Chapter 50

The Blood Oath

They managed to get out of harm's way, but their friends were not so lucky when many rocks and boulders came down. Dust clouded the air, making it hard to see, but when it all subsided, they saw rocks and boulders packed against each other… right where their friends were.

"Guys!" Holden, Marina, and Orestes shouted simultaneously as they quickly got to the hill of rocks and boulders.

"Shade!" Marina shouted. "Kass! Helen! Can you hear us?! Anyone?!"

Holden started to feel his breathing intensify. He didn't want to believe that they were dead, but when he instantly thought of Kassidy, something inside him made him quickly attempt to remove any rocks and boulders he could. The purple Silverwing couldn't think straight and worked fast and furiously like a dog trying to dig up a bone buried in the yard. While he did that, he desperately called out to any of their friends, but the human-turned-bat didn't realize that he was mainly calling out Kassidy's name.

"Holden, calm down," Marina said, trying to stop the Silverwing from what he was doing. "You're going to-"

Before the Brightwing could even continue what she was about to say, Holden hissed in pain when he felt the palm of his hand slide across one of the sharp rocks, and he pressed his good hand onto it. The purple Silverwing looked down at it to see a nasty cut, and a little blood was working its way up. He found himself cursing at that.

"Holden, you alright?" Orestes asked.

"No!" Holden found himself exclaiming. "God, damn it, no! I won't be until…" The purple Silverwing suddenly trailed off when he realized he was about to say, 'until I find Kass.'

Holden was concerned about the others, but he couldn't help but think about Kassidy. Every time he thought about her, he could only think about how he wanted to be beside her like a magnet was pulling him toward her. Weeks ago, the human turned bat never thought of her that much, but now she was all he could think about. More than his life even.

"Holden, listen-" Marina then made Holden look at her, "-you're going to hurt yourself more if you keep doing that. We need to work together to get to our friends, and we're about as worried as you, but you need to calm down. Can you please try to do that?"

Holden slowly started to take a breath, and as he did, he knew the Brightwing was right. It wouldn't do him good if he kept throwing rocks around like a mad person; he would need to do it carefully, like plucking flowers from a garden. It wouldn't be easy for him, but he tried not to panic for the sake of their friends. The purple Silverwing prayed to God that none of them were hurt.

The purple Silverwing slowly started to nod. "I'll try…"

"Alright," The blonde Brightwing replied, "let's get to work."

Kassidy had her head covered when those rocks came down upon her and the others like an ambush. It all happened so fast that not even she could've been quick enough to use some type of magic to stop it all. The crashing of boulders and rocks came to an end eventually. Then, silence. No more rocks and boulders were catapulting anywhere, no voices, no nothing.

The female Silverwing then started to dig herself out of a few rocks she was under like she was emerging from a grave, and when she finally surfaced, dust came at her hard. Her eyes started to sting, and she coughed out the unwelcome dust in her mouth. Then, after some fitting coughs, she started to rub her ocean blue eyes as she slowly stood up, and when her sight was able to adjust to her surroundings, her eyes widened by what she saw. Everywhere she looked, she saw rocks and boulders piling up and about…

A cave-in.

"Crap!" Kassidy exclaimed. She tried to see if there was some sort of opening she could get through by using her echolocation, but all she could see were rocks and boulders crammed together in every corner. Before the witch could do anything else, she quickly realized that she needed to find Shade and Helen. "Shade?! Helen?!" The gothic Silverwing called out

Suddenly, she felt something leathery on the bottom of her foot, and as soon as she looked down, she saw a red wing. Martin was on the ground sprawled, and Kassidy quickly got in her fight stance when she thought he would get up and attack her. However, he didn't move at all. That's when the red-haired Silverwing noticed the side of his head. It was gushing with blood and streaking the side of his face. Slowly, she approached the Vampyrum and then got on her knees. She pressed her index and middle finger to where the carotid artery was and tried to feel for a pulse.

Kassidy cursed when she started to feel heartbeats.

It was low and steady, but with him being unconscious, it gave her enough time to try and find Shade and Helen so they could get the hell out of this cave-in. For how long he'd be out, she wasn't sure. However, she couldn't help but think about grabbing a rock and…

The sounds of rocks moving and coughing then suddenly caught her attention, and she looked over her shoulder to see Shade on his knees. "Shade!" She quickly got over to him and started to help him up. "You alright?"

When Shade's coughing started to go faint, he managed to nod. "Yeah, I think so…" His green eyes then looked around them, and before long, he seemed highly shocked. "Great Nocturna, we're stuck!"

"I know, but we gotta find Helen and try to-"

She was suddenly cut off by some screaming nearby, and the two bats wildly turned towards it. Helen was backed up in the corner by Goth, and before the Vampyrum could even lay a finger on her, Kassidy immediately took action and got in between the two and sucker-punched the giant bat to the throat. Goth gagged and started to cough as his hand covered his throat.

Helen's purple eyes widened, but she looked at Kassidy, quite impressed. "Thanks," she said gratefully.

The female Silverwing looked at the Princess. "Don't mention it."

Shade got next to Kassidy as he was about as impressed as Helen, watching Goth. "How'd you do that?"

"The trick is to hit the body's weakest area; the throat would be an example."

"You certainly got him good."

Goth started to regain himself, as his eyes, full of fury landed on Kassidy. "What the hell… is the matter with you?!" He rasped as he continued to rub his throat.

Kassidy scowled as she crossed her arms. "Don't turn this around. You were about to kill Princess Helen."

The giant bat's hands slowly turned into fists. "What are you, the owl's bodyguard?"

"At least she has common sense," Helen angrily said. "Unlike you, bird killer! Once my father gets his talons on you, you will regret the night you were born!"

Goth's facial expression immediately shifted to one of amusement, and it wasn't long until he started to laugh hysterically like a hyena. "Typical, a Princess having her daddy solve the issue. What's next? You start to sing a song wishing for a Prince to come to your rescue?"

The giant bat then started to laugh once more, and as he did, Helen's feathers pricked up furiously. She looked like she wanted to rip his eyes out of their sockets. Kassidy honestly couldn't blame her. "Okay, cut the shit, asshat," the female Silverwing said firmly. "In case you haven't noticed, we're all in a cave-in. You screwing around certainly ain't going to be getting you out of this mess."

"Yeah, and besides," Shade said, "you need us. To-To help you get out of here."

Kassidy and Helen looked at Shade like he was crazy, and as they did, Goth went for the third laugh in his laughing streak. "You couldn't dig your way out of here in a hundred lifetimes!" His facial expression darkened. "You arrogant runt."

Shade glared at Goth when he said the one thing he hated above all, and as he did, Kassidy and Helen too glared. The giant bat then turned his attention to a removable boulder, and after observing it, he didn't think twice and started to remove it. However, the female Silverwing noticed that the boulder connected to a set of other boulders that were about ready to tumble, and her eyes widened.

"You idiot!" She shouted at Goth. "Don't-"

It was too late, though. Goth had already removed the boulder, and a couple of boulders came charging at him as soon as he did. The giant bat yelled and immediately threw himself off to the side before they could even squash him, but one of them managed to catch his curled, purple wing.

The trio started to remove any rocks and boulders that they could manage, and all the while, it didn't help Holden's cut hand. It was like someone poured salt into it, and it was aching terribly, but he tried to ignore it as he tried to help Marina and Orestes. Finally, the Brightwing suggested that maybe he should stop and treat his hand, but the purple Silverwing refused. There was no room for breaks as their friends needed them at the moment, and Holden simply couldn't think about his hand.

The human-turned bat grabbed a rock that was the size of a miniature snowglobe, but it didn't take him long until he threw it over his shoulder. The trio suddenly heard someone cry out in pain, and when they turned around, their eyes widened when they saw Dianna. A while ago, she blacked out along with Throbb, but now she was awake… or at least for the moment. She was wobbling with her hand against her head, and she went unconscious again before long.

The purple Silverwing saw the rock he threw over his shoulder, and that's when he slowly started to put two and two together. Marina and Orestes then slowly gazed at Holden, and right as they did, he shrugged his shoulders. "Lucky shot, I guess?"

"Are you that thick in the head?!" Kassidy yelled at Goth as he tried to get the boulder off his wing. "They're all balanced together, and you're going to send a parade of boulders to our deaths if you keep picking up the wrong ones!"

The giant bat snarled at the female Silverwing with a challenging look. "The least of my concerns, señorita, is whether or not you, the puny bat, and the dainty owl live."

Before Kassidy could even retort, Shade immediately cut in. "Look, look," he tried to reason. "We all want to get out of here. So I propose that we just work together; it'll make the task less complicated."

"Hah! Not a chance."

"How about this? I can get into the cracks and find out which rocks you, Kass, and Helen can move. You'll need some extra muscle, and with Kass's magic, she can also make the job easier for you."

The giant bat hummed to himself, and it looked like he was willing to give in to Shade's proposal. "That is… reasonable."

Before Shade could even say another word, Kassidy pulled him off to the side, and her brow furrowed as Helen joined them. "Have you lost it?" She whispered angrily to him. "This is only going to make matters worse. What do you hope will come out of this, a reward?"

"I have to agree with her," Helen whispered. "He's just going to try and eat us, and I certainly want nothing to do with him."

"Not unless we make a deal with him," Shade whispered.

Kassidy palmed her face. "The moment we make a deal with him, he's just going to break it. Can you honestly say that if we end up working with him, he'll likely keep that part of the bargain?"

Shade looked over his shoulder at Goth, and as he did, the giant bat was staring at them impatiently with his arms crossed across his chest as he was tapping his foot. The blonde Silverwing then looked back at the girls. "Probably not… but we have to do something at least. We'll surely die down here if we don't. Working with Goth might be our only way of getting out of this." He then locked his green eyes with Kassidy's blue eyes. "Kass, can you please try to trust me on this?"

As Shade stared at Kassidy, her expression softened a little. As much as she hated her friend's idea, he did have a point: they had to try something. She looked at Helen, and as she did, the snowy owl shrugged her shoulders. The gothic Silverwing then sighed and started to rub her temples. She had the feeling she was going to regret this.

"Fine…" But Kassidy then looked at the more miniature bat seriously. "But let me handle making a deal with him. I feel that bastard is going to try and find a loophole."

Helen had a curious look in her purple eyes. "What do you plan in the deal?"

"You'll see." The trio then turned their attention to the irritated Goth. "Okay, here's what's going to happen, Fancy Wings: we're going to make a deal with you."

Goth cocked his eyebrow. "A deal?"

"What did you expect, a hug?" She then pointed at him. "We don't trust you a bit. We can practically see your true colors after all the shit you and the other giant bats put us through."

The giant bat put his hand to where his heart was, with fake consternation from Kassidy's words, and met her at eye level. "You insult my honor, señorita."

The female Silverwing crossed her arms as her irritation bore right through Goth's predatory eyes. "Don't test me," she said dryly, "but I digress." She then picked up a sharp-looking rock lying beside her, and when she did, she looked at the giant bat once more, who now looked at her confused. Before anyone knew it, the red-haired Silverwing cut her hand-the one without the pentagram mark-with the rock, earning gasps from Shade and Helen and a surprised look from the Vampyrum. "I wouldn't call this a deal; I'd like to call it more of a blood oath. You have to promise that you and the other giant bats will not harm my friends and me and that you'll let us go. You also have to promise that you and the other giant bats will not try and get any ideas of eating the Silverwing colony."

Goth looked like he didn't like the sound of what Kassidy said, but she didn't care whatsoever as she continued speaking. "Once you shake my hand, there's no going back. If you shake my hand with your blood, but you break the oath, I'll drop-kick you where you won't see it coming, and we won't help you." Some of her blood began to paint the ground, and her hand started to pulse with pain, but she took no heed to it. "Your call, Fancy Wings."

The giant bat narrowed his eyes in thought as he stared at Kassidy's hand, and as he did, the female Silverwing never once broke eye contact with him. Silence lingered, and it felt like if anyone said anything, they'd get murdered by some unknown creature. Shade and Helen looked at each other quite nervously, but the female Silverwing wasn't worried about anything. As long as Martin was unconscious, neither she nor the blonde Silverwing and Princess got hurt. Goth, to her, was less threatening than he looked.

With Goth still not answering, Kassidy began to suspect that he wouldn't accept, but she saw him extend one of his claws. It looked like he wanted to try and scratch her with it, but the palm of his other hand opened, and his claw cut it very swiftly. "Alright, I promise all of what you said. However, I also promise that if there are any more tricks, I will rip out each of your friends' hearts and eat them." He ended in a dark tone as his uncut hand turned into a fist and his fingers cracked.

Shade and Helen gasped, but Kassidy was not intimidated by him. She could see that he was bluffing, and he would have to go through her first if he was to try and rip out her friends' hearts. If it had been Martin, it would've been a different story. But instead, all she did was stare at the giant bat, annoyed.

"Don't put all your eggs in one nest," she calmly said, not using the word basket at the end because she knew neither he nor her friends would know what that was.

The two shook on it with their blood mixed, but even though that was, it didn't stop them from narrowing their eyes at each other.

It was the strangest teamwork Kassidy had ever been a part of. Herself being a human and witch turned bat with a small Silverwing, a snowy owl, and a giant bat. Shade was helping pick out the rocks and boulders that could be removable while the others did the dirty work. The red-haired Silverwing was able to pick out which rocks were removable, too, and with her telekinesis, it was easy to remove some of the rocks and boulders without a struggle. It was almost like solving a calculus problem, but fixing it could be a struggle if the calculations were wrong. Helen was carefully trying to remove any rocks and boulders while Goth was removing them like he could've been a weightlifter in the Olympics. Kassidy had to admit that the Vampyrum certainly had the build, but she didn't find him impressive even as that was. It almost felt like he was trying to show off, and every time he managed to pick up a boulder and throw it aside, the gothic Silverwing never once showed interest in his strength.

At one point, Goth found Shade staring at him, and he glared at the more miniature bat as if to ask what he was staring at, and the sky-blue Silverwing shrugged his shoulders and pointed at a big-looking rock beside him for the Vampyrum to handle. When he did, the taller bat didn't hesitate to try and remove it. As he was, Shade spoke to him. "Are all southern bats like you?" He asked, breaking the ice.

Kassidy's brow furrowed at the question the blonde Silverwing asked Goth as she was using her telekinesis to place a boulder off to the side, but she bit back anything frustrating aimed at her friend. "There are none like me," Goth said with pride as he then threw the rock off to the side that he managed to pick up, 'accidentally' almost hitting Helen in the process.

The snowy owl screeched, flying back when the rock almost hit her. "Watch it!" She shouted at the giant bat.

Goth looked at the Princess without a care in the world. "Quit your whining, owl. Be grateful you're even still in the flesh."

"I bet you'd eat your best friend if he got in your way," Shade condemned, referring to Throbb as the Vampyrum picked up a boulder.

"And your point is?" Goth said with annoyance written on his face. "Work faster, talk less like señorita Kassidy is!"

"Screw you, ugly chupacabra," Kassidy remarked as she moved aside a boulder, almost flipping Goth off. "Besides, don't you think you have anything else better to do than trying to sink your teeth into anything that moves?"

"I am as Zotz made me!" The Vampyrum picked up yet another rock.

"Tch, yeah," Shade snidely said. "Evil."

"Ha! POWERFUL!" Goth chucked the rock in his grasp across the cave.

The rock crashed to the ground, and the cave shook, making Helen gasp and Shade cover his face in his wing. On the other hand, Kassidy could only give Goth a blank expression. "Yet he couldn't give you powers like Martin," she stated as she pointed at the still unconscious red-winged bat with her thumb.

Goth's body stiffened as his green eyes flashed at the female Silverwing with choler. "Do not compare me to him!"

"Because you know it's true?"

The Vampyrum growled, looking like he wished he had Kassidy's heart in his hand. "You are one frustrating perra."

"And you are one stupid Prince." The gothic Silverwing looked away from him, and as she did, she could hear the giant bat growl once more.

It instantly went quiet for only a few minutes until Shade finally broke it. "You know, Goth, a friend once told me, Kass, and our other two bat friends not to underestimate the power of a kind act, even to your enemy." Kassidy perked her head up at what Shade said. She was very proud of him for remembering what Zephyr taught them, and she had been noticing lately he'd been maturing little by little for sure.

Suddenly, the gothic Silverwing heard Shade yelp, and she whipped her head over her shoulder to see Goth towering over the blonde Silverwing on all fours. "Your friend is a fool," the Vampyryum firmly stated. "Kindness allows the weak to live when they are meant to die!"

Before Goth could do anything, Kassidy was in between him and Shade with fire summoned in her hand, and the Vampyrum immediately jumped back. "Don't you dare," the red-haired Silverwing said hardly. "You promised." To prove her point, she lifted her cut hand.

The giant bat's face tightened at Kassidy as she stood her ground, but he started to grumble, annoyed. "You and your damn magic…"

Without another word exchanged, Goth went back to work while the female Silverwing demolished the fire in her hand. She helped Shade up, and after she did, she too got back to work. While she moved rocks and boulders around once more, she kept a careful eye on Martin, ensuring he didn't wake up. But, of course, it would be bad news if he woke up at the wrong time.

Holden wasn't sure how long had passed, but he felt like they'd been at it for hours. He felt like they didn't make any progress, and already he was getting exhausted. The purple Silverwing felt like they were trying to dig to the middle of the earth, and his fur was starting to coat dust. He tried to keep going, though, without thinking of stopping for a rest.

As the purple Silverwing was about to grab hold of a rock, he heard Marina gasp as rocks were falling. He looked over to see her foot stuck under some rocks. Holden flew over to her as she tried to get her foot out. "Here, let me help you."

The human-turned bat grunted as he tried to remove one of the rocks, but he heard his friends gasp, and he looked up to see Throbb had awoken. His brown eyes widened as the tubby bat appeared in a towering rage, and he crawled over to them like a spider. Holden cursed in his head and tried to think of what to do. The first thing that came to mind sounded like a dumb plan, but it was all he could come up with at that moment.

"Wait!" He shouted at Throbb, and when he did, the giant bat stopped in his tracks and looked at him, confused. "Look, I got a better idea for you. Instead of, you know, trying to eat us, you could help us move these rocks so we can free the others on the other side."

"Holden, are you out of your roost?!" Marina exclaimed.

"Wait," Throbb said with his eyes widened, "are you telling me that Goth's…" He then started to trail off as he looked at the destruction before him, and as he did, Holden slowly nodded. "Oh, Zotz, no!" The tubby bat started to go into panic mode.

"Hey, hey," Holden said, trying to calm the Vampyrum down. "You're going to give yourself a heart attack. Breathe, slowly." Throbb started to take the purple Silverwing's advice and breathed slowly. When it looked like he managed to relax, the human turned bat continued talking. "You can worry about trying to eat us later, but what I think you should worry about right now is helping your brother-in-law. Working together may be our only option, and I certainly don't see any way around this." Holden honestly wasn't sure where that suggestion came from, and as stupid as it was, it could benefit them in finding their friends faster.

"Uh… guys?" Holden and Marina looked at Orestes, and he was pointing at something.

The two looked, and so did Throbb, and there groaning on the ground was Dianna sat up, rubbing her head. Her vision started to work once more, and when she saw the trio of friends, her fur bristled as her teeth bared. "This is why I hate teenagers so much," she spat as she marched over to them.

The three friends started to move back, and as they did, Holden tried to reason with her. "Listen, your husband is stuck under all this." He then indicated to the wreckage of rocks and boulders. "You need-"

"I don't need your help with anything, Chatty Bat! If anything, my husband can get himself out of there with or without anyone's help."

"Y-You don't know that, though," Marina chimed in.

"Oh, but I do, blondie. I've seen him do it many times, and he'll be able to do it again. He's a smart and strong bat."

Holden started to wonder if Dianna was an escapee from a mental hospital because she never failed to look deranged. She was perfect for Martin.

"Umm… señorita?" Throbb timidly said, and Dianna turned to him, irritated. "Maybe we should let them help us… My-"

"They'll get themselves out of there," the female Vampyrum cut him off.

"But-"

Shut up, you plump of waste, and I suggest you take my advice." She then extended her long, sharp claws at Throbb. "Otherwise, I'll be slicing through all that fatness of yours."

At that point, Holden about had it with Dianna. "Why don't you leave him alone?" The female Vampyrum narrowed her eyes at the purple Silverwing while the plump Vampyrum looked at him, surprised. "You honestly kiss your husband with that mouth? You've done nothing but bully and fat shame Throbb like he's just an object. If there were a prison made for anyone that takes pleasure in hurting others' feelings, you'd be the first to go in there, you psychotic woman."

Dianna started to snarl, and as she did, the human-turned bat directed his attention to the tubby Vampyrum. "Throbb, you don't have to do what she says and let her treat you like garbage. Are you really going to let her do that? Has she ever in any way been nice to you? Can you even think of a good moment you had with her?" He started to see the male Vampyrum think about what he said. "You don't have anything to be ashamed of. We're all different in some way. You're not the problem." He then pointed at the female Vampyrum. "She is."

Marina and Orestes stayed silent the whole time, but they looked surprised by what Holden said. He honestly couldn't blame them. Those words came out of nowhere, and the purple Silverwing didn't know why he stood up for Throbb once more, but it was said and done. But the human turned bat supposed he felt terrible for the guy because he had to put up with so much lately.

Dianna's eye started to twitch. "Wait until I-"

"Shut up," Throbb told Dianna, earning stunned glances from the three bats and great horned owl.

Slowly, Dianna's eyes started to narrow at the male Vampyrum. "What did you say?"

Throbb looked a little hesitant, but he stood his ground. "I said shut up."

The female Vampyrum started to approach the smaller Vampyrum until her shadow fell on him. "So now you finally have the guts to stand up for yourself? Ha! The coward finally did it." She taunted him. "I don't know what that mate of yours was thinking having you as her mate. Probably messed up like you." She then smirked as she crossed her arms. "I can't imagine how screwed up your kids must be if you have any."

Holden could see that those words were like a claw that cut the last nerve as Throbb was now snarling at her. "YOU PERRA!"

A dry crack then echoed through the mines. Holden, Marina, and Orestes gasped when Throbb backslapped Dianna.

The female Vampyrum covered her cheek, shocked, but snarled and jumped at the male Vampyrum. Throbb yelped as they rolled to the ground, and Dianna managed to pin him. She was about to plunge her claws into the other bat's heart, but he managed to grab her hand in time and tried to push it away. However, the tubby bat managed to scratch his opponent in the face, and she cried out in pain. With her caught off guard, Throbb pushed her off him and tackled her to the ground.

Dianna struggled against his weight as her eyes filled with wrath. "Get off me, you pig!"

The three friends watched the whole ordeal happen with their eyes widened. Holden did not see that coming, and now it was a fight to the death they were witnessing. How the tables have turned.

"Guys, what do we do?" Orestes asked.

"We could probably get out of here while we got the chance," Marina suggested.

"How are we going to be able to help our friends, though?" Holden pointed out. "We can't leave. This might be our only way to get to them."

"Holden, those two are going at each other. They'll likely crush us if we get in the middle of it."

"Not if we're still over here." He then picked up a rock, and as he did, puzzlement took over his friends' faces.

"What're you doing?"

"You're not going to like it, but I'm going to help Throbb."

"You're right! I don't like it!"

Holden gazed at Marina with his brown eyes. "Marina, Dianna did him wrong as much as she did to us. She's practically soulless, and with Throbb's help removing all these rocks and boulders it will make things fast and quick. We have to risk it. Can you have my back on this?"

The Brightwing looked like she wanted to protest, but she sighed, frustrated after a few seconds of thinking. "Alright, fine. Don't make me regret this, though."

The purple Silverwing nodded and then looked at the great horned owl. "Orestes?"

"I can do that," Orestes confirmed.

"Let's do this then." Holden then locked his brown eyes onto Dianna as her foot made contact with Throbb's potbelly, and right as she did, the purple Silverwing sent the rock in his grasp at her, and it ended up hitting her waist. Dianna cried out in pain, and it wasn't long until stones pelted her. "Eat rocks, you lice!"

"Take that, old lady!" Marina said as she hurled a rock at Dianna.

The female Vampyrum yelped as she tried to block the rocks propelled at her, but she suddenly yelled furiously, and it echoed in the mines. She then flew like a whirlwind at the trio of friends, and when she did, they all yelped and tried to duck her blows. Holden managed to grab hold of a rock, and right as he did, he slammed it against Dianna's leg, and she shouted in pain. She was about to incise the purple Silverwing's face, but Throbb came out of nowhere and knocked her out cold with his punch.

The tubby bat shook his hand as he stared down at the unconscious Dianna, frowning, and as he did, the trio of friends' eyes widened at what he did. Then, after a minute of silence, Throbb looked at them as he cleared his throat. "Shall we?" He asked, indicating the pile of rocks and boulders.

Kassidy lost track of how much time passed, but she expected Martin to be awake each time she looked over her shoulder. But, instead, he was still in the same spot, and she began to think that maybe he was pretending. That thought alone, though, was utterly ridiculous. If he were faking it, he would've attacked her by now.

The female Silverwing's thoughts escaped her when she heard Goth nearby grunting. She looked to see that he was struggling with lifting one of the rocks, and the way he was lifting it was only making it worse for the injuries he had. She had noticed the injuries he had on him a while ago, and they did not look too pretty whatsoever. They looked very fresh, and it appeared he looked brutally beaten up. The gothic Silverwing began to suspect that Martin had something to do with that.

Kassidy sighed, shook her head, and then strode over to Goth. "You're going to hurt yourself lifting that heavy rock. You can't lift with your back. It's safer to lift with the legs. So put it down, and let me handle it."

The Vampyrum looked at the female Silverwing, irritated. "Why don't you go mind your own business, señorita? I know what I'm doing."

"Don't make it complicated. Shade will tell you which rock to pick up next, just leave that one alone, and I'll take care of it."

Goth ignored her, and that made Kassidy sigh annoyed. She didn't hesitate to use her telekinesis on the rock he was trying to pick up, and it floated towards her like a meteoroid. The Vampyrum glared at her with his teeth bared. "I had that!"

"No, you didn't," Kassidy casually replied.

The giant bat approached the red-haired Silverwing and stood over her. "Without your magic, you wouldn't have been able to lift it."

"You know, you act like you were just born yesterday. Do you not even know how to say thank you?"

"I don't express my gratitude to small animals that are like a thorn to my side." He then crossed his arms across his chest. "Especially not to ones that act like know-it-alls."

Kassidy about had it with that spoiled Prince. All she did was try to help him, and this was what she got from him? While still staring at him, she released the telekinesis on the rock, and Goth yelled in pain when it smashed his foot. "Whoops." The gothic Silverwing cockily said.

"What happened?" Shade asked, getting beside Kassidy.

"Issues with a rock."

"Curse almighty Zotz!" The Vampyrum bellowed, trying to wrestle his foot out from under the rock. Kassidy didn't expect Goth to take his anger out on his god, but she supposed he had to let it all out somehow.

"How can you-" Shade began but was immediately cut off by the giant bat.

"You know nothing of Zotz!" Goth then began to breathe heavily, and with all the work he put forth, it was easy enough to tell he was getting rusty. "He takes pleasure in testing the faithful." The giant bat was then able to free his foot from underneath the rock, and he immediately flinched as he tried to rub the pain out. "Even his most loyal Prince who served him well all these years." He scowled towards the surface.

Shade followed Goth's gaze nervously. "Zotz is… down there?"

The Vampyrum chuckled at the timid male Silverwing. "You doubt it?" When Shade didn't respond, Goth continued. "Zotz lives in the molten core of the earth. His head is a giant bat's skull with blood-red eyes and razor teeth to slice the flesh of those who mock him."

Shade looked petrified by how Goth described his deity, but Kassidy, on the other hand, didn't find it bothersome. She kept finding his stories more laughable each second, and as odd as that was, she's listened to audiobooks and true crime podcasts that were more intense than that shit. The witch was certainly different, that much was inevitable, and even she could admit that herself.

"You've seen him?" Helen spoke with an edginess in her voice.

The snowy owl had been silent the whole time, but it seemed it didn't stop her from eavesdropping on the three bats. Kassidy knew that she was trying to avoid Goth at every moment, especially after he purposefully launched a rock at her and cornered her. However, the Princess had some courage, and even after asking that question, her shoulders were back, and her head was held high like true nobility. Helen was about as kept together as a crown.

"Eh… no," Goth admitted. "But you hear things." He then went to massage his foot.

Kassidy caught a glimpse of Shade swallowing fearfully, and she placed her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry about what he said." They gave the giant bat some space and went back to trying to remove some rocks and boulders. "I think he's just some figment of one's imagination."

Shade looked at her curiously as Helen joined them. "That's what you think of Goth's god?"

The female Silverwing simply shrugged her shoulders. "Pretty much, but I think we're sidetracking." She then used her head to point at the load they had. "This all ain't gonna be picking itself up after all."

Shade nodded. "Right." As they were about to get back to work, the small Silverwing was carefully eyeing something, and the girls noticed that.

"What are you looking at?" Helen asked.

The blonde Silverwing crawled over to the spot he was looking at, and Kassidy saw that he was staring at some loose rubble in the ceiling. He started to claw at it curiously, and unexpectedly the debris tore loose and poured on him, and he started to cough. The two bats looked up, and when they did, they were astonished when they saw a piece of the sky through a tunnel. But unfortunately, they were in a pretty cramped spot, and Helen couldn't see.

"Nice find," Kassidy whispered.

"What is it?" Helen whispered.

The gothic Silverwing looked at the snowy. "We found an opening tunnel."

Shade smiled at Kassidy. "That'll be perfect for us to fit through," he whispered. "Let's get out of here." Before he could even move, the female Silverwing stopped him.

"Wait, Helen can't fit through that," Kassidy whispered back. "If we go through that together, she'll be stuck down here with Goth and Martin."

From what the red-haired Silverwing could see, the tunnel was very narrow. It was big enough for a bat to fly through but not for an owl or giant bat. It was good news that they found an opening Goth and Martin wouldn't chase them through, but it was terrible news for their snowy friend. Helen could quickly get stuck in it if she tried to go through it.

To confirm the female Silverwing's point, Helen nodded and spoke. "I don't see a way I can get through that."

Kassidy thought this through very carefully. Helen would be in danger if she stayed behind with the giant bats, and Goth would more than likely eat her if she were alone. The witch could only imagine how Orestes would feel if the Princess turned out dead.

An idea suddenly hit her, and Kassidy knew that Shade possibly wouldn't like it. "Go find the others. I'll stay with Helen and try and find another way she can get out at. As long as I'm with her, Goth can't harm her. I'll keep him distracted so he doesn't suspect you're gone."

"Wait, what?" The blonde Silverwing asked, stunned.

"Shade, trust me on this. We'll be fine, but you have to find the others, okay? They need to know that we're alright."

Kassidy could see that her friend didn't want to leave them down in the cave-in with the giant bats, but after a few seconds of silence, he sighed, defeated, and then nodded. "Alright, but when I find them and tell them everything, I'm coming back here."

"If that'll make you feel less stressed about the situation, I won't stop you. Just be careful, though."

Shade nodded and, without another word, said he traveled right through the tunnel in flight, leaving the girls alone with Goth. Kassidy indicated to Helen to get back to picking up rocks so that the Vampyrum wouldn't suspect anything, and the snowy nodded. They immediately got back to work, and as they did, the female Silverwing looked to see that the giant bat was done nurturing his foot. Good. It seemed he hadn't watched them then.

Kassidy started to move a rock with her telekinesis, and right as she placed it off to the side, the smooth Spanish accent of Goth's started to speak. "So, señorita. I couldn't help but overhear you say that 'Zotz is just some figment of one's imagination.'"

The red-haired Silverwing calmly looked over her shoulder at the Vampyrum, who was now staring at her. "Does that surprise you?" She asked nonchalantly.

Goth shook his head like a disappointed father. "You are blind. Zotz is very real. Have a good look at me." He flared his mighty, purple-curled wings, bared his teeth, and hunched his muscular shoulders. "With me worshipping him, he has bestowed me with great power. Meat is where the power is mostly. When I eat another bat, I take in the strength of that bat. I take the bat's power and make it my own." He then grinned. "And I grow."

The Vampyrum then flew over to Kassidy and landed beside her. "You've been starving yourself on insects up here in the north. You could grow, Kassidy. All it takes is just eating some meat and bringing your loyalty to Zotz. After all, you are-"

"Save your breath, Fancy Wings," Kassidy cut off Goth coldly. "Trying to shove your religion and diet down my throat isn't going to change a thing. You should be more concerned about your wounds."

Kassidy was getting sick and tired of Goth bringing Zotz into any topic. Couldn't he talk about anything else? He couldn't even let her forget about the other day when she ate some of that gray rabbit. It still made her feel guilty that she did that, and now she was still keeping that bottled up from her friends. The female Silverwing didn't even forget that Vampyrum blackmailed her when Martin had that snake on her arm to prevent her from using her magic. But with that snake no longer on her, Goth no longer had the advantage to blackmail her.

Goth's grin slipped, and his gaze hardened a little. "Is that so?"

The gothic Silverwing crossed her arms. "Martin did it to you, didn't he?" At the Vampyrum's silence, she continued. "So much for Zotz giving you 'power.'"

The giant bat's hackles rose a little. "Watch what you say, witch."

"Let me ask you something: why'd you even become partners with Martin and Dianna? I bet you knew they would give you trouble, yet you teamed up with them. Now, look what transpired for you and Throbb." Goth's eyes narrowed as Kassidy continued. "Admit it. You wish you hadn't worked with them in the first place."

"Maybe we should just get back to trying to get out of here," Goth said, changing the subject.

"You're not the only one that Martin did wrong. He's full of lies, and I'm going to take a good wild guess and say that he and Dianna are keeping a lot more from you than you may even realize. So take my advice, don't continue working with them. They're nothing but monsters preying on anything they see that looks weak, and they like to see anyone suffer. They made me suffer." She let that sink into Goth for a few seconds and then continued. "Not everyone is as they seem."

Even though Kassidy was getting quite fed up with the Vampyrum, she couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He was in a place he was not familiar with, and Martin and Dianna were practically putting him and Throbb through Hell. How much more could her half-uncle and his crazy wife want for someone to suffer? It was almost like they fed on torturing anyone.

"Kass," a familiar voice spoke, and the female Silverwing was surprised when it was Holden's she heard as she, Goth, and Helen aimed their attention to where it came.

She saw that Shade was back, and Holden was with him.

A taunting grin bloomed on Goth's face as he stared at Holden. "Why, amigo." The purple Silverwing crossed his arms, annoyed as the Vampyrum continued speaking. "So nice of you to drop by. It looks like you had no problems getting in here."

"Don't get too excited," Holden replied cooly. "I'm only here for my friends. But, in case you were wondering, Throbb's not dead."

Goth hummed to himself. "I see." He then looked at Shade. "Tell me, Shade: which one's next?"

The blonde Silverwing pointed to a rock planted on top of others with a scowl. "That one should be easily removable."

The Vampyrum shrugged his shoulders and went to remove it, and as he did, Kassidy, Holden, Shade, and Helen gathered together. "Holden, what are you doing down here?" The female Silverwing asked. "You shouldn't have come down."

"But I did," the purple Silverwing answered. "Couldn't let you guys continue being alone with those two giant bats."

At Holden's answer, Kassidy thought that it was rather… sweet. He could've stayed outside the cave-in, but he chose to come down. Staring into his brown eyes made her feel better, knowing the purple Silverwing was alright. She was glad he came down.

"How are the others?" Helen asked, concerned. "Everyone okay? Orestes?"

The purple Silverwing nodded. "They're fine. They're with Throbb."

The girls' eyes widened. "Wait, what?" Kassidy said.

"I'll explain later. First, however, we should focus on trying to find a way out for Helen."

"This could take hours until we finally find an opening for Helen. I think we need a plan B."

"What can we do, though?" Shade asked.

Kassidy hummed to herself, trying to think, and while an idea was at the tip of her tongue, Holden suddenly spoke. "We could cause another cave-in."

At the purple Silverwing's idea, the other three acted like he had gone mad. "Have you lost your mind?" Helen asked.

"Look, think about it: Helen will have better chances of getting out if we did that. It'll be like a house of cards falling apart." The house of cards part confused Shade and Helen. "Plus, I don't see what else we could do."

Kassidy was surprised by what Holden said. It almost sounded like something she would say. Was he learning from her? That thought alone made her heart flutter. He almost sounded like an architect, and the more she thought about it, the more he did have a point. What other option was there? It would be risky, but it was worth a shot. After that, they would just need to brace for impact.

"Amigo, what's the next move?" Goth asked impatiently.

Shade looked between the three, and as he did, Holden and Kassidy nodded at him. Helen was a little hesitant, but she too nodded in approval for the Vampyrum to pick up a rock to cause a cave-in. Then, finally, the sky-blue Silverwing nodded and directed his attention to the giant bat. "Let me see."

The blonde Silverwing then looked around him, and that's when his green eyes suddenly landed on one particular rock lodged near the opening tunnel. It stuck out like a sore thumb, and a smirk creased his face. He didn't hesitate to point toward it, and Goth started to remove it with no questions asked. The Vampyrum grunted with effort as he pushed it, but it wasn't long until the rock came rolling down the pile like a bowling ball. The cave shook with anticipation as rocks and boulders shot downwards, and everyone started to dodge as fast as possible. As Kassidy avoided getting hit, she was pushed to the ground by someone, and they fell on top of her, but she closed her ocean blue eyes and covered her head.

The avalanche and roaring noise finally ended, but it resulted in more dust. Kassidy started to cough rapidly, and she could hear the others doing the same thing. The witch was wrong if she thought her eyes couldn't have stung enough. The female Silverwing started to push herself up, but as she did, her lips linked to something warm and soft. Her eyes widened when she saw her lips pressed against Holden's.

A/N- Wow, I was looking forward to posting this one! Hope ya enjoyed it!