A tarot reader aids a mysterious man who believes she is the only one who can help him return to his true home in the eerie Manaan caverns where they must fight the natural and supernatural to stay alive.
*****
Maxine Shepard is a tarot reader who h...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Blamore entered the oddly shaped crevice first. He bent and warped his body to adjust to the twists and curves of the space. I followed the glow of the flashlight, focusing solely on getting through this part of the journey without much incident.
But I knew better.
No more than a few minutes into the process, the first rumble shook the stone surrounding us. The subtle tremble had me on guard as we moved sideways between the stone, sliding our backs against the wet rock.
The path became tighter, narrower, and I tuned out the feeling of restriction by replaying memories of Jace, his dirty blond hair, sea blue eyes, and his desperate pleas.
"I need your forgiveness." He squeezed my hand. "Please forgive me for hurting you. You were my best friend and I know I blew it."
The sting of warm tears rolled down my cheeks as I forced myself to relive that instant, to return to the moment that could forever haunt me if I didn't find a way to release.
"I made a mistake and I'm learning from it. Didn't you used to say all things happen for a reason? Even bad things happen for us to learn from the experience, right?"
Oh, how he was right. "I'm sorry, Jace," I whispered to the wall that nearly caressed my lips. We continued moving sideways, inching our way toward whatever lay in the darkness ahead. The skin on my back stung with every movement. I grit my teeth at the pain but knew it was a necessary consequence of survival.
With each passing second, I anticipated one of two things; Blamore was going to finally exit the crevice, bringing us to the end of our torture, or the much-dreaded quake would throw us into a similar repeat of the moment we loss Jace. I feared yet anticipated the latter.
"Are we close?" I called to Blamore, focusing on the light surrounding him.
He slowly continued making his way through the slim passageway. "Not sure."
Anxiety rapidly built within me and my shallow breaths quickened. "We're gonna be in here when the quake comes."
"No, we're not." Blamore pressed on, shining the light at our feet. "There's no quake."
I knew the scenario like the back of my hand. If we were returning to where we began, following a similar path, chances were that we would encounter a similar ordeal and nothing could prepare me for it.
"I feel it, Blamore." I hissed as the uneven surface at my back rubbed my skin raw. "I know it's coming."
"Here's a positive to keep you focused, we're close." Excitement amplified his voice and his words echoed from the room ahead of us. "I can see the end!"
His wavy, damp hair and strong shoulders were the only things in sight, and that wasn't enough to take away my fear. When the stone at my back vibrated, the pain awakened my senses. "The quake," I cried. "It's happening again!"
