Black Phoenix Heir

Chapter 29: Chapter 29 — The Serpent’s Den

Chapter 29 — The Serpent’s Den

Victor slowly stirred.

He didn’t know how much time had passed. Minutes, hours, perhaps even longer. His body felt impossibly heavy, as though every muscle had been filled with lead. Even breathing hurt. Each breath came slowly and unevenly, forcing its way through his chest as his battered body struggled to recover from everything it had endured.

His eyes opened little by little.

At first, there was nothing but a blur of pale light. The world refused to come into focus, and Victor couldn’t remember where he was. He remained still for several seconds, listening to the faint sounds around him while his exhausted mind struggled to piece together what had happened.

Then he realized he was lying face down.

Victor slowly pushed against the ground and began turning himself over. But he had completely forgotten about his shoulder.

Pain exploded through his left shoulder.

Victor immediately collapsed.

"Ah—!"

The sound barely escaped his throat. His voice was little more than a dry rasp after the screams that had torn through the cavern before he lost consciousness.

Victor closed his eyes and waited for the pain to settle. Then, remembering the state of his shoulder, he carefully rolled onto his side and used his right arm to push himself upright. It took far more effort than it should have, but eventually he managed to sit against the cold stone wall.

He remained there for a while, simply breathing.

The cave around him slowly came into focus.

Pale, bluish-green light came from clusters of luminescent stones embedded throughout the walls. Their glow wasn’t bright enough to illuminate the entire chamber, but it was enough to reveal the rough contours of the cave and the scattered shadows between the rocks. The light gave the place an almost peaceful appearance.

His eyes eventually found Jacob.

Jacob was lying a short distance away, still unconscious. The two arrows that had struck him earlier were still there. At least they weren’t actively bleeding.

Victor’s heart tightened.

He dragged himself toward Jacob.

The short distance felt like a journey.

When he finally reached him, Victor placed two fingers against Jacob’s neck.

A pulse.

Weak.

But there.

Victor released a slow breath.

At least Jacob was alive.

He stared at him for several seconds before looking around the cave again. His thoughts came slowly, each one feeling as though it had to fight through layers of exhaustion before reaching his mind. His body had been pushed beyond its limits, but the strain wasn’t limited to his muscles. His mind felt just as exhausted.

Eventually, Victor began noticing things he hadn’t seen before.

The passage behind them was strange.

It wasn’t a simple natural tunnel. The stone floor had been worn smooth in places, and the walls curved in a way that suggested something had passed through it repeatedly. The path was wide enough for something enormous to move through.

Victor stared at it.

The thought slowly formed.

Something large had used that passage.

Victor’s eyes moved across the chamber.

Then he saw the bones.

They were scattered throughout the cave, some partially hidden beneath rocks and others arranged in small piles against the walls. Some were tiny, while others were large enough that Victor couldn’t immediately identify what kind of creature they had once belonged to.

Victor’s expression tightened.

Something lived here.

Whatever it was, this cave wasn’t abandoned.

And whatever lived here probably wouldn’t be happy to discover that two strangers had made themselves comfortable inside its home.

Victor tried to stand.

His right hand pressed against the ground as he pushed himself upward. His legs trembled violently, and for a moment he managed to lift himself from the ground.

Then his strength disappeared.

He dropped back down.

Victor stared at the floor.

He couldn’t move Jacob.

He could barely move himself.

That left him with very few options.

Victor’s eyes lowered toward his equipment.

Almost everything was gone.

His sword had disappeared during the fall. His belongings had been scattered somewhere above or below them. The only weapon he still possessed was the dagger resting in its sheath.

Victor reached toward it and lightly touched the handle.

At least he had something.

His gaze wandered across the cave again.

Then he noticed something growing along the wall.

Moss.

It was dark enough that he had almost mistaken it for ordinary vegetation, but something about its color caught his attention. Victor slowly crawled toward it and examined the plant beneath the pale glow of the luminescent stones.

His memory finally supplied the answer.

Black Moss.

A common herb, but a useful one. It could be crushed into a paste and applied to wounds to help slow bleeding and protect damaged flesh.

Victor looked toward Jacob.

Then back toward the moss.

He needed to remove the arrows.

Victor tore a handful from the wall and crawled back toward Jacob. He crushed the moss between his fingers, grinding it until it became a thick, dark paste. His hands were shaking from exhaustion, but he forced himself to keep working.

He grabbed the first arrow.

Victor took a slow breath.

Then he pulled.

Jacob’s body jerked violently.

The arrow came free.

Victor immediately pressed the moss paste against the wound, covering it before any significant bleeding could begin. Jacob didn’t wake.

Victor moved to the second arrow.

His fingers tightened around the shaft.

He pulled it free.

Again, Jacob’s body twitched, but he remained unconscious. Victor quickly covered the second wound with the remaining moss paste and then sat back, breathing heavily.

For a moment, he simply looked at Jacob.

There was nothing else he could do.

Then something caught his attention.

A faint glow came from his side.

Victor looked down.

His dagger was illuminated.

His exhaustion vanished beneath a sudden surge of alertness.

He remembered what the strange glow meant.

Monsters were nearby.

Victor slowly reached for the dagger and pulled it from its sheath. His fingers tightened around the handle as he looked toward the passage.

Nothing moved.

The cave remained silent.

Victor slowly pushed himself upright.

His legs trembled beneath him, but this time he managed to stay standing. His left arm hung uselessly at his side, while his right hand held the dagger tightly.

He took a slow step toward the entrance.

Then another.

Every movement sent pain through his body, but he kept going until he reached the mouth of the passage.

Victor stopped there.

The pale light of the luminescent stones faded deeper inside the tunnel, eventually giving way to darkness. The bones scattered throughout the chamber seemed even more ominous now that he knew something had made this place its home.

Victor stood there, barely able to remain on his feet.

And somewhere beyond the darkness, something was coming.

Victor tightened his grip around the dagger.

He didn’t know what lived here.

He didn’t know how strong it was.

He didn’t know whether he could even survive another fight.

But he didn’t have a choice.

So Victor waited.

For several seconds, nothing happened.

Then, deep within the darkness of the passage, something moved.

A faint scraping sound echoed through the tunnel.

Victor’s eyes narrowed.

Whatever had been away from its den was finally coming home.

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