CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Winter

We all freeze, our eyes scanning the canyon walls for any sign of movement. The scratching grows louder, more intense. Panic sets in as we realize that we're surrounded.

"Alec, what is it?" I ask, my voice shaking.

And then I see it.

A horde of creatures emerges from the darkness of the canyon, their bodies covered in shimmering black scales. They look like giant beetles, with wings that buzz and click as they fly towards us. Their legs are long and spindly, and their jaws snap open and closed with a sickening sound.

They fill the canyon and the riverbed and suddenly stop. Their wings still open and close, but they're not moving.

"What's going on?" Hank asks.

No one answers, and I think that like me they're afraid to even think about it.

I take a step back, but Alec's hand on my arm stops me. "Don't move," he says.

I nod, my heart pounding in my chest. I feel like I'm about to be sick.

The creatures swarm around us, their wings beating against our skin. I can feel their sharp legs scratching at my clothes, and I try not to scream.

"What do we do?" Elena’s voice quakes.

"We wait," Alec says. "We wait and see what they're going to do."

One bug raises onto its back legs and turns its antenna towards Elena. And then it attacks.

I scream as the beetle lunges at Elena, its jaws snapping shut just inches from her face. Alec is quick to react, grabbing the beetle by its thorax and crushing it with one hand. The other beetles swarm around us, their wings beating faster as they try to attack.

We're outnumbered and outmatched.

Alec grabs my hand. "We need to run," he says.

We take off, sprinting down the canyon as fast as we can. I can hear the beetles buzzing behind us, their wings flapping furiously.

We round a bend in the canyon, and I see a narrow passage leading upwards, towards the top of the canyon wall. It's our only chance.

I point towards it. "Up there!"

We scramble up the rocky passage, our hands and feet finding purchase in the crevices of the canyon wall. The beetles follow us, their wings buzzing loudly.

I look down and see hundreds of the creatures swarming around the base of the canyon wall. We're not even a fifth of the way up the wall, and already I can't find anywhere to get purchase. The beetles are scaling the wall, though, and they look more than capable. They'll be on us in seconds.

"We're stuck!" I call out to the others.

My yell comes out as a whisper, though, and I remember what we discovered about sound in this canyon. It turns a light bulb on over my head.

"You guys," I say in a level tone so that they can hear me. "Whisper at the rocks beneath us."

"What?" Elena's face twists in confusion, but Alec lights up.

"Yes," he says. "Excellent. If we whisper at them then maybe the strong vibrations will create a landslide."

With nothing else coming to mind, I start to whisper the ABCs. They come out as a loud boom, and it works. The others join in, and we whisper as loudly as we can, and the rocks beneath us start to shake. The beetles swarm towards us, their wings buzzing like a thousand chainsaws.

The beetles seem to sense the change and start to swarm towards us even more vigorously.

We whisper harder, and the ground starts to shake. Small stones roll down the wall, and the beetles pause for a moment, unsure of what's happening. And then it starts.

Rocks break off from the wall and tumble down, smashing into the beetles and crushing them. The monsters try to dodge them, but it’s no good. Just like in the rest of this dimension, the smallest rocks are the ones that do the biggest damage. All it takes is a pebble to completely crush one beetle.

But then, with a loud crack, a section of the canyon wall breaks off and starts to tumble down towards the beetles. Alec and I grab Elena and pull her up towards the top of the canyon wall, just in time to avoid being crushed by the landslide.

"Thanks," she says, giving me a grateful look.

I start to respond, but the ledge we're on starts shaking harder. The ground gives way, and we slide down the canyon wall on a wave of rocks and dirt. The beetles are caught in the landslide, the last of them being obliterated, and we end up on top of the pile of rocks.

"That was crazy." I struggle to get to my feet.

Alec rushes over to me, his eyes dark with concern. "Are you okay?" he asks, his hand hovering over my arm.

I nod, unable to meet his gaze. I'm still so embarrassed that I literally shouted my feelings for him, and I don't think even the most extreme life or death situation will erase that.

Damon brushes dust off his pants. "Well, that was fun."

"Fun?" Elena scoffs. "That was terrifying!"

Damon shrugs. "Hey, it's not every day you get to fight off giant beetles with your bare hands."

I can't help but laugh, the adrenaline still pumping through my veins. "I guess you're right."

"Now to head back the way we came." He forces a smile.

Alec glances at me, and I shrug. What other option do we have? The canyon proved to be a bust.

We pick our way back the way we came, the dust from the landslide a thin layer on our arms and faces. The stars still sparkled brilliantly, and it seems like I could almost reach out and grab one if I wanted.

It's stupid. We were almost killed by monsters—yet again. We still haven't found the Golden Coin that can save our school.

And yet all I can think about is what I whispered to Elena. Or what I thought I whispered to her. How I said I wished Alec would go ahead and kiss me.

Talk about mortifying. What makes it all the worse is that he's pretending I didn't say it at all. He's just moving on.

Which is the right thing. I should move on too.

If only it were that easy.

We follow the canyon around a familiar bend, and little luminescent bugs scurry across the rocks.

Their tiny, glowing bodies light up the path ahead of us, and I can't help but feel a sense of comfort wash over me.

As we continue down the path, the bugs become more numerous, and their light grows brighter. It's almost as if they're leading us somewhere.

"Look," Elena says, pointing ahead.

In the distance, I can see a faint glow, like a dim light in the darkness.

"What do you think it is?" Alec asks.

"I have no idea," I say.

"I don't recognize any of this," Hank says. "The landscape must have shifted again."

I frown. Did we do that when we created the landslide?

"Should we follow them?" Hank asks.

"No!" Damon and I shout at the same time, except—of course—it comes out as whispers.

"The last time we followed something here," Alec says, "it didn't end so well."

I shake my head, thinking of the kobold who I'd been so sure was trying to help us. "I'll take responsibility for that one," I whisper.

The canyon walls shake, and some dust rains down. Oops.

I'm all out of sorts, and it's causing me to forget about the rules of this canyon. I need to get it together.

I step over a rock and hug the wall as I walk. A bit more dust rains down.

"Winter," someone whispers.

"Huh?" I turn around, recognizing Alec's voice. I barely have time to register the look of horror on it before I understand that something very bad is about to happen.