The Network ( Book One of the Grounders Series )

14

I clasp the edge of the crack so tightly that my knuckles blaze white.

Cicada is evenly balanced on a ledge, standing inches from the water. She kneels down, her back pressing against the stone. She dips her hand into the water.

I wince unconsciously but she's not whisked away by the force of the water.

"The rapids aren't as rapid as we thought," she says, shaking the water droplets off her hand and extending an arm to me.

I reach out and help her out of the crack. She walks along the ledge, all the way the the wall of the cavern.

"There is enough under the wall, that if we get into the water, we can ride under the wall without having to hold our breath," she says, gesturing to the foot of space between the river and the wall.

She wants to ride the river beneath the ground to wherever it goes to. She will to sail into the unknown recesses of hell, just to save the people she loves.

"I don't see any other option," Rox says. I look at Jonah, who tries to hide his fear but is failing. I'm not sure what Joss is doing, standing idly behind Rox. I settle on the assumption that he's better at controlling his emotions than Jonah.

"I'll go first," I say.

I slide over the edge, my feet landing on a tiny ledge. I test the water before getting in. It's not as cold as I thought it'd be. I unlaces my boots, hoping to keep them as dry as possible. I pull them off, my bloody feet reek.

The tiny cuts all over my body from the glasslike gravel in the pit sting as I leap into the water. Nonetheless it's refreshing.

I flail around for a second but quickly catch onto floating. I keep my feet and my shoulders lined up, the water moves swiftly but at least if doesn't tear me apart. Maybe the rock down here is more fragile the the stone making up everything in the Network.

I hold onto the rock above me, waiting as Cicada gets in the water after me. She follows my lead, except she wraps her legs around my ribs so we don't get separated. The other do the same until we have a five person link. Once we are ready I let go of the stone and we plunge into darkness once again.

At first our pace is slow, but it picks up as the dips and turns begin. My shoulders scrape painfully against the stone walls.

Miraculously, my heart swells with pride. The thrill is riveting. It feels as if I'm riding a...a...waterslide.

Images of blue tunnels flash through my head. A stream of water runs down the length of the tunnel. In my mind's eye, I see a person inside, riding along the slippery interior on a squishing round O. A lot of skin is showing on the woman, an unpractical amount. Only thin pieces of fabric cover up her womanhood. Her skin is much darker than normal, more orange.

The image fades as quickly as it came. It happened so fast that I'm not even sure I saw anything. I push the thought away and focus on not hitting my head on the stone above.

The river dips dramatically, sending my completely under water. I thrust my boots into the air, praying they aren't soaked.

My muscles are starting to ache, and who knows how long we'll be riding this.

When I'm finally above water, I choke the water from my lungs and suck in a large breath. Only once have I been forcibly held under water, and that was not with the pressure of more water surrounding me, nor was a inescapably trapped.

I remember the day Carter died. How he attacked me in the bathrooms, he held me under water while I was naked and defenseless, his scream as the Dragon turned his mortal blood into ichor, how it poured out from under his eyes, out his ears and mouth.

I am forced under again, cutting off my train of thought. I struggle to keep my shoes above water as my head sinks deeper.

I could drown you now, the Dragon says, one of the worst deaths a human can suffer.

Relief floods my mind and heart when I am thrust back into the air. But that doesn't stop the feel from plaguing me. He could kill me now and he hasn't yet. Why?

We float for hours. The ache in my muscles has penetrated my bones, making me feel as if my entire body could crumble any second now.

Then, as if on cue, we are all pulled beneath the water, but we are no longer in a current.

My backside scrapes stone and I know we've made it out of the river.

I burst from the water, choking. The others are doing the same.

My heart sink when I notice I failed at keeping my boots dry.

Once we have all calmed, and the water is out of our bodies, I look up, immediately wishing I hadn't.

The cavern's ceiling is at least six hundred stories above us. Circular opening cover the wall, there are millions of them. Each cell is full of a swarm of a million bees each.

I remember that line from the Prophecy of Darkness.

The Drangon shall rise, unless the unseen sees.

Or life will become a swarm of bees.

I'm guessing the "seer" hasn't seen much yet. I'm also guessing that we are all going to die.