Arwick (A Light Of Roria Sequel)

Chapter One

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

—John 1:5 (NIV)

Addisyn

Five days. That was how long we'd wandered the labyrinth caves, as Elijah had so fondly called them, in complete darkness. If it wasn't for the glowing flames of Elijah's, Jake's, and John's swords, as well as my blade, we'd be immersed in an eerie black.

The caves were at least eight feet high and approximately five feet wide, with jagged rocks and endless tunnels that seemed to lead to nowhere.

None of us knew which way would lead us out of the maze. We only hoped that by marking rocks to keep track of where we'd already been and using our senses to smell or listen for anything new, such as the sound of running water, the scent of pine trees, or spotting any light, we would be able to find an exit.

Sleeping had been nearly impossible. Huddling together, I tried to get comfortable on the rocky ground, but with each twist or shift of the body, I was met with another pointed rock to the back. Eventually I'd fallen asleep because of exhaustion, but it had taken forty-eight hours to get to that point. (Our entertainment as of late was checking Jake's wrist-watch for the time.)

After fighting dark elves, witnessing my first centaur, soaring the sky on the back of my own Pegasus, and fighting a giant bent on crushing me with a tree, dealing with the caves far surpassed it all. My patience was growing thin, and I knew it wouldn't be much longer before the tension among us all would magnify, and the tight walls that surrounded us would begin to shrink.

"Addisyn, you have not eaten any of your MRE," Elijah pointed out.

He was standing just to my left with his meals ready to eat in hand. Most of our supply, which John had provided, was chili with beans or chicken chunks and beans. Having eaten one or the other for five days, I was beginning to lose my interest in food. Still, Elijah had a knack for doing everything he could to ensure I was okay, and if I didn't give him a feasible argument, I wouldn't put it past him to force-feed me. It was also likely that Aasim would begin to worry. He'd remained just a few feet behind us drinking water and eating the oats John had packed.

"I'm a little tired of chili with beans. Maybe if I get hungrier, I'll finish this," I said with a smile, hoping Elijah would be satisfied.

"I would be happy to trade my chicken with you, if it would appeal more to your liking."

Sighing, I shook my head. "Keep it," I started out. "It's been the same two meals every day, and at this point neither of them sounds all that appetizing."

Staci abruptly cut into our conversation. "And I don't need anyone mentioning we should all be happy that we at least have food, okay?" She rolled her eyes. "Because I would have to agree with Adi here. Chicken and chili is getting a little tasteless."

John and Elijah had been clear once they'd realized where we were—that it could be weeks before we found a way out since there weren't that many exits to begin with.

The labyrinth caves had been a way for those escaping Arwick to enter the New World (or what I had always called Earth). When the caves were created, only those who had made them could navigate successfully without getting lost. It was a flawless design made to drive a person insane before eventually giving up or possibly dying of hunger and thirst.