Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 97459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97459 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 390(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Set’nef goes deep into the tunnels, and I am glad that he is leading us out. The maze of shadowy, connected caves seems to go on forever, twisting into one cavern after another. It is as if the entire underground is hollowed out and made into a home for the ancestors, and I am shocked at how extensive this place is. How have we never noticed this before? How has no one ever come across the ancestors in their constant hunting and exploring?
The walls of the caves are smooth, narrowing down in certain areas with the ceiling so low that my horns brush against the stone icicles that drip from above. The strange, glowing moss in the walls back in our cage is evident everywhere we go, like glowing veins that shoot through the stone. It adds a pale, eerie light to our travel. We pass a spot in the rock that looks as if it has been deliberately drawn upon, and when we pass another a short time later, I realize that they are writing something on the stone, much like D’vi writes things upon her skins so she does not forget.
I touch one carving, fascinated. It is that of a person with four arms, attacking a creature with what looks like fire.
“Our ancestors,” Set’nef says, returning to my side. “They carved warnings in the tunnels as they expanded them, so we would know the dangers we face ahead.”
“Dangers?” R’slind asks, holding onto me tighter. “What sorts of dangers?”
Set’nef waves us on. “No time for idle chatter. Come. We must put distance between us and the village.”
She leans in against my ear, whispering. “Something tells me he doesn’t want to say what those dangers are.”
I fear she is right, and this worries me. Yet our choices are slim. I eye Set’nef and his pack. A long, shiny knife hangs from a loop in the back, and it looks much like V’ktal’s sword. I increase my steps so the knife is within reach. If he tries anything, I will grab it first, and so I keep my focus upon it.
I do not think Set’nef would lead us into danger. If his words are truth, then he is risking his own life. But he could be lying and playing games with us, and so I must be ready for anything.
We continue on, and to my surprise, it grows warmer. We are seemingly descending deeper into the maze of caves, and my skin prickles. If I were to lose track of Set’nef, I do not know if I would ever find my way back to the surface. The tunnels grow larger, the stone icicles disappearing, and now all is smooth around me, both floor and ceiling.
“Follow close,” Set’nef says, slowing his steps to glance back at me. “The caves here have been carved by the Fire River. We are approaching it, but it will not be dangerous as long as you follow me and step where I step.”
“Fire…River?” R’slind whimpers, holding tightly to my neck. “Am I being a baby if I say I don’t like this?”
I do not like it either. The only fire river I have seen is when the Great Smoking Mountain exploded and wept tears of fire down its surface…and most of the land (along with my people) was destroyed. The world smoked and the water boiled for a long, long time.
My nerves grow as Set’nef descends deeper into the smooth cave and the heat grows oppressive. I break into a sweat, and R’slind’s skin is slippery against mine. She makes a soft noise of distress as I hitch her against me again, adjusting her body along my back, and our wet skin glides against each other. My cock surges and my head fills with images of R’slind underneath me, her skin wet with exertion as I pound into her, and I have to pause to catch my breath.
Set’nef stops the moment I do. “Not much farther,” he promises. “I know it is hot, but do not be afraid. We will not approach the Fire River. We simply pass near it.” He touches one wall with the flat of one palm and then nods to himself. “This is my duty, as Wanderer. I make note of the tunnels and which ones are safe, as all Wanderers have before me. No one knows these tunnels as well as I do. With me, you are safe.”
He is confident, and as we turn down another tunnel, I see our path splits into two routes. In one direction, there is a basket turned over on its side in the center of the tunnel, and it is made of the same strange, glossy yellow that R’slind wears…and that Set’nef wears, as well. He moves to the basket and sets it upright, then retreats. “This is a warning marker. This tunnel is not safe right now. The Fire River creeps too close, and it shakes enough here that the basket has tumbled. We go around.”