All Chapters of The Birthright Series: Chapter 201 - Chapter 210

GOING UP AND UP FELT strange, I kept expecting to go back down at some point the way you did with tramping, where going up usually always meant going down too, but that wasn't the intention here. Especially not with the molten rock I could sense beneath the ground.Pity it doesn't at least warm this horrid chamber, I thought with a shiver and then retracted that thought when I realized what it would mean. Better to be grateful for the cold.'How many days do we have left?' I thought to Loushka.'Loi said twelve, right? That would mean seven.''Ugh. Seven too many.'The lights of those ahead of us started to vanish and I felt relieved at leaving this ancient chimney while at the same time a sudden pang for sunlight hit. Any novelty of caving felt long gone now; I wanted fresh air and the blue sky, not a permanent darkness. We followed the widening ledge into a corridor and further still until it opened into a spacious, low cave. The griffons were short enough to clear the ceiling b

CATHERINE FROWNED AT LOUSHKA WHILE they communed and Ignatius waited, feeling quite flattered that she thought he looked so young.'What do you mean I'm not human?!' Catherine suddenly shrieked, startling both him and one of the centaurs who'd come to see why they weren't moving. Loushka cocked her head, the quizzical expression making her look ridiculous.'You're an Elemental, Catherine,' Ignatius pointed out.At the same time, she mumbled, 'Oh,' with a sheepish glance at the griffon.'Can we keep moving while we talk?' Ignatius asked and offered his arm. Catherine took it, her eyes distant and face pensive while he led her through the final part of the tunnel.'How long will I live for?'The tremulous tone surprised him and Ignatius looked down to see her chin wobble. She stared at him with a desperate expression.'I don't know. Gifted creatures can have three or four times the normal lifespan but as far as I know no Elemental lived long with the DeNaga's around. Hence the nee

WHAT IS THAT? SIAN THOUGHT to Kassie while showing Sito the image. The knowledge that one of their team had been killed, horrified her. The dragon stopped in his tracks at the image.'Food?''I don't know,' Sian thought, mind spinning at the sudden events. 'Is it food?''Show me again.'She replayed the image of the bizarre kraken-like creature. Sito let loose a bellow of excitement making all those close leap back.'Sian!' Daron yelled. 'What's happening?''FOOD!' Sito's excited thought flashed through everyone's mind then he charged. Sian clung tight to his leg.'Sito! Slow down, take it easy!''Food! Food! Food!'Wrapping her hands and energy around Sito's foreleg, Sian pressed her head to the armour and hoped they'd get there in time.GOBLINS, CENTAURS, AND THE SHOCKED, angry looking Nyjens all pressed against the sides of the tunnel to avoid the dragon's hasty exit. Daron coughed at the dust kicked up by the apparently ravenous dragon while finding out what had the Nyj

DARON HEARD THE STRANGE CHOKED scream and moved without thinking. Snatching an axe from the ground he bolted toward the sound while the other three girls flared bright. Sian shoved out through a tiny entrance in the wall, screaming and shaking. Daron stopped short, gaping, his brain not making sense of the angry red creatures swarming over her. She wheeled and leaped about, trying to dislodge the things and one leaped off her, landing on his arm. The spider bit into the chainmail, unable to reach him and stuck to his arm. Using the back of the axe he scraped it off, flicking it to the ground and slammed his boot down, crushing it. A sharp whistle pierced the air and a flurry of small red and black bodies flashed past Daron.'Get them off! Get them off!' Sian shrieked, dancing all over the place while the Halenine fae plucked the spiders off one by one, biting or stinging them, then dropped the corpses in a growing pile.A muffled gasp made Daron twist and he saw Kassie, Cat, and Loi,

IT ALMOST MADE ME WISH to be in a tunnel again, as much as I wanted open space, I didn't want it underground. The sheer vastness of this cave with the dense blackness everywhere gave me the creeps. I didn't notice so many rock formations either, emphasizing the sense of being in an excessively large room. I listened to Rumal and Kassie chatting and watched the pretty gold lights Kassie danced around us. A brief flash of white made me pause, staring hard at a light that danced a fair distance out on our left. Nothing else caught the light and I shrugged to myself, assuming it was a light-coloured rock. With the surface so much closer some of the smaller tunnels led to it and the occasional brief glimpse of a breeze drifted past, creating the illusion of the cave breathing. I shivered at the thought, unable to help it.'What's wrong?'I glanced over, surprised to find Kassie watching me.'Just the big open pitch-black space creeping me out. That's all.' I winked at her.Kassie nodded