Shimmer (Summer's Harem Book 1)

by Maggie Alabaster

  18

  Darkness.

  Fright.

  Endless screams.

  Where the gods am I?

  I blinked and squinted, tried to force something to appear in front of me.

  Anything.

  Nothing stretched out in front of me but blackness, unbroken, unrelenting.

  At least the screams were muffled. Not screamspinners, but something else. Fae, trolls, maybe humans.

  "The souls of the dead." The voice spoke from beside me and made me jump.

  "Ash?" I gradually became aware of his hand still laced in mine. The other still held Huon's.

  "Summer?" Huon's voice was punctuated by a sudden burst of light. He held his hand in front of his face. Magic lit his mouth, nose and the bottom of his eyes.

  "I'm here. I can't light anything unless I let go of your hands." I was reluctant to do that, in case I lost them again.

  "One of us needs to try." Ash illuminated his own face, then stepped away from me.

  I felt his hand slide free and held back a gasp. I half expected him to disappear.

  "Can you still see me?" he asked. He held his hand higher so I could see his mouth. The tug at the sides of his lips reassured me.

  "Yes." Relieved, I used my own magic and looked around us. "Where are we? We're not dead, right? Ouch!" My arm hurt where Huon had pinched me.

  "No, not dead." In the light of his magic, the smile he gave me looked sinister.

  "Not yet," I grumbled. "Do that again and I might reconsider though."

  He laughed. "Promises, promises."

  "That was more of a threat than a promise." I took a few steps, my hand out. "So we're not dead. What was it that pulled us in here?"

  "What do you mean?" Huon sounded genuinely confused.

  "You didn't feel hands on your shoulders? They felt like cold fingers. Or the souls Tavar mentioned."

  "I didn't feel a thing, did you, Ash?"

  "Just Summer's hand. She pulled me off my feet. Or so it felt."

  "That's Summer, always sweeping men off their feet," Huon joked. "Is anyone else here?"

  No answer.

  "I guess it's just us three, and whoever is screaming." I trod on something and looked down. I had stepped on a beetle and crushed it under my boot. It was the same kind which had attacked Fletcher and I, a blood beetle.

  "Revenge is a bitch," I muttered. "So do we walk toward the screams or run like hells?"

  "That depends," Huon said slowly. "Is this a real place or something in Summer's head?"

  "Or something in between," Ash remarked. He sounded fascinated. "This could be some kind of nether realm accessed via her mind."

  "What does that mean?" I asked.

  "It means you may be able to manipulate it with your thoughts."

  "In that case…" I thought about light and a key dangling right in front of us.

  With a whoosh, a series of sconces burst into flame, illuminating walls and the floor.

  We stood in a long, wide corridor, lined with dressed stone. The floor was teeming with beetles. They crawled along the tiled surface and clicked in fury at the sudden brightness.

  I let out a squeak and magic shot out of my hand. It incinerated the creatures and sent shards of stone flying. I threw a hand over my eyes to protect them.

  "Shit, sorry!"

  I slowly lowered my hand. Both men were shaking stone dust from their hands and wiping their faces.

  "It's all right. At least we can see now." Huon wiped dust from his eyes.

  "No key though," I said. "I should have known it wouldn't be that easy." It had been worth a try. "What now?"

  Ash tapped his nose with his knuckle. "I think we need to walk toward the screams."

  "Of course," Huon replied. "What could go wrong?"

  "Do you have a better idea, your highness?" Ash asked, no hint of mockery in his tone.

  "Actually… no. If this is all in Summer's head, then we can't die, right?"

  "I wouldn't make that assumption," Ash replied. "We may be in her imagination and we may have actually passed through some sort of portal."

  Huon looked thoughtful. "The second one seems more likely."

  "What makes you say that?" Ash asked.

  Huon grinned. "Because we're both dressed."

  I swatted him on the arm.

  "Ouch." He pulled his arm back. "I'm real at least."

  "For now," I said. "Don't push your luck too far though."

  "Why are you all always so loud?" Khat appeared in front of me. One moment there was nothing there but dead beetles. The next, the mimicat stood, tail swishing, eyes shining in the torchlight.

  "What the hells? Where did you come from?" I looked at him sideways.

  "I got bored, so I put my paw on you and here I am." He trod over the carcasses of several beetles and hissed. "I hate bugs."

  "Can you take your paw off her?" Ash asked.

  "Why would I want to?" Khat asked. "You clearly need my help."

  "That's debatable, but now you're here, you might as well stay." I started down the corridor in the direction of the screams, although my skin was crawling.

  "That's good, because I don't seen to be able to remove my paw anyway." He slunk along beside me, Ash and Huon close behind.

  "How the hells are we going to get out of here?" Huon asked. "If we can't find the key, we might be stuck in here forever."

  "I'm sure Saff and Fletcher will pull you guys out long before forever happens," I said. That left the question of how I would get out, but I would worry about that later.

  The screams grew louder with every step. The closer we got, the more I realised they weren't just screaming, they were pleading. They spoke in a language I didn't recognise, but I knew begging when I heard it.

  "Can anyone speak ancient troll?" I asked.

  "Funnily enough, no," Huon replied.

  "Neither can I," Ash said. "I suspect no one can. Even languages die eventually."

  "They're asking to be released from eternal torment," Khat remarked.

  I stopped to stare at him.

  "What?" he asked. "Mimicat's affinity for languages doesn't stop at living ones. I told you we have magic of our own."

  "Yes." I resumed walking. "Can you ask them where the key is?"

  We stepped out into a massive chamber. A huge pool stood in the centre, ringed by flaming torches.

  "That's not water," Huon said nervously. He pointed toward the pool.

  Within the stone edges, shapes swirled, opaque and frantic. I saw an arm here, a head there. A ghostly foot protruded before it disappeared again.

  "Souls," I said softly. "We're supposed to let them out of there?"

  "That's what they're asking for," Khat replied.

  "That doesn't mean it's a good idea," Huon pointed out. He stepped closer to the pool. Several arms reached out toward him before they disappeared again.

  I pressed a finger to my lips and looked around for any sign of a key. The pool was the only thing in the chamber and there was no corridor past it. If the key was anywhere, it would be in here.

  "Can you ask them if it's in there?" I lowered my hand and gestured toward the pool.

  Khat kept his distance, but spoke in words which sounded strange to my ears, as though fae and troll were mashed into one.

  The souls stilled and fell quiet. A face emerged, just eyes at first, then nose and mouth. Male or female, I couldn't tell, but it looked more troll than fae.

  They spoke.

  Khat translated. "They say they are the guardians of the key. They gave their souls to rid the realm of dark magic."

  "Tell them the realm is dying. Dark magic is holding lesser magic captive and it we don't free it, we'll all die."

  Khat spoke to the soul. "They say it was foretold that one would come to seek the key to save the world. They do blather on, don't they? I'll ask if they can give us the key or not."

  "So much for diplomacy," Huon muttered. "Khat, don't offend them."

&
nbsp; Khat turned toward Huon and look affronted. "Of course not. I'm the very epitome of good manners."

  Huon snorted. "Right."

  "Go on, Khat," I said. I just wanted to be away from this place. It gave me the creeps.

  "Thank you." He turned back to the pool and spoke. His tail swished at the response the soul gave.

  "What is is?" Huon asked.

  "They said they can only give the key to the foretold and only after they are released. They want to speak directly to the foretold so they can discern if the threat to the realm is real."

  I stepped forward.

  "Not you," Khat replied. He raised a paw and pointed toward Ash. "Him."

  Ash's eyebrows shot up to his hairline. "Me? Why would I be important?"

  "I was wondering the exact same thing," Khat said dryly.

  "Can you ask them?" Ash asked. He looked rattled.

  Khat sighed and spoke again to the soul. "They don't know. Only that you're the one they need to speak to."

  The dark skinned fae ran a hand over his hair. "I suppose I must speak to them then."

  "Are you sure?" I asked. "We have no idea what might happen to you if you do." I put a hand on his arm. "I'd hate if anything bad happened to you."

  "I would also hate that," he said, with no hint of humour on his face in spite of his words. He faced me and put an arm around me to draw me closer. "I care about you," he said softly.

  "I care about you too," I replied.

  "When this is over," he jerked his head toward the pool, "I would like to see where this can go. I don't mind if it's messy."

  I blinked back tears and smiled. "I'd like that."

  He leaned in and pressed his lips to mine, just lightly.

  Khat coughed. "I could be wrong, but I think being in a place full of souls for too long might end badly. Can we hurry this up a bit?"

  Ash pulled back and grimaced. "He might be right. We'll have plenty of time later for this."

  "I hope so," I replied. "I mean, of course we will."

  He nodded and gave me another quick kiss, then stepped away, toward the pool.

  "What do I need to do?" he asked.

  Khat spoke to the soul again. "Kneel down beside them."

  Ash knelt. The soul raised ghostly hands and pressed them to the side's of Ash's head. The moment they touched, Ash began to howl in agony.

  I started forward, but Huon grabbed my arm and held me back.

  "There's nothing you can do," he said.

  "But we can't just stand by…" Tears slid down my cheeks. "There must be something." Short of trying to blow the pool to smithereens, I had no idea. My vision blurred, but Ash was clear in my ears. His screams seemed to go on for hours, shredding every last nerve in my body.

  I raised my hand to—I don't even know what. I threw my head back, ready to scream too, when the chamber fell silent.

  Ash dropped to his knees, hands on other side of his head.

  Huon let me go and I rushed forward to gather Ash in my arms.

  "Oh gods, gods, gods, Ash!"

  Blood trickled from his eyes and ears and his breathing was shallow, but he was alive.

  "Summer," he rasped. His voice sounded ruined.

  "They said you were telling the truth," Khat said helpfully.

  "No shit we were," I muttered. I reached into a pocket, pulled out a handkerchief and dabbed at Ash's face. "They better be handing over the fucking key."

  "We have to free them," Ash said. Every word was forced and pained.

  "How?" I asked. "Did they tell you or just torture you?"

  Ash made a sound between a laugh and a cough. "I saw a hundred lifetimes. All locked in here to keep us safe. They've been in limbo for a thousand years. It's past time they moved on." He sounded stronger now.

  "Yes, but how?" Huon sounded as impatient as I was.

  Ash hesitated.

  "Don't tell me one of us has to stay here so they can be free?" I demanded.

  "No, but their release might let a bit of dark magic back in the world," Ash said. "It will make the realm deteriorate faster."

  "Shit," I said under my breath. "What choice do we have?" I looked from him to Huon, then to Khat.

  "None I can see," Ash said softly. "We may only have days to find the second and third keys."

  19

  Ash's words echoed in my ears.

  "We better work fast then," Huon said. "Now how do we free these souls?"

  Ash explained.

  I grimaced, but took his hand and Huon's.

  "I'll sit this one out," Khat remarked. He flopped down near a torch and started to roll on the ground.

  "Well if you want to get covered in beetle shells." I grimaced at him and then shrugged. Mimicats were strange creatures.

  Ash reached out a hand to the soul. They grabbed his arm and seemed to pass right through him. They slid from his hand to mine.

  The moment they touched me, I felt as though my blood ran cold. I tried to scream, but no sound came out. Then they were gone, into Huon.

  He groaned and muttered something I couldn't make out. I watched the soul ripple across him to his far hand, shoot out and disappear into the air.

  "That was easy," I said, although I wanted to throw up my last meal on the ground.

  "That was only first one," Ash said as another soul rose and slid through him.

  "How many?" Huon asked through gritted teeth.

  "I don't know," Ash replied. "A few… hundred."

  "A few—" Huon sounded like he was choking.

  "Close your eyes and think about lesser magic," I suggested.

  "I can think of at least a hundred things I would rather be doing right now," Huon replied, "and they all involve you, naked."

  "Whatever it takes to get your mind off… ugh, two at once?" I shivered.

  "They're coming more quickly," Ash said, his voice higher.

  He was right. The souls were moving in a blur now, passing so fast I couldn't discern one from another. I felt as though I was in a constant state of cold, with liquid ice wriggling though my bloodstream.

  "I think there's only a few more." Ash's voice sounded strange.

  "What about the key?" I forced out the words.

  "I don't—here's the last few."

  I hoped so, my teeth started to chatter. I looked toward the pool. It was empty now. The last soul slid into Ash, then over into me. Here, it stopped.

  "What the…" My stomach heaved.

  My vision blurred and I felt faint. My head began to ache, as though the soul was trying to work its way inside. I saw a lifetime flash before me, which wasn't mine. A woman, a trullen, born without wings, her life a series of agony and ridicule. Outcast from her own people, even though she lived amongst them. She had given her soul to save the very people who taunted her.

  Don't let my sacrifice be made in vain.

  With that, she fled my body, passed through Huon's and was free.

  I sagged and almost fell as Ash and Huon did the same. I stood there for a moment, then let them go, fled a few steps away and heaved everything in my stomach onto the floor.

  From the sound of it, both guys were doing the same thing.

  "When you have a minute," Khat said after a few moments.

  "What?" Huon spat on the floor and wiped his mouth.

  Khat pointed toward the pool with his paw. Instead of ghosts, there lay a single, silver key in the centre. Where before I had assumed the pool was deep, I saw the bottom, not even a metre below. All those souls; it must have been a tight fit.

  "It looks a little small," I remarked. "Is that the right key?"

  "What else could it be?" Huon asked.

  "I'm certain we'll know when the time comes," Ash said.

  "I suppose so," I conceded. "Are you going to pick it up? You are the foretold, right?"

  He licked his lips. "Apparently." He frowned so deeply a crease appeared in his forehead.

  "We could hold on to you?" I suggested. "In case that's deeper th
an it looks." Or was really another trap door.

  "That might be best," he agreed.

  Again, we held on to each other and Ash stepped toward the lip of the pool. He put out a hand as though checking for a barrier of some kind. Evidently, he didn't find one, as he stepped into the pool.

  I held my breath, sure he was about to be dragged away.

  He leaned down, drawing me over with him. Huon held me hard before I fell.

  "Just a bit closer," Ash said to himself. "Almost." He crouched and grabbed up the key.

  The moment he did, the ceiling above us split in two and started raining rocks down onto us.

  "Now would be a good time to get us out of here!" Huon shouted.

  "I don't know how!" I shouted back.

  "Think of us being gone from here," Ash suggested. He leapt out of the pool.

  "I—" A chunk of rock narrowly missed my head.

  All right brain, get us the fuck out of here.

  I closed my eyes and focused. I pictured us back in camp, Fletcher, Saff and Tavar nearby.

  The ground shook beneath our feet.

  "Hurry up!" Khat hissed.

  "What do you think I'm doing?" I asked between clenched teeth. "It's not working!"

  "Maybe if we go back the way we came?" Huon suggested.

  "It's better than standing here." I followed him back toward the corridor we'd been in when we'd first arrived.

  Chunks of rock littered the floor and more pieces were falling. A stone the size of my head missed Huon by a hair.

  "Fuck." He ducked sideways and almost tripped.

  "Keep running!" Ash shouted from behind me.

  Just as he said that, the ceiling of the chamber collapsed. It sent a wave of dust and tremors in its wake.

  "We have to outrun it," Ash said. "If we can't pop out how we came in, we'll find another way."

  I squealed as the floor rose underneath me, then slammed back down. I went flying and hit the wall so hard it left me stunned for a few moments,

  "Summer, you need to get up." Huon grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet.

  I staggered a few steps before I fell to my knees. My head spun and everything hurt. "Get the key out of here!"

  Huon skidded to a stop and waved for Ash to keep going. He scooped me up in his arms and ran, zigging and zagging around piles of rocks which were increasing in size by the moment.