Book 5: Chapter 23: Cenote

Book 5: Chapter 23: Cenote

“You have to see this, bro.”

Elijah didn’t look up from the hunk of wood he’d been whittling. It had yet to take shape, and even though he’d originally set out to carve a facsimile of his old dog, it had turned out looking more like a child’s depiction of a camel. Since leaving Earth, he’d discovered that the carving skills he’d developed had now deserted him. He still knew his way around a knife and a block of wood, but there was no artistry or depth to his creations.

There was no explanation for his regression.

“He ain’t lyin’,” said Kurik.

Finally, Elijah sighed, then tossed the misbegotten creation aside. He looked up to see that both scouts wore the same beleaguered expressions they’d adopted since reaching the summit three days before. In that time, they’d endeavored to explore the entire forested plateau, but they had yet to accomplish that goal. Their failure grated on Elijah’s mind, largely because he knew he could have done a better job.

Probably.

Maybe.

Even if it wasn’t strictly true, he would never know, because he’d resolved not to step on anyone else’s toes. That meant letting the trapper and Witch Hunter do the jobs for which they were best suited. Included in that category was being the party’s primary damage dealers while also functioning as scouts. In addition, Kurik had deployed a host of traps around their camp that would hopefully deter any would be predators from descending upon their place of safety. In addition, Elijah had unpacked his tent, and once it was set up, its enchantment – created by the artificer back in Argos – would dissuade beasts and monsters from straying too close.

That made their camp about as safe as the Nexus.

And in turn, that was why Elijah was so annoyed. Or bored, rather. He could appreciate a little rest and relaxation as much as the next guy, but doing so while others took on a more active role in the completion of their quest was enough to put him on edge. The only solace was that Sadie obviously felt the same way, as evidenced by a recent screaming match between her and Dat. That had happened on the first day, and since then, the two had only communicated when absolutely necessary, and even then, only in terse sentences.

For his part, Elijah wanted nothing to do with their spat. He’d seen enough from the both of them to recognize that they had a bond not unlike a pair of siblings, and his own relationship with his sister told him not to get in between them. He and Alyssa had loved one another, but that didn’t mean they couldn’t fight like cats and dogs. Indeed, some of the worst battles of his life had been with Alyssa.

They always made amends, but it had never been quick or easy.

Regardless, his own feelings mirrored Sadie’s, though he hadn’t gone so far as to berate their teammates over it. It was one of the few times in his life that Elijah had been the reasonable member of a group, and he had to admit that he didn’t like it.

But he knew he needed to be a team player. To that end, Elijah pushed himself to his feet, dusted off his pants, then said, “Fine. Is Sadie coming?”

Dat nodded. “Soon as she finishes her meditation,” he said. The woman had been aghast to discover just how far ahead Elijah was in terms of cultivation, and she’d spent every spare moment working toward remedying that situation. And she had not been happy with her progress. Pointedly, she also refused Elijah’s help.

After a few minutes, the knight emerged from her own tent, already armored and ready for battle. By comparison, Elijah felt entirely undergeared. Though he had to admit that, with all the equipment he’d gotten in various towers, he likely had better gear than the rest of the party combined.

Once Sadie had joined them, Dat and Kurik led the way into the forest. They’d made camp only a few hundred feet from the edge of the plateau, but since their arrival, the two scouts had explored most of the forest. However, they’d yet to find an egg. Or any wildlife, really. The largest animal they’d discovered was something like a squirrel, and even those were fairly rare.

And Elijah was quick to figure out why.

“You know they’re there, don’t you?” he whispered.

“What?” asked Dat.

“About ten feet down, there are thousands of wraiths. Maybe tens of thousands. They’re stacked ten and fifteen deep in places,” he said. Indeed, he had felt the creatures the moment One with Nature brushed against the mass of mottled white-and-blue monsters.

Everyone froze.

“How?”

“Hibernating, just like all the rest,” Elijah said. “It’s not that uncommon. We passed tons of them on our way here. The difference is that down there, they’re in pockets. Clumps, you know? But here? They’re almost literally everywhere. They’re just buried far enough down that it would take something really big to wake them up.”

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“So, we’re not in any danger?” asked Sadie.

“What did you see?” asked before Dat could answer.

“Higher than yours, bro. Maybe as high as a hundred,” Dat said. “The others in there aren’t much lower, either. I don’t think we want to pick a fight with them.”

Sadie opened her mouth to ask again what he’d seen, but Elijah preempted the question by explaining everything. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s not the only one down there,” he said. “The big aviak is dangerous, though. I could sense that much from up here.”

“What do you suggest?” she asked.

Elijah shrugged. “Normally, I’d just sneak down there and play it by ear,” he said. “But I don’t think that would work in this situation. You saw how sensitive those aviaks are. The moment we set one foot into their caves, they went nuts. I’d be willing to bet that they’ll do the same if we try to climb down into that cenote.”

“Full frontal assault?” Kurik asked. “The bird-people ain’t that strong. I could rig up some traps that would make getting’ outta that hole mighty hard.”

“I could keep the attention of a few dozen at most,” Sadie offered. “But more than that, and we’d be in trouble.”

Dat shrugged. “I think that’s a bad plan, bro. We need to be smarter.”

“Any suggestions?” she asked her friend.

He shook his head. “You’re the brains of this operation. I’m just here to look cool.”

Elijah chuckled, which earned a glare from Sadie, so he cut it off. “Sorry. Serious face.”

“Did you just say ‘serious face’ out loud?” she asked incredulously.

“Did I? I thought that was in my head.”

“It wasn’t.”

Elijah glanced at Dat, who just shook his head. “Damn. Okay, so my point is that I’m taking this super seriously. And that we need a plan. Mostly the second part, given the way you’re all looking at me.”

Ignoring his rambling, Sadie asked, “Do you have any ideas?”

“I was kind of hoping you would,” he admitted. “I mean, I came up with the plan to make a plan, right? That’s half the battle right there.”

“I thought knowing was half the battle, bro.”

“Really? G.I. Joe?”

“I loved that cartoon when I was little. My uncle had all of the episodes recorded,” Dat said.

“Dat.”

“What, bro?”

“I have a serious question for you.”

“Okay.”

“Did we just become best friends? Because it seems like we just became best friends,” Elijah said.