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Chapter 25 - Stranger*

They crawled under the Valley of Kings\'s labyrinth of tunnels.

Luna\'s foot hit a loose rock as they wriggled across boulders and her ears strained to hear the tell-tale movement of the monster, hunting at their heels.

Whenever Luna thought they had escaped, they would round a corner, and the slithering sound of the monster would make them halt in confusion, almost as though it was toying with them.

Should they retreat or go the other way?

They would have certainly lost their way if not for the etched directions on the walls, serving as their guide. Luna crawled with exhaustion, hoping the monster was tired, too.

Luna was panting and gasping for breath while Jon examined the direction of the arrows.

They stood at the centre where three tunnels converged.

"This way," Jon whispered. "Just a little bit more, and we will see a narrow hole. I have distracted the monster as much as I could by muting our scents. Get down and crawl that tight shaft. Once you\'re through, the monster wouldn\'t be able to follow."

"RRAAAUUUGGHHH!"

Luna went ahead in the direction he pointed, but Jon had pushed her aside and went in first.

"You\'re taking too long," Jon growled as he reached the tight bit, fell to his stomach, and squirmed his way in.

"RRAAAUUUGGHHH!" Triumph thundered in the monster\'s voice as it drew closer.

"Hurry up! Jon. Move faster. " Luna whispered and turned to look back at the path they have taken.

Only Jon\'s feet stuck out of the narrow tunnel now.

Luna dropped to her knees, ready to dive in.

"RRAAAUUUGGHHH!"

Jon\'s feet disappeared, and Luna glanced behind her one last time.

The lantern\'s light caught the face of the monster as it advanced around the corner.

The monster was a white and glistening serpent, and out of its mouth shot a long, whip-like tongue. It was the first time she had witnessed a Nagini.

The lantern flickered out as it smashed at her feet.

Luna screamed and scrambled into the hole.

She took her small pack off and shoved it ahead of her before diving inside.

Luna cursed as she followed Jon crawling before her in the dark and the swish of the Nagini coming up from behind them.

"Hurry! It\'s coming!"

Luna crawled faster and pushed Jon forward, praying that her ankles did not stick out of the hole they went in for the monster to catch hold.

She was uncertain how far into the tunnel they had progressed.

"RRAAAUUUGGHHH!"

They wormed their way forward, and the tunnel shuddered as the creature forcibly flung itself into the rock.

Luna shrieked as she shoved against the back of Jon\'s legs, trying to get through the tight hole.

Jon had finally reached the other side and pulled her out of the tunnel, and it made her stop panicking.

Luna was not safe, she thought.

Not only was she taking part in this dangerous initiation, but Jon was also too stupid to get her safely to the other side or get her into the safe zone for the meantime while she practised some spells that would aid her in this journey so she could pass the test.

It was all for nothing.

Luna was going to die for nothing.

"I hate you," Luna croaked. She swallowed hard and repeated herself. "I hate you, Jon."

The sentiment still wasn\'t enough, so she howled the words. "I do not feel safe at all. I was not given any weapon except this useless witch\'s grimoire inside the pack! Give me a sword, at least."

"Why don\'t you practice summoning a sword with your mind? You have already embodied the witch goddess\' powerful blood as her chosen daughter. If you want to get out of here, it will be all up to you. It\'s not like I take pleasure in strolling where monsters reside." His voice was emotionless as he picked up the end of the rope still attached to her ankle. "Where\'s the lamp?"

"I lost it somewhere at the end of the tunnel– feel free to go get it. I pray that you would get eaten by the Nagini." The thought of the creature devouring him didn\'t sit well with her.

She would be alone in the dark, with no sense of time or direction.

She didn\'t like to be underground, trapped in this tight, dark space with no way out.

The chances of finding her way out were non-existent because it was Jon who knew where to go.

"Idiot! I might sense things in the dark but, what about you? "Jon groaned. "What if we got separated?"

"That would not ever happen if you weren\'t planning to leave me, right?"

"Hmm." Jon trailed off as if he was thinking the same thing.

Ditching her.

"So, you were planning something."

Jon fumbled in his backpack for something, and she looked around in complete darkness.

Or maybe, it wasn\'t complete anymore.

In the distance, a silvery glow pulled her in: moonlight.

Unless, if it was another bloody monster!

"Drop the rope," Luna whispered.

"What?"

"I said, drop the rope."

Water dripped.

Luna\'s breathing was even as Jon grew still.

A whisper of breeze chilled her skin, and the rope around her ankle went loose.

The light was upon them before she even had the chance to run.

Luna covered her eyes because she wasn\'t so used to it.

Someone else was in the tunnel.

"What the..." Jon started to say, and then with a grunt, he tackled her from behind. "Don\'t move. I sense another more dangerous entity approaching that isn\'t like us."

"Help!" Luna gasped, but Luna couldn\'t draw breath beneath his bulk.

Squeezing an elbow underneath her, she pushed up, gasped in a mouthful of air, and screamed.

Luna hit his face again and got up on her knees so she could kick him hard in the stomach.

The wind came out between the seized-up muscles in his abdomen.

Luna tried to turn over to fight, but Jon pummeled her skull, sending a wave of dizziness through her.

Black and green dots flashed in her eyes, and abruptly his weight disappeared.

With a muffled "Oof!" and a groan of pain, Jon fell to the ground next to her.

Every inch of her ached, but she didn\'t think anything was broken.

She could still run.

"I do not know where this place is." The stranger drawled, confused.

Luna gazed up at the man standing in front of her as she raised to her knees, his figure outlined by moonlight. "Help me!"

Luna pleaded, tugging on the silken fabric of his cloak. "Help me, please. This vampire intends to get me killed."

"Is that so?" His voice had the lyrical tone that belonged to royalty, a little bit familiar, although she was surprised to find a nobleman in this damned caves just for the sole purpose of treasure hunting.

Luna was in no position to judge, though.

She would take assistance where she could find it.

She crawled on her hands and knees, putting the man between Jon and her.

Anyone had to be better than Jon.

Her eyes fixed on the glowing orb floating through the air of its own accord, fluttering around and dazzling her with its brightness.

"How badly are you injured, my lady?"

Luna reached up to touch the light, but she changed her mind and withdrew her hand instead.

That\'s when she realized the stranger had called her \'my lady\'.

Jon whispered carefully as he stared at her, and it sent shivers down her spine, "Who are you talking to, Luna?"