Chapter 247: WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!

Chapter 247: Chapter 247: WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!

Kael landed on the broken wall.

The impact sent a shower of stones into the darkness below.

"DON’T MOVE!"

Soren’s voice thundered from the other side.

Kael froze.

Beneath him, someone screamed.

"IT’S FALLING!"

The black panther dug his claws into the remaining stone. His body trembled with the effort of holding still.

Across the narrow stretch of rubble, Swanly stood beneath the damaged platform.

Their eyes met.

"Kael!"

He looked up.

Five cubs.

His five cubs.

All crying.

Kairo’s arm was wrapped in bloody cloth. Nilo held Sira against his chest. Miko was clinging to the railing, and Eira kept reaching toward Swanly.

Kael’s expression changed.

He shifted into his humanoid form and crawled along the surviving wall.

"I’m coming."

Swanly shook her head.

"Careful! There are people underneath!"

"I know."

He reached her side just as another Hollowmaw struck the platform’s lower support.

CRACK!

Miko screamed.

The whole structure tilted.

Kael jumped, caught the broken beam, and shoved his shoulder beneath it.

His muscles tightened.

"GET THEM DOWN!"

Swanly grabbed Eira first.

The baby wrapped her tail around Swanly’s wrist and screamed when she tried passing her to Kael.

"No! Mama!"

"Eira, baby, listen."

Eira shook her head violently.

"Mama!"

Kael took her.

His black ears flattened as her tiny claws caught his chest.

"I’m here."

Eira twisted toward Swanly.

"Mama!"

"I know, sweetheart."

Swanly kissed her trembling cheek.

"Go with Papa."

Across the collapse, Soren had already begun lifting the shattered beams.

Not recklessly.

Every movement was measured.

Five survivors remained trapped beneath the main slab. One was unconscious. Another had both legs pinned.

Tovan crouched beside Raku.

"If we lift that beam, the whole thing comes down!"

Soren’s enormous head turned.

"Then find another way."

Tovan looked at the narrow gap between the surviving wall and the collapsed roof.

His beaver tail slapped the stone.

"There."

Raku followed his gaze.

A small opening.

Barely wide enough for a cub.

"Can you widen it?"

"Only a little."

"Do it."

Tovan shoved wooden wedges between two stones while Raku held the supporting timber steady.

Soren tightened his enormous coils around the main collapse.

The people beneath screamed as the weight shifted.

Then stopped.

The gap widened.

"NOW!" Raku roared.

Kael carried Eira across the narrow stretch of wall.

He lowered himself beside the opening.

Eira saw the darkness.

Immediately, she began screaming again.

"No! No!"

"Eira."

Kael’s voice shook.

"Papa has you."

He carefully passed her through.

On the other side, Tilla caught her.

Eira twisted so violently that Tilla nearly lost her grip.

"MAMA!"

Tilla hugged her tightly.

"She is coming, baby!"

Soren lowered his massive head toward his daughter.

Eira saw him.

"Pa!"

His tongue flicked over her little forehead.

"Stay with Tilla."

Eira sobbed.

Soren’s eyes closed for one heartbeat.

Then he turned back to the collapsing stone.

Sira was next.

She fought even harder.

Her tiny snake tail wrapped around Nilo’s arm.

"No!"

Nilo’s face crumpled.

"Sira, you have to go."

"No!"

Swanly caught her face.

"Baby, look at Mama."

Sira’s silver eyes were overflowing.

"Mama..."

"I love you."

Sira reached for her.

Swanly kissed her forehead.

"Go."

Kael took her.

Sira screamed all the way through the opening.

Then Nilo.

Then Kairo.

Kairo tried to refuse.

"Mama goes first."

"No."

"But..."

Swanly caught his injured hand.

He winced.

Her heart twisted.

"You’ve done enough."

Kairo began crying again.

"I don’t want you here."

"I know."

Kael had to physically carry him toward the opening.

Miko went last.

The youngest cub clung to Swanly’s neck.

His whole little body trembled.

"Mama, come."

"I will."

"Now."

"Baby..."

"NOW!"

His voice broke.

Swanly hugged him tightly.

Then peeled his arms from her neck.

Kael took him.

Miko started kicking.

"MAMA!"

The damaged wall shifted.

Kael nearly lost his footing.

Raku lunged through the opening and grabbed him by the arm.

"GIVE ME THE CUB!"

Kael passed Miko through.

Raku caught him against his broad chest.

Miko immediately bit his shoulder.

Raku hissed.

"Little panther!"

"MAMA!"

"I KNOW!"

Tilla gathered him with the others.

Five.

All five were finally across.

Alive.

But the opening was shrinking.

Tovan screamed:

"THE WEDGE IS SLIPPING!"

Kael turned toward Swanly.

"Your turn."

She did not answer.

Because the System had just made a very strange sound.

"Uh-oh."

Swanly went still.

Her ears twitched.

"Uh-oh, what?"

The fairy stared at its golden map.

HOST. I FOUND THE SOURCE.

Swanly swallowed.

"Of the Hollowmaws?"

YES.

The underground map expanded.

Deep beneath the northwest drainage foundation, a huge passage branched into dozens of tunnels.

All connected.

All moving toward one place.

The Heart.

Swanly’s stomach dropped.

"They’re going to the Heart?"

THE WARDERS WERE KEEPING THE OLD FEEDING SHAFT SEALED. THE HOLLOWMAWS HAVE ENTERED IT.

Red dots poured down the tunnels.

IF THEY REACH THE FIRST HEART, THEY MAY DAMAGE ITS CONTAINMENT ROOTS.

Swanly stared.

The creature sleeping beneath Ironwood was already dangerous enough.

If those things started feeding on the roots holding it shut...

"What do we do?"

The System’s expression became grim.

TWO OPTIONS.

A red panel appeared.

OPTION ONE: TERRITORIAL PURGE.

DESTROY THE FEEDING SHAFT AND ALL ACTIVE ORGANISMS THROUGH A LARGE-SCALE SYSTEM DISCHARGE.

"Sounds good."

THE DISCHARGE WILL ALSO DESTROY CONNECTED SUPPORT STRUCTURES. ESTIMATED CIVILIAN CASUALTIES: HIGH. POSSIBLE HEART DESTABILIZATION.

Swanly’s blood went cold.

"No."

HOST...

"No!"

She looked toward the five children crying in Tilla’s arms.

Then toward the people trapped below.

"Absolutely fucking not."

The System lowered its wings.

OPTION TWO: MANUAL CONTAINMENT.

Another panel opened.

A narrow metal spike appeared.

Black.

Covered in thin gold markings.

A ROOT-SEAL DEVICE. INSERT IT INTO THE ORIGINAL FEEDING JUNCTION. IT WILL TRIGGER LOCALIZED MINERAL HARDENING AND CLOSE THE PASSAGE BEFORE THE HOLLOWMAWS REACH THE HEART.

Swanly stared.

"Can you send it down?"

NO. THE JUNCTION REQUIRES DIRECT HOST AUTHORIZATION. REMOTE SYSTEM ENERGY CANNOT PASS THROUGH THE INTERFERENCE AROUND THE HEART.

"So I have to go there."

The fairy said nothing.

Swanly understood.

"How much?"

EIGHTY PERCENT OF REMAINING SYSTEM POINTS.

"Buy it."

HOST, THE RETURN ROUTE MAY COLLAPSE AFTER ACTIVATION.

Swanly looked at the map.

The red dots were moving.

Fast.

"How long do we have?"

VERY LITTLE.

She closed her eyes.

Then opened them.

"Do it."

The System looked at her.

ARE YOU CERTAIN?

"No."

A bitter laugh escaped her.

"I’m fucking terrified."

She looked toward her daughters.

"But do it."

Gold light flashed.

PURCHASE CONFIRMED.

A small black device appeared in Swanly’s storage.

The System immediately began transferring the tunnel map into her vision.

Across the opening, Kael reached for her.

"Swanly."

She looked up.

His golden eyes narrowed.

Something in her expression frightened him.

"Come."

Swanly stepped closer.

Kael extended both hands.

"Give me your good hand."

She did.

He pulled her toward the opening.

Swanly leaned forward.

And kissed him.

Kael froze.

Her lips were trembling.

His hand tightened around hers.

When she pulled back, she smiled.

"Thank you for coming for us."

His ears went still.

"Swanly?"

"Take care of them."

His expression changed instantly.

"No."

"Kael..."

"No."

He started pulling her through.

Swanly shoved him backward with all the strength left in her good arm.

"RAKU! PULL HIM!"

Raku grabbed Kael around the chest.

Kael stumbled through the opening.

"Swanly!"

The damaged beam slipped.

CRAAAAACK!

Stone poured between them.

Kael lunged forward.

Soren’s huge tail caught him before he could dive into the collapse.

The last opening vanished beneath falling rubble.

"SWANLY!"

Kael screamed her name.

He slammed both hands against the stones.

"SWANLY!"

On the other side, she staggered backward.

Dust filled her lungs.

Her shoulder screamed.

But the trapped civilians beneath the main slab remained alive. Soren was still holding its weight.

Only the small passage between them had collapsed.

Kael began tearing at the stones.

"WHY?!"

His voice broke.

"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!"

Soren’s enormous body convulsed.

His silver eyes went wide.

"Swanly."

She could hear the terror beneath his voice.

Kael struck the rubble again.

Blood ran from his hands.

"COME BACK!"

The cubs heard him.

Kairo began screaming.

"MAMA!"

Nilo grabbed Miko before he could run toward the stones.

Eira and Sira fought Tilla’s arms.

"MA!"

"MAMA!"

Tilla was crying now.

She could barely hold them.

Nahla stood beside her, gray otter ears flattened.

"Swanly, don’t you dare!"

Nerin staggered onto the nearest platform.

His broken antler pulsed.

He felt where the Hollowmaws were going.

Then where Swanly intended to go.

His face turned white.

"No."

He looked toward the rubble.

"Swanly, please..."

Raku stopped digging.

He looked at the shaking ground.

Then at Soren.

His crocodile tail struck the dirt.

"Give the order. I’ll find another way through."

Soren’s coils trembled.

For the first time, Ironwood’s ruler seemed unable to speak.

Swanly pressed her palm against the cold stone.

"Kael."

On the other side, he went still.

"I’ll be back."

"No."

"I have to stop them before they reach the Heart."

"Swanly!"

"Please protect our babies."

Kael’s breathing turned ragged.

"Don’t ask me that."

Her eyes filled.

"Please."

The System flashed beside her.

HOST. OPENING READY.

At Swanly’s feet, a narrow seam appeared in the old stone floor.

The System used a concentrated cutting charge to release the rusted locking pins of a forgotten maintenance hatch beneath the damaged shelter.

Not teleportation.

Not a new tunnel.

An entrance that had been buried there all along.

The cover shifted.

Cold air rushed upward.

It smelled of wet stone and something long dead.

Swanly retrieved her bow.

Unlimited arrows.

One injured shoulder.

One Root-Seal device.

And far below her, more Hollowmaws than she wanted to count.

Behind the rubble, Kael screamed again.

The sound nearly made her turn around.

Swanly wiped her eyes.

"I love you."

Then she climbed down.

The hatch closed behind her.

Above, five cubs screamed for their mother.

Below, something dragged its claws across stone.

The System illuminated the darkness.

HOST.

Swanly raised her bow.

"What now?"

The fairy stared at the tunnel ahead.

THEY KNOW YOU’RE HERE.

Dozens of pale mouths opened in the darkness.

Swanly drew five arrows.

"Then let them come."