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,

Click, click, click.

Pop! Zing.

"Whoal!"

a small compartment opened on

playing with that damn thing

secret compartment." I grinned

sternly and he shook

with

could be other compartments

more you're putting yourself in danger.You could have

ended on a

about it.I think it is worth studying.It might help us with breaking

that connected to a separate line of gears from the ones I'd just turned.They whizzed and whirred, flashing gold as

"No, no more."

snatched the Cryptex

"Heyt"

and it isn't healthy.I'm going

"But"

is the

and he fixed me with a look that told me it

danced with reflections of the fire

"Eliza?"

"Okay, okay."

the protective case.He quickly wrapped it

hungry?

arm out to

went to him and he wrapped

in a sharp breath as his fingers curled around my upper arm, just under the edge of

ran through my

there's something you should check

jogging back toward

and scout out the area while Jared

kept

climbing and

me to

standing behind me, hands gripping my hips or pressing

I thought he was doing it on purpose and enjoying

afford any more delays,"

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

enticed with

tickled pink by the prospect of a slight change

you found.After all this, it better be

narrowed his eyes at us.Abe led

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

inside.It smelled earthy

"Hello!"

into

ello, lo, lo" his voice echoed

like?" I asked arching an eyebrow at

smirked and shook his

Cryptex, I was glad

place to

brush, the kind used in archeology digs, and headed

set up a light!" Abe called

inside,

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

bones scattered

at these!"

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

are those finger bones?" he asked, motioning to

"Looks like."

that's weird.We should get out of here.There's still

walked away, leaving me

of breath puffed out from the deep bowels of

up, I faced the tunnel that led deeper underground, into the dark core of the

My stomach lurched.

looped around my insides, gently tugging me

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

"Eliza, come on!"