Stone Sacrifice ✔️Chronicles of Grey BOOK ONE [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twelve

"Where do we go? Which way to the gate?"

"I think that way." I pointed left.

Arion turned sharply. "You think?" He hissed.

"I was told that this level had been changed so drastically during the battle that the chances are, the map was useless." I grimaced. "I was also told that if I found myself in this level, it didn't matter if the map was perfect or not because I would never make it out anyway."

He looked like he was about to strangle me and I didn't blame him. Rian touched my shoulder gently and made a motion with his hands, then tilted his head. His face looked worried but not angry.

I answered his question. "The nearest gate is about six hour away."

He grimaced but made another motion. Stairs?

I shook my head.

"So we're dead." Jaz said simply.

I shook my head then rubbed at it. "No, no, I just need to think."

"Go ahead, take your time, we'll just sit here and watch the beasts come."

If it hadn't been Aitch that said it, I would have felt insulted.

I sighed. "The level above us has four gates in this general area. If we can find an old werm hole to climb or a collapsed area of the ceiling, we can reach a way out. Maybe even find a place to fix ourselves up." I wasn't the only one with injuries, though my glove was filling with blood in the most alarming way. I held it tight to my chest and put pressure on it as I spoke. "There's even a gate that leads to-"

There was a roar and no more words were spoken as a beast leaped from the shadows. Arion ducked and twisted while Aitch dropped the axe down on the beasts head. It fell instantly, but looking at the creature - like a mountain lion but with black scales and a head much too narrow to be a cats... I had no idea what it was.

I would ask later. For now, we started moving silently.

It was easy to tell it was a dungeon within moments. Iron cages, still solid, were lined up in a row, some with chains, many with bones still inside them, or pieces of bones. We saw a grumplin on the ground waiting for us but Jaz shot it with an arrow before any of us could warn the other. A snake as thick as my neck and longer then double of me hissed and reared back its head in warning from inside one. We backed away carefully and it didn't bother us any further.

Another grumplin.

I was almost starting to relax. Almost starting to feel like this wasn't as bad as we had thought, that maybe we would make it to the gate. Sure, we'd probably come across something else dangerous, but as it was, this wasn't too bad.

Of course that was when all hell broke loose.

It's when you feel safe that you are in the most danger.

Yes, Jovian, I have definitely learned my lesson.

The chill broke through my body violently, and for a moment, I didn't understand what had caused it, but then, just as quickly, I knew.

Ghosts.

And if there was enough magic for the ghosts of men, there was enough for the ghosts of beasts.

I grabbed Arion's arm and shook my head at him frantically, not daring to mouth a single word, motioning back to the way we'd come. We would find another way around.

But he hadn't felt the ghost walk through him and so was confused and more alert at the same time, searching the shadows for something that I had seen that he had not.