Chapter 15

The sunset was clinging to the smuggler’s island, Riley had been right. 

The cave was refitted for a strong defense. With valid concerns of sheer overpowering of numbers, they reworked the terrain to their advantage. The fire placed at the cave opening and stoked for a longer burn. The bright light would leave any advanced blind to the shadows. Thomas suggested netting towards the front to slow any advance. Finally the crates were stacked in the center of the room, providing physical cover for any oncoming projectiles. 

While not abundant, Riley preloaded three hand crossbows, stashed a handful of fisher’s spears amongst the stalagmites and created two fall back zones. If the hunters progressed any faster than that, it would be hand-to-hand combat. 

The passageway towards the back was their final option, but with only two available torches, they couldn’t risk exploring the room, so falling back would be the worst case scenario. Not one for myths, Riley did warn of strange stories from that section of the cave. Some called it haunted, while others spoke to God. Regardless, it was not a place for the living and the sane.

Riley donned a long fishing hook and her sword. Thomas his sword and a small knife. The plan was for Aailyah to hide in a dense row of stalagmites. Riley had insisted she take a hatchet just in case.

Thomas and Riley had been taking turns watching the entrance for hours with no activity. No blood-hungry hunters, no metal, nothing that suggested they had been found. Just when Thomas decided the threat might be imaginary, Riley caught his curiosity peaking. “No, they’re there. Do not go for a better look.” she warned sternly.

As the light dropped, Aailyah tucked herself into safety, covering herself in a cloth-sack cover. Thomas and Riley peered attentively at the entrance. Then, ever so calmly, the tension broke. A single voice echoed in.

“Hi. So we know you’re in there. And I imagine you know we’re out here.” the calm voice called out. “We already found your boat AND your water. So we’re happy to wait you out. ”

Riley readied her first crossbow, but no one came through the entrance.

“Look, it’s okay what happened to Greg. He was a shitty person anyways. But we are going to need the princess. Also, we’re still missing two of our crew. Do you know anything about that?”

“Your friends are dead!” Riley called out. 

The man scoffed, his voice a bit more strained but still attempting to be harmless. “That’s okay, I’m sure you had your reasons. But why don’t you come out here and we can settle these matters face to face. Man-to-man. Or erm, man-to-woman I should say!”

“You're welcome to join us in here. The fire is quite cozy. ” 

“Final offer?” The man called out. This time Riley said nothing.

A stillness came over the cave. Thomas looked at Riley, a flicker of death in the darkness. He thought that she should scare him. She was not just the warm smile that welcomed him to her family, but  also capable of unhesitating violence. Looking at her he instead felt a bolt of lightning run through his veins.

A loose pebble tick-tacked its way at the entrance  followed by a man with a bucket. Shink! Riley’s bolt found his eye. Man and bucket fell forward, water splashing and body smothering fire. 

“YAHHHHHH” a flurry of men rushed in. Riley’s bolts found another victim as Thomas haphazardly threw a spear that met a scream. Two more men appeared in the entrance, metal and flames sparked cracking the crates in front of Riley and Thomas. 

Hunkering down momentarily, Thomas heard another scream. A hunter fell on the ropes landing squarely on the sword of a fallen mate. Encouraged by the defensive advantage, Thomas rose to smoke and smoulders. He readied his spear for the next wave. 

CRACK! The wood next to Thomas splintered. Wheeling to his right, his spear impaled an attacker that had broken through in the chaos. He lunged his spear further, the man gasping backwards in pain and confusion.

Another volley exploded into the crate. HEAT, PAIN. Thomas stumbled a few steps. His shoulder exploded in pain! “Fuck!” he cried out. 

“Fallback” Riley called out. Another hunter was bearing down towards Thomas. Blurred in pain Thomas hummed his dagger out, catching his attacker.

Riley wrestled with several shadows, begging Thomas to fall back. He limped away from the crates, more masculine screams bounced through the cave as Riley unleashed carnage. 

Without the large fire, finding his next spot proved difficult. He pulled his sword out, but his clammy hands misjudged his grip and it clattered to the cave floor. Shink! Riley had made it to her next crossbow. Still silhouettes pushed through the cave entrance. 

Two more pistols smashed fire into the crates. With their brief light, Thomas recovered his senses and scrambled to the only thing he could find, Aaliyah’s hatchet. 

Turning back to the fight he found himself staring down a brute of a man. With the cheap labor now expended, leadership began to roll in. Thomas swung his hatchet but the brute sword made light play of his attack. The man stepped closer closing the gap as Thomas reeled backwards. “Thomas! Get to the back,” Riley called out in the distance. He could hear Riley’s boots slinking away as the brute readied his strike. Thomas held his hatchet above his face and hoped the best.

The brute’s roar snapped into a new pitch. Thomas braced but nothing came. He opened his eyes to see the dagger jammed into the brute's neck, Aaliyah standing sheepishly behind him. 

Breath, slice, screams. Thomas’ hatchet drove into the brute’s achilles as the big man fell, smashing his head into a nearby stalagmite. Aaliyah disappeared down the back hall with three more hunters hot on her heels. 

The room grew quiet as Thomas lay on the cave floor looking for any more threats. Thomas couldn’t see or hear anymore hunters. His shoulder had gained its own pulse but Thomas needed to help the others. Another scream echoed down the hall. 

He followed the noise to the back before hugging the wall and forcing himself forward. Sounds of fighting hurried his pace, but the wall curved and turned in a strange labyrinth of rock and dripping water. “AHHH” Riley cried out. 

Thomas panicked! “RILEY!” No wall, just sounds. He bounced through the cave towards her screams of anger, but every new grunt came from a new direction. “RILEY!” he screamed, her reply directionless. Thomas scurried from wall to wall, bump to bump, but her voice had grown quiet.

He stopped to listen intently. Voices murmured in his head clouding his judgement. “She’s dying. You’re dying. Everyone is dead,” the murmurs scraped into focus. His shoulder aching was suddenly drowned out by their voices and a scorching heat on his foot. He thought it a trance until he remembered the Moon Gem.

“Oh fuck this,” he muttered to himself. Thomas wiggled off his boot, a bright light glowing brighter as he slipped it off further. Pouring his boot, the Moonstone rolled into his blood-stained hand, its light glowing brighter before flooding the room in a white light. The voices shrieked to a silence as he marveled at the gem and its sheer power. For the first time, he understood why others might kill for it. Even with the shimmer of its power revealed he felt vitalized.

With his boot back on and Moon Gem in hand, he navigated the cave tunnels with ease to an injured Riley laying on her back next to a dead man. 

Thomas sprinted to her. Riley panted, blood running down her nose, her breathing faint. “Riley!” he cried as he reached her side. 

She looked up to him with bated breath “That Fucker was strong, I thought I was a goner.” 

Thomas looked over her bruised body but spotted no wound. “Did he get you at all?” 

Riley gingerly shook her head, “No, just my neck.” Thomas shined the light on her bruised throat.

She continued hoarsely, “I was fading out when you saved me.” 

Thomas struggled to understand “But I- uh, I didn’t”.

A flash of movement sent Thomas scrambling! 

Aaliyah stood in his white light,  dagger in hand. They paused, both grasping the violence they had unleashed. Aaliyah dropped the damp dagger, daintily crouching to Riley’s side and grabbing her hand. 

Thomas inched closer, rubbing Riley’s arm tendering, “Do you think you can sit up?”

Riley stirred slightly approvingly. “Yes, but Thomas… What’s that light?”

The Moon Gem pulsed, its illumination suddenly becoming an uncomfortable truth that Thomas would struggle to explain away.