If You Trust Me - An Onward Fan-Novel

◊ Chapter 30 ◊

Previously on Onward...

Ian and Barley follow Gedeon's clone into the Untold Caverns, where Ian continues to practice his Light Spell. After finding a geode and using it to add more light in their path, the brothers awaken a hungry giant spider—who attacks the teenage elves with his webs! But luckily, both Ian and Barley are saved by an unknown figure who escapes.

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◊ Machinations ◊

It was quiet between the brothers for a good few minutes as they walked along the once again narrowing cavern walls side by side. That was, until Ian noticed something and stopped in place.

"Uh...uh-oh."

"What's wrong?" Barley asked.

"We're not following the tracks anymore..."

"Wait, we aren't?!"

The older Lightfoot just had to see this for himself, and sure enough, his brother was right. The light cast from Ian's phone didn't show the clone's footprints—or any footprints for that matter—anymore.

"Oh, Gargamon's Tail...that's not good," Barley said at the sight of the missing prints.

Ian groaned. "So, let me guess, we're lost?"

"Don't panic, young mage. We'll find our way, I guarantee it!"

"But how? I mean...we can't just go back where we came from, unless we wanna run into that giant spider again...although—"

"Yeah, you're right, we shouldn't go back there. Besides, while we were fighting him, I kinda looked around the place to see if there were any other ways out, but this way we came...I feel like this was the only other way out."

"Weird..."

"So, in that case, I say we keep going. We're bound to run into Gedeon's hideout eventually." Saying this, the older elf stepped ahead and began walking down the passage again.

"Yeah, I guess so," Ian said. "But still, I wish we had our lead..."

Then he followed directly behind his brother, and they both continued wandering down their path, hoping to at some point run into something that had anything to do with their adversary.

But after a couple more minutes of silence, and for the younger elf a couple more minutes of deep thought, he spoke up and asked, "uh, you know, Barley...if...if the way we came is the only way out, then...won't that mean we'll have to face the spider again?"

"Yeah, we might," the older Lightfoot answered. "If he wakes up. But he'll probably let us go next time. All he really wanted was to keep us out of Gedeon's territory. Which...now that I put my finger on it, seems to be where we're going. It just has to be!"

"No, no, I believe you. I...I guess I was just wondering..."

"Yeah?"

"When we get the medallion back," the younger Lightfoot continued, "if we get the medallion back. What are we going to do with it?"

"What do you mean, 'what are we going to do with it'?"

"That's just what I mean, what are we going to do with it?" Ian emphasized. "Like, I-I know we're stealing it back from Gedeon and everything, but...that doesn't mean it's ours, either. Plus the fact that we now know what it does, and that it was stolen."

"Exactly, it was stolen! So we're going to give it back to the rightful owners."

"That's just it, though. Who are the rightful owners? I mean, it's not the Jewel Museum."