Kami stumbled behind the others blindly. Tears filled her eyes, and she dashed them away furiously. What a lousy moment to cry. She could see the vague forms in front of her as they hurried through the Shadow Queen's cave—her badly injured grandfather being supported by Samuel. Chris followed closely behind with a shadow whip in one hand and a laser saber in the other, peering back occasionally to make sure she was okay and to see if any shadow creatures were chasing them.

So far, she saw nothing.

She heard a rumble and the ground shook. Tiny shards of rock fell and pelted her body with a hundred stings. She slipped on the debris and fell down, landing hard on the floor of the cave. The rocks pierced her hands and knees. Scrambling to her feet and ignoring the pain that sliced through her, she caught up to the others.

An eerie howling echoed through the cave and sent chills up Kami's spine. They moved even faster, and she readied her laser saber for whatever might be coming.

C'mon, c'mon, Kami thought as they pressed forward. She heard a rustling on her right, not far behind her. Turning her head, she tried to make out a figure in the gloom but couldn't. She faced forward again.

Kami saw a feeble light in the distance. If they could only make it out of the cave before anything caught up to them, they might have a chance. Gedo and Samuel must have seen it as well, as they picked up their pace.

Wax droplets fell on her head, her face, her arms, her hands. She tried to wipe them away, but they stubbornly clung to her skin.

A whooshing sound swept through the cave and Kami felt a blast of air smash into her back. She staggered forward and barely caught herself from falling. Balance regained, she ran toward the entrance. Samuel struggled to help Kami's Gedo as they rushed past the milky white stalagmites, closer and closer to the light in a frantic attempt to escape the darkness that pressed in on them. Almost there. Just a bit further.

As Kami brushed past Chris, he grabbed her arm. She turned and looked.

Moonlight streamed into the cave, illuminating the floor and walls. She couldn't immediately discern what Chris was pointing at. She strained to see. There, she knew what they were—eyes. Two sets of glowing beady red eyes that stared at them intently. The red orbs moved and her heart sank. She recognized their shapes, the contours of giant bats with wingspans at least 8 feet.

The shapeshifters had followed them.

"Go!" Chris yelled to the others. Kami flicked on her laser saber and stood by Chris. There was no way these shadow creatures were getting to her Gedo.

She glanced over her shoulder. Samuel and Gedo were nearing the entrance. She faced the shapeshifters.

They swooped in at the same time, heading straight for her and Chris. An image of Gedo screaming in agony flashed through her mind. She thought of the bat wrapping itself around her Gedo, of the nasty injuries that covered his body. She pointed her laser saber at the bat and closed her eyes tightly as it flew near. A great rush of air blew her hair back and she could hear a frantic flapping. She opened her eyes slowly to see the bat only a couple feet away in front of her, impaled by the light. The beam from the laser saber seemed to be stopping it, but the strain from holding the bat away from her was tremendous. She gritted her teeth and held tightly to the saber with both hands.

A blast of green electricity crackled through the air. The bats shrieked as Chris whipped them, again and again. Kami could see he was having a difficult time wielding both the saber and the whip, so she reached a hand out.

"Give me your light saber," she called to Chris. He tossed it to her. She trained both on one creature while Chris whipped the bat and forced it back into the cave. The other bat attacked. Kami focused on it and Chris whipped it. The shadow creatures flew back to the roof of the cave and stared down with hateful eyes.

Kami glanced back toward the cave entrance; Gedo and Samuel had made it out. She peeked over at Chris who was panting heavily from the exertion of whipping the bats and the run though the cave. It wasn't good that he was so tired already.

The bats flew at them at the same time. Kami tried to lock them with her laser sabers, but the shapeshifters were ready for them this time. They separated and circled them. She turned, frantically trying to pin them but having no luck. The bats dive bombed them and Chris tried to crack them furiously with the whip, but they pulled up before the stinging energy strands could touch them.

Kami could see what the shapeshifters were doing. They were trying to wear them out, to divide them so they could pick them off one by one. Chris coughed and the bats took advantage of his distraction to swoop in.

"Chris!" Kami screamed. He heard her and whipped them. This time the green strands nicked one of them. It yelped and retreated. Chris leaned over with his hands on his knees, winded.

Kami looked around. There was nowhere to hide in the cave. There were a few large stalactites that they might be able to hide behind, but she remembered what had happened to Liam when he touched one and shuddered. No good. They needed to make it out of the cave, see if they could find shelter on the outside. She leaned in close to Chris.

"Let's get out of here," she said. He nodded.

They backed away from the creatures and ran out of the cave into star-filled night. The moonlight illuminated the sand, the brush, the rocky surface of the cave. Kami could see Haji up ahead, running toward Gedo and Samuel who were moving in the direction of the vehicles. She heard another whoosh and glanced back. The bats were already out of the cave. She needed to warn the others.

She ran hard with Chris at her side. She looked up, expecting to see the bats swoop down on her Gedo and the others. Strangely, there was nothing flying above them. Kami heard a whipping sound and felt the ground shift near her feet. She jumped to the side and watched as a stream of sand flew past to her left. A hand covered her arm and she looked over at what Chris was pointing at. A similar line streaked past on their right.

She turned toward the cave. That bats weren't there.

Then it hit her. The shapeshifters must have shifted into a puddle and sunk beneath the surface of the sand. They were burrowing their way to the others!

"Samuel!" she screamed. "Haji! Watch out."

Kami ran toward them, cursing the sand that grabbed her feet and slowed her every step.

The streams of sand converged in front of them all. The sand shook; the ground split. Two columns of sand shot into the air. The sand fell away to reveal long, shadowy forms that swayed and writhed as they grew. At the tip, glowing red eyes and gaping mouths appeared on each shadow. Shadow fragments whirled around the head and formed into hoods.

She gasped.

The cobras towered over her injured grandfather and friends, hissing menacingly and weaving back and forth.

Kami pressed harder. Her lungs were on fire and the muscles in her legs were killing her, but still, she pressed harder.

One of the shadow cobras lunged toward the men. Samuel and Haji leaped to the side, dragging Gedo with them. The snake barely missed them and smashed into the sand and underground. Then it popped up through the surface next to the other cobra.

She was almost there. Kami grabbed her glowing necklace and held on tight as she raced toward them. This was it. They were going to die unless she got there in time and her necklace had the power to protect them. She remembered the shadow eels. Maybe she could distract the snakes while the others made it away.

In just a few moments she'd be there. Just as she thought it, she tripped and face planted into the sand. She lay stunned for a moment, then flipped over and spit out sand.

Above her, the two cobras opened their mouths wide and hissed. She felt the terror welling up and rolling through her, turning her legs and arms into lead. Gritting her teeth, she reached for the necklace, but when she touched her neck, it was gone. She frantically felt her bare throat.

The hissing grew in intensity until it hurt her ears. She covered her left ear with one hand and felt around in the sand with her other hand. The necklace must have fallen off nearby. She dug with both hands now.

The cobras' hoods flared. They stared down at the humans with hateful, beady eyes. Kami rocked forward onto her knees and felt a lump in the back of her neck. She felt just under her chin and realized the chain had slid up. Feeling behind her head, her hand closed around the scarab just as the cobras drove straight at them.

Kami pulled the scarab around her neck and held it up. She closed her eyes tightly, waiting for impact. When no attack came, she opened her eyes carefully.

The cobras were mere inches away from her face, the glow of the necklace illuminating them. Suspended in the air, they hissed angrily and flashed wicked-looking fangs. One of them struck out at her face. She watched wide-eyed as the snake seemed to smash into an invisible barrier or energy shield of some sort.

The snakes hissed angrily as contortions rippled through their bodies. Kami stared at the glowing scarab in awe. She looked past the scarab to see shadow venom drip from their pointed fangs. The venom fell against the shield making a sizzling sound, then formed into black dust and blew away.

The cobras weaved back and forth. What if the shield didn't hold? For a brief terrifying moment, she imagined the snakes devouring her and burying her beneath the sand. Would she even have time to scream before they destroyed her?

The snakes lunged for her again. Their frightening heads, all mouth and fangs, filled her vision. Kami squeezed her eyes tightly again as her heart lodged in her throat. A moment passed, then another. Kami peered out of one eye and saw the cobras hissing in frustration. The shield had clearly held. She felt limp with relief.

Kami looked over at the others. They were staring at her with mouths wide open. She looked around. They had to get out of here. The cave was still in sight, and surely the Shadow Queen would send more of her creatures after them. She glanced at her Gedo and realized, to her horror, that he was unconscious. It had been enough of a struggle to even get him out of the cave. How could they escape with an unconscious man?

"Let's see if the shield will hold while we move," she said. Haji and Samuel nodded and lifted Gedo in a fireman lift. Chris kept a laser saber and a whip at the ready. They walked forward a few paces, then stopped. The snakes tried another attack, but to no avail.

Emboldened, the little group pressed forward, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the cave as possible. The snakes followed fairly closely. They walked for what seemed forever through the desert, though it was likely about fifteen minutes. Kami felt exhausted to her bones.

"The shapshifters are gone," Chris said. The group halted and looked back.

The shapeshifters were gone. They had been there a minute ago when she'd last checked. Maybe they had finally given up. It would be a relief to rest, backtrack to the vehicles and figure out a plan. She looked over at her unconscious grandfather. He didn't look so good. His numerous wounds oozed. She winced as she saw the large dark splotches the size of a man's palm covering most of his chest and arms in streaks where the shadow creature had torn away his shirt. She wondered how bad the rest of his injuries were. Gedo needed rest if he was to survive the ordeal. To be honest, he might already be too far gone.

Suddenly the ground beneath them trembled and the entire group rose in the air. Kami gasped and looked down at the sand at her feet. They were floating at least five feet above the ground in the shield "bubble" the scarab had somehow created. The shapeshifters hadn't left; they'd burrowed beneath the sand's surface again. Kami grasped her scarab with both hands and tried to focus her racing mind. She could feel her mind fighting the creatures, her will facing off against theirs. She had been too relaxed and let her guard down too far.

"Stay together!" she said.

Kami dropped to her knees, the sand rapidly falling away until they were hovering above the open jaws of the cobras. She could feel the shield slipping. No! She had to fight it. If she couldn't hold the shield, it was over.

She gritted her teeth and focused even more intensely on the scarab, drawing energy from it. She didn't understand how she was doing it, but she knew she had to succeed. They were not going to die this way.

Slowly, slowly she could feel the group sinking until at last, they were standing on the sand again.

"We have to hide," Kami said.

"Over there," Haji said. "About 200 feet over there. See the cave? It is our best option."

Kami couldn't see it, but she trusted Haji. She nodded.

"Guys? Can we speed it up? The shapeshifters are about to receive reinforcements," Chris said. Kami glanced over and saw what he did in the light of the brilliant moon—black blobs moving in their direction.

"Crap!" Samuel said. "C'mon Haji. Let's get to the cave you found."

They moved swiftly in the direction of the cave. Haji scraped the sand away from a sand dune to reveal a small opening of a cave. He crawled in first, then grasped under Gedo's shoulders and dragged him in. Samuel followed, then Kami and Chris.

The tunnel they were crawling through was only about three feet tall. Eventually it opened more, but the ceiling still couldn't be more than four and a half feet at its highest. They situated Gedo in a corner on Haji's jacket, then Chris and Samuel moved to the mouth of the cave to make sure no shadow creatures could follow them inside. Samuel looked like a kid in a candy store wielding the shadow whip.

Kami looked around her. Unlike the Shadow Queen's lair, there was no sweet nectar smell or magical stalagmites. It was just a regular cave, with dark, rough textured walls and a damp smell. It was cramped, but hopefully they were secure. The rock floor beneath her seemed solid. She prayed nothing could push through from beneath.

A loud crash echoed through the cave, followed by the vigorous cracking of a whip and a yelping sound. Kami tensed, then breathed out and tried to force her shoulders to relax with little success. It was going to be a very long night.

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I'd love to know what you think of the chapter and the new cover.

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The dedication for this chapter goes to @JoshTownley. He's a fellow member of the Wattpad Class of 2014 and an awesome person. He creates amazing art, including a fan art piece of Liam and Kami that you can find at http://pinterest.com/sarahbensonbook. You can check out his writing and art by clicking on the dedication link above.