Kelfor (The Orthomancers)

Chapter 10

We are standing in a tunnel which is pitch black. I cannot even see the others. I grope around with my hands. I am relieved when I touch the warmth of another person.

"I had no idea you felt like that about me, Remeny."

I snatch my hands back. It would have to be Vannis!

There is a snicker in the dark. He pushes past me and moves away. "Do not be concerned. There is light further down the tunnel." Zivan is beside me now. I relax. She will know what to do. I don't. I am lost without the light, without my eyes.

"Just follow me," she whispers. "You can hold onto the back of my tunic if you wish."

"What about Kalyka?"

"Furian is holding her. She is safe."

We waddle along the tunnel. At least, I waddle. I think Zivan moves much as she usually does. Can she see in the dark? I strain my eyes. Can I?

The answer is no. I can see nothing. My heart thumps, even though I tell it not to. It ignores my instructions.

We walk on in this way for almost twenty minutes before I notice that there is some slight glimmer of light in front of us, enough to make a huge difference after complete blackness. I give a sigh of relief.

The light is some sort of phosphorescence. It is coming from the walls. I am relieved. It isn't really enough to see, but it does give you a glow that marks the limits of the tunnel. It helps us to go much faster. I breathe more easily.

Suddenly there is a shriek up ahead. Ammeline is standing in the middle of the tunnel shouting her head off.

"What? Ammeline, you nearly gave me heart failure!" Linnith's voice quavers slightly.

"They are insects!" I am close to her now. She is shaking. "I put my hand on one, and it moved! Ugh!"

Furian's voice is angry. "Then don't touch them!"

"They are crawlers! I don't want to be here. I want to go back. I won't go down any further! I won't!"

"You can't go back, Ammeline. What would you do? You couldn't get back up the stack on your own, and you have no food or water. Don't be so silly."

She hisses. "I am not being silly. We are all going to die down here. You don't even know if this is the way into Kelfor. I am going back, I tell you!"

Karith, who must have been leading the way, has returned down the tunnel. "Now what is the matter?"

Furian explains.

I can't see in the dark, but a sharp slapping sound gives a pretty clear picture. "Stop it!" Karith's tone is as sharp as the slap sounded. "There is no going back!"

Ammeline starts to cry.

Doven must have gone close to her, for she pushes him back harshly and he crashes into me, sending me to the ground.

"—And I don't need any help from you, unworn!"

Doven is helping me up, apologizing for my fall. He doesn't reply, but his hurt silence is eloquent.

"I want Koban! Why did you leave him behind? You had no right!"

Karith is shaking her now. "Stop all this fuss, Ammeline! We are in this together, and we have to go on. However much you don't like these glowworms or whatever they are, they are very useful to us. So why don't you stop setting up such a screech and start walking? The faster you walk, the sooner you are out of here."