The Raven Flame [The Crown Saga III] (First Draft)

Fears in the Dark

"Good. Put on your cloaks, and let's get moving before Calix can alert my brother of our treachery. We have a long journey ahead of us."

We all nodded and went to grab our cloaks before Alia climbed down the hatch as the first of us.

"Is that where we're going?" Eos whispered behind me, pointing at the dark hole Alia had just disappeared into.

I nodded and crooked my head sideways as Eos' face drained of color. "What is it?" I asked when her hand desperately grabbed mine to squeeze the life out of it.

"I-it's kind of dark down there, isn't it?"

Her hand trembled wildly as if a cold wind was biting her exposed skin. Her eyes remained wide, fear jumping from her lashes as her brow glistened in the dim light from the cave windows.

"Afraid of the dark?" I asked, recalling how Tristan used to climb into my bed when lightning tore the night sky open and broke the light bulbs in his nightlight.

The dark was scary. Our minds tended to spin irrational tales of beasts hiding in the shadows or rogue animals attacking from the dark corners of our eyes.

In our homes and behind isolated walls, that fear was irrational. But down there, and between the trees in the forest that awaited us, was the unknown. Only the spirits would know what awaited us.

Even my body shuddered uncontrollably at the terrifying thought.

"I'm not exactly scared of the dark, but I— Um...."

"It's not too late to change your mind if you want to stay here," I whispered when she pulled herself closer to me and wrapped her entire arm around mine.

She shook her head.

I hadn't anticipated her to admit defeat already, but I needed her to know that the option was still there.

"It's safe," Alia shouted from the bottom of the seemingly bottomless darkness. Then spheres of light — like those Adriel had created when we first met — floated in the air next to the rusty ladder.

Piper crawled down next, the metal squeaking every time she took a step. The sound sent waves of doubt skipping down my spine.

That place was as old as the castle. What if it collapsed on top of us? We didn't have an Earth Iridis with us to save us.

"Are you ready?" I whispered to Eos as Piper vocally signaled her safe descent.

Eos hesitantly forced her feet to move as we approached the opening. "I'll be right behind you, and remember what power you wield. If you get scared, chase the shadows away with your light."

She nodded reluctantly without taking her eyes off the hole. Silently, I guided her hands to the ladder and ignored the hushed hiss as her hands touched the worn metal.

I didn't breathe until I heard Piper's voice.

"She's down."

The air instantly became thick and clammy as soon as I descended below the surface. It smelled like damp metal pipes eroding after years of wear and moist soil with all it entailed.

I fought the impulse to pinch my nose when my feet hit the ground. I would get used to the smell eventually... hopefully.

Caiden was next until only Art remained.

"Catch," Art said before a dark bag landed in Caiden's arms.

Art didn't climb down the ladder like the rest of us but jumped as he closed the hatch behind him. The hairs on my nape rose alongside the sinking feeling in my stomach. Then a strong wind caught Art's dropping body, and he landed as elegantly as a cat.