Phoenix Rising (Dragon Legacy) Read Online Free Page B

illuminated silence and it seemed safe again, so they continued on. Mtumba broke the silence with a whisper. “It doesn't seem to be any warmer, the deeper we go in. Or colder, either.” He looked agitated. “We should go back to the shuttle and see if there's something we can use to call for help.”
    “No,” Stella said, “We're here for a reason.”
    Mtumba snorted. “Yeah, because you-”
    “Hang on,” she interrupted as a noise caught her attention. It sounded like a brief series of clicks followed by a slow, rough sliding sound from somewhere deep in the caves. She didn't recognize it, and the cave's echo prevented her from being able to pinpoint its exact source.
    “What is that?” Stella whispered and whipped her head around to look for the source of the noise. Then with dawning horror, she realized that they had no idea where they were. Panic set in...Who knew if they could find their way back to the mouth of the cave? A palpable tension sent adrenaline coursing through her veins like liquid fire.
    Mtumba looked seriously concerned. “This isn't safe,” he mouthed silently and shook his head. He turned to her, index finger over his lips. Stella glared at him but kept silent. Mtumba pointed to a medium-sized hole in the cavern only a few meters away. Stella watched in terror as she saw a dinner-plate-sized white spider crawl out, tapping its shiny limbs against the floor in front of it. It was so close to them. It clicked its mandibles as it searched for something to eat. The large arachnid paused in its movement, and twitched its head in their direction. Stella felt sick to her stomach, and wanted to run.
    The teenagers both stood completely still, though neither could suppress a shocked flinch when a bulbous, worm-like jaw sprung from the hole and swallowed the spider in one crunching bite. The sound echoed through the cavern.
    Filled with its meal, the monstrous wormlike creature slithered back into the hole. Everything had looked so innocuous just moments before, but here was a frightening reminder of the dangers that lurked beneath the surface. Stella was breathing in shallow gasps as the sounds of crunching died away.
    Her pulse hammered in her skull, and her whole body felt clammy and shaky. It was all Stella could do to keep her knees from locking or pressing together. This was too much for her! Why was this happening and where in creation were they?
    Stella couldn't make any sense of this strange and deadly place, nor why were they suddenly surrounded by horrifying monsters that were hiding in the walls. She looked at the cavern around them with newly alert eyes that searched the crevices around her much more closely than they had mere moments ago. How many more of those things were there that they hadn't seen?
    As Stella stood there wondering how much longer they had before something came out and devoured them, she saw a pulsing light reflected down a sharply angled cavern that she couldn't have seen on the way in. What could that be coming from?
    “Mtumba,” she risked a whisper, and heard a faint skittering sound from somewhere far off...she hoped. Mtumba looked at her, his eyes wide with fear. Stella pointed down the side-cavern toward the pulsing light and he shook his head emphatically. “I'm going to check this out,” she mouthed, and he gritted his teeth as she started toward the purple glow.
    Despite mounting trepidation, Stella's feet carried her toward the reassuring light. A deep breath filled her nostrils with the cool scent of fresh minerals, but it was dry and she reflexively rubbed her nose as she walked slowly toward the light.
    The purple luminescence pulsed ahead like a beacon of calm, reflected in waves on the faintly blue crystal walls around them. Mtumba caught up with Stella and got her attention. “I hope you know what you're doing,” he whispered fiercely as they rounded the corner into a small cavern chamber.
    Then they saw what was inside.
    The middle of the