Order of the Alpha #2

18

CHAPTER 18:

The rocks grew more slippery the closer we moved inside, the scent of freshly syringed salt water evaded my senses. I could breathe it in, but felt disinclined to do so—the feeling struck me as we moved around the curves and bends of the cave to the centre. The deeper we venture in, the more it lures me, the way heaven calls to a soul, "Have you ever felt a soul transcend—leave a person's body?" I whisper.

He entwines my hand in his, "You feel like you've been rejected from the gods themselves. I know—the area entrapped who knows how many souls from the island. The point is to get to the centre." He reiterates. Each rock was slick with saltier flecks of water, like stripped ice that chips off with our assault over to the centre. I leap onto a step shaped like a hexagon, he's easily moving with me and we climb up. I still at the stone of marble, black and tinged with droplets. I stare at it, before looking to Creed.

"What now?" I ask him.

He pulls out a small dagger, I step forward. He holds his hand out, "I'm not going to make you cut yourself. It requires blood in exchange of asking it questions." He informs me. I grab his hand.

"Anyone's blood—or is it specific to the one asking those questions, Creed?" I look at him, seriousness and caution fused into my eyes first and foremost.

He narrows his eyes, "I can ask those question—and how do you know that?"

I purse my lips, "You tend to learn there are pros and cons of every bloody situation you're forced in. Give me the dagger—it won't be the first or last time I had to shed blood just for answers. The rune pool will demand mine—not just the assholes of my life. Hand it over." I gesture for it.

He tenses, "No. Let me ask the questions."

"Why are you fighting me on this?" I inquire.

"Because you don't need to give blood here. Just let me do this, Celestine." His intensifying eyes magnify and demand that I do this. I stare at him, tightening the tenseness in my lips. He watches the defeat roll over me and gives me a long look, before slicing a cut—a line against his palm, he moves closer to me so his palm flattens against the middle of the rock, while his other arm sneakily moves around me. The tight quarters has me stepping closer, I'm in front of him. Before the rock clicks and cracks—each crack resonates when he pulls his hand away, palm that healed in seconds.

I hitch a breath when the rock liquifies and stumble into Creed's awaiting arm. My light in the room sizzles and like a fire diminishing fast, it hisses into darkness and we're paraded with a pitch black that has me gripping Creed's hand that made its way to my abdomen—comfortably.

I close my eyes, "Breathe." He whispers down to me.

I stroke the burning embers I imagine his eyes to be and behind closed lids, my hands are out on either side of me, curled and licked with flames that were redder and glowed in the light. I gasp when the rock is a cloaked black figure, no face, just a shape, "You seek truth, the intertwining of fates aligned where you believe a goddess is responsible—Elf?"

Ripples of energy shot like arrows in the air, "We seek the location of the Rune Pool." Creed's voice is strong—it bounds like a Titan above me.

"You wish for guidance of the Runes—Liar, Liar, dance in the burning fire."

I tense under packed muscle, "My name is Celestine Colton, I need the location of the Rune pool because my goddess intertwined three others, three fated others to my lifeline. I need those obliterated." I announce. The marble moves forward, the cloak of it swishing with the pale wind of the room until the so-called rock is in the position it was when Creed made the initial offer for the exchange.