Sold AS The alpha King's Breeder

Chapter 67 : We Made It

After a night of rest, it was time to get moving again.

My arm and hand were still mangled, so Abe and Jared did the heavy lifting to pack up camp.

While they worked, I studied the rough map I'd drawn as our guide to Myrel.

It wasn't perfect, but it would get us there.I wandered out of the cave and looked at the river.

Then I looked at the map.

I turned in a complete circle and then lined the map up with the river so they were parallel.

From there, it was easy to figure out where we were going.

We'd saved as much as we could from the river, and the fire had dried everything out overnight.

With our shortage of gear and supplies, packing up camp took hardly any time at all.

Jared helped me get my backpack on since my hand was still too injured to use, and we set off again.

We headed along the bank of the river.

The further we got, the deeper the gorge around the river became.

Soon, it was a sheer drop into the rolling rapids below, and I heard the sound of rushing water more than saw it.

Around midday, we stopped for lunch.

lopened my pack and took out the Cryptex.

"What are you doing!?" Jared asked, wide-eyed.

"I'm just messing with it.There's a lot we don’t know about it, and now that it is partially assembled, I think it is worth exploring."

"Remember what happened the last time you messed with it?"

He pointed to my bandaged hand.

"Look at this.These pieces still move, even though the Cryptex has locked itself together.I'm willing to bet there are hidden puzzles in this thing."

"Is losing your hand worth figuring out the puzzles?"

Jared's voice took on that overly protective tone I knew all too well.

I ignored him and started fiddling with the pieces of the Cryptex.

They reminded me of clock gears.

When I spun one, some of the other pieces would spin in a chain reaction along the curve of the device.

"Alright, put that away.We've got to keep moving," Jared said, standing up.

I bit my lip and reluctantly tucked the Cryptex back into its waterproof case.I slipped it back into my bag, patting it into place several times before I zipped my pack up again.

We continued walking along the river.

The sun had moved through the sky and was at our backs now.

Abe led the way, and we walked single file along the edge of the gorge.

On one side, there was a drop-off into the river.

On the other, there were scraggly rocks as tall as houses, making a narrow passage for us to traverse.

When we made camp for the night, I immediately took the Cryptex out again and started playing with it.

Jared was busy setting up our bedrolls and coming up with a meal that we could enjoy with what little rations we had.

Abe was checking the perimeter and stoking the fire.

For a while, neither of them bothered me.

I stared at the little moving parts of the Cryptex.

My eyes followed them ina line and I could see how several of them interconnected.

Grinning, I started turning one of the pieces.

a line, it turned another, then

Click, click, click.

Pop! Zing.

"Whoal!"

as a small

thing again?" Jared asked, crouching

opened a secret compartment." I

and

with this

could be other compartments to

with it, the more you're putting yourself in danger.You could have died the last

on

about it.I think it is worth studying.It might help

to a separate line of gears from the ones I'd just turned.They whizzed and

"No, no more."

the Cryptex

"Heyt"

obsessing over this thing and it isn't healthy.I'm

"But"

the protective

fixed me with a look that told me it was useless to argue with

fire flames.It was so hard not to

"Eliza?"

"Okay, okay."

case.He quickly wrapped

you hungry? We should

an arm out to

went to him and he wrapped his arm around my

upper arm, just under the edge of my short-sleeved

tingles ran through

something you

said, jogging back toward

past few days, he would hurry ahead and scout out the area while Jared

kept my

arm and hand were healing, but it was still useless for climbing and

with me to

than a few times, that meant him standing behind me, hands gripping my hips or pressing

thought he was doing it

any

from our path for days.Besides, this isn’t a detour.We don't even have to

with

by the prospect of a slight change of scenery,"I said, smiling

see what you found.After all this, it better be worth

his eyes at us.Abe led us to a very large

my head all the way back on my

from inside.It

"Hello!"

into the

lo"

what this looks like?" I asked

smirked and shook

with the Cryptex, I was

to find

I pulled out a soft bristled brush, the kind used in

a light!" Abe called after

inside, each

illuminated enough of the cave for me to see that there were some old artifacts scattered around.I went to a pile of broken ceramic

also bones

at these!" I

light over the pile.I knelt down in the soft, moist earth on the cave floor and brushed some of

those finger bones?" he asked,

"Looks like."

still plenty of ground

leaving me

puffed out from the deep

deeper underground, into the dark core of the mountain

My stomach lurched.

looped around my insides, gently tugging me deeper into the cave.I stared

along the dirt floor, something from the depths called to me, whispering to me on the

"Eliza, come on!"