Ian looked at you and you swallowed hard---

And he grabbed the emerald and picked it up. 

A beat of your frantic heart later, nothing had happened. You and Ian grinned and let out a gasp of half-surprise, half-relief. You looked at one another and neither of you could believe it. After hours of searching and a lot of doubt, you had it. The one thing that could make Barley better. All Ian had to do was cast the spell!

"Yes! We did it!" he cried. He held up the emerald. "This is for you, Barley! And this is for you, Dad!" 

And in your celebration, you caught glimpse of the wall behind the pedestal there, written in blood, it read:

IF YOU ARE READING THIS, 

IT IS TOO LATE FOR YOU. 

Your blood ran cold. You grabbed his arm. "Ian...?"

He looked at it and gasped. At that moment, you heard the obvious closing of the ground at the top of the steps. You ran back to the staircase. You were unable to see the outside world from how deep you were, but you could tell that you were shut in now. It closed with a click.