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.

line, it turned another,

Click, click, click.

Pop! Zing.

"Whoal!"

jumped back as a small compartment

that damn thing again?" Jared asked, crouching down beside

a secret compartment." I grinned

sternly and he shook his

with

not.There could be other compartments to

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

ended on a low

it.I think it is

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

"No, no more."

snatched the

"Heyt"

over this thing and it isn't healthy.I'm going to carry it from

"But"

the

look that told me it was useless

danced with reflections of the fire flames.It

"Eliza?"

"Okay, okay."

the protective case.He quickly wrapped it and tucked it

hungry? We should

an arm

and he wrapped his arm around

just under the edge of my short-sleeved shirt.His skin was warm, his fingers strong and

tingles ran

guys, there's something you should check

jogging back toward

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

we kept my

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

me to help

me, hands gripping my hips or pressing against my backside as he

thought he was doing it on purpose

any

come on.We haven't deviated from our path for days.Besides, this isn’t a detour.We don't even have

with

of a slight change of scenery,"I

what you found.After all this, it better

eyes at us.Abe led us to

mouth of it, tilting my head all the way back on

air gushed from inside.It smelled earthy and

"Hello!"

shouted into the

lo, lo" his

know what this looks like?" I asked arching an eyebrow at y

and

with me about messing with the Cryptex, I was glad to see I could still

place to find some

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

set up a

followed me inside, each holding

me to see that there were some old artifacts scattered around.I

were also bones

these!"

in the soft, moist earth on the cave

finger bones?" he asked, motioning to

"Looks like."

out of here.There's still plenty of ground

away, leaving

from the deep bowels

deeper underground, into the

My stomach lurched.

my insides, gently tugging me deeper into the

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

"Eliza, come on!"