Chapter 52: Queen’s Domain
The walk was suffocatingly quiet.
Arachne walked stiffly ahead, her weakness obvious but her hatred palpable. Fin followed close behind, the connection between them a silent leash. The rest of the team trailed further back, a tight knot of distrust and exhaustion.
Gary kept glancing between Fin and Arachne, his hand never far from his hammer. Susan nursed her wounded arm, her face grim. Joe and Lucas stuck close together, whispering occasionally. Mary walked silently, but her gaze missed nothing.
Hana remained detached, watchful, her earlier outburst replaced by a chilling calm.
Fin could practically taste their unease, thick and sour in the air. He didn’t care. Let them doubt. He had the power, and he had the way out.
They reached the waterfall maybe twenty minutes later. Water cascaded down a sheer rock face into a churning pool below, the sound echoing slightly in the cavernous space. Hidden behind the curtain of water was a dark cave entrance.
"In there," Arachne muttered, pointing a trembling hand.
"After you," he ordered.
She hesitated for only a second before pushing through the water, vanishing into the darkness. Fin followed, the team close behind.
Inside, the cave was damp and surprisingly large. Water dripped from the ceiling, pooling on the uneven floor. In the center of the main chamber stood three massive, dark stones, each easily twice Fin’s height, arranged in a rough triangle. They hummed with a low, latent energy.
"The middle one," she said, stopping before it. "That’s the gate."