Chapter 7.
Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic. These words ran through Kyrin's head on endless loop as she started down in horror at the spot where Jensa had been only moments ago. She screamed Jensa name, but she could neither see nor hear anything from deep within the inky depths. Shaking, Kyrin would stand, eyes frantically looking for something, anything that might help her. Of course there was no one around to help. That's why they hung out in this desolate place, for the privacy. There wasn't much of anything out here. Just overgrown plants and weeds.
It was then that Kyrin's eyes fell upon the Morrow plant, vines already drying out in the sun, since killing its food source. Kyrin grabbed a fistful of the vine, yanking with all her strength. It was wound tightly and deeply within the tree. Sweat poured down her face as she tugged, feet digging into the dirt with her effort. A resounding crack filled the air as the vine broke through the bark and came loose, sending Kyrin toppling dangerously close to the inky black hole. Face scant inches from the edge, she'd lay there for a moment, waiting for her breath to return to her, hands still clenched around the vine.
After a few deep breaths, she'd wipe the moisture from her palms, moving to start tying the vine around one of the thicker roots protruding from the fallen tree. Each time she tied a knot, she tested the strength. It wasn't till she'd tied about half a dozen before she felt confident in trying it. A smile crossed her lips as she thought of the word 'confidence'. At the moment she was feeling anything but. Still, Jensa needed her, and she couldn't just run away. So it was with shaking hands that she approached the hole, clinging to the vine like a lifeline.
Not knowing the depth of the hole meant she had to climb down slowly, and not risk jumping in. Kyrin knew she'd never have had the guts to do that anyway. It was a painfully slow process as she lowered herself down the line. At any moment she expected the vine to break or the knots to give way. Every inch she moved downwards she felt certain her hands would slip, so covered with sweat, or that her fingers would just give in, unable to hold on any longer. As she made her decent, she was so focused on not falling to her death that she didn't notice at first how things weren't nearly as dark as they should be. In fact, there was an eerie bluish glow that seemed to be getting brighter, not darker, as she went down. As Kyrin's eyes adjusted to the warm dim light, she tried to see what was around her. Her jaw dropped open as she took in the size of this underground cavern. It went on far further than she could even see, and it wasn't empty, not by a long shot. But as she tried to make out what she was really seeing, her hands started slipping.
Her scream barely made it past her lips before she found herself immersed in icy cold water. She hadn't been very far from the surface of an underground spring, just a bit deeper than she was tall. Kyrin would struggle to get to the edge of the water, not being a very accomplished swimmer. Fortunately for her, the water wasn't that deep and after a few very ungraceful maneuvers she was able to touch the bottom of the pool and walk to the surface. Spitting water and thoroughly drenched, she'd drag herself out of the water, lying on the bank for a moment. When she rolled over onto her side, she'd notice another wet area only a few feet away. Jensa had been here.
Kyrin pulled herself to her feet, wringing some water out of her clothes as she did so. Now that she was on the ground, she could see much clearer what filled this cavern. But though she could see it, she was no closer to figuring out just what it was that she was seeing. The closest word she could find to describe it was 'ruins'. But these ruins were unlike anything she'd ever seen before. Her people had very primitive metal and glass working skills. Usually only the very rich could have products made of them and mostly, the items they bought, though highly indicative of wealth and status, could only be described as crude. But these ruins…they used what must have been some kind of metal, but the smoothness and delicacy of the work was of a quality her people couldn't even have dreamed off. Likewise there was glass, stone, and materials she didn't even recognize. Even to her young eyes she could tell that the buildings, tools, all the ruins that lay before her, while clearly broken and long forgotten were things her people would never have been able to recreate.
The sudden brightness to her left made her jump. She'd just walked by what had looked to be a large stone. But now it was giving off the same blue glow that she'd noticed on her decent. Though it was on the ground, she could tell it had been elevated, as if it had been used as some sort of lantern to help light the way. Kyrin couldn't imagine how the stone worked. Giving off light with no flint or tinder or flame, well, it was unheard of. The light allowed her to see more of her surroundings though. She realized that she was in the middle of a street, lined with structures that at one point must have been immense. Even as ruin's some of the buildings stood taller than the most impressive of dwellings she'd ever seen. And they were huge in terms of how much ground they must have covered. How many dozens, or hundreds of families could have fit into those structures? The ground was made of something hard, yet smooth. It was not dirt, nor stone, nor clay. No substance she knew of could have produced a road like that. And everywhere, bits of glass and shiny debris winked in blue flashes like little fireflies.
Something caught her attention. It was big, about the size of a wagon, in the middle of the path. It had glass in it, and also a very shiny, sleek surface that covered the bulk of it. Kyrin ran her hand along it. It felt cold and smooth beneath her fingertips. She leaned forward till her face was pressed almost to the glass in an attempt to see inside the strange container. There were dark shapes within but the glass was so dark, she couldn't make them out. Her hand gasped at a small projection on the side of the object, pressing down as she leaned in.
Suddenly, an ear piecing alarm rang out as a large opening appeared in the side and she went tumbling in. Kyrin screamed in terror Arms and legs struggled, getting tangled in flat ropes and thin vines, not to mention the horrible, unhalting wail that sounded ceaselessly. The more she tried to break free of her cage, the more it tightened around her. Nails dug into skin to try and pull loose the restraints. Over the sound of the cage, she couldn't hear her own screams, wasn't even sure if she was making any sound, or just hanging her mouth open uselessly.
Kyrin had been near blind with panic, when a pair of hands grabbed her and started pulling her roughly by the wrists. Heart plunged into icy cold dread as she fought against her attacker with what limited movement she had. As she fought for her freedom and her life, one thought ran through her head over and over again.
I'm going to die.