by Allison West
In the distance, just along the horizon, there was a three-story mansion nestled safely inside an iron gate. Rawlie slowed the car as they approached the entrance. He rolled down his window and held up his palm. Lil watched with curiosity as a series of jigsaw locks slid in and out of place before the final safety mechanism moved from its fortified position. The gates parted in the center, and Rawlie closed the window and put the car back into drive.
"How'd you do that?" Lil asked. The lawn was well manicured, and from the distance, she could see a mansion. A hint of forest peeked out behind the building. Lil glanced behind her as they continued the drive along the path. The gates closed and locked them inside the lot.
"They should be expecting us." Rawlie pulled the car to the front and shut it off. He clapped his hands together and turned around to glance at Jamie and Lil simultaneously. "Everyone out."
The heavy wooden door swung open to the mansion, and Lil let out an anxious breath. She unlocked the car door and stepped outside onto the gravel. Her eyes surveyed the cream-yellow building. It looked exquisite. "What is an eternal suit? How is it going to help us find Bray?"
"And Willow," Jamie said, not wanting anyone to forget his sister. He climbed out of the car and grabbed his bag, shutting it behind him.
Rawlie walked toward the open door. "Do you trust me?"
She ignored his question. Lil didn't entirely trust him, but she knew Bray was in danger, and she and Rawlie were both invested in finding their friends. Lil glanced around, wondering who had opened the door, or if it had opened itself upon Rawlie's presence. "How did we get in this place?" Lil asked, glancing at Rawlie's hand with a sudden curiosity.
"Nightblood," Jamie said from behind Lil as they followed Rawlie up the front porch steps.
"Nightblood is the only way inside the mansion." Rawlie showed Lil his hand. The slightest scar marked the palm of his left hand. "There's a tiny glass disc inside as well. If you mix it with nightblood, it allows access to the building and the grounds."
"And if someone removes your hand or the disc?" Lil asked with curious eyes.
"Once it's exposed to air, it's no longer of use, and without my will or consent, it won't work. Come along." He led Lil and Jamie farther into the house. The door swung shut behind them and the lights flickered on in the hall. "Home sweet home."
"This is where you're from?" Lil doubted that was the case, considering the accent.
"Hardly. I came to visit my aunt when I was ten. I suppose this is a second home, since mine is gone." Rawlie snapped his fingers, and a corridor to the left lit up.
"How did he do that?" Lil asked, watching as modern torches with electricity lit the pathway.
Jamie laughed. "I bet it's with that disc in his palm."
Rawlie glanced back at Lil and Jamie. "It's an intricate piece of technology fused with the nightblood in my veins, so I have control of the academy when the others aren't home. It also provides complete protection. Only those who were students have access to certain parts of the building. It also keeps intruders out. Not anyone can walk through the gate and enroll."
Lil grinned, trying to make sense of what he was telling her. "You have a remote control in your hand."
Rawlie grumbled beneath his breath and gestured for them to follow him. "This way, come on."
Lil trailed behind Rawlie as they passed down a corridor. The brick walls had been painted with giant symbols she didn't recognize, let alone comprehend. "What are those?"
"Safeguards in place. Nothing you should worry about, considering we won't be spending much time here." They reached the end of the hallway and approached a set of heavy double doors. With a groan, Rawlie pushed the doors aside. "Hurry." He closed the doors behind them.
"Where are you taking us?" Jamie asked. "And what do you mean safeguards? Is it protection from Eilith?"
Lil was surprised Jamie had been kept in the dark. At least she wasn't the only one confused. Lil continued to follow behind Rawlie as he led them to a back staircase and escorted them up to the third floor to two spare bedrooms. "Hold tight and don't go anywhere. I need a few minutes, and then we'll get started." With that, he escorted them each to their own room and shut the door.
Walking farther into the bedroom, Lil glanced at the furniture and at the bed. She'd seen a few catalogues for college dorm rooms. They had more furniture than this place. The room was simple with a bed and dresser. She didn't bother to open it to see if the drawers were empty. She didn't intend on sticking around. She had come to find her best friend and to figure out what was going on. This was a waste of time. On the dresser, sat a globe. She spun the sphere and slowed it, staring at the land masses. The world looked identical to hers, at least geographically. However, there was no Missouri or even a United States. All of North and South America was labeled Orenda. Lil used her index finger, gently turning the globe in a circle, examining what would be Europe in her world. Her eyes narrowed reading the inscription 'Unseelie Court' for much of the large mass of land. Studying the globe was making her homesick.
Lil walked to the window, risking a glimpse out the pane. She doubted she could withstand escaping from the third flight without collecting an injury. The view was extraordinary. From inside, she could see the resplendent backyard of the mansion. There was a beautiful garden down below with pink magnolias in bloom. A sad smile perched at the corners of her lips. It was enough to help her relax, though she could never forget why she was here.
Chapter 3
Eilith's Castle
Bray's eyes fluttered open and slowly focused as he struggled to sit. He had a massive headache and an even worse stomachache. Cobblestones covered the walls and floor. A faint stream of light jutted in through the small, barred window covered in cobwebs. Bray stood, and the world swayed around him. He bent over, preparing to vomit before his stomach settled. Feeling a little steadier, Bray approached the door. He wasn't sure what he was expecting to find. Whoever had captured them had sealed the door tight, allowing no one access except those with a key.
"Just great!" He pushed at the door, ignoring the fact there was no way out.
"You're going to tire yourself out," said a disgusted voice from the corner of the chamber. Braylon was certain he recognized the voice. He stepped closer, stumbling over human bones. His eyes dilated and his heart rate soared.
"We have to get out of here," Bray gasped and tried to calm himself. He saw her eyes shining in the darkness, enough to both quell his fears and confuse him. Lil looked different. She always had faint blue eyes, but now, they were a beautiful sea blue, brighter and much more captivating. It was hard for him not to stare. Why had they changed? Maybe it was the odd pink light cast in through the tiny window. Although, Lil's hair was different too. The color was the same, but the part was on the opposite side of her head. "Where are we?" He was grateful no one had chained them to the manacles attached to the wall.
Lil stood and stretched. "Eilith's castle. She's kidnapped us both. Though I don't know who you are or what she'd want with you," she said, glancing over at Bray. "How is it you know my name? Although I prefer to be called Willow."
What had they done to his best friend? Lil hadn't been gone that long to be brainwashed already, right? "You're joking." He stared at her, seeing the quizzical look on her face. "How do I not know you? We went to school together, grew up across the street from one another. We've known each other since we were in preschool." He laughed. "Come on, I spent the night at your house this past weekend." Bray approached Willow and reached a hand out to see if there were any scars or marks that might explain the confusion. "Don't tell me you forgot me. Did you hit your head?" It was the only explanation that would make sense. He didn't see any fresh blood, but that didn't mean she hadn't sustained a head injury. He'd also seen on television from watching crime dramas that trauma could affect a person's memory. At least, he surmised that was the case. He really liked his crime shows.
Willow scoffed at the idea, grabbed his arm, and pushe
d him down onto his knees, her hand tight behind his back. "I think you've mistaken me for someone else. Don't touch me, creep."
"Got it." Bray winced, relieved when she let go of him. He rubbed his sore arm where she'd death-gripped him. If she wanted to play that she didn't know him, he could accept her request. Maybe they were being watched and she was trying to protect him? He wouldn't put it beyond Lil to try to protect someone other than herself, first. "Who's Eilith?"
She stepped toward the stone door and bent down to examine the keyhole. "Of course, it's made of dead pixies!"
She most certainly had hit her head. He watched her with a curious fascination. Her behavior, her words, and demeanor, it was all different. He didn't know how to explain what he witnessed, but she was not the Lil he knew. He refused to approach her after what she'd done to him earlier with his arm. "Dead pixies? As in fairies?" he asked, walking to the side window. He glanced outside to see the pink sun gradually setting. It would be night soon.
"When silver touches pixies, they die. Their remains, in the form of dust, become a weapon that shields us from using our power. To answer your question earlier, no, pixies are not the same as fairies. It would do you well to learn that, should you ever come across one."
Bray stared at her, the frown only growing further on his face. This was a serious situation they'd found themselves in. Where were they? Who was holding them captive? "This isn't funny, Lil." They needed to get out of the locked room and find help.
"I don't joke, and it's Willow," she said, correcting him, drawing each syllable out in her name. There was no hint of humor in her voice. "Pixies and fairies do not get along. Come over here," she commanded him.
"No way." Bray hesitated. "I'm not falling for that again." He'd keep his distance from her.
"Just do it." Her voice held an urgency to it. "I saw you earlier at the door." She gestured toward the lock. "You were able to touch it. You're not from here, which perhaps means your blood is immune to dead pixies."
Where was he? Of course, he was from the same place she was, wasn't he? "The name's Bray, by the way," he said as he hesitated before he approached the door. "What do you want me to do?" He'd play along with her, maybe she'd lost her mind and gone mad.
"Bray." She paused, giving him a putrid look. "Put your palm to the keyhole and I can handle the rest," Willow said.
Bray did as she instructed and pressed his palm to the lock. He masked his fear behind his eyes.
"Good, you're immune. Clearly, you're not a Nightblood, either. Now, let's try this." She moved to rest her hand on his.
"Nightblood?" He wasn't certain what was supposed to be happening. "Is it working?" Nothing felt any different. He didn't hear a latch click. Should it have unlocked from a simple touch? It seemed preposterous. Maybe he'd fallen and hit his head in the forest. That was the last place he remembered being. Perhaps this was all a strange, very bad dream. Lil had spoken about a weird dream not long ago. Maybe her own fears had gotten inside his head, giving him bad dreams too.
Heavy footsteps erupted from just outside the chamber.
"Quick!" Willow pulled Bray away from the door. "Get back." The door swung open and Bray stumbled backward.
Bray glanced from Willow to the strange, dark-haired woman looming over them in a black lace dress. Confused was an understatement, and as his vision caught sight of the woman above, his hands trembled. If this was a dream, it was a nightmare, no doubt. Her fingernails were dark as night with a strange translucent appearance. Her lips were a deep fiery red, and her eyes held no hint of color or light. Her skin was incredibly pale. Had she ever been outside?
"What's going on?" Bray asked, once he'd steadied his heartbeat. As long as she wasn't a vampire, he would survive. He hated vampires and horror movies.
"Silence!" the woman said. She held up her hand, making it impossible for Bray to speak again. He struggled to breathe. She not only sucked out his voice, but also the air from his lungs. His body twitched and his eyes, the light behind them, grew dim. He struggled to breathe, to see, to survive. Would this be how he died, at the hands of a woman in a strange room, held captive? He opened his mouth to choke out a plea for help, but his lips barely moved. His body grew weak, limp. After a moment, she lowered her hand, and Bray fell to the stone floor, gasping. He didn't bother to get up again. He'd just as soon die on the floor than face his captor. "Come now. If you wish to live, you'll do as I tell you. Understand?" his tormentor said.
"That's Eilith," Willow whispered to Bray as she followed the woman out of the prison cell.
Eilith turned around and saw Bray lying on the floor. He hadn't attempted to move. "Get up! You'll lie there and rot if you don't hurry."
"Move," Willow hissed.
Why was she looking out for him? Why did Willow care? Just minutes ago, she seemed like she didn't know him. Had she remembered who he was, or did she just not wish to watch him die? His eyes fluttered open, but he didn't budge. Willow groaned in agony when Eilith zapped her in the back with a spark of electricity. Willow's face flinched with anger.
"Get up!" Eilith demanded, "or you will both pay the price. Her torture is on your hands, boy."
Another zap of lightening shot out through Eilith's hand, causing a high-pitched shriek of pain as it jolted Willow. Tears glistened her eyes, silently begging him to do as they were told. Her body jerked and convulsed with each spark of juice jolting through her body.
He pushed himself up off the floor and through the door. Whether the girl being victimized was Willow or Lil, he would not be to blame. She needed protecting. He was the only one there capable of saving her, but how? The door slammed shut behind him, hitting his back and pushing him forward.
"Willow," he whispered, hoping she was still alive.
Her body twitched on the ground, her eyes slowly opening. He helped her stand, keeping her close, protecting her from their captor. "We do as she says," he whispered to Willow. At least until they could find their way out and escape.
His eyes trailed over their surroundings and Eilith, trying to determine how she had shot Willow with electricity. He had not seen a Taser or any other device within her reach, but he had not exactly been well, himself. Surely, what he'd seen—her hands doing the damage—had been a misconception.
The inside of the castle was circular where they had been held. Locked cells lined the walls. The center was a giant staircase that spun upward. He grunted in protest but followed Willow up the stone stairwell. He heard a slight gasp from her as she moved on ahead. He wanted to ask her what she'd seen, but he thought better of it, as Eilith was just inches behind him.
"Where are we going?" Willow asked. Her voice had returned and she sounded stronger. She was resilient.
Bray continued cautiously up the stairs, now past four flights. It felt as though the spiral staircase was never ending.
"The sixth floor," Eilith said. It appeared as though she were floating just above the staircase. He opened his mouth but quickly shut it. How was what he saw possible? "I've always wanted a pet." Her fingers touched the top of Bray's head, her fingers playing with his hair and down to his ear, gently touching his skin. He shuddered, trying to duck and move away from her grasp, without tumbling down the stairs. "You will do as I ask, abide by my rules, and I will let you live as servants. For now." She clapped her hands together. "Maybe I'll even let you draw me a bath, cater to my needs." Eilith grinned wickedly. "I haven't had a man around in many years. Perhaps I could even teach you a thing or two about how to pleasure a real woman."
Bray gulped nervously. He had no desire to be alone with Eilith. He'd rather die a virgin, than give himself over to her, or worse, allow her any type of pleasure.
Willow must have sensed his discomfort. "Why not just kill us?" Willow asked. "It's what you do best."
Eilith grinned. "It is, isn't it? The thing is I need something from each of you. The fact that Bray is a virgin," her dark eyes shone as she sized him up, "makes me all the more pleased with my
catch."
Had she been able to read his mind? Bray swallowed the lump forming in his throat and walked faster up the stairwell. He wanted to be as far from Eilith as possible.
They reached the sixth floor, and Willow stepped out from the stairwell first.
"This way!" Eilith brushed past Bray, pushing him.
He staggered. Bray could see each floor down below. If he fell, game over. He caught up with Willow.
"You will both go to my apothecary and grind bone into dust," Eilith said.
"That's disgusting," Bray muttered under his breath.
"It's what I need for a potion I'm creating. I'm feeling generous this evening. If you would instead like to join me in my chambers, I have a taste for flesh." She glanced Bray up and down, as if she was admiring a piece of meat.
Bray didn't know why he nodded and agreed to follow her up to her bedroom.
"Bray, wait!" Willow called after him but was quickly silenced by Eilith. He was unable to turn around, incapable of answering as he followed Eilith to her chambers.
His body seemed to betray him with each step he took. His mind in a haze, knowing this wasn't what he wanted and yet feeling intoxicated as she gestured for him to follow.
Her bedroom was on the top floor, and as he glided wordlessly into the room, his pants buckle unlatched without Eilith so much as physically touching him.
"Disrobe," she commanded, her fingers dancing in the air, using her sorcery to relieve him of his pants first.
Bray opened his mouth, but no words followed.
"Tell me this is what you want," Eilith ordered him to comply, to tell her this was consensual.
His mind cleared long enough to fully comprehend what he was about to do and say. She had truly given him the power to stop what was happening, at least he thought she had. "I want a deal," Bray said. He would negotiate their freedom.
