Underland by Chanda Hahn

Author:Chanda Hahn [Chanda Hahn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Chanda Hahn
Published: 2016-04-05T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 15

Ten feet in it was pitch black.

Her eyes didn’t adjust right away, so she ran as far as she could and then found a sidewall, feeling along the cold stone until she found an outcropping. Kira made herself as small as she could and pressed herself into it. She closed her eyes and counted.

She listened: to others running by her, to their cries as they found other runners, or as they stumbled about in the darkness.

It didn’t take long for her human eyes to adjust. She was used to sorting out shapes in the darkness from living on the streets. She stayed to the side and tiptoed. Moving, freezing, then traveling farther into the blackness. She didn’t know how long the tunnel went, but it dipped down so low that all natural light from outside was disappearing.

From where she stayed, she could see that the rocky tunnel was wide, about thirty feet across. A few runners had spread themselves across the middle and were intercepting others that tried to pass by them.

Chaz stood in the middle of them, his feline eyes probably easily seeing in the darkness.

Kira pressed herself to the wall—mud-covered side out—and tried to keep herself moving, using large rocks and stalagmites as cover. Sounds of a huge scuffle filled the air as she passed the middle of the tunnel. She winced but refused to look.

The stronger teams were now fighting against each other.

Kira made it past the midway point before Chaz noticed her. She was grateful that he was feline and sight-oriented, not driven by scent. When he did see her, he looked like he was about to come after her, but a blind runner practically plowed into him.

She took off, hugely grateful for the distraction and the time to put distance between Chaz and her. When she stumbled back into the light, she was surround by a forest of giant crystals that jutted at odd angles out of the ground and walls. Natural or unnatural, it was still a sight to behold. Oh, she wanted to touch it. Her hand moved on its own, closer to the crystals. Closer.

Someone came crashing off the path in front of her. He was screaming at her, and she turned to see a wild-eyed champion in gray. He plowed over her and she fell backwards, his body landing on top of hers. His pupils were dilated and practically spinning in hollowed sockets. He was foaming at the mouth. Ferb had warned her these were like the small ones in the cavern. The ones that made humans crazy.

If that was the case, then…was he some sort of a halfling?

How would she make it through?

She pushed him off and rolled to her knees, staring at the crystal in front of her. It was very pretty. So pretty.

She dragged her eyes away from it, and they ached from the effort. But she couldn’t stay where she was. She had to keep moving.

Gritting her teeth, Kira continued into the crystal forest. She’d have to keep her eyes on the ground.

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