Chapter Nine
The exit out of the pit involved an ascent up a rocky cliff, which just reinforced the fact that they were in a cave with only one way out.
The climb winded Colton about halfway up. Dirt and sweat covered him. The combination created mud on his exposed skin.
He wanted a shower and a bed as soon as possible. Those two things seemed unattainable as the incline didn't seem to have an end.
Colton turned halfway up a rocky incline to make sure Awan was still with them. Even when he was a shadow, Colton could tell he sagged when he walked. Each step seemed harder for him to take until he stopped altogether, his body just a ball of smoke.
"Novak!" Colton ran to Awan, wrapping his arms around him. He had no idea which part of Awan he touched, and it didn't matter.
Awan changed forms in his arms. Every line on Awan's face held pain. Colton raised one shaky hand to Awan's forehead, moving the hair out of his eyes.
"Can you walk?"
Awan nodded. "Perhaps with assistance."
Novak came over to them. "Shall we stop for a bit."
Awan shook his head. "No."
Colton's hands began to shake as he hugged Awan close.
"Let us keep moving then." Novak touched Colton's shoulder, wanting him to move away so he could help Awan.
Instead of complying, Colton ignored him. "Promise me you'll make it."
"I shall try."
"No, goddamnit." Colton moved away far enough to meet Awan's gaze. "Do it, Awan."
Awan nodded. "I promise you."
"Good." Colton kissed him quickly and moved aside, making room for Novak.
Novak lifted Awan from around the waist. The second Awan's feet were underneath him, he winced.
They moved a lot slower. Awan limped with each step he took and grunted every few feet when the pain got to be too much.
"I have a question." It was too quiet, and Colton never really did well with long silences.
"What is it?" Novak was the one that asked.
"Actually, it's for Awan."
"I am listening." He could hear the affection in Awan's voice even through the pain. The fact that he indulged Colton even with the shitstorm circling got Colton thinking about their future together. He’d be stupid to give that up.
"How do your clothes stay on when you change?" Novak's didn't when he shifted. Colton had seen Novak's naked ass more than he cared to. Hell, he'd seen it at least three times and hadn't seen Awan's once, which was fucking sad all the way around.
"I will it to be so."
"Novak can't do the same thing?"
"No. I am not able." Novak chuckled as if he found Colton funny. "Sluaghs carry a bit of magic in them. I do not."
"I don't know, man. Changing from a human to a dragon and back again seems kinda magical to me."
"Perhaps there is some magic in the ordinary."
It was Colton's turn to chuckle. "The fact that you think dragons and shifters are normal cracks me up. Man, you would find my world boring."
His chuckle died when a thought took hold. Maybe he'd find home boring too. All the excitement in the pit was changing him. His understanding of the world and how things worked tilted onto its side and everything he thought he knew before walking through the door to get to the Otherworld emptied out of him. His eyes opened in ways they hadn't been before.
He couldn't go back to the lies the Upperworld told itself. He couldn’t go back to the ignorance of not knowing Awan existed.
He had obligations and didn't want to disappoint his friends who were the only family he had. At the same time, Awan changed things for him. There was no denying that anymore.
He looked at Awan's back at the long black coat that made him look like a bad ass, even with a rip in the back where the knife went through.
Being without Awan scared him more than it should. He'd grown attached in a very short period, which was completely insane, even with the soulmate thing drawing them together.
"Runir is behind us." Awan might have whispered, but the words ricocheted off the walls.
"Seriously. That guy doesn't quit." Colton shook his head, not that either Awan or Novak could see him as he walked behind them. He kept a hand on Awan's lower back as they made their way up, providing him with support from behind. His other hand gripped the sword's hilt. He kept the thing pointed down but hearing Runir's name made him raise it a bit higher.
He looked down the cliff, but it was too dark.
"He draws near." Novak clearly had sensitive senses, which didn't come as a surprise. Most animals in the Upperworld had senses that were superior to humans. Dragons were just large lizards with wings. Maybe they were just dinosaurs that went extinct on earth but still managed to make it work for themselves in the Otherworld.
"Too near. Get in front of us, Colton." As much as Colton wanted to argue with Awan, he didn't. The use of his name, instead of being called Anam Cara, told him more than anything could how stressed Runir’s closeness made Awan. He didn’t see the point in making Awan’s situation that much worse by arguing.
He started to make his way past them, but someone grabbed the back of his shirt, pulling him off his feet.
The sword fell from his hand, clanking to the ground as he fell backward. His feet went out from under him, and the slope downward gave him too much momentum. He fell to the ground, his back hitting the hard dirt as he slid down a couple of yards.
He tried to suck in air but his lungs seized from the impact. He didn’t quite have his breath back when someone grabbed his hair, fisting the strands.
He caught a glimpse of Runir as he pulled him up. Several strands gave way. He cried out.
Runir wrapped an arm around Colton’s neck, choking out the sound.
"Allow me to pass, and the human will remain unharmed."
Colton hadn't even realized he closed his eyes until they popped open as if they had a mind of their own. He saw Awan standing there with his sword in his hand. He slumped over from the pain. Sweat coated his brow, and he seemed unsteady on his feet.
Novak tried to move into the pending fight, but all it took was a raised hand from Awan to stop him in his tracks. "Runir dies at my hand. No other."
Colton struggled against the hold only to get a punch to his side. Colton grunted, struggling for air.
"I would not hurt him again if I were you."
The threat didn’t faze Runir "Let me pass."
Awan looked at Colton. "The knife, Anam Cara."
God, Colton forgot about the thing. He had tucked it into the waistband of his jeans, mostly because Awan's blood covered it and he didn't want any left in the pit. It was a strange sentiment. One that Colton couldn't fully explain, even to himself, nor did he care to try.
He was surprised it hadn’t cut him when he fell. It was pure luck it hadn’t actually.
Colton acted on instinct. Whether it was the instinct to follow Awan's unspoken order or the instinct to survive, he didn't know. Maybe those two things had meshed together at some point during their journey, and Colton could no longer tell the difference between them.
Colton pulled the knife from its hiding place. He struck with every ounce of strength he had, not even caring where it landed as long as Runir let him go, which was exactly what happened.
The second the arm released him, Colton ran passed Awan. Awan took advantage of the situation. He gave a war cry like no other and ran forward. Runir tried to block Awan's sword, his eyes widening when he realized Awan got the jump on him. Awan's sword proved too sharp for Runir's arm block because it severed his hand before the blade sank into the center of his throat. There was a sickening wetness as Awan pushed.
The blade was wide enough that it nearly severed Runir's head from his body.
Colton turned away from the sight when his stomach lurched into his throat. He put a hand over his mouth.
It wasn't until Novak pushed him aside that he turned back, only to find Awan trying to stay on his feet. Novak caught him just as he was about to fall. He swung Awan up over his shoulder and turned without a word.
"Go, human. Quickly."
Colton forgot about everything but running up the hill. Fatigue went extinct inside his body, and so did every other need. He shouted Dasan's name because that's who Awan said could heal him, hoping someone near the door would hear.
Colton saw the door. It looked almost like the portal had when he first entered it to get to the Otherworld. It shimmered and swam as if made of water. And then someone stood at the opening, and Colton realized that the shimmering quality was only rays of light breaking through the darkness.
Colton kept calling Dasan's name, not caring about anything else. He'd stay down in the pit if it meant Dasan saved Awan. "Awan's hurt. He's not gonna make it, man. Get Dasan."
The light was too bright and burned his eyes. He couldn’t make out the person’s features until he was nearly on top of him. The guy dressed, a lot like Awan, in britches that tied rather than zipped or buttoned. They weren't black like Awan's but brown. He had on a green shirt that flowed around him that was tucked in at the waist. The color was bright and stood out amongst the brown dirt and darkness.
The guy took a step forward, and Colton realized all at once that he was the guy in the hallway painting he had seen upon first arriving.
He wasn't smiling. His expression suggested he understood the severity of the situation.
"Awan is hurt?" If the guy was scared of being trapped in the pit, he certainly didn't show it, because he strolled right passed Colton without looking at him.
Colton turned to follow. Novak was a few yards down the cliff still, the weight of Awan slowing him down.
"Wait! Who are you? Because you're not touching him if you're not who I think you are." Colton wouldn't let anyone hurt Awan again.
"I am Dasan."
"Thank fuck." Colton nearly let out a hysterical laugh.
"You are Colton?"
"Yeah."
"Your family tells me good things about you."
Oh. That meant Dasan made it to Kele. "Is Kele alright?"
"He is. Spitting mad but otherwise unscathed. Talli talks of your bravery."
Colton felt heat rise to his cheeks. Luckily Dasan didn't turn to look. His eyes were on Awan and Novak holding him.
"You will tell me who the dragon is and why he carries Awan."
The command was unmistakable. The authority dripped from every word. "Awan promised to bring him to the top if he helped us find the door. And he did. He saved our lives a couple of times at least."
Dasan nodded and seemed to eye Novak in a way that suggested he was trying to look into his soul. He didn't take his eyes off Novak as he touched Awan's back through his clothing. He chanted something, but the tones were too low for Colton to make out. Colton was pretty sure he spoke a different language anyway.
After he finished, he simply turned around. He met Colton's gaze. "You are Awan's Anam Cara?"
"Yeah. Yep."
Dasan smiled and nodded. "It seems we were all destined to connect."
What that meant, Colton didn't know, and frankly, Dasan's prince-like demeanor made him nervous for some reason. The guy stood too straight for Colton to feel comfortable around him. Colton had never met anyone who had such an air of royalty before. He was used to farmers back home and fighters down in the pit.
Dasan gripped Colton's arm gently and turned him. "Let us go through together, and you will stay by my side until Awan awakes. He would not like it if I left you unprotected."
Colton relaxed a little bit. "You know him pretty well."
"He is my second."
"In command. Yeah, I know." Colton turned back around, watching Novak and the way Awan's coat covered most of his body. "Is he gonna be okay?"
"He will."
Colton didn't realize how worried he was until he began to release some of it. He let out a breath which turned into a hysterical laugh a second later and then the tears came. "Thank you."
Dasan let go of his arm and held him around the shoulders. "Shh now, human. None of that. You will have him for many years yet. So many he will annoy."
Colton seriously doubted Awan could ever annoy him, but he didn't say that because it wasn't the point.