by Allison West
She tried not to laugh at his lame-ass joke, but she snorted under her breath. Her eyes widened and hoped beyond belief that he didn't hear her. "Sure." Lil rolled her eyes, doing her best to hide a smile. "If she offers that up in exchange for Bray, you just might be the bait." She was willing to throw him to the wolves, figuratively and literally. He was so damn smug, she wanted to wipe his own grin off his face. Damn, when had she become so smitten?
Hudson held an arm up over his heart. "Oh, ouch. Exchange me for your not-really-a-boyfriend friend." Lil reached out and punched Hudson in the arm. Maybe it was an excuse to touch him, but she took it.
"Owww. Keep your hands to yourself," he sulked and moved to walk behind her once again.
"Quit being a baby," Lil said over her shoulder. "So what is Jamie's special power?" she asked Rawlie. Since no one had answered her question from earlier, she wasn't above asking them again.
"He doesn't appear to have one yet, either." Rawlie glanced back at her. "Maybe one day, we'll take him to the sacred springs, but that's not happening today." Rawlie shut his mouth, not offering any more information.
"Okay." Lil took a step back, falling in line with him as they continued walking along the stone tunnel deep beneath the land of Orenda.
"Time to get up." There was no alarm clock; servants woke them. Bray groaned as he heard the door to their bedroom squeak open. It was still dark outside, but that didn't matter to Eilith.
"We'll be up and ready in ten," Willow said, sitting up in bed.
Bray wiped the sleep from his eyes and gestured for the woman at the door to shut it behind herself. The servant slammed the door and huffed away. "Last night." He swallowed nervously. "Do you remember the food?"
Willow nodded. "We were drugged."
"Do you know why?" Bray asked, climbing out of bed. He was surprised to find a clean change of clothes tossed on the floor. They no longer looked clean, considering the floor was filthy. Bray brushed the grime off the clothes. He preferred shorts in the summer and jeans when it was cold. It was spring back home, and it seemed to be spring here, too. Either would have been sufficient, but instead, he found himself being given black bloomers and a forest green shirt that looked little more than rags as he tossed it back down onto the ground. No way. Did the servant think he was a fool? He eyed the gown left on the floor for Willow. It was ivory and light pink. It looked thin, almost translucent.
Willow stood up, toeing the cotton gown and refusing to pick it up off the floor. "No idea why she'd drug us. How about we wear our clothes from yesterday?"
"Fine with me. Where are my shoes?" Bray asked, pushing the rag-like clothes around on the floor. "My sneakers are gone."
"Maybe Eilith liked them and wanted a pair for herself."
He was not amused. "Not funny, Willow." Bray wasn't laughing. He loved those damned sneakers. Why would the sorceress take them?
"Bray." Her tone held a hint of fear. "There's a bruise on my arm." In the crook of her arm, a needle mark had left a bruise the size of her thumbnail. "Why would she want our blood?"
Bray looked down at his arms, finding the same mark on his skin. "Why would she want my blood? I'm not even from here! What do you think she wants with us?" He swallowed the lump in his throat. Perhaps that was truly why she kept them alive. Would she experiment on them without their knowledge?
"I can travel to your world, Bray, and you're not from Orenda. It's possible, she's trying to make a potion that can help her navigate between both worlds on her own."
"She can't do that already?" Bray asked, relieved. At least those he loved back home would be safe.
Willow sat back down on the cot. "She can if she knows where the soft spots between our worlds are located. She hasn't found them yet, and it's my responsibility to protect the gate. With me locked up in this place, she can find it a lot easier."
Once Bray and Willow left their room, Eilith escorted them down to the grounds and outside. An armed guard leaned against the castle walls, watching their every move. "You will cut down one of the trees and chop wood." She stared at Bray. "Willow will carry the wood inside. Tonight, she will be responsible for stoking the fire, keeping it warm."
"You need something to keep the castle warm? Try the heat coming from the hell you're spawned from," Willow said under her breath.
Bray shot her a quick look, silently warning her to be careful. He had no idea what the punishment for insolence might be.
This time, Willow was louder, more abrasive. "You don't think I can cut down a tree?" The anger she harbored found its way out through her voice. Her fists bunched at her sides and her face was steaming.
"If you insist." Eilith snapped her fingers and a second axe found its way to the ground at Willow's feet. "Be my guest." Another snap, and she vanished in a veil of smoke.
"No bone crushing today?" Bray asked, surprised.
"We should start on this tree." She eyed the armed guard. He hadn't budged from his place against the wall and didn't seem to care about Bray and Willow, so long as they didn't start a revolution on his watch.
"Sure." Bray didn't argue. He didn't know the first thing about chopping wood. When he'd gone camping as a young kid, they'd gathered fallen branches from the woods or scavenged it from abandoned campsites. Chopping wood was new to him.
Eilith had decimated the entire forest surrounding the castle. The land looked burned, touched by death; the grass was brown and brittle. Nothing grew. The trees that had once sprung to life were black and bare of leaves in the middle of spring. For as far as Bray could see, the land looked dead. It made it easy to choose a tree; all of them were ready to come down. Willow chose the one closest to the entrance of the castle. She lifted her axe and took the first swing.
"You don't have to do that," Bray said. "You can save your energy." Willow glared at Bray, and he let her take another swing at the tree in the same manner. Perhaps this would let her get her anger out; it was better she swing at the tree than at him. "Let me know when you need a break," he said. He eyed another nearby tree, but opted against cutting it down. It would be easier for them to work as a team.
The guard kept a close watch on them. Willow stopped swinging the axe and wiped the sweat from her brow. "You want a swing?" She offered up the axe to the guard, and he shook his head no. He didn't speak, at least not to the two of them. "Then quit staring at me like I'm dinner." The guard mumbled something beneath his breath. Willow stepped aside, letting Bray have several turns while she rested her arms. "Bray." Her voice caught in her throat, and her eyes widened in horror.
With Bray's next swing, the tree creaked and thudded hard into the castle walls. It wouldn't be moved anytime soon, at least not by ordinary means. Willow cursed under her breath, pulling Bray backward and behind her.
Out of nowhere, Eilith appeared. A haze of smoke followed her. "You did this!" Her eyes glowed dark crimson like a ripe cherry. Her arm shot out, lifting Willow off her feet, until she was gasping for air.
"Put her down!" Bray yelled.
Willow's face turned red and then blue, as her lungs ran out of fresh air.
Eilith threw Willow against the castle wall like a rag doll. A loud crack sounded when her head hit the stone. Her body fell limp in a heap. Eilith's eyes never left Bray. "You, boy." She narrowed her eyes and stepped closer. "You have no one here to protect you."
From a distance, he saw the blood drip from Willow's forehead. "She's important to you. If she wasn't, you'd have killed her already." Bray wasn't an idiot. There had to be a reason she was keeping them both alive.
Eilith turned to face the guard. She gestured toward Willow, lying motionless on the cold, solid ground. "Pick her up. Bring her inside." She moved back on her feet, facing Bray. "Get that off my wall, chopped up, and inside before nightfall. Otherwise, I'll use you to keep my fire stoked." With a gust of wind, she vanished.
Chapter 6
The Rescue
At last, the group of five reached the farthest point of the tunne
ls from the academy. Deep beneath the ground, the inside walls changed from red and copper brick to cobblestones.
"Be careful," Hudson warned from behind Lil. "Don't touch the walls."
"Okay," Lil said. "Dead pixies?" She remembered what they'd briefly told her.
Rawlie slowed down as they grew more cautious along the path. "We don't know how much is used in the walls. Metal surfaces—like the locks—have it mixed in when they're formed. At the very least, it will permanently burn your flesh."
"What about door handles?" Lil asked. "Or the windows?" She wanted to be prepared. She didn't want to touch something that might scar or kill her.
"Maybe you're different," Hudson said. "You're not from Orenda. Either way, I'd be careful."
"How often do you go up against Eilith?" Lil asked.
Rawlie said, "We try to stay as far from Eilith as possible. A few times, we've sent scouts out; usually, they don't return."
"You've never fought her?" Lil asked, surprised. They were going into a battle that they weren't sure they could win, in enemy territory.
Hudson took offense. "Every day, we fight her to stay alive. She's poisoned the land and water, destroying our food supply. She's enchanted creatures that we're forced to face in battle." They slowed to a standstill. Light pierced the edge of the tunnel. No one was ready, not really. "We've fought her but never on her soil. She has the advantage. The only benefit we have is that she may not know we're coming… hopefully."
Arianna stayed at the front, leading the five of them like an officer marching her small army to victory. "Quiet and follow me," she said. "We're not far from Eilith's castle."
If they spoke too much or too loudly, they risked Eilith or her guards finding them. It wasn't a risk worth taking now. Only the sound of their footsteps echoed as they climbed uphill. No matter how hard they tried to be quiet, their feet pounded the ground with their weapons weighing them down. Arianna groaned in protest. She hoped no one was standing on the other side of the entrance.
A gloomy, gray mist blanketed the forest. Arianna stepped out first. Seeing no sign of guards or Eilith, she gave the hand signal for them to rise from the underground tunnel. With the cover of fog, they inched forward, using dead trees to hide behind. Lil edged closer. The mist made it difficult for her to see Rawlie just a few feet away, but she heard Hudson's feet crunch on the dead grass behind her.
Closer to Eilith's territory, the fog lifted. It wouldn't be long before there wasn't any cover left. Lil edged as close as possible to Rawlie. Hudson was on her heels. From behind a giant tree, she peered to the side, wanting to see where Eilith lived. The beige-brown stone walls towered above her. The six-story mansion was old but in remarkable shape. Lil expected it to look like a haunted house. It looked more like a castle.
Side-by-side, they broke through the fog and haze, seeing a tree on the ground and a boy chopping it to pieces. "Bray!" Lil tried not to squeal, but her eyes widened as she rushed over to him.
Bray put the axe down, hearing her voice. "Willow?" he asked, turning. Lil wasted no time, running toward him, throwing her arms around him in the biggest hug. "Is that you, Lil?" he whispered into her ear.
She pulled him tight against her chest. "Yes," Lil said, relieved that she'd found him alive.
A soft hand on his shoulder forced him to loosen his grip. "We're looking for Willow," Rawlie told Bray. "Any idea where we can find her?"
Bray sighed, letting go of his best friend. "She got hurt earlier. One of the guards took her inside to bandage her head. I haven't seen her since, and I don't know where they took her."
Hudson rested a hand on Lil's back. "You both should head back down to the tunnels."
"No way," Lil said. "I'm here, fighting beside you." A part of her was afraid of splitting up. If she got lost or captured, there'd be no chance of her returning home. Besides, she had the eternal suit and the sword. They needed her, didn't they?
She took Bray's hand and led him beside her into the castle. Bray's hand tightened against her grip as they stepped into the foyer. She imagined he felt reluctant to return inside.
"I hope you know what you're doing," Bray said under his breath. He glanced at her, noticing the sheath on her back. "Didn't know you could handle a sword—"
"I didn't know you could survive a sorceress." Lil grinned. Relief flooded her senses. The knot buried in her stomach lifted. Her heart raced thinking about getting home. They needed to rescue Willow. Then perhaps this could all be over with.
"Which floor is Eilith's room?" Hudson whispered.
"I think it's on the sixth, up to the right." Bray pointed above him in the general direction of where her room would be.
Hudson kept his voice down. "We save the sixth floor for last, then. Hopefully, we don't have to go head-to-head with Eilith just yet."
Rawlie led them up the spiral staircase. Rooms were empty. Beds were a mess, but there was no sign of Eilith, at least not yet. They kept to the walls, careful around every curve to avoid maids or servants. Bray provided the group with the basic layout of the castle—kitchen, bedrooms, dining area, bathrooms. It was unlikely Willow was in the kitchen or dining room. However, there were plenty of unexplored areas where she could be held.
Hudson continued down the corridor.
Rawlie glanced around, pulled his blade, and prepared to slice Eilith or any servants who came between him and Willow. "She has to be somewhere," he said as they searched the castle.
Bray's stomach somersaulted, and a sheen of sweat coated his skin. He thought he'd be fine with returning into the castle. He'd been wrong. His heart pounded like the final explosion of fireworks on the Fourth of July. He could barely catch his breath as every sound intensified like the crescendo of a symphony.
A slight creak echoed through the room, but no one moved. "Did you hear that?" Rawlie asked.
Bray's eyes narrowed as he heard heavy boots thumping against the stone floor, just outside the room. A guard stormed into the room, sword in hand. Had he heard their arrival? They hadn't been particularly quiet.
Rawlie stood closest to the door and slammed sword against sword as he fought the guard backward into the hall.
"Intruders!" the guard screamed, gathering the attention of the additional guards on patrol.
Hudson used the dagger in his hand, keeping the second guard at bay. A third and fourth guard were trailing up the stairs.
"I'll cut them off," Rawlie insisted, backing the one guard out into the hall as he fought off two more. Lil pulled her own sword from its sheath at her back and followed Rawlie into the hall to help him. Lil fought one back against the stairs. Swords clanked together. Lil ducked as another guard approached. It was a move Hudson had taught her, but it forced her back two steps toward the open door where the others were trapped.
"Need help?" Hudson panted, throwing his dagger into the guard who was closing in on her.
"Thanks," Lil gasped, wiping sweat from her brow.
Hudson ripped the dagger from the fallen guard and tossed it to Rawlie so he had two weapons. It was just what Rawlie needed. He stabbed the guard in the leg with the dagger. The guard slowed. The second blow from Rawlie's sword dropped him.
"We better hurry up and find Willow," Rawlie grumbled.
Arianna couldn't believe they hadn't been caught by Eilith yet. They'd taken out four guards, which had been easy compared to what they would have to face with the sorceress herself. She hoped Bray would be helpful in their rescue of Willow. Arianna couldn't believe he had no idea where Willow might be detained. He was dead weight right now—something they didn't need when they found Eilith.
"Eilith has to be upstairs," Rawlie rasped. "One more flight to go."
"Do you think she's keeping watch over Willow?" Hudson asked.
"It's possible," Rawlie said. "Why she would, though, I don't know."
Silently, Arianna led the way up the staircase and stood outside the room, listening for sounds. It was eerily quiet. Lil and Bray were the l
ast two up the stairwell. Everyone but Bray drew their sword or dagger, hoping their blades might have some effect on Eilith.
Just as they approached the door, it swung open. Eilith was expecting them. "Look what we have here." She smiled deviously.
Arianna's eyes widened in horror. She had thought she'd be ready for this moment, but she wasn't. "Mom…" Arianna stumbled on her words. She took a breath, trying to compose herself. "Where's Willow?" She swallowed the fear, the pain, and the heartache of seeing her mother for the first time since the Scourge.
"Mom?" Arianna's voice echoed along the castle walls. Her mother had her back to her and was staring down at an open box. "Mom?" Arianna repeated a second time, but still no response.
She took a step forward. She'd seen the changes happening to her mother. First, her golden red hair had begun to mix with strands of black. Now, her hair had turned raven; not an ounce of red remained. Then the bird incident… Arianna wanted to ignore it. She wished the memory away, tucked it tight inside her mind, and pushed it back into the farthest reaches. No matter how hard she tried, she'd never forget the horrible morning when she'd found the blue jay with a broken wing. She'd nursed it back to health and showed her mother her achievement, certain she would be proud of her since she'd taught her how to heal from Nightblood Academy. Instead, her mother had reached out, touched the bird's wings, and the beautiful blue jay had turned black as she stole its life. It had died in Arianna's hands. There wasn't a thing she could do about it.
"I'm busy," her mother said, her words hoarse and thick. She didn't sound quite like herself. Arianna had never seen her like this before—cold, calculated, filled with darkness. Her mother was fond of spells and enchantments, she had even been the headmaster at the academy, but something had changed within her. Her magic had been used for healing, not destroying. Watching her stare at the open box, Arianna felt the knot in her stomach grow.
