Part 2

Beads of sweat form on my brow as a torrent of blue fire cascades across my arms, blasting the inky Shadow Monsters attacking us. Recoiling at my flame, some disintegrate into the rock, but the stronger ones remain. The creatures remaining only flinch, alerting me to their strength. But there’s only one thing that can strengthen them.

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Keeping up my attacks, I search the cavern for onyx-like crystals. I’ve only seen them once and know from the experience how difficult it is to spot them. “Find the Shadow Crystals.”

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Molly gasps beside me, her stray blond hair from her ponytail partially cover face. Even in her disheveled state, she’s beautiful. And I wish she was safely away from here.

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“What is it?” I ask. The monsters continue their attack, not giving us a break.

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“I think I know where the crystals are?” Her voice wavers as she lifts her hand off the jagged outcrop beside her, revealing several tiny sinister black crystals.

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My heart sinks when she holds her hand to me, revealing the otherworldly black ooze snaking its way across her arms. I can’t let Molly die, nor anyone in this cave, but especially her. After losing her dad to these creatures several years back, I can’t let them take her too.

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“Blake, call for backup,” I command, while my flames flow freely, fortifying the shield. Once I’m sure the others can handle the onslaught, I quench my fire, then focus on the girl that has captivated me for nearly a decade. She pulls away when I try to take her arm, shaking her head as she backs away.

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“Molly, let me heal you before it’s too late.” I don’t know if I can heal her this time, but I have to try.

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The black tendrils spread. Her body shakes from the coldness they unleash. I know all too well what it feels like to be entrapped by them. The last time I encountered the Shadows, I nearly died. And if it wasn’t for her father sacrificing himself for me, I wouldn’t be here now. Since that time, I vowed I’d protect her. Which is why I gave her my necklace instead of the one from her father. The irony is, until now, no one noticed what I had done.

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My flames dance across my fingers the closer I get, waiting to destroy the blood of the Shadows before they consume her. Just as I’m about to grab her, a creature slams against the shield behind her, taking it out. It screeches as it lunges for her.

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In one movement, I hurl my flame at the beast with one hand, while wrapping her in my arms with the other. The thing squeals, its voice echoing against the gray walls. Another monster jumps at us, and I pull Molly to the ground as it sores over us. When I look up, Nora blasts it away, disintegrating it into ash before running to our side.

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She rushes to my side. “That was stupid. She’s infected.”

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“Just get the shield back up.” I pull Molly up with me, and she tilts to the side. “Then help me heal her.”

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“You’ve got to be joking,” she complains as she fortifies the shield with her white flames. “We don’t have time for this.”

Cradling Molly in my arms, I set her near the tree. The darkness reaches for her neck as she shivers. Being this close to multiple fire wielders, burning as brightly as the sun, she should be dust right now, and she shouldn’t be shivering.

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There’s more to her than people give her credit for, including me.

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“It’s too late, we need to move the tree,” Nora complains.

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I glare at her and point at Molly’s crystal necklace. “You know what that is. And you know there is only one way to bond with a Sky Crystal, especially that one. If she turns now, those creatures will take it, and it will only strengthen them. Now, are you going to help me heal her or not?”

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She glances at the monsters, then the tree, and back at the necklace. On a good day, Nora isn’t the most compassionate person, so I only hope logic will persuade her now.

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“Fine.” The tall brunette girl crouches beside me as a war rages all around us. “But at the first sign this doesn’t work, I’m killing her, taking the thing, and getting the tree out of here.”

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I shake my head, knowing she’ll never be capable of touching that stone, and mutter, “You could try.”

Molly recoils from my flames, a side effect of her infection, but I press on. As soon as my flames spread across her arms, she cries out, bucking off the ground. Nora pins her down, adding her white flames to the mix. Between the heat intensities of our flame, the black tendrils retreat from her body, turning into a black ooze onto the ground. But I know the fight isn’t over, because the infection is inside.

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More shadows enter the cavern, weakening my friend’s shield. If we don’t heal Molly quickly, we’ll never get out of here, but then if we linger too long, we might die anyway. It’s now more than ever that I hope I don’t come to regret giving her my Sky Crystal. If everything my mother told me is true, it’s the one thing the Shadows need to regain their full power.

With a deep breath, I press my bright flames to reach further, stitching the tissue that has died on the inside. I’ve distanced myself from the beautiful girl I swore to protect because I don’t deserve her. And now, I might lose her for good.

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Tears stream down my cheeks as I concentrate on my task, my fellow Rylari roaring around us, trying to keep the tide of darkness away. This can’t be the end of us—the end of humans. The people who tried to save us so long ago worked too hard to keep us alive. Without them, we wouldn’t have survived. 

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With exhaustion creeping in, I push my flame further, and hotter than I’ve ever achieved before. This must work. We must drive them away. I must save Molly.

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“Stop,” Nora screams beside me, but I don’t listen. I press on because I feel the withering tissue fighting against me.

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Just as I’m about to collapse, a deafening blast brings me to my senses. The cave shakes, and the stones above us start to crumble, leaving the Shadows scrambling, morphing into their cloudy state.

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“Oh no,” I say, my voice weak from the exertion.

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“We need to go.” Nora grabs my arm, but I push her off.

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“I’m not leaving without her,” I cradle Molly in my arms.

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“We need your flame, Pierce. Let Blake take her.” Nora pleads with me with intent eyes.  

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As I glance at the sapling, I realize she’s right. “Fine.”

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Carefully, I pass Molly off to my friend. “Keep her safe with everything you got.”

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He nods, then rushes to the entrance, careful to stay within our shrinking bubble of protection.

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“Grab the sapling, Nora,” I command as I lift from the other side. With our combined flames, we can keep a shield around it but won’t be able to extend it far. Not without the devices my uncle developed. I can only hope our reinforcements get here soon.

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The inky creatures pursue us in our retreat as we plunge into the tunnel that leads to the surface. We have no choice but to run for it as fast as we can. With dozens of fully formed Shadow Monsters chasing us, I’m not sure I can save anyone.

I never liked this plan, taking the Sapling so close to the Shadow Caves, but the Elders didn’t listen. Their insistence on this plan puzzles me. People have been unknowingly replaced before. Of course, I don’t know for sure, but if we survive this, I won’t stop until I find the truth.

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The further we run, the heavier the sapling becomes. It takes all my strength just to keep it upright as we clamor through the narrow passageway. When the pathway suddenly splits, my friends hesitate.

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“The narrow path,” I yell, not stopping my pace. Though it’s shorter, it takes us too close to the Shadow’s lair. From our glitching shields, I can tell all of us are nearly spent.

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I duck under the low ceiling; my muscles shake as I lower the glistening tree. Once on the other side, I take a chance, glancing at Blake and Molly. The tendrils are mostly gone, but I can already see the patches of ashen flesh left behind.

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“Where’s the backup?” Nora asks through clenched teeth.

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“I don’t know,” Blakes replies. “They should have found us by now.”

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His words are sobering as dread pools in my stomach. The entire labyrinth of caves was filled with people today. It was a mandatory ceremony for all humans—both Glyzul and Rylari. Fire Wielders should have been stationed at every intersection, maybe even doubled or tripled near the Shadow Caves.

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I share a glance with Nora. With her lips pursed, I can tell the same questions running through her mind. Did the Shadows take them all? Are we the last survivors? There’s no way for us to know.

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Natural light reaches us as we are near the upper levels of our underground city. It’s a welcome sight, but from the shrieks behind us, we are not out of danger yet.

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By the time we reach more level ground, we find our missing people screaming and running for their lives. Our only saving grace this close to the surface is the light filtering through the openings, keeping the Shadows in the corners, but it won’t stop them from pursuing us.

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“Come on,” I yell, as Nora and I sprint for the openings. When people see us, they part for us, their eyes wide with astonishment as they stare at the sapling. It doesn’t surprise me; most people have never been to the sublevels where the trees mother lives. With the creatures practically licking out boots, I wish they would just focus on running.

Despite the light filtering through, the shadows grow long, and I know what they’re going to do next.

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“Blake, take the sapling,” I say. His eyes widen, stunned into shock. “Take it and give me Molly.”

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“But …”

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“Just do what he says,” Nora pleads. For the first time in our lives, she actually agrees with me about something. If we weren’t running from creatures, I’d tease her for it, but for now I keep focus on Molly.

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Blake sets her down and takes my place. His honey-colored flames mix with Nora’s as they protect the tree from the shadows flying overhead. Molly leans on me as I pull her close to me, her Sky Crystal glistening under the light.

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“What are we going to do?” she asks as she latches onto me.

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“We’re going to use our flames to blow the roof off this place,” I whisper as I smooth the hair out of her face.

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“But I’m just a powerless Glyzul, I can’t do that.”

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I smile at her while wrapping my fingers around the small crystal dangling from her necklace. “Everyone has power. You just have to learn how to wield it.”

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With a deep breath, I unleash my flames, using her Sky Crystal to amplify them. Just as I suspected, her brown eyes sparkle with white fire, just like her father. Her lips part when her flames lift from her body, joining mine before the plasma plows into the ceiling.

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A wall of darkness heads for us with the combined cry of thousands of souls. Pulling Molly closer, I force everything I have left into the rock above. Even if I must take this mountain down, I will not let them take us.

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The rock cracks, but it’s not fast enough. The Shadows are about just about to reach us when a wall of flames surrounds us, keeping them away. When I glance behind, Blake and Nora, along with several others, extend their flames into a shield wall, giving me the time to let out a blinding flash.

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When the rocks start to fall, Blake yells, “Time to run!”

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But I linger, watching the sunlight fill the room. The Shadows shrink back, their oily flesh burning from the light. Only one remains, morphing into a face that will forever haunt me. Molly’s father glares at me, his lips twitching as his focus shifts to her necklace.

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She gasps beside me. “Dad?”

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Before the creature can talk, I pull her away as the rock crumbles to the ground. She struggles against me, but she’s too weak from the ordeal. I pick her up as she bucks against me, but hold on.

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“It’s not him,” I say, while running with her toward the entrance.

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Once we’re safely on the surface, I turn to see a giant dust cloud blast out. I may have stopped the creature for now, but it will be much easier for them to leave their prison at night.

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“My dad,” Molly cries. “He…”

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Setting her down, I hug her as she sniffles into my chest. “It wasn’t him. That’s what the creatures do, morph into our loved ones to confuse us.”

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I hate the fact that they hurt her like this. With the crystal around her neck, I know why they did. They want to become one of them, and they’ll use her love against her.

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As I glance at the other survivors strung out on the mountainside, I wonder how many of them have been replaced. I may have saved the crystal and the sapling, but my gut is telling me the war isn’t over yet.