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Kiara pointed into the massive hole. “What you seek is within the pit.”
Nadine started for the opening. She’d already braced herself against the rocks before any of us could move. “Well, are you coming?”
“My mate and I cannot accompany you,” Kiara stated. “We are important people in Malovia, and our absence will be noticed. We can’t risk alerting anyone of your location or what you might be doing, so we must go. We’ll come back for you at sunrise.”
“I’ll wait for you here in case something goes wrong,” Siona offered. “But I can’t stay long, so please hurry.”
“One more thing,” Alexei added. “These woods are full of monsters, some of which have made that cavern their home. Beware of the questing beast.”
“The questing beast?” Nadine asked warily.
“You will know it if you see it,” Alexei said. “Good luck.”
That was all he said before he turned and shifted into a griffin before our very eyes. One second a man was standing before us, and then feathers were everywhere, drifting down slowly to the forest floor. A massive bird stood before us, and I swore when he spread his wings, they were wider than The Hearse was long.
Alexei was an impressive creature, and he looked incredibly strong. No wonder the king had assigned him as a general in the royal army.
Kiara swung her leg over Alexei’s back and waved goodbye. Alexei then pumped his wings and took off toward the skies.
Nadine’s gaze followed them upward, but she looked skeptical, like she was trying to decide if they were leading us into a trap. She must’ve made up her mind to take that chance, because she turned her gaze back toward the rocks and continued her descent into the pit.
Grant leaned over to me. “It’s quite big; a dragon could fit through there. You don’t think this questing beast is that big, do you?”
“It doesn’t matter how big it is,” Nadine called up to him. “Do you really think it can take on seven witches?”
“The fae train their whole lives to hunt these monsters,” Grant argued, his voice rising several pitches. “If the fae haven’t killed the beast yet, what makes you think we can?”
Nadine shrugged. “Call it a hunch. We need to get to those Wands before the priestesses do, and nothing—not even a questing beast—is going to stand in our way.”
I started following Nadine downward. The incline was so steep I had to lower myself to my ass to shimmy down the rocks. “We can either stay out here talking about it, or we can enter the pit and see what we find. Besides, I don’t see any beast guarding the opening. Maybe it’s already dead.”
“Or out on a lunch break, hunting for its next meal,” Grant squeaked, shooting a glance around the forest.
Chloe smirked. “Then let’s get going before it comes back… unless you’re too chicken.”
Grant hurried to follow us. “No way.”
“Then we better get moving,” Professor Warren said as he helped Verla down the rocks.
The cats moved with agility, jumping from rock to rock until they were the ones leading the way. Verla guided her witch light in front of us, illuminating the rocky sides of the cave. I could’ve sworn her witch light looked dimmer than it should have, as if the darkness inside the pit fed at it.
Nadine and I helped each other down the slope. The rocks were loose, and I nearly lost my footing more than once. Pebbles tumbled around us as we gently maneuvered onward, the sound echoing off the rock around us. The temperature dropped several degrees as we traveled deeper underground.
Eventually, the tunnel floor evened out, until we could walk upright without using our hands to steady ourselves. We must’ve been walking for half an hour, and we’d seen nothing but rocks and dirt. There weren’t any other tunnels branching off from this one. The tunnel ahead seemed never-ending.
“This has to be some sort of joke,” Grant said, his voice echoing off the cave walls. “I bet the fae are laughing at us right now. There’s nothing here.”
“I’m sure if journeying to the Abyss was quick and simple, the fae would’ve found a way to utilize the realm to their advantage,” Chloe said. “We just have to keep walking.”
“Hang on, what was that?” Talia asked, pointing ahead.
Verla narrowed her gaze ahead. “It looks like the tunnel widens.”
“Not that,” Talia said. “I thought I saw something… sparkle?”
Verla shifted her witch light, and I caught sight of something in the distance, as if reflecting off water…
Or eyes.
