atlast

"Mel, what are you doing?" Ainsley exclaimed as she yanked him back. "He's sick; he's not going to hurt anyone." The old man had raised his pickaxe in anticipation of ...

Ainsley nodded. “Terrible,” he agreed. “But it’s dead now. We managed to kill it.” Ainsley didn’t mention that he didn’t take part in killing the serpent. He gestured towards the ...

Oh boy. How was Ainsley supposed to explain that he and the majority of his group were wearing the robes they had found closer to the main hall. The man ...

Ainsley didn’t have food, but he vaguely remembered Mel saying something about water. “My friend has some water. Maybe she’ll have food, too.”

It was clear the man didn’t want to speak any more on the subject, and Ainsley wasn’t going to push it. Trying to get the man to deliberate any further ...

Ainsley paused a moment to take in what the man had revealed. There were others here before his group, and the man had said they had left a few behind ...

"Yes, it's Ainsley. There are three others at the fork of the tunnel. We all woke up in the main hall and decided finding the heart was our best bet ...

It had seemed that the duo had found some common ground. "The heart," Ainsley echoed. "Who doesn't want us to find it?" He glanced down at the man's outstretched hand, ...

Ainsley's brow furrowed. Who was the man talking about? What did they do that made the man fear them so much? He tried to meet the man's eyes, but he ...

Ainsley frowned as he realized his mistake. "No, I misspoke! I'm not from the main hall. I'm from outside the caves. I hit my head, and when I woke up, ...

"Maine," he answered. "I don't know how I got here." Ainsley tried to wrap his head around the fact that the man only seemed to remember life in the caverns. ...

"I'm Ainsley," the boy said, his voice level. He thought it strange that the man didn't know who he was. Had he been down here so long, alone, that he ...

Ainsley lowered his weapon when he saw the man. He appeared too weak to pose a threat, and the pickaxe he held was broken. Besides, the man looked more frightened ...

Ainsley tensed, squinting into the dark. His hand darted to his bag and he pulled out his dagger, pointing it in the direction of the sound. "Who's there?" He asked, ...

Ainsley startled a bit at the jab. He shoved the map towards Mel. “I need a minute,” he murmured as he turned and stalked away from the group. They were ...