Genesis (Prophecy Rock Series, Book 1)

Chapter Twenty Five

“Which way do we go?” asked Gama. Oli barked softly. She ran over to the dead cerberus and sniffed. She sniffed the ground, looking for a match. When she found it, Oli took off into the center tunnel, and the rest of the group followed.

“She’s taking us in the same direction that the cerberus go. This tunnel must lead to the other side of the Voras Mountains, right?” asked Gama. 

Kara shrugged her shoulders. “Doesn’t matter now; it’s our only lead.”

“These tunnels are tiny. I can barely fit. Don’t they have big fellas like me in Vicedonia?” Gama was hunched over, his head and shoulders hugging the top of the tunnel. His quads were already burning from having to squat slightly. Raden found it a little more manageable, while Kara had no problem whatsoever. 

“These tunnels weren’t built to move soldiers. They were made so cerberus could move back and forth between headquarters and the front lines, delivering orders, messages, supplies, what have you.”

They followed Oli for a while. She never lost track of the scent and kept them moving at a brisk pace. They hadn’t encountered anyone for an extended period of time, leaving them with an unsettling feeling. “Where is everyone?” asked Gama. 

“I don’t know. Maybe they’ve all fled the area like the citizens at Kih Bayar,” suggested Kara.

“No, there were guards at the front entrance. They haven’t fled. They’re here, in these tunnels, with us… now.” Raden stopped in his tracks. 

“What’re you talking about?” asked Gama.

Raden lowered his voice to a whisper. “Try not to panic, but they’ve been following us for a while. I noticed them about an hour ago. They’ve done a good job at concealing themselves. But the last time I turned back to check, I caught the faint glow of six red eyes disappearing into the dark. At least one cerberus has been trailing us, maybe more.”

“Oli would’ve known we were being followed.”

“No, she was too busy following their trail. Her nose is already full of their scent. She probably didn’t notice when they got close to us.”

Just then, something dashed across the tunnel ahead of them. Oli bared her teeth, and the group drew their weapons. Swoosh! It was behind them now. They were trapped in the tunnel with barely any room to maneuver. Swoosh! It was ahead of them again.

Oli and Gama covered one end while the other two watched the opposite side. That’s when Gama saw the eyes. Six red eyes shone brightly in the dark. He could hear the guttural growl of the cerberus as it inched closer. “I got one over here guys.”

“Well we’ve got two over here.” Gama glanced back to see twelve glowing eyes moving about in the dark. Like burning fireflies trying to escape into the night sky. “Aww man,” he muttered.

Oli’s growl echoed through the tunnel. She began with low rumblings, but it soon boomed loudly. Each bark deafening as it bounced off the tunnel walls. Still, she had not yet completely transformed into Ripper. It was an odd pairing to hear Ripper’s voice coming out of Oli’s smaller body.

“Why hasn’t she changed yet, Gama?” asked a panicked Kara. “We’re gonna need her help over here soon.”

“It isn’t that she doesn’t want to. She just can’t yet. Her last transformation was a little while ago, when she took out the cerberus at the door. She needs time to recover before doing it again. She’s trying to change. You can hear Ripper’s voice clawing its way out of her.”

“Well, I guess it’s a fair fight now. You’ve got a one on one.” Raden’s attempt at humor fell on deaf ears.

“Fair fight? It has three heads?” Gama bounced his axe back and forth between his hands. Ok Gama, game plan is to take two of the heads first, and then go for the heart. Oli growled again, reminding Gama of her presence. “I know girl, you’ve still got some fight in you, but you can’t transform. Stay safe, I’ll take care of this.” Oli hid behind a rock, watching Gama nervously.