Apprentice

Chapter 14: Too close for comfort

Tia's POV

I've never felt more afraid than I have now. Looking back, I can just about make out the edge of Ridgedog's cloak poking out of a bush a long way away. Zig-zagging through the trees in a desperate attempt to hide myself, I clutch Liam tighter as I finally come to a stop next to a waterfall. My eyes spy a cave just hidden behind the heavy flow of crashing water. Floating slowly, I phase through the water, carrying Liam with me so we don't get wet. "Crap, I left my hoodie" he mutters as I gently place him on the floor. I look down at myself and groan. "And I left my cape..." We look at each other nervously before quickly climbing inside the rocky cave. 

The groan of zombies and hissing of spiders makes Liam draw his sword from his belt. I shake my head at him. "Leave it up to me, we don't want to cause a riot." I whisper, clicking my fingers. Both of us go invisible and a zombie passes by us, unaware of the two of us stood here watching it. Liam can't see me, but I can see him. Gripping his arm tightly, I tug him further in to the cave, hissing at him to be quiet when he whines as he passes blocks of iron and coal. Finally, we reach the edge of a towering ravine. Looking down, I almost fall over when I hear the clatter of rocks echoing in the cave behind us, and Liam and I pin ourselves instantly against the wall as Ridgedog flies down into the cave.

His hair is messy and very untidy, and he is clutching my cape as if it was an amazing treasure. "Tia?" he calls out, peering down into the ravine. I let out a quiet breath of air before reaching over to pinch Liam's nose to make him stop breathing. He takes in a quiet breath of air through his mouth before continuing to stare at the demigod in front of us, way too close for comfort.

His head suddenly snaps towards where we are standing. I freeze, and resist the urge to tremble and shake in fear. His eyebrows furrow and he leans in close, inhaling. My eyes widen-he would recognize my smell from the cape. He leans in further, smelling the air. He glare suspiciously at the seemingly invisible air, reaching out a hand and striking it out quickly. 

Thank Notch he missed my shoulder barely and hit the rock wall with a thunk. 

He looks uncertainly at the wall, then lifts up my cape to smell it again, getting used to my scent, no doubt. He really was like a dog, hunting me down via smell. At that moment, a zombie chooses to cause a rock to fall as he clambers out of the cave causing Ridgedog's head to snap away from us and fly quickly out of the cave. 

Grabbing Liam tightly, I take off into the air, and dive down into the ravine, weaving my way through a mineshaft. making sure he wouldn't find us. Breathing out heavily when we hit a dead end, I turn off our invisibility and slump against the wall, panting with relief. I'm shaking all over. That was too close. "Oh god" I groan, wiping my forehead and trying to stop the shaking in my arms. Liam swallows, trying to calm himself down too. "That was way too close...too close..." he repeats, shaking his head. "Tell me about it" I groan, swallowing too, letting out a deep breath. 

Slowly, I get up from the wall, my legs like jelly. Stumbling over to the dead end, I grab Liam's pickaxe from out of his bag and begin to mine into the wall, digging out a small den for us. Liam sits in the middle, starting up a campfire using the iron in his bag, flint from gravel in the mine and some wooden sticks. Blocking up the entrance by using gravel, as well as scattering gravel round the outside to make it look believable, I phase through the wall, dusting my hands of gravel and sititng down, grabbing some food from outside of his bag.

"We're running out of food already." I murmur, trying to spawn in some food, but it backfires. Biting my lip in confusion, I frown at my hand. "I guess I have a limit. I'll probably be able to use this power in a few days..." I guess, biting into an apple. "I would of had more food if you hadn't come along..." he mumbles, stretching out his sleeping bag. "I'll get some more tommorow" I reply, rolling my eyes. Leaning backwards, I toss the core and stem of the apple into the fire, watching the fire crackle as it burns.