Grip of the Shadow Plague

"Keep still," Warren ordered, voice taut.

Although the huge chokepod did not touch any of the others, its passage stirred the surrounding pods in new directions. A pair of chokepods the size of basketballs nearly collided directly above Kendra’s nose, so close to her face that she expected both of them to brush against her skin and rupture. Instead, they drifted apart, missing her by a fraction of an inch.

Trembling, Kendra slowly inhaled, watching the cluster of chokepods above her leisurely disperse. A tear leaked from the corner of one eye.

"Well done, Kendra," Warren said, sounding relieved. "Roll to your left again and keep following the beam of my flashlight."

"Now?" Kendra asked.

"Sure."

She rolled over and inched forward, trying to calm her breathing. "Scramble forward quickly," Warren instructed. "You’ve reached a clear area."

Her elbows ached as she propelled herself rapidly across the cavern floor. The flashlight beam guided her right, then left.

"Slow down," Warren said. "Wait, stop, back up a little."

Kendra glanced up and saw a chokepod the size of a volleyball falling toward her head at a diagonal. It was definitely on a collision course!

"Don’t roll!" Warren warned. "They’re on both sides! Blow at it!"

Puckering her lips, Kendra emptied her lungs at the oncoming chokepod. The stream of her breath sent the dappled bulb veering off course.

"Lie flat!" Warren commanded.

This time she did close her eyes, waiting in the darkness for a chokepod to kiss her skin and burst.

"Okay," Warren said. "Almost there, Kendra. Squirm forward."

She opened her eyes and followed the beam to the rocky barrier at the edge of the hole. Warren was so close! He had her wait, and then scuttle over the rocks when the air was momentarily clear. Then he was helping her take hold of iron rungs bolted into the stone wall of the hole. Surprised to be alive, quivering in shock, she descended the rungs to where Gavin stood waiting.

"Sounded like you had some close calls," Gavin said.

"I hated it," Kendra admitted. "I thought I was a goner. I had to blow one away." "I b-b-blew three," Gavin said. "I got cocky and tried to hurry. Almost cost me. Maybe you should sit down."

Kendra plopped down with her back to the wall and drew her knees up to her chest. She still could not believe she had survived. A couple of times the chokepods had come unbearably close. She bowed her head, striving to steady herself. The adventure was not over yet.

Before she knew it, Dougan had descended the rungs and stood beside Gavin. "Could have gone my whole life without that experience." He sounded shaken. "I’ve been in some tight spots, but death has never felt so near."

Kendra felt relieved that she was not the only person who had found the experience of scooting across the cavern floor traumatizing.

"Isn’t the dragon our next major problem?" Gavin asked.

"According to Tammy," Dougan affirmed. "She’s been right this far."

That was when they heard an explosion, followed by Neil’s strangled voice crying, "Run!"

An instant later, Warren slapped to the ground at the base of the ladder. "Go, go, go," he urged, yanking Kendra to her feet. They charged recklessly down the uneven passageway, rounding several corners before they slowed.

"Are you all right?" Dougan asked Warren, placing an arm around his shoulders.

"I think so," Warren said. "I saw it coming, too many chokepods converging on Neil. I warned him, then started down just in case, leaving the flashlight propped up on the rocks by the top of the hole. When I heard the chokepod burst, I dropped, and somehow landed without spraining an ankle. I think we’re clear." Turning, he punched the wall of the cave hard enough to make his knuckles bleed.

"Y-y-y-y-you did well," Gavin told Warren. "If not for you, I wouldn’t have made it through the cavern."

"Me neither," Kendra said.

"We owe you," Dougan agreed.

Warren nodded, shrugging gently away from Dougan. "I owed Neil. He saved my skin. Dangerous place. Bad luck. We should keep moving."

The others followed Warren as the cave began sloping up for the first time. Kendra tried not to think of Neil lying inert in the cavernous room full of bizarre, floating bulbs. She understood what Warren meant about owing him. If not for Neil, she would be dead as well. And now Neil had lost his life.

Gavin shouldered past Kendra and Dougan, grabbing Warren. "Wait," he said in an urgent whisper.

"What is it?" Warren asked.

"I smell dragon," Gavin responded. "Time for me to earn my keep. If I can secure us safe passage, I’ll whistle. When you enter the room, don’t look at the dragon, especially not into her eyes."

"Her eyes?" Dougan asked.

"Smells female," Gavin said. "No matter what happens, don’t even consider attacking her. If things go wrong, run."

Warren moved aside. Gavin walked past him and around a corner. Warren, Dougan, and Kendra waited silently. They did not wait long.

An earsplitting screech rent the air, prompting all three of them to clamp their hands over their ears. A succession of roars and shrieks followed, seemingly too powerful to proceed from any animal. The only creature Kendra had ever heard make sounds at that volume was Bahumat, which was not a cheery thought.

The deafening bellows persisted, making the stone vibrate underfoot. To Kendra, the tumult sounded like a hundred dragons rather than one. Finally the clamor subsided, the silence now seeming much quieter than it had before. They uncovered their ears. A moment later, they heard a high, shrill whistle.

"That’s the signal," Dougan said. "Me first. Warren, hang back with Kendra."

Dougan took the lead, while Warren and Kendra trailed at a distance. Soon they saw light up ahead. Dougan switched off his flashlight. They reached the opening of a chamber so vast that Kendra had trouble envisioning how it could fit inside the mesa. The tremendous room reminded her of when Hal had described caverns large enough to contain an entire football stadium. She had assumed he was exaggerating. Apparently not.

The colossal chamber was lit by glowing white stones set in the walls, making Kendra recall the stones inside the inverted tower. The high roof was so far away, Kendra doubted whether even Hugo could throw a rock high enough to reach it. She and Warren watched Dougan, who proceeded farther into the room, surveyed the scene, then waved them forward. The room was wider and longer than it was tall. Some stalagmites rose over forty feet into the air. Although she knew she was not supposed to look, Kendra could not help shifting her gaze to Gavin, who stood fifty yards away, his back to her, arms and feet spread wide, facing a dragon perched above him on an oblong boulder. They appeared to be locked in an intense staring contest, both holding perfectly still.