The Bewitching - Midsummer Aine - Book 2

Chapter 12 - Danger Inside the Mountain

The cave was dark and cold except for the small glimmer of light from a fire, made of dried leaves and wood he had found, rustling in the corner. Dantes had stayed by Dewdrop's side as she laid unconscious for well over a day since the ordeal of the attack, and his own failings to control himself. Several times he had found himself getting anxious to go for help, but they were trapped. His scream of rage at the sight of what he had done to her had caused a cave in.

On the outside, lying in wait behind the cover of boulders and debris, was the Wendigo and his pack of Waheela. It had been a few hours since the clawing outside the cave had ceased as it had done several times over the past day, before once again resuming. The Wendigo and his pack obviously had no intention of letting them escape. There was also no telling of how much farther they had to dig before they finally broke through.

The only other possible way out was through the cave filled with untold dangers, and that was assuming there was another exit somewhere deeper in its depths. Several times Dantes had debated exploring ahead but he feared leaving her alone for even a few minutes, and she was too injured to risk moving. He had done his best to keep her warm, wrapping her abdomen with his shirt, and placing his coat over her body. He had nearly frozen from the cold, but it was a small price to pay for what he had done.

He was thankful her injuries weren't nearly as bad as he had first feared. While the gashes had been deep, none of them had hit any vital organs. The result was a lot of blood, but nothing life threatening, at least not in the short term. At the same time, she wasn't going to heal if they lingered here much longer.

The scratching noises from outside suddenly started up again. They seemed much closer than they had been before, so close that Dantes became worried. He had to think of something, and he had very little time to make that decision. He glanced down at the still unconscious Dewdrop, and then to the darker reaches of the cave. It seemed to be his only choice.

He grabbed several sticks laying about and stuffed them into the backpack with the rest of the camping gear Dewdrop had brought. Then, taking the longest stick of the bunch, lit the end from the small fire before harnessing it to the backpack and slinging the pack over his shoulder.

As carefully as he could, he then lifted Dewdrop up into his arms and cradled her almost lifeless like body against his own. A soft moan escaped Dewdrop's lips as she winced in pain. In some ways hearing her was a relief as it was the first sound she had made since the injury. He could only hope that they would escape this ordeal alive so that he could hear her sweet voice once again.

He carried her as if she was a delicate and precious piece of glass, down into the depths of the narrow passage. The small amount of light from the torch barely lit anything farther than several feet ahead of them and he was slowed even more by the need to to be cautious with every step. There was no telling what dangers were hidden in the shadows.

It took him several minutes to make it a few hundred yards as the cave twisted and weaved through the mountain, several times branching off in different directions, of which half lead to dead ends. Shortly thereafter a rumble echoed through the caverns, although Dantes wasn't sure from where it had come. Either something sinister was waiting ahead, or the Wendigo and his Waheelas had finally made it through the rubble and were in pursuit.

"Where are we...?" Dewdrop's weakened voice floated through the air to Dantes' surprise, stopping him in his tracks.

"We're in the cave."

"...ca..cave?" she stammered, her voice weak and sounding as if she was in a daze.

"...Where the Wendigo attacked us. We ran into the cave where the book's located, and I...." His voice trailed off. He didn't want to remind her of the horrible events that happened afterwards.