Jet cuffed Gideon’s head. “He saved you just now, you know?”

“He’s the reason we drowned in the first place!” Gideon replied.

Jet looked up. The ceiling closed, and water stopped falling down. Gideon looked up as well, and fell silent for a second.

He whirled to face Leo. “How’d you know it’d seal up like that? Awful suspicious…”

Jet sighed again. “We already know. He was once a cultist.”

“He’s a cultist? Even more suspicious,” Gideon insisted.

“Leo, how long ago were you tied up with this group?” Elly asked, helping Kat squeeze the water out of her hair.

Leo glanced aside.

“You don’t have to say if you don’t want to,” she said.

He shook his head and patted down his pockets, looking for something. At last, he pulled a soggy stick of chalk from his back pocket. About t… he paused, then went back. Five years ago.

“Where is this?” Elly asked.

Trial for acolytes. Never passed, Leo replied.

“Is there a way out?” Elly asked.

Leo hesitated, then nodded. He pointed toward the back of the platform they stood on, where the room receded into darkness.

“Bet that’s the direction of the acolytes’ trial,” Gideon muttered.

Leo nodded.

Dammit. Figures, Jet thought, sighing. He squinted into the darkness, then looked at Leo. “Do the current cultists know about the trial?”

Leo looked back at him, brows faintly furrowed. With a face that clearly said how could I know?, he shrugged.

“Jet, it’s been tfive years since he’s been here. How could he know anything about the cult? It’s been a whole tfive years,” Gideon emphasized.

“It’s not that long,” Jet replied, crossing his arms.

Leo shook his head. He pointed at Gideon and nodded.

Gideon looped an arm around Leo and smirked at Jet. “Tfive years, Jet. That’s a long time.”

“He should remember things from five years ago,” Jet argued.

“But what about… tfive,” Gideon replied.

“Ha ha, he made a mistake. We get it,” Jet said, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

“Do you get it? Do you really get it?” Gideon asked, squinting at him.

Jet rubbed his forehead. “If you say tfive again, I swear…”

“Tf— ow!—ive,” Gideon replied, and pulled at the collar.

Jet sighed. “In any case, Leo, if you know, you ought to share it with us. Being a dragon-worshipper is a serious crime, but… one that I’m willing to overlook, as long as you’re forthcoming.”

Leo hesitated. He put his hands up and shook his head helplessly, then scrawled, Don’t know.

“What if the cult has been replaced, huh? What if a new dragon-worshipping cult took over this hidden temple?” Gideon said.

Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

“What are the chances of that?” Jet replied, frustrated. “Besides, weren’t you the one caling him suspicious a minute ago?”

“Yeah. He’s suspicious. I don’t know what us accusing him of that is supposed to do, though. Kid can’t talk, and he doesn’t want to, either. We aren’t going to get anything out of him,” Gideon replied, shrugging.

Elly stepped forward placatingly. “You two, stop. Now is not the time to argue. We need to keep moving, before those cultists catch up.”

“Yeah, Jet. Quit wasting time,” Gideon said, clicking his tongue. He stood and shook himself like a wet dog, spraying water everywhere, then headed into the darkness.

Jet stared after him, jaw gaping. “You’re kidding, right?”

Leo jumped up lithely, gathering his spindly legs under him like a spider, and followed after Gideon. He glanced back at Jet as if to ask why he wasn’t following.

“Come on, Jet,” Elly said, leading Kat by the hand.

Jet stood there, still agape. “You’re kidding, right? All of you? That was Gideon! Gideon, not me, who was holding us up!”

Gideon turned back. “Come on, Jet. The cultists are going to find us at this rate.”

Elly gave him an apologetic look. “Jet… I understand you’re frustrated, but we have to move on.”

“I—” Jet stared at them. His jaw worked, his hands clenched, and he shook his head. “This… crazy…” When Gideon finishes off the True Dragon, I’m going to land a firm punch on that smug jaw of his. Right before I recommend him for execution, to do the whole damn world a favor.

In the shadowed depths of the room, a small door led deeper into the cliff face. Intricately carved dragons coiled over the doorframe. At the door’s top, they lifted their heads out of the stone to snarl down at the group.

Leo grabbed Gideon’s shoulder before he stepped through. He reached out and poked a place on each of the two dragons, and their eyes lit up with a dull red glow. Faint traces of smoke burned from their eye sockets. Their heads turned down, and the red glow faded.

Nodding, Leo gestured them through.

“You first,” Gideon muttered.

Leo nodded and stepped across the threshold. The dragons remained as they were, heads turned down.

Seeing that, Gideon put a hand to his chin. “Kat, why don’t you go across?”

“Don’t wanna!” Kat shouted, grabbing tighter to Elly’s skirts.

“Shh, shh. We don’t want the cultists to hear. Watch me, Kat. It’s safe.” Elly patted Kat’s head, then stepped forward. Relucntantly, Kat released her skirts.

Elly passed through the door. Nothing happened.

She turned back, smling. “See? It’s safe.”

Glancing around and seeing no one else step forward, Angel walked through. She shrugged at Gideon and Kat from the other side. “Didn’t even feel a thing.”

“It’s safe, Kat. Why don’t you go?” Gideon asked, looking aside at Kat.

“Why don’t you go, if it’s safe?” Kat protested, hands curling in her shirt.

Jet sighed and stepped through.

“Look, everyone’s across but you. Come on, Kat,” Gideon said.

“You too! You haven’t crossed either,” Kat replied, crossing her arms stubbornly.

Gideon nodded. “The difference is I’m not afraid, but you are.”

“You are too afraid!”

“Oh, so you admit you’re afraid?” Gideon asked, cocking a brow.

Jet took a deep breath. “Are you seriously bullying a kid?”

Gideon tipped his head back to look down on Jet and scoffed. “You think this is what I’m like when I get serious?”

“But you don’t deny that you’re bullying a kid, huh?” Jet said, giving Gideon a disdainful look.

“I believe in equality for all,” Gideon replied, putting his hands on his hips and staring into the sky with a noble expression.

Leo waved his hand for their attention and pointed to the dragons, who had begun to twitch. Smoke curled out of their eye sockets once more.

Kat’s eyes widened. She took a deep breath and jumped across the threshold.

“Gideon, get over here,” Jet snapped, reaching for his collar.

Gideon swayed back, dodging Jet’s hand, then stepped across. “Fine, fine. I beat Kat, so it’s fine now.”

“Is it going to be like this for every trap?” Jet muttered to himself.

“I can make that happen,” Gideon offered.

Jet paled. “Forget I said anything.”

Glancing back, Leo led the way deeper into the underground lair. Little light permeated this space, leaving them stumbling in the dark. Ten steps in, Leo stepped forward, and a pair of burning red eyes lit in the shadows.

Kat screeched and jumped into Elly’s arms. Hushing her gently, Elly glanced toward the eyes, then smiled. “It’s just another statue.”

Kat took a deep breath and stepped away from Elly. “I wasn’t scared.”

“Sure, sure you weren’t,” Gideon said, shaking his head doubtfully.

“Seriously, Gideon? She’s twelve, at best,” Jet tried.

“Prime age for a roasting. If you don’t roast your kids by twelve, they might start thinking they’re better than you and sass off. No one wants that,” Gideon replied firmly.

“Oh no, not an annoying idiot who doesn’t shut up, what would we do then?” Jet said deadpan, staring at Gideon.

Gideon gasped and looked at Kat. “Did you hear that? Jet called you an annoying idiot.”

Kat sniffled and moved closer to Elly, turning tearful eyes to Jet.

“Gideon, there’s no need for that,” Elly said firmly, frowning.

“What? Jet’s the one who said it, why are you yelling at me?” Gideon asked, eyes wide and innocent.

Elly narrowed her eyes, but said nothing.

“He said it about you, not me!” Kat snapped, glaring out from Elly’s skirts.

Gideon gasped. “Oh, he did? Je-et, what if I rebel over that? Run away?”

“Shut up before I activate the collar,” Jet replied.

“No. Ow!”