Torrent(87)

Alektryon considered the confines of his alcove again, and his face grew bleak. He must believe he risked being locked up for another eternity if his attack failed. He flipped the weapon in his grip and tossed it to Jakatra who caught it with one hand.
Alektryon said something in his own language, but I struggled to translate it. I held up the tablet again, hoping he’d be willing to try writing on it. Sure, the technology would be bizarre to him, but all he had to do was drag his finger around on the screen.
He considered it for a moment, glanced at Jakatra again, then stared into my eyes. Did he think I was trying to distract him so the others could attack or catch him off guard for some nefarious purpose? I returned his gaze and hoped I looked trustworthy. His eyes were wary, but there was more than that in their depths. Pain? Sorrow? Had he already decided he believed me and parsed what I’d said? Did he realize that everything and everyone he’d known was gone?
He broke eye contact, and I blinked a few times, feeling oddly like I’d lost something. Alektryon checked on Jakatra and Eleriss again, then took the pad. The screen had turned off, and I eased forward to push the button to bring it back to life again. Behind me, Simon shuffled uneasily. Alektryon didn’t do anything though, not until I stepped back. Then he drew letters on the pad and held it up, as he’d seen me do.
“I will not be your slave again,” I translated.
“We do not wish to be your masters,” Eleriss said, then apparently realizing he wasn’t using a tongue the Spartan could know, spoke in his own language.
Guessing it to be a repeat of what he’d said in English, I tried to make note of the words and what they meant.
Eleriss continued on. I harumphed in frustration because he wasn’t bothering with an English translation. Alektryon was listening to him, though he continued to give no indication as to whether he understood or not. Eleriss gave his comrade an exasperated look.
“Let us leave this place to discuss it further,” Jakatra said. “If we act swiftly, perhaps we can find a way to trap the jibtab down here.”
Another groan came from the depths of the cavern.
“Or it’s going to trap us down here,” Temi said. She’d left the wall to join Simon and me. She addressed me: “I’m sure you’re finding this all fascinating, but we should leave if they’ll let us.”
I thought there might be condemnation in her words—did she think I’d spent too much time talking to the Spartan when we were in danger down here?—but perhaps not. Perhaps simply some plain wisdom. Those noises were ominous.#p#分页标题#e#
I was on the verge of asking Simon if he’d found anything useful in the bigger alcove, but a tremor coursed through the stone beneath our feet. The lighting I’d been taking for granted flickered and went out. Though Jakatra’s sword still glowed in his grip, the contrast was distinct, with most of the chamber thrust into shadows. I snatched the flashlight from my belt, but I’d no more than flipped the switch when the overhead lamp came back on.
“I’m ready to leave now too,” Simon announced. “Any charitable elves want to burn a hole up to the surface?”
Eleriss and Jakatra weren’t paying attention. They were staring at the last alcove. It was empty.
I turned three hundred and sixty degrees, searching for Alektryon. He’d disappeared with all of his weapons.
My shoulders drooped.
“He took my tablet?” Simon protested.
A thunderous crack sounded above our heads. A portion of the ceiling caved in, and a waterfall gushed into our chamber.






 
    Nine by Night: A Multi-Author Urban Fantasy Bundle of Kickass Heroines, Adventure,   Magic
    
 


 

CHAPTER 27

The lamp disappeared in the flow, and darkness crushed the chamber. By the light of the glowing sword, we saw the hundreds of gallons of water pouring into the chamber, but that light didn’t last long. The deluge crashed in right on top of Jakatra’s head. As fast as he was, he couldn’t avoid the gush. I scrambled toward the alcoves, thinking to grab onto the solid support columns, but not before seeing him swept from his feet and into the flow. I thought I heard a clang over the roar of the water, but I wasn’t certain until the light of his sword disappeared. He’d let go. Or it’d been torn from his hands by the power of the surge. Either way, we were plunged into darkness.
“Jakatra!” Eleriss cried, followed by words in his own language.
“Temi? Simon?” I yelled as soon as I’d gotten a grip on one of the columns. The damp stone wasn’t as reassuring as I’d hoped—its girth was too great for me to lock my arms around, and the exterior wasn’t as rough as I’d guessed, so it offered few handholds.