Fathom [On Hold]

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Seventeen: Infiltration

Morning comes all too soon, yet not soon enough. I awake first as usual, and open my eyes to find Jaycen sleeping beside me. I just stay there and look at him for a few minutes as what he has asked of me comes flooding back. Could I really do it? Could I really kill him if I had to? See him take his last breath and live with knowing that I was its cause?

But on the other hand, I know deep down that it is virtually his last wish and that if I care about him at all I should honor it. And I also can't stand the thought of him being tortured, or possibly even worse. 

It is the right thing to do. I know that. But people don't always do the right thing. 

Lethargically I stretch out my arm and place my hand on his shoulder, shaking it gently. Eventually he cracks open a bleary eye, blinking a few times before sitting up and stretching his arms over his head.

"Good morning," he says. 

"Is it?" 

"We'll know soon enough." He yawns and cracks his knuckles. I look over at Saoirse, still fast asleep. Outside the sun peeks over the horizon just enough to return color to the world. Everything seems strangely quiet, the telltale calm before the storm. 

This is it. It's time. 

I stand up and trudge over to Saoirse, gently tapping my foot to her side. She awakens shortly thereafter, looking up at me and saying nothing. Words needn't be exchanged, not now. 

All three of us get ready in silence, packing our bags and double and triple checking our belongings. We leave the cave and walk over to where the rock concealing the entrance is. Jaycen crouches down and pulls it free after a slight struggle. All three of us get down on our hands and knees, Jaycen first, Saoirse in the middle, and myself in the rear. 

It is a tight squeeze, and the confined space makes me uncomfortable. My palms become slick with sweat, and my teeth chatter slightly. Luckily it is not a long journey, and we are out in the big dome lined with torches in a few minutes. 

We stand only a few feet outside the entrance, trying to decide whether or not to move. I am filled with a sense of deja vu as I look around the large space, remembering a time where I was running away from this place instead of towards it. 

"Come on, this way," Jaycen says, leading us around the circumference of the circular room along the right side. "Keep your guard up. If you see anything, let me know." We follow him about half way around the side before he stops and begins feeling up the wall. I stand there and blink at him a few times, wondering what he thinks he's doing. After a bit he stops and puts his bow across his body, leaving both his hands free. 

"How good are you two at climbing?" he asks, turning to look at Saoirse and me. I'm not the most coordinated person in the world, but I've scaled a few trees in my time. When I was a kid climbing trees was one of my favorite things to do for fun. I started when I was seven and kept at it all the way up to the age of twelve, when I finally got what I had coming and fell off a big pine tree and hurt myself pretty badly. I was laid up in bed for about two weeks with a broken rib and badly sprained wrists and ankles. Ever since then I've learned my lesson and haven't climbed one since. 

But now, it's not exactly like I have a choice. 

Jaycen climbs up the wall first, placing his hands and feet into indents in the wall that I assume are made for uses such as this. He ascends about fifteen feet until he vanishes from my view. A few seconds later his head pokes out from above. 

"You go first," I say to Saoirse, and she doesn't argue. Shakily she climbs up the wall, taking about twice as long as Jaycen did. Even still, she doesn't fall.