Page 19 of Full Moon
Chapter 9
Khal
Messages from workhave been pouring in, and I've been fielding them the best I can. Thankfully, I left a phone in my lair that this one is synced with, so the messages originate from the far side of the night district.
No one knows my brother and I are gone. As long as I keep production going, there's no reason to ask questions. Production is at an all-time high and the product is top-notch. I've even been fielding messages for my twin, so no one suspects anything. Sneaky motherfuckers have their ways, but I'm trying to delay the inevitable.
Watching Feray has become my favorite pastime. She's grown so much since her sister went to the faerie realm. Gone are the days she hid her anger or didn't speak her mind. Hell, I caught her the other day fixing something on the SUV when she thought no one was watching. The biggest thing I've noticed lately is her confidence. She went from being unsure and not trusting her wolfish instincts to now leading this nest.
I know the dragon has noticed how much our mate is changing. The others are picking up little things here and there. The sweet,innocent woman we all fell in love with is evolving slowly. Her fear of what she's becoming is gone. I watch her now as she heads into the darkness of the cavern ahead, leading us toward the passageway to the north.
"Do you want me up there with you?" I call ahead to Feray and Easton as he lights the way.
"It would probably be a good idea." She smiles over her shoulder at me.
Shaking my head, I jog to catch up and start flicking my forked tongue out. "It doesn't seem like anything has been alive down here in a long time."
"Nothing warm-blooded. I agree." Feray glances over at Easton briefly.
The stalagmites and stalactites are almost touching, and in some places, we have to turn sideways to get through. The air is cold and damp, with a soft breeze wafting from deeper down the tunnel.
Drip... drip... drip...The sound of water falling into the limestone pools below is almost soothing, a rhythmic melody that blends with the echoes of our footsteps.
Feray stops suddenly, holding her hand up before pointing to her ears. I watch her tilt her head to the side, her eyes narrowing in concentration. The cave seems to hold its breath. Without a word, she takes the bag off Easton's shoulder. He nods, understanding immediately. Stripping off his clothes, he shifts, and his phoenix form bursts forth. There's a sudden blaze of light and heat in the oppressive darkness. His flames dance and flicker, casting eerie shadows on the jagged walls as he flies ahead of us. The tunnel, once cold and foreboding, warms fromhis fire. Screams echo from deeper within—desperate, filled with a terror that chills me even more than the damp air had. Easton's phoenix darts further ahead, illuminating the path with an otherworldly glow.
"What's down there?" I rest a hand on Feray's shoulder.
"I'm not sure. Whatever it was isn't there now." She picks up Easton's clothing and starts walking again.
The tunnel opens up to an enormous cavern. On the other side of the lake, another tunnel sits almost ten feet off the ground. The water is almost turquoise and way too still for comfort. A small hole in the ceiling lets midday light filter in, illuminating the center of the lake. The occasional dark figure darts past the edge of the light beam in the water.
"Tor..." Feray looks back over her shoulder. "Chuck a small piece of meat into the light."
"Good thinking, my eternal." Diaval says as he surveys the scene.
Torben steps forward and chucks the meat in. Within seconds, several long flashes of silver dart in the area the meat hit.
"Bloody hell." Diaval shakes his head, watching the ripples.
"What is it?" I ask as Torben chucks two more pieces of meat into the light.
More silver flashes, and Diaval curses up a storm.
"Fucking S'repic." He turns to look at us. "Large silver carnivorous fish that hunt in packs. They'll tear you to ribbons. Worse than those piranhas the humans keep as pets." Diaval roughly runs his hands through his hair, watching the water.
Feray keeps staring at the lake, then looks back at me. "Can they bite through basilisk scale?"
Her eyes turn to Diaval. "Shouldn't be able to. It's not like Khal's shift is still adolescent. His scales are as hard as stone." Diaval narrows his eyes. "What's on your mind, my eternal?"
"Khal shifts and swims us across?" She shrugs. "It's too cramped for you to shift and get us across, and Torben and I both don't have scales."
"Asgorath, help me..." Diaval uses the dragon god's name in vain. "Khal, try it alone first. You feel one nip, you turn around and come back." He stares into my eyes, and I practically hear his dragon roaring in my head.
Nodding, I back away and strip, handing my clothing to Feray. I close my eyes and let the shift take over. Every muscle and stretch of skin feels like warmth washing over me. The sound of my scales rubbing the rock as my body stretches out is comforting. When the shift is complete, I open my eyes with my nictitating membranes in place. Slithering over the cool sand and into the water brings a different sensation—the slightly warmer water is almost pleasant. Drawing in a deep breath, I fill my lungs, making my basilisk body buoyant. As I slither into deeper water, flashes of silver flicker all around me.
Approaching the middle of the lake, the attacks start. Dozens of those carnivorous fish launch themselves at my scales. Their teeth can't puncture my scales, no matter how hard they try. I can feel each attempt—a rapid series of taps and scrapes against my armored skin. The water around me churns with their frenzy. The sensation is akin to a rough massage, an odd mixture of irritation and numbness. Deeper and deeper I go, the watergrowing darker and colder, the fish eventually giving up their assault. My scales glint faintly in the dim light.
I continue moving, cutting through the water with ease, and eventually the fish give up. I swim back to shore and begin the task of ferrying my family across to the small beach under the cavern above. With every crossing, the fish attacks become fewer and fewer.
