Chapter 55

                                    

                                          
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Liam pulled his hand back quickly, and the wax remolded itself around her finger. Could she possibly still be alive?

The girl had pressed herself against the glass, so only a thin layer of wax separated her from him. He held his hands to her mouth, wiping the wax away in rapid motions as it melted, careful to keep his hands moving so they wouldn’t get sucked in.

“Are you alive?” he whispered.

“Ymph,” came the answer. His heart beat faster. 

How was this possible? He needed to get her out of there. It was fortunate that she had been close to the glass when she’d been dropped in, otherwise it might be impossible to do this without getting sucked into the wax himself. He moved his hands rapidly behind her head, weakening the wax further and further until she was able to wrench it forward. He freed her arms next, then she melted the wax on her torso while he worked on her legs. 

Bit by bit, alternating melting and pulling, he managed to break her free. Liam tried to help her stand, but her legs buckled beneath her. He set her down and pushed her hair out of her face.  

“Shukran,” she thanked him, then fainted.

Genius! Now he’d have to carry her out. If only the Shadow Queen had been thoughtful enough to install an elevator. He knelt down and hauled the girl over his shoulder, then stood. Fortunately, she was light. He moved rapidly down the winding path, tier after tier, until he neared the sleeping dragon. 

The girl began to slip off his shoulder. He grabbed her with his left hand and repositioned her. This was crazy. It would require a steadier hand than he could manage while holding a person. 

Liam deposited the girl in the shadows and rested for a few minutes. Then he picked up his laser saber with his right hand and the whip with the left. He hoped the batteries were fresh. 

He aimed the laser saber and clicked it on. 

The dragon rose and faced him, its shadowy snout looking down on Liam. They sidestepped warily, every step bringing him closer to the mouth of the tunnel. Suddenly, the creature lunged, its open jaws revealing row after row of sharp teeth. Liam stumbled backward and cracked the whip hard on its snout. The dragon growled and retreated a few steps. 

Liam hoped the creature would give up and return to its comfortable resting spot, but no such luck. The dragon was back in his face in no time, a low rumbling sound in its throat. He continued backing down the pathway as it narrowed. It was tricky walking backward under the circumstances. One misstep and he would be swept away by the wax river. If anything, footing seemed even more difficult for the bulky creature. It slipped a few times during the narrow parts, but continued trailing him deep into the dark tunnel. He was lucky it wasn’t the giant feline stalking him. That cat would certainly have been more agile than the cumbersome dragon.

Suddenly, the dragon roared and swiped at Liam, knocking him back against the cave wall. The whip flew from his hand. He lunged for the whip and stood, but before he could use it, the dragon rose up and pinned him against the wall. Steam rose from its nostrils.

He didn’t know if a shadow dragon breathed fire, but if so, this was it. He was dead. The dragon opened its mouth. Liam cringed and closed his eyes tightly, preparing for his impending death.

Instead he felt a fine mist on his face. He opened his eyes to see a faintly purplish fog pouring from the dragon’s mouth. He could feel a cold numbness creeping through his body. He tried to raise the whip, but his arm felt leaden. He realized his face and his shoulder down to his elbow were paralyzed. The numbness was radiating from where the shadow creature had breathed on him. He could still move his hand, but probably not for long.

This would be the end, unless, he had an idea. Liam flicked his wrist quickly and the whip grazed the dragon’s belly. It yowled but held its position. He flicked its hind legs, and the dragon shifted. The paralysis was moving down his forearm. In a bit, his hand would be useless. With a last, desperate attempt, he cracked the whip over and over against the dragon’s legs.

The dragon backed away until it began to lose its balance. It made the mistake of releasing its wings, but they couldn’t fully unfurl. One of the wings caught on a stalagmite. It teetered in the air with claws waving desperately, then fell backward into the river. The wax swept the creature away into the molten lake. 

Liam fell to the ground, shivering uncontrollably. After a bit, the shuddering began to subside, and the feeling began to return to his arms. He tried to take deep, calming breaths. He needed to keep his head. He had to get the girl out.

He rolled over on his side and crawled toward her. He checked her breath. She was still alive, for now. He didn’t like the looks of her foot though. The shadow wounds were festering, and her foot was swelling and turning a sickly greenish-purple. He tried to pick her up, but his elbows were still too numb. He gritted his teeth in frustration. 

He put his arms out straight in front of him and slipped them underneath her. It was torture to lift her, but he did it anyway, shifting her awkwardly until she rested on his shoulder again. 

He tucked the whip in his pants and took off. He expected at any moment for a creature to leap from the shadows or a guard to block his way. If they did, he would just kneel down and give himself up. He wouldn’t have the strength to resist. As it was, it was taking every last drop of determination to will his body forward. He moved on, past the dripping stalagmites and away from the waxy river.

Liam finally reached the entrance. He climbed over the rocks, hanging tightly to the girl. He paused, breathing heavily. Then he felt arms pulling, helping him up and out. Someone took the girl off his shoulder. Someone let him lean on him. He stumbled wearily through the sand until they halted.

He sank to the sand, grateful to be off his feet, grateful to be away from the muggy horror of the hive. His vision swam, and he felt something at his lips—a water bottle. He drank deeply. The water wasn’t cool, but it felt refreshing. He wished he could pour it over his head and neck, but he knew their water was too precious to be wasted like that. 

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see Kami. She had an anxious expression on her lovely face. 

“Are you okay?” she asked. 

Liam nodded. 

“Where’s the girl?” he asked.

“Yasmin and Haji are taking care of her. What is this gunk?’

“Huh?”

She pointed to a glob of wax on his shirt. She reached out to pull it off.

“Wait,” Liam said. “Don’t touch it.”

Her hand froze, and she looked at him uncertainly.

“I’ve wanted to try this for a while now.”

He flexed his hand. The numbness was fading, thankfully. He peeled off the wax, which immediately began to soften in his cupped hands. He lifted it to his face and wiped it over his nose and mouth, blocking the airways completely and breathed in deeply.
                          
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Wow - only two chapters left until the end of Born of Shadow. The final chapters go up next Monday and next Friday. More details about the Fan book next Monday - super excited about that! So very grateful to have you all as readers!
                          
The dedication for this chapter goes out to a wonderful Born of Shadow reader @Mayrain 98! I have so enjoyed her wonderfully insightful comments throughout. You can follow her and her cool stories by clicking on the dedication link above.