POV: Kael
My foot hit the stone tile, and the entire world exploded.
"TRAP!" someone screamed—maybe me, I couldn't tell—as the floor beneath us cracked like breaking ice.
I stumbled backward, arms flailing wildly. Behind me, Sir Gareth and the other squires scrambled for safety. The grinding sound of ancient mechanisms waking up filled the cave, loud as thunder.
"Don't just stand there, you useless girl!" Sir Gareth shoved past me, nearly knocking me down. "Move!"
I ran, but my legs felt like jelly. We'd been exploring this cave for hours, searching for the legendary treasure Sir Gareth kept talking about. My stomach growled with hunger. My arms ached from carrying supplies. And now everything was falling apart—literally.
Chunks of ceiling rained down. One missed my head by inches.
"This way!" Sir Gareth pointed toward the tunnel we came from. The other squires—Marcus and Finn—followed him without question. I ran after them, heart hammering against my ribs.
That's when the floor completely gave out beneath me.
"HELP!" I screamed, grabbing for anything. My fingers caught the edge of the pit that suddenly opened up. Sharp rock cut into my palms. My legs dangled over darkness.
"Sir Gareth! Please!"
He stopped. Turned. Our eyes met for just a second.
Then he smiled. Actually smiled.
"Should have watched where you stepped, Kael." His voice was cold. "You always were the clumsy one."
"What? No! Don't—"
"Let's go, boys. The treasure won't wait." He turned his back on me.
"But Sir Gareth!" Marcus protested. "We can't just leave her!"
"She triggered the trap. She pays the price. That's how adventuring works. Now MOVE before we all die!"
Their footsteps faded away. Marcus called my name once, twice, but Sir Gareth must have dragged him along because the voices disappeared into the tunnel.
They left me. My own master left me to die.
My fingers screamed in pain. I couldn't hold on much longer. Below me, I heard nothing but empty air. If I fell, I'd probably break every bone in my body.
Tears burned my eyes. This was so unfair! I worked harder than anyone. Trained longer. Tried to prove I wasn't worthless like everyone said. And this was how it ended?
My left hand slipped.
Panic shot through me. "No, no, no!"
I swung my body, desperately trying to pull myself up. My right hand was slipping too. Any second now, I'd—
A chunk of ceiling crashed right where I'd been standing. The impact sent vibrations through the rocks. My right hand lost its grip.
I fell.
Wind rushed past my face. I screamed, waiting for the crash, the pain, the end.
Instead, I landed hard on my back on a stone floor about ten feet down. The air whooshed out of my lungs. Stars exploded across my vision.
Okay. Not dead. That's good.
I lay there gasping like a fish, trying to remember how breathing worked. Above me, more ceiling pieces fell through the hole I'd dropped through. The entire cave system was collapsing.
Move, Kael! My brain screamed at my body. Get up or get buried!
I rolled to my side, coughing. Every part of me hurt. Where was I? This wasn't the tunnel we'd been exploring. Must be a lower chamber. How deep into the mountain had I fallen?
A huge boulder crashed down, blocking the hole above. Now even if I wanted to climb out—which I absolutely did—I couldn't.
The rumbling grew louder. Dust filled the air so thick I could taste it. This chamber was going to collapse any second.
Then I saw it.
Through the dust and chaos, something glowed. Soft blue light, like moonlight on water. It came from deeper in the chamber, past fallen pillars and scattered rocks.
I crawled toward it. What else could I do? There was no way out behind me. Maybe there was an exit near the light. Maybe I'd get lucky for once in my miserable life.
The glow got brighter as I got closer. My hands and knees scraped against rough stone. A rock hit my shoulder, making me yelp, but I kept moving.
Finally, I reached it.
An altar. Simple and old, carved from solid stone. And resting on top, bathed in that blue glow, was a sword.
It was the most beautiful weapon I'd ever seen. The blade seemed to shimmer, patterns swirling across the metal like frozen water. The handle looked worn but perfect, like it had been held a thousand times by careful hands.
Behind me, the rumbling turned into a roar. The whole ceiling was coming down.
I had maybe five seconds before this entire chamber became my tomb.
My hand shot out and grabbed the sword's handle.
The moment my skin touched the metal, the blue light EXPLODED.
And then—a voice. Clear and sharp and definitely real, shouting directly inside my head:
"RUN LEFT NOW!"
I didn't think. Didn't question. My body just moved. I ran left, still gripping the sword.
A massive boulder crashed exactly where I'd been standing.
"KEEP GOING!" the voice yelled. "Faster! FASTER!"
My legs pumped. Adrenaline made me forget my pain. The sword felt weightless in my hand, like it was part of my arm.
"Duck!"
I dropped to the ground. A rock sailed over my head.
"Up! Forward! There's an opening ahead!"
I couldn't see any opening through the dust and falling debris. But the voice sounded so certain. So confident. I trusted it completely.
My feet found solid ground even when I couldn't see. My body twisted and dodged obstacles before I even noticed them. It was like the sword was guiding me, showing me exactly where to go.
"Jump!"
I leaped over a crack in the floor without knowing why. The crack immediately widened into a chasm behind me.
"Almost there! See that gap between the rocks? Squeeze through!"
I saw it—barely. A tiny space between two leaning boulders. Way too small for a person.
"I can't fit!"
"YES YOU CAN! GO!"
I dove for the gap. My body slipped through impossibly, the sword angled perfectly to avoid catching on stone. Behind me, the entire chamber collapsed with a sound like the end of the world.
I tumbled out into open air—real, fresh, wonderful air—and rolled down a small hill outside the cave entrance. Grass! Trees! Sunlight!
I lay on my back, gasping and shaking. The sword was still clutched tight in my fist.
Inside the cave, everything went silent. The collapse stopped. Only dust poured out of the entrance now.
I survived. I actually survived.
"Well," the voice said in my head, sounding tired but satisfied. "That was exciting."
I sat up so fast my head spun. "WHO SAID THAT?!"
"Oh, right. You probably want an explanation." The voice paused. "This is going to sound crazy, but... I'm the sword. Hi. I'm Leo. I've been trapped in here for approximately forever, and you just saved both our lives. So, uh, thanks for that."
I stared at the sword in my hand.
The sword stared back—if swords could stare.
Then, from the forest behind me, I heard voices. Men's voices. Getting closer.
"—saw someone fall outside the cave!"
"Could be the girl Gareth mentioned. The one with the treasure!"
"Spread out! Don't let her escape!"
My blood turned to ice. They weren't here to rescue me. They were here to hunt me.
And I was holding a glowing sword that apparently talked.
"So," Leo's voice said in my head, way too calm. "Got a plan? Because those guys sound pretty serious."
I looked at the sword. At the forest. At my scraped and bleeding hands.
"Run?" I whispered.
"Oh good," Leo replied. "I was hoping you'd say that."