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Amelia turned around, reacting immediately, and pushed Julius out of the way as a lion look-alike attacked them. She had pulled her sword in time and scratched the beast on its belly, making it growl loudly.
The cut wasn't deep, and the animal reciprocated abruptly, leaping toward her repeatedly while she dodged the attacks by jumping left and right, swaying her sword. Meanwhile, Julius had gotten up and gone to help Amelia, attacking the lion from behind.
Unfortunately, the animal was clever. Realizing the attack from behind it leaped into the opposite direction, landing right behind Julius and grazing his back with its sharp teeth. Julius fell to his knees and opened his mouth in agony, but no sound came out of his throat.
Amelia froze briefly, seeing Julius kneeling in pain but instantly composed herself as the beast was about to attack again. The distance was too great for her to stop the attack directly, so she used her magical force, activating the glow of her sword, and threw it at the beast.
Just when the lion's mouth touched Julius' head, the sword pierced through its forehead, making it fall back, killing it at once.
The heavy breathing coming from both was the only noise in the cave. They both looked at each other, pulling down their masks to get more oxygen into their lungs, thankful they were still alive. Amelia went to kneel beside Julius and checked his wound.
"You are lucky. The cut is not too deep, but let's put a bandage on it so it doesn't get infected." He didn't respond and instead reached inside his backpack to get out his first-aid utensils.
While taking care of his wounds, Amelia replayed the fight in her head. How did the animal get so close without them noticing? And where did it come from? They had scanned all the caves, and the ceilings were too high for an animal to jump down from one of the holes.
Once she was done caring for Julius, she got her sword out of the lion's head. It had two incredibly long sharp teeth hanging out of the mouth on each side, and its red eyes were now dull. The teeth matched the wounds of the soldier who had delivered the report of the missing prince.
Its body structure looked much like a lion's but was more extensive and had no fur. When she looked closer at the skin, she could see that some particles had changed the color of the floor. It seemed like the animal could change its color, camouflaging it within its surroundings, which was probably why they hadn't seen it when they first came here. That meant the animal had been here and protected its territory. Amelia felt guilty because she had killed an innocent creature.
The sudden rustles from one of the bushes in the far corner attracted her attention. Julius and Amelia went to look at what it was, holding up their weapons, ready for another attack but astonished to find two little cubs.
"So, this is what the animal had tried to protect." Amelia was saddened. The two cubs looked at them, frightened, and stayed close to each other. Nevertheless, Amelia lifted them in her arms and gave them to Julius, who was stunned.
"Take these with you, return to our horses, and wait for me." Her statement made Julius frown and shake his head in disagreement.
"You are wounded and will only hinder me in my pursuit. These two will not survive here alone, and I am the reason why they don't have their mother. So, take them and go, please. We will figure out what to do with them later."
He looked at her for a couple of minutes and then at the cute cubs moving around in his arms before exhaling loudly, closing his eyes, and finally nodding.
He knew she didn't need his help, but he still didn't like the idea of her fighting these monsters alone. However, she had asked him to do as she said, and he obeyed her. So, he took his backpack and left to return to the horses while Amelia went to the second tunnel.
The darkness in the tunnel was eery, and the air became thinner the deeper she got, which made the fire on the torch move hastily, seeking for oxygen to carry on burning. To Amelia's dismay, the fire lost its battle and was blown out, leaving her in utter darkness. She had no choice but to trust her senses now.
She held her arms up, touching the walls on each side, making sure she wouldn't walk into them. Her steady steps barely made a sound.
While wondering if Nathaniel really went this way, she suddenly became aware of the force she felt inside her. It was the magic becoming stronger, which only happened when she was in Heleveda. Discovering this only recently, her theory was that there were remains of magic in this area from ancient times, which joined her magical flow, strengthening her. Magic would also be a reasonable explanation for the mutated creatures. Of course, this was only a theory and one of many reasons she needed to learn more about Helveda.
Contemplating why magic was left exclusively in this part of the world, she suddenly saw a shimmering light that became larger the closer she got. The silence was interrupted by human voices and the clatter of unfamiliar material.
She moved slower and focused on that shimmering light until she was steps away from the ending of the tunnel, and a door with bars greeted her, separating her from what looked like a large opening within the hill.
Dressed in black, she was barely visible in the dark tunnel giving her the advantage of not being seen immediately. The sun was still shining brightly, meaning it must have been some time in the afternoon, so she decided to wait until twilight to make her next move and observe her surroundings in the meantime.
She sat on the floor and watched the group of thieves who had made this opening their home. It was incredible how nature had provided them with the perfect spot for their hideout. An ample round space covered by a stone ceiling sheltered the people from the harsh weather. It was almost like a giant cave, only that the front was open, and there seemed to be a small pool of water at the edge of it.