Stone Sacrifice ✔️Chronicles of Grey BOOK ONE [COMPLETED]

Chapter Twenty-Six

No one said run, we simply moved so quickly up the side I felt like I was flying, then was set on my feet and Arion was grabbing my arm and yanking me down the narrow passage which we had to crouch in. Already, Jaz was shooting arrows and I heard Aitch's ax hitting something solid.

We raced. It was a race against hundreds. The tunnel was less than fifty twigs long, but it felt so much longer, the run almost dream-like.

Then there was the climb down.

Arion went down first, which surprised me, but that gave me the chance to turn and see a sight that would haunt me for a long time.

Jaz was right next to me, shooting her bow in quick succession, sometimes two or three at a time without a pause in between, her face fierce and determine and filled with pain at the arrow sticking out of her arm.

Ahead of her stood Aitch. His massive bulk crowded the tunnel and yet he swung two axes with ease, cutting off a head, a leg, and arm and blocking arrows with it like a shield at the same time, while Jaz shot those arrow over his shoulder, under his arm, between his side and the wall.

But next were the goblins.

They crowded each space. Even as one fell in death, another was there keeping up the hole, surging forward as one like a wriggling mass of a wall. Some arrows shot out, but most just surged forward as they crawled on all sides of the passage, some crawling on the ceiling above the mess on the ground and knocking heads with the ones on the sides. More seemed to crawl or cling to those so that they were using each other to move forward, and even as they did this, even as they went over their own bodies, they screamed and snarled masses of sounds that were of triumph.

Min! They shouted most with glee. Dah min!

Meat! Meat to eat!

Then I was going down the ladder.

I understood shortly after why Arion had gone first, despite his protective instincts usually keeping himself between me and danger, because when Jaz and Aitch leaped onto the ladder above me, that left no defence to the goblins and the creatures spread out of the tunnel onto the walls like a swarm, shooting as they went. One struck me in the arm and the shock of the pain on the crumbled, awkward stone ladder had my fingers slipping and I was falling back.

Arion caught me quickly and with a grunt, then set me on my feet.

And we were running again, but this time I could see where to go and we were so very, very close.

The centre ring had been used as a place for balls and dancing. Unlike the rest of the maze, this area had been filled with beautiful marble flooring so no dance would be hindered. Now it was cracked and scattered with a thousand bones, this was where they brought their dead, this is where they brought their food. This was the centre of their territory and from this there was no escape...

Except for one place.

In the centre stood what was once a beautiful and elegant statue of Queen Belera, the first in the royal line that had been marked by the Grey Stone. It had been she whom had found it, and she whom was the oldest ancestor I knew of. She was holding her skirts in one hand which twirled out, lifelike around her, and had one arm raised as if being spun in a dance by an invisible companion. I knew this because I had seen drawings of this statue, but I would never guess it now.

Pieces had been broken off of her face and feceis as well as the clothes of the dead hung off of her as if these creatures had defiled her on purpose. No longer did she look like she was dancing but as if she were running away from something terrible, her hand raised as if to reach for help, her mouth open in horror instead of laughter.