When Thalia gasped, I turned towards her, my hand instinctively reaching for my sword.

  "What is it?" I demanded.

  Her hands fisted by her sides. "I can't...move."

  "What?" Alistair asked.

  We both looked down at her feet. There was a crack on the ground under her and her boots seemed to be stuck in it.

  "What happens if you try to take a step?"

  Thalia grimaced as she bent her knee, but she wasn't able to move, not even an inch.

  "Nothing," she said. "I'm not strong enough to fight whatever this is."

  I knelt down beside her and tried to pull her foot out of it, but it wouldn't budge. "It's like her foot is glued to the ground," I said, my heart racing.

  Thalia's face was twisted in pain. "It's like it's...ouch, it's burning," she said through gritted teeth.

  I looked up at Alistair, who was scanning the area around us. "Do you see anything?" I asked.

  He shook his head. "No, but I feel like we're being watched."

  Suddenly, a low growl echoed through the trees, followed by a chorus of snarls.

  "We can't stay here," I said, turning back to Thalia. "We need to get you out of this."

  Alistair pulled out his short sword. "I'll keep watch. You try to get her unstuck."

  I nodded and focused back on Thalia. "Okay. Try to lift your foot up slowly. I'll help you."

  Thalia whimpered as I tried to ease her foot out of the crack, but it was no use. It was as if the ground was pulling her down, like her boots were being affected by a magnet or dragged down by something that had a grip on her foot.

  "We need to think of something else," I muttered, my eyes darting around the forest. "Alistair, any ideas?"

  He shook his head. "I don't know. Maybe if we try to dig around her foot, we can loosen it."

  "Good idea," I said, relieved that he was thinking on his feet. "Let's try that." I drew my sword and jammed it alongside her boot, trying to pry her free.

  We used our swords to dig, but it was slow work, and the ground was much harder than I was expecting.

  "We need to hurry," she said, her voice shaking. "I can't...I can't take much more of this."

  "I know," I said, my heart in my throat. "Just hold on a little longer. Can you try to take your foot out of the boot?"

  "And then what?" she asked. "I can't walk barefoot in this forest."

  "We can try to recover your boots," I said. "But this is hurting you."

  "What do you think will happen when I put my bare sole on it?"

  I swore under my breath. We had managed to dig a small trench around Thalia's foot, and slowly but surely, we were making progress. I could feel the ground giving way, and Thalia's boot began to move upwards.

  But then, when it looked like I was finally going to be able to release her, there was a sudden jerk, and the ground shook beneath us. Alistair stumbled backwards, and I felt myself being pulled down towards Thalia.

  "What's happening?" she cried.

  "I don't know," I said, struggling to keep my balance. "Hold on tight."

  Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.

  The ground beneath us continued to shake violently, and I could feel the crack widening around Thalia's foot. We were being pulled deeper into the earth, and all I could hear were her cries of pain.

  "Stay calm," I said, trying to keep my own voice steady. "We'll get you out of this."

  But as soon as the words left my mouth, the ground gave way completely, and we were plunged into darkness.

  I hit the ground hard, and pain shot up my arm. For a moment, everything was black, and I couldn't tell which way was up. But then I heard Alistair's voice.

  "Are you guys okay?"

  I struggled to get to my feet, but I stumbled and fell again. "I'm okay," I said, gritting my teeth against the pain. "What about Thalia?"

  "I don't know," he said.

  I looked around, my eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness. We were in some sort of underground cavern, and there was a faint light coming from somewhere in the distance. I could see Thalia lying on the ground a few feet away from us, her face twisted in pain.

  I crawled over to her side, my heart racing. "Thalia, are you okay?"

  She shook her head. "My foot...it's broken, I think."

  I could see that her boot was missing, and her foot was swollen and discolored. "We need to get you out of here," I said, trying to keep my voice calm.

  Alistair was already on his feet, scanning the cavern for any signs of danger. "We should try to find a way out of here," he said.

  I nodded in agreement. "Thalia, can you walk?"

  She shook her head. "No, I can't put any weight on it."

  I looked around, searching for something we could use to help her. The cavern was filled with rocks and boulders, but nothing that could serve as a crutch.

  "Wait," Alistair said suddenly, his eyes fixed on something in the distance. "What's that?"

  I followed his gaze and saw a faint glow coming from a tunnel opening up ahead. It was a long shot, but it was our only hope.

  "We need to try to make it to that tunnel," I said, my voice firm. "Alistair, can you stay ahead of us? Help me lift Thalia up to my back."

  He nodded, and he helped me lift her up, wrapping her arm around my neck as he hoisted her up onto his back. She grimaced in pain, but didn't say anything. She was light on my back, but I felt bad for her. She was always so independent, this couldn't be easy.

  "Just hold on really tight, alright?" I said, craning my neck to look at her.

  "Keep your eyes on the path," she whispered into my ear. "I don't want you to fall with me on your back and get yourself injured."

  "Worry about yourself," I replied.

  We started to make our way towards the tunnel, Alistair leading the way and me following closely behind with Thalia on my back. The ground was uneven and rocky, and every step was a challenge, but we had to keep moving.

  As we approached the tunnel, the glow became brighter, and I realized that it was sunlight. We were almost there.

  But just as we were about to step into the light, there was a loud roar behind us, and I felt a blast of hot air on my back. I stumbled forward, almost dropping Thalia, but Alistair grabbed me and pulled me back.

  We turned around and saw a massive creature standing before us. It was at least ten feet tall, with long, sharp claws, and glowing red eyes. It was staring at us hungrily, as if we were its next meal.

  "What the hell is that thing?" I said, my heart racing.

  "I have no idea," Alistair said, his sword drawn. "But we have to fight it. Thalia, can you hold on?"

  She nodded, gripping tightly onto my back. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. I had faced dangerous situations before, but never anything like this.

  "If you put me down, I can defend myself," she said into my ear.

  "Stay where you are," I replied.

  The creature let out another roar, and charged towards us. Alistair moved quickly, dodging its claws and stabbing at its side. But the creature was quick, and it swung its tail, knocking Alistair off his feet.

  I could feel Thalia's grip on my back tightening, and I knew I had to act fast. I took out my own sword and charged towards the creature, hoping to distract it enough for Alistair to regain his footing.

  The creature turned towards me, its eyes fixed on my sword. It lunged at me, but I was able to dodge its attack, striking at its side. It let out a loud roar, and swung its tail once more, knocking me off my feet.

  I hit the ground hard, my sword clattering out of my hand. I managed to fall on my side, shielding Thalia from the fall, but she had let go of me. The creature was still coming towards us, its eyes fixed on me hungrily.

  Suddenly, I heard a loud crack, and the creature stumbled backwards, roaring in pain. I looked up to see Thalia sitting up behind it, a large rock in her hand.

  "Thalia!" I cried, my heart racing. "Are you okay?"

  She nodded, her face twisted in pain. "I'm okay," she said. "But we need to get out of here."

  I scrambled to my feet, grabbing my sword as I did. Alistair was already on his feet, his sword at the ready.

  "Come on," he said, gesturing towards the tunnel. "We have to go."

  We ran towards the tunnel, the creature hot on our trail. I leaned down so Thalia could lean her weight on me, which slowed me down, but I wasn't willing to leave her behind. As we reached the entrance, the creature let out a final roar, and stopped in its tracks before it could reach the natural light.

  We stumbled out into the sunlight together, leaving the monster behind.