The trek across the canyon floor was slow and nerve wracking, and Cassien kept one hand constantly hovered at the small of Naomi's back, prepared to catch her at any point. He scanned the ground thoroughly before guiding her across behind him - his heart hammered more in fear for her safety than his own as his eyes glazed over the unending pits of black that they passed.

Darius stayed close behind Kaelen and Radriel, deliberately inserting himself between them and everyone else behind him. More than once, he shot Cassien a look, as if to say: Are we still letting this go on?

Cassien had considered ending the charade himself, weighing the cons of finding the entrances himself; realizing that it most likely would get them lost or killed in the maze of the canyon in the face of his pride and caution. But Radriel had the key to finding the marker, something the rest of them didn't have the knowledge of.

The group crept along like rainwater trickling down a pane of glass in weaves and turns, Radriel halting in front of one of the entrances. The opening was wide - enough for them all to fit shoulder to shoulder - but past more than several feet in, it became as dark and unknown as the void. Thom loosened the leash slightly so that he could move more freely, but kept a tight grip on the end in case he tried to run. Radriel scurried around, craning around for every angle of the wall and seemingly at nothing.

"You know, if you would just tell us what the marker looked like, we wouldn't have to do this," Darius said in an annoyed tone. "I could clear the ground myself in a fraction of the time."

"But that's why you've kept me around so far, isn't it?" Radriel responded rhetorically, throwing him a crooked grin. "You need me if you wanna get through to the grotto… without getting lost in the dark forever, that is."

"And what makes you think we won't kill you once we get there?"

He shrugged, but Cassien could see his shoulders tense slightly despite the nonchalance of the gesture. "Honestly? Nothing. But I figure I'll definitely die early if I refuse to guide you turds, or I could at least extend my lifespan as much as possible. Who knows - maybe you'll take some pity on little 'ole Raddy?"

Thom snorted behind. "So you're gambling with your life."

Radriel's grin faded for a second. "Wouldn't you, if you were in my position?"

With no response, Radriel went back to scanning for markers with little luck. By the fourth entrance, the sun began to sink beneath the towering edges of the canyon, the only remaining light bouncing faintly off the canyon walls to barely illuminate the depths. The shadows stretched, and the group began to struggle with keeping an even footing on the ground with their dimmed vision. Naomi conjured an orb of radiance for each member, a hazy ball of gold shimmering above their heads and re-lighting the way.

By the sixth entrance, the vein in Cassien's forehead was visibly bulging with frustration - and just as the last string of patience was about to snap, Radriel let out a cheerful whoop, leaping up from a low crouch.

"This is it!" He cried out. "Found it!"

Darius strode over and peered down at whatever it was that signaled the marker, and found a single, bloody fingerprint. It was dried and crusted in a brilliant shade of red as if it were freshly pressed.

"A fingerprint?" Naomi frowned in confusion, bending over beside Darius to investigate.

"A fingerprint," Darius echoed, voice deadpan. He scowled at Radriel. "A bloody fingerprint. I could've found it before the sun went down if you had told us it was a fingerprint."

Radriel merely held up his hands in mock surrender. "Well, I needed some kinda leverage."

Before Darius could respond, Aryn stepped in between them. "Let's take a breath and remember there's still a ways to go, so this isn't the time for arguing."

Darius huffed, deliberately shoving into Radriel's shoulder on the way to the cave. The others followed behind shortly, the glow of Naomi's radiance lighting the way. It revealed the rough, sand-coloured walls that sloped similarly to the shape of a wide tube, narrowing down and forcing them to move in single file. Footsteps echoed into the claustrophobic path as it became more steep, and the warm air of the outside desert slowly sucked away and became colder, damper, more earthy.

Eventually, the walls of the cave stretched into an 'L' shape, its wide space inviting the group to rest their weary bones for the night. Naomi bloomed a dome of light in the centre, while Aryn busied himself with dividing out their dried rations. Thom and Cassien carefully surveyed the surrounding area and a part of the path that extended further downward, declaring that it was clear. Still, Thom volunteered for the first watch, his back flat against the stone to watch over the shadowed tunnels.

Just as Thom settled into his spot with a slice of dried apple inches from his mouth, he felt the nudge of his foot. He looked upwards to see Cassien hovering. "Get your own apple."

Cassien frowned. "I don't want your apple."

"Then why are you poking me?"

He cleared his throat, shuffling slightly. "You don't need to watch both sides of the cave. I've got the descending end."

Thom raised an eyebrow, slowly biting down on the chewy sweetness of the fruit without a single word.

Cassien nearly scowled in annoyance, setting his face back to neutrality forcefully. "Can you turn away?"

"I heard you," Thom responded casually. "I just wanna know why."

He said nothing, and Thom continued chewing, deliberately smacking his lips together for dramatic effect. The tips of Cassien's ears turned red, visible even in the dim lighting of the cave. "...Naomi and I would like some privacy."

"Ah," Thom grinned then, sly and victorious. "Why didn't you just say so? You rascal, getting down and dirty in a cave-"

"That is not-"

"Alright, alright, I'm turning away. I won't peek. Go on, but just know that you both sicken me," Thom laughed, his heavy voice bouncing off the cavern walls.

Pink still on his cheeks, Cassien made his way around the corner to Naomi - sitting cross-legged on the ground, her aura sparkling like a twinkling star amidst the navy hue of the cave. Their packs were laid out, neatly reorganized and wiped clean of the canyon's dusty residue.

She looked up as he approached, pushing back her hair. "Everything okay?"

"What makes you think it's not?" He responded - too quickly.

Naomi could scarcely hold back a smile. "Well, I was going to say 'because you're blushing', but add 'defensive' to that checklist."

Cassien slid in beside her, arms encircling her waist and pulling her against him. She giggled, pecking the sharp line of his jaw and running her hands through his hair. His breath tickled her neck, his voice a low whisper. "Careful, sweetness. Any more teasing and I might take you further away where no one can hear us."

Stolen novel; please report.

She held back a high pitched squeal as his hands fluttered over her ribs, light and tickling. They reveled in the brief moment of pure joy, pure bliss - as if there wasn't only danger and fear lurking beyond the depths of the canyon. The laughter eventually settled, and they held onto each other steadily.

"I wish we could go home," she admitted as she relaxed against him.

He kissed her hair. "As soon as this is done, we'll hide away for a few months. No dances, no nobles, no caves."

"Really?"

"Really."

She looked up at him through heavy lashes with a dark, sultry look in her eyes. "I think I'll hold you to that."

He leaned in and their lips locked in a tender dance; Cassien could swear that even if he conjured a blizzard around them, the feverish heat of their bodies would've been enough to quell the cold. He drew back slowly and traced the roundness of her cheek, a serious tone replacing the intimate mood.

"Naomi," he said quietly. "I don't trust what's coming up ahead."

Her response surprised him. "I know. I don't either."

"You're not defending-" Cassien turned his head to confirm that the others were distracted. "-Kaelen anymore?"

"She's not the same as before - when we were on the Ghost Ship, she would've never told me the things that she had back at the Mongoose. You can't just fake something like that."

Naomi's hand reached for his, holding it tightly. "I've been doing my own… reflections. I want to be merciful. I want to give people a chance. But I don't want to be naive, not anymore than I already have been."

He squeezed back. "You're not naive."

"Aren't I? This whole time, I've been pushing and pushing for you and Darius to hold back, to do nothing," Naomi responded steadily, keeping her voice low. "But what do I expect to happen once we come face to face with Alistair again? It might be me that has to make the move. And I have to be ready, too."

Her voice was almost hardened with an edge, a staggering contrast to the usual grace and gentleness that hummed naturally. A hollow, dull ache prodded in his chest, and for the first time, there was nothing Cassien could think of to say that would both be of comfort and an honest truth. So, he opted only for the truth.

"I'm sorry that you have to be prepared for such brutality. I wish I could do something to protect your peace."

She smiled sadly. "I think I knew it would come down to this. I just didn't think it would be so soon."

**

The night pressed on, watchful rotations switching every few hours so that everyone could steal a few blinks of uneasy sleep. By the time Naomi's turn came, the cave was silent, save for Thom's heavy snores echoing around the wall. It was mind numbingly boring, yet Naomi felt grateful for the uneventful watch. She lit tiny orbs of light that floated to the top of the cavern ceiling, enough to see if someone was approaching, but not disturb the others from resting.

Before her body relaxed and mind surrendered fully to the idle watch, she noticed the slightest twitch at the far wall of the cave where Thom was slumped against the wall. She almost dismissed it as nothing more than an involuntary jerk born from deep sleep; but at that very moment, she noticed the grey glint of something pointy pinching into frayed, worn bindings.

Radriel's wrist flicked upwards - and snapped free.

He had taken advantage of Thom's hulking size obstructing the view, and had curled inwards on himself, squirreling away at his bindings with a stolen iron nail.

"Stop!" Naomi cried out as she leapt to her feet, palm outstretched.

A beam of light shot out like a hurtling star towards him, and as if it were a curtain call, Radriel ducked into a seamless dodge with surprising acrobatic grace. It had all happened only within a fraction of time, yet the camp exploded into thundering chaos as the others surged to their feet, wide awake and weapons readied.

"What's-" Thom's voice was interrupted by a blur of black as Darius burst forward in a chase towards Radriel, who dashed towards the descending tunnel.

But rather than head into the path, he hung a sharp turn towards a fissure in the cave, barely wider than his narrow shoulders. He forced himself in, wriggling and grunting through with lanky limbs into a split portion of the tunnel that led to an entirely different path.

The canyon caves below, as he warned, was a labyrinthine maze.

"You piece of shit!" Darius snarled, plunging in after him, his lean body morphing into shadowed magic.

But Radriel was a fox who played dirty - just as Darius's upper body popped through the crack, a burst of grit and dirt was hurled into his face, blinding him. He howled in pain, shadow flickering and recoiling back into the original entry of the fissure. He clawed mindlessly at his face, desperately trying to remove the bits of debris from his vision.

"Darius!"

Naomi caught him as he fell back, using her body as support to bring him to the ground. Thom rushed over, fumbling for a canteen of water to flush the dirt from his eyes; Cassien's voice boomed out in a crescendo of curses as he tried to wedge himself between the gap, his shoulders too wide to fit through.

Darius swatted blindly, pain and humiliation roaring over all his senses that even briefly overwhelmed Aryn's hold. He flailed wildly, slapping the canteen out of Thom's hand and sending a spray of water against the walls. One hand caught Naomi's nose in a sharp crunch, and she yelped as brilliant red liquid immediately gushed from her nostrils. She reeled away as she dropped to the ground, hands flying re-actively to the agony that rushed through her face.

Aryn and Kaelen's face twisted in alarm, rushing beside her to staunch the flow of blood with whatever they had on hand.

"Darius!" Aryn shouted in heavy disapproval, but his attention was completely focused elsewhere.

"Fuck! Fuck! I fucking told you!" Darius turned on Naomi, voice cracking in complete fury. "You kept telling us to wait, to give him a chance! And surprise, he's gone! Are you ha-"

He didn't get to finish.

A blur of stark white and icy blue lunged at him before anyone even registered the movement, slamming Darius into the cave wall so hard that the impact rattled dust to rain from the ceiling. One heavy blow connected to his nose, another to his jaw. Darius saw stars before coming to, and evaporated into pure shadow, escaping from his grip. He slipped around Cassien's form like slick oil only to reappear behind him, white-knuckled fist flying towards the back of his head. But for Cassien, this was child's play - hand-to-hand combat might as well have been his first motor skills.

He feinted as coolly as a winter's breath, catching his fist mid-swing - frost burst outwards from his palm and solidified on Darius's hand and up to his elbow in the blink of an eye. Cassien forced his weight into Darius as his leg swung forward in a sweeping arc into his feet, using the combined momentum to smash Darius flat onto his back. Ice surged from his elbow and into the ground all around his body in a frigid outline, black shadow struggling against the glacial magic. The rogue thrashed against him, but it was no match against a mad wolf.

"If you ever lay a hand on her again," Cassien growled so low that it was nearly a gurgle, pressing him harder into the rocky ground. "I will end you. Do you understand me?"

Darius spat a congealed blob of bloody saliva to the side. "Get off of me."

"This can't happen right now. This is life or death, not a duel to defend your woman's honour," Thom coaxed from behind, thick hands resting on Cassien's shoulders, coaxing him back.

"Thom's right. We need to go," Naomi's voice cracked from behind.

The sound of her pleading voice sliced through the fevered heat of his anger, and Cassien released Darius with a shove. He went to her, heart broken at the sight of her already bruising nose as Kaelen carefully pressed a crumpled ball of fabric to soak the steady flow of blood. He went to comfort her, but Naomi held out a gentle hand.

"It's- I'm okay. I don't think anything is broken. Let me… let me try to heal this. You guys should go on ahead."

Cassien's jaw clenched, but it was Kaelen who spoke. "We can't waste another second. Radriel might not be as fast as some of us, but he's definitely going to reach Alistair first if we don't catch up."

"Who are you to act like you've been on our side all along?" Darius snarled, forcing himself up and jabbing a finger in her direction.

Aryn threw him a sharp look. "This isn't what we-"

"Cut the horseshit. We know that you knew Radriel from the very start, so just drop the act. What are we really walking into?"

For a moment she just stared at him, face shadowed and unreadable, while Naomi conjured a steady pulse of light near her face, the sting of her injury withdrawing. Cassien by her side at all times, but his icy gaze was focused on Kaelen's - and so was everyone else's.

When Kaelen finally spoke, there was a rare, apologetic note in her tone. "The fingerprint at the entrance wasn't a marker. It was Alistair's blood magic. He's known that we were here from the start - Radriel and I were supposed to lure you all to the grotto."

Naomi let out a sharp intake of breath, though she couldn't tell if it was from her nose or Kaelen's words.

"The grotto is real. His plan for ascension is real. But he needs the magic from your bloodlines harvested to do whatever ritual it is that he's planning."

Kaelen looked at Naomi, her face crumpled with a semblance of regret. "I went along with it at first. But I swear, at some point I didn't want to anymore. I don't want to anymore. I…. The time away from him, all the bloodthirst and the abuse - I don't want that kind of life anymore."

Her admission carried an impossible weight, but the second it was finally released, the heaviness slipped from her shoulders. It was the first time in a long time she had ever been so openly honest to not only another person, but to herself.

The relief was sweet and palpable, but it lasted only a moment; hurt and the twist of betrayal etched across Naomi and Aryn's face, and in that second, it hadn't been worth it to inflict such a horrible truth to the two people who had ever treated her kindly.

The truth had been revealed - her actions committed, and all that remained was consequence.

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