Weaver's Curse

Chapter 28- Trade a Secret

Toby listened to the clack-clack-clack sounds of boots on stone, and tried not to doze off. One foot in front of the other.

"Something's not right." Kaedwyn said suddenly.

"What's wrong?" Allie asked.

"Does anyone else feel exhausted?" Kaedwyn said. "Like they just spend an entire day hauling sheaves of wheat?"

Wouldn't know what that feels like, Toby thought. Is this some kind of peasant joke I'm too rich to understand?

"Now that you mention it, I am pretty tired." Allie said.

"Me too." Isaan said. Toby nodded in agreement.

"Maybe we should stop for some rest?" Allie suggested.

"No." Kaedwyn said, "For some reason, I don't think we should."

She cocked her head, then pulled her collar up over her nose.

"Huh... suddenly I feel a lot less tired..." Kaedwyn said.

"What if there's some sort of magic in this tunnel too?" Allie said. "To make us sleep, for whatever reason."

"We need to get out of here, fast." Isaan said.

Toby and the girls nodded.

They copied Kaedwyn, covering their noses and mouths with fabric and hastened their paces.

Finally, they broke out into a wider chamber, full of that same, strange fluid that had filled the pond in the first chamber.

"What the hell?" Kaedwyn muttered.

"I don't know, but I think we're going to have to go through." Isaan said. "See that shadowy spot in the far wall? I think that's another tunnel."

"Hey," Allie commented. "The sleepy feeling is gone."

"For now." Kaedwyn said grimly.

"Let's do this." Toby said, adjusting his pack.

He held the lantern high, and stepped into the pool. Unlike the other one, this one was warm. Almost uncomfortably so. A faint, acrid smell rose from the goop.

Allie screamed behind him. He whirled around, ready to give whatever had provoked the sound a face full of hot oil. She was pointing at something in the lake, her doe-like eyes wide as saucers.

It was a skull, half submerged in the goop.

"Is it real?" Toby said, reaching out to grab it.

He met resistance as he tried to yank it free. When the goop did release it, he saw their was still a spinal cord attached, bits of flesh still clinging to it.

Well that's a little gruesome.

"Toby! Put that shit back!" Kaedwyn ordered.

Toby tossed it into the goop.

"There are more bones." Allie said soberly. "Like, a lot more."

"Oh fuck." Kaedwyn whispered. "I think this is some kind of digestive system."

Everything here could be trying to knock us out and slowly kill us, Toby thought.

"If we keep moving, we should be fine." Allie said. "I think we're safe from digestion as long as we don't just stay in this lake for an extended period of time."

"You're right." Isaan said, sloshing forwards. "We need to get out of here."

They'd only made it halfway through the lake of slime when the earth shuddered. Toby flailed his arms for balance, casting dizzying arcs of light with his lantern, but ultimately stayed on his feet. Allie stumbled into him, and he grabbed her with his free arm, doing his best to right her.