Chapter 4

"Almost there," Rhea said. "Hurry up."

She pushed me forward, and I stumbled again, catching myself before I could fall. My legs were shaking, and my heart was pounding in my chest.

I wanted nothing more than to turn and run, but I knew there was no chance of escape.

The woman suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop.

"Here we are," she said.

"What's here?" I asked, looking around.

The woman didn't answer.

Instead, she stepped past me and disappeared into an opening in the rock wall.

"Hey! Wait!" I called after her.

"Get in here," Jorn barked.

I had no choice but to follow her into the opening. The light from the cavern faded, and we were plunged into near darkness. The woman was just ahead of me, her outline barely visible in the dim light.

"Keep up," she said.

We walked down a narrow tunnel, our boots splashing in shallow puddles. The air was close and damp, and the smell of moss and decay was almost overwhelming.

After what seemed like an eternity, the tunnel opened into a larger chamber. It was a lot like the cavern we'd left, except the ceiling was even higher, and there was no pool of water in the middle.

The air was warmer, and the moss on the floor was thicker and greener.

"What is this place?" I asked, unable to hide the fear in my voice.

"It's the entrance to the city of Under City," the woman replied. "Now, get moving."

She pushed me forward, and I stumbled through the chamber, nearly tripping over the thick moss. There were a dozen or so other openings in the walls, and the dim light from them gave me a better view of the chamber. It was at least a hundred feet across, and the ceiling was easily three times that high.

The woman led me toward an opening in the far wall, and we passed through it into another, smaller chamber.

This one was barely large enough for the four of us, and the only light came from a small hole in the ceiling above, at the center there is a statue of a lizard? No, it looks like a dragon because of its wings on its back.

"What now?" I asked, glancing around nervously.

"Now, you get what you deserve," the woman replied.

Before I could react, the woman stepped behind me and put her hands on my shoulders. I felt a sudden wave of heat rush through my body, and then my legs were yanked out from under me. I landed hard on the ground, my head hitting the stone floor with a thud.