Born of Shadow - Book 1 (complete)

Chapter 50

The workers had already returned to the cave. Now, as he stood at the entrance, Liam was surprised that there seemed to be no guard. It wouldn't be hard to post a shadow creature or two, or send some of the possessed men to secure the perimeters. Maybe this Shadow Queen was careless? Or more likely, maybe she knew that anything that entered the cave didn't have a shot of getting out. He swallowed hard.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he nearly gasped. He'd been caving and potholing with his friends, but he'd never seen anything like this. The stalagmites and stalactites that jutted from the floors and ceilings were milky white. As he walked past them, they shimmered with a pale yellowish sheen. He reached out to touch one, but instead of the clammy cold surface he was used to, the surface pooled beneath his fingers, as if the warmth of his hand was melting it. No, not melting it exactly. It was the consistency of wax. It had softened under his touch, but the molecules hadn't fully disbanded to form a liquid. He pulled his hand back. The wax solidified and he peeled it off his two fingers.

He wondered how it was possible. He touched the stalagmite again, this time with his whole hand, making an imprint in the surface. His hand began to sink in as before, the wax seeping up the sides of his fingers. He tried to wiggle them, but they barely moved. The wax was hardening around his hand. With growing panic, he tried to wrench his hand from the wax, but it was stuck fast. 

It reminded him of the tar baby in the Uncle Remus stories his mother used to read to him. He still had a vivid mental image of Brer Rabbit striking with one fist, then the other, then one foot, then the other, until he was completely stuck to the tar baby. If he weren't careful, he'd soon be as helpless.

Liam's entire hand up to his wrist was now encased in wax. By pulling his body back away from the stalagmite, he managed to keep his arm from being sucked in any more. But it still left him completely vulnerable. What if a shadow creature came through here? He remembered the woman at the library and her agonizing screams as her flesh burned under the shadow acid. What chance would he have if he were stuck here like a stupid fly in a spider web?

He heard a shuffling sound further into the heart of the cave. Something, or someone, was coming. He felt the panic setting in stronger, like icy air stealing the breath from his lungs. He pulled again and again until his energy was spent, but the hand wouldn't budge. He heard the noise again.

Liam took a deep breath and cleared his head. He stared hard at the hand. Pulling it wouldn't work, he was sure of that, but maybe there was another way. If only he had fire to melt the wax. Then he remembered. With his free hand, he fished in his pocket and pulled out a lighter. He flicked the lighter on and held it to his wax-encased hand.

Nothing happened.

Liam stared, stunned as he waved the lighter back and forth in front of his hand. He tapped the surface. The still cool wax hadn't melted in the slightest. Whatever it was, it wasn't normal wax; the heat from the fire did not affect it.

He slipped the lighter back into his pocket. He heard a crack. The shuffling noise was getting louder. Something was definitely coming. It wouldn't be long now. This had been a really dumb idea. He twisted and pulled until his arm felt like it would be pulled from its socket. Exhausted, he stopped. It was no good. He was stuck here, completely exposed. 

Unless, yes, that might work. 

Liam took his free hand and placed it directly over the other. As he hoped, the wax encasing his hand began to melt. He could feel the pressure on his fingers begin to give way. It was working. He leaned back, wiggling the stuck hand bit by bit, making sure to keep his free hand from being sucked in too far. 

He heard a loud thump. It was so close. Frantically, he touched one part of the hand, then another, melting with one hand and pulling with the other, until at last with a slight sucking motion, he pulled his hand free.    

Liam flew to the cave wall and flattened himself behind a particularly large stalactite. As he did so, he saw the shadowy figure of a huge black cat come into view. It looked like a panther on steroids, with its giant tail dragged on the ground, making the shuffling sound he'd heard earlier. He heard a clicking sound and looked down to see the creature wielded vicious claws. This thing could rip him apart in a heartbeat. 

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Quick announcement - my lovely friend @JessicaBFry is hosting a special "dinner party" to celebrate the Wattpad Class of 2014 hitting a collective million reads. If you have any questions about me or Born of Shadow (including the characters), please ask away on my message board or PM me by Sept. 6th. Short of spoilers, I will answer whatever comes my way.

The dedication for this chapter goes out to an awesome Born of Shadow reader @MarionAvalon! Her book "No Way in Heaven or Hell" is up for the Young Writers Prize, so click on the dedication link above and try to vote on at least the Prologue. Good luck Marion!