by M. R. Polish
“Then talk,” I replied tersely.
“I will give you a choice. Work for me willingly, or be forced.” He stared into my eyes with his muddied brown ones.
A shiver escaped, racing down my spine. “Wow, that’s some choice. I choose neither. I’d never work for you.”
His hand cam up faster than I anticipated, backhanding me across the face. I lost my balance and fell to the floor. My cheek stung, and a low ringing echoed in my ears.
His eyes narrowed in on me. “I have ways of making you,” he seethed.
I stood back up. “I’d rather die.”
“That will be arranged in due time, my dear, due time.”
My heart fell to my stomach. “You won’t kill me. You need me. I can fill in the gaps you create.”
He cocked his head. “What do you mean?”
“I’ve already done it.”
A sinister grin played at the corner of his mouth. “Do tell, my sweet one.”
“Why would I tell you anything?”
He clenched his jaw. “Fine, I guess we’ll talk later. But, I’d hate to leave you all alone. What kind of host would I be? Oh, and I wouldn’t be so sure that I need you. Your blood works even if you’re dead.”
I cringed inwardly, wondering what plans he had. At the snap of his fingers, black shadows crept along the walls and ceiling of my earthen cell. They moved in unnatural movements, jittery and shaky.
Nicholas laughed. “I’ll see you later, my sweet.” He disappeared, leaving me with the dark spirits-like creatures. I spun around. They were all around me, moving in closer.
Turning in a circle, I watched them—all of them. The light faded and the darkness returned. My scream echoed off the walls. Something cold touched my arm. Hysterically, I swatted at it and shook it off. I knew the shadows where everywhere, but I couldn’t see them anymore.
Something applied pressure on my foot. I kicked out vigorously. Low moans filled the underground cavern.
“Leave me alone!”
All at once, it seemed as if they found me. An arctic heaviness fell upon me, and I couldn’t stand up. I fell to my knees from the pressure. I pictured Jarak’s face. “Help,” I cried out to his image. He was supposed to protect me. Where was he?
Maybe death would consume me and I wouldn’t have to endure the plans Nicholas had for me? Maybe I wouldn’t have to survive the torments of the shadows? Tears streamed down my cheeks as the evil spirits covered me, their mass forcing me to the ground, suffocating me as nightmarish visions filled my head. I squirmed and tried to get them off me, but it was no use. Without my magic, I couldn’t defeat them.
A bright light illuminated the darkness. I was drowsy, waking from another unconscious state. How long were those creepy things crawling on me? Smothering me? Filling my head with visions? Things I never wanted to see again. Blood, searing pain, and sorrow. The scariest images of the most frightening creatures. Was any of it real? I couldn’t tell anymore.
I tried to sit. My muscles ached and burned with each movement. The light got brighter. It came from the small hole, and I grew hopeful. Maybe Moriah found a way to come back, after all?
All thoughts of a rescue faded when I heard the heavy breathing and a grunt from a man. “So we meet again, Sweetheart.”
I was only briefly aware of gasping as I recognized him. His face became clear through the light. It was the same man from the airport.
From my sitting position, I scuffled backwards, trying to make space between us. My hand ran over a jagged rock, slicing my palm open. I winced as a sharp pain shot up through my wrist, into my arm.
He laughed. “There’s nowhere to go.” He walked even closer. “Are you ready to talk to Nicholas, yet?”
I could taste the nasty bile rising in my throat. I tried to swallow, but my mouth was too dry. Dry heaving wasn’t on my to-do list, but the stench coming from the man was enough for me to concentrate to ensure that didn’t happen.
Shaking my head, I held my breath.
He threw a bottle of half-drunken water at my feet. I pretended not to notice it, never taking my eyes off him.
“I’ll let him know how you feel.” He walked away, taking the light with him.
I sat in the dark all alone once again, waiting for the shadows to consume me, or the bites of the unknown to return, but there was nothing.
My lips were dry and cracked, and licking them made them worse. I had no way of knowing how long I had been underground, or how long it had been since I had a drink. The memory of the water bottle he tossed to the ground called out to me.
On my hands and knees, I felt around in the dirt, searching for the plastic bottle. I needed something to help keep my energy that was fading fast. I hit the bottle with the tips of my fingers and cursed under my breath when I heard it roll across the ground. I pushed myself forward and carefully pat the dirt this time so I wouldn’t send the water rolling again.
Finally, my hand rested on the familiar shape of plastic, and it crackled under the weight I used. Grasping it securely, I sat down and unscrewed the lid. I hesitated before bringing it to my lips, knowing it was only half-full. My kidnappers could have put anything inside the water, poisoning it. At this point, it wouldn’t take much to kill me; I could feel my magic slipping, and I was weak.
The warm liquid didn’t taste bitter as it ran down my parched throat, so I drank greedily. Only a small trickle of water dribbled down my chin, which I wiped away with the back of my hand. I tipped the bottle so I received every drop it contained, not wanting to waste any more. I didn’t think it would come in abundance any time soon, and I’d hate to have them take it away and not get any more, either.
I threw the empty bottle, but I never heard it hit the wall. Instead, I heard it tumble and roll when it hit the ground with an echo. Where did it go? It should have hit a wall. The tiny hole wasn’t that big. Standing up with my arms outstretched, I felt my way around in the darkness.
I scooted my boots in the dirt, afraid to lift them and trip over unseen rocks. My hands brushed the dirt of the wall. Running my hands up and down, I felt all the protruding rocks and things that I believed were roots—at least, I prayed they were roots.
Walking around with the wall, I felt every inch around me with my hands. I sidestepped and about fell when I pushed with my hands, but there was no wall. My heart leapt with excitement. This had to be how the man brought me water and how Nicholas came to see me. This had to be a way out. I reached out until I could feel the cold earth and followed it out.
A small glare of light brightened my dark world. It was still very distant, but it gave me hope, and I moved faster. I was able to see the outline of the tunnel. An incline went all the way to the surface. It wasn’t much taller than I was and about as wide as both my arms spread out, but it was an exit, that I was sure.
The ground got steeper with each step I took. Exhaustion fell heavier on me, but the excitement about escaping helped me gain a second wind. Looking up, I had to squint from the brightness. I was almost there. My heart raced. It was open, not closed off.
I stopped and took a deep breath. My whole body shook, and it took all I had not to fall to the ground from fatigue. Very slowly, I poked my head above the ground. It was a basement of some sort with cement walls and no windows. Twisting around, I made sure I didn’t see anyone ready to pounce on me.
Pushing down with my arms on the dirt floor, I crawled out of my earthen prison. On my hands and knees, I moved about two feet away from the hole I climbed out of and fell down. Lying there, I waited for my breathing to slow down. Every muscle in my body ached.
Shuffling of feet came from outside the door. I stiffened, scared that my captors would catch me escaping. As quietly as I could, I stood up and made it to the wall, pressing my back up against it. I spotted another hole in the ground and shivered. I never wanted to go back down there. I wasn’t sure I’d ever sleep with the lights off again after that experience.
I listened, but I couldn’t
hear any more footsteps, so I grasped the doorknob and twisted it, holding my breath the whole time. Pulling back on the heavy door, I opened it about two inches before I realized I wasn’t alone.
Screaming, I slammed the door shut. There was nowhere to go. The door flung open, pushing and throwing me to the ground.
“I wondered how long it would take you to figure out how to get out. It took your mother longer. Very impressive, really.”
I sucked in a breath as I stared into Nicholas’s eyes. There was no escape.
Jarak
The sun rose over the mountain for the second day since they took Es. I hadn’t even slept. Every minute of the day and night I searched, following every trail I found. There was no time for sleep.
The light filtered onto the man’s broken hand as he lay on the cold dirt. A low groan stirred in his throat as he tried to roll over. His ribs were unquestionably broken. Each movement caused him agony. He groaned again, giving me pleasure. The hunter had been vicious, especially when he told me how he hit Es before taking her to Nicholas. I tortured him in return, making sure no part of him was unharmed.
His bruised right eye was nearly swollen shut. I kicked his broken hand, making him flinch. “I asked you a question. Where is she?”
With his good eye, he gazed up at me, but said nothing.
“Kick em’ again,” Ailaina hollered from the cave’s entrance.
I took a quick glance over at her. “I told you to stay outside.”
She planted her hand on her hip and cocked her head. “I’m sorry, it’s not your best friend who’s been kidnapped and could be dying. I have a right to go wherever and torture whoever I want.”
I shook my head. It was pointless to argue with her, and if it weren’t so serious, I would have laughed at her. She was a feisty, stubborn woman. Movement brought my attention back to the guy on the ground. He laid his cheek down on the cold ground. His breathing labored from his injuries. He would die, but I needed my answers first.
“In—the ground.” It was all he said before he took his last breath. Ugh! I needed to know where Nicholas’s house was before he died.
Movement from around the entrance made me look up from the dirt ball. Maztic ambled over. “The others are dead.”
I heard him inside my head, but I spoke out loud, not caring if Ailaina heard me. “So is this one.” I kicked him in the ribs for good measure.
Ailaina squealed, holding her stomach. “Is he dead?”
Nodding, I tried to ignore how sick she looked, and focused on Maztic. “All I got was that she’s in the ground. Tell me you got something better.”
“Actually, I got a great deal better.”
I grabbed Ailaina’s arm and pulled her with me. The light blinded my tired eyes. I put on my shades as we walked together in the bright sunlight. Three more bodies lay on the ground. Blood pooled around them, soaking into the earth.
I looked around, nodding in approval. “Good job.” As far as I was concerned, they all deserved it for taking her.
“I think I’m gonna be sick.” Ailaina bent over, and dry heaved.
I smiled, as a Guardian, I saw a lot of death, and it amused me to see how she reacted. “I thought you just said you wanted to torture people?”
“Oh shut up.” She wiped her mouth and stomped off to the car.
Maztic stopped, looking up at me. “She’s in Zona Alta, in Barcelona.”
That was close. How did I not know he was this close? Well at least I knew where to go, and we weren’t too far… About a couple of hours away. We’d already tracked Nicholas’s hunters to Andorra, just north of Barcelona.
“Well, I guess we’d better get going.” I was in a hurry, but Maztic knew that.
I picked up the duffel bag full of weapons I’d brought with me. Reaching in my back pocket, I grabbed my cell. I needed to call Victor. Ree would be next; she went out hunting for Es, too. We thought we’d cover more ground if we split up.
Ailaina was already in the passenger seat as I threw the bag in the back seat and jumped in to drive.
After two rings, Victor picked up. “Hello.”
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Did you find her?” He sounded distressed. Heck, we all were distressed.
“No, but we know where she’s at. We’re headed there now. Zona Alta.”
“We’ll meet you in the Parc De Monterols, it’s a garden in the vicinity of Zona Alta. We can discuss the plan then. Meadow sucked three hunters dry who we found hiding out in Calamocha, east of Barcelona. She is thirstier than usual if you know what I mean.”
“I can only imagine. We just took care of four here. Alright, it’s ten now, can you be there by one?” I didn’t want to wait any longer than I had to. I could hear Esmerelda calling to me and it killed me not being able to help her faster. Even if her pleas were only in my imagination.
“Yeah.”
“Okay.” I hung up without any goodbyes.
Maztic walked to the edge of the tree line. “I’ll meet you there.” He faded away into the air.
Reaching for the keys, I couldn’t help but think of Es and that night we escaped for a burger. I slammed my hands against the steering wheel.
Ailaina rested her hand on my arm. “It’s okay, we’ll find her.” She jerked back and held her hand to her head. “Wait. That was strange.”
“What?”
“When I touched you, I saw something. It was weird, like a vision or scene from a movie.”
“Can you do it again?” It wasn’t possible that Ailaina was a Seer. Was it?
“I don’t know, I can try.” Hesitantly, she reached out and touched my arm. She jerked back. “All I see is darkness, like I go blind.”
I clenched my jaw and ground my teeth. “Yeah. That makes sense.” My worst fear was that the hunter told the truth and Es was in the ground, and Ailaina just confirmed it.
I turned the keys, and the engine roared to life. Punching the gas, I peeled out of there. I couldn’t get to Barcelona fast enough.
Fourteen
Esmerelda
N icholas tightened the rope around my wrists, twisting them behind my back until I cried out. “Did you enjoy the darkness, my sweet?” He traced a finger down my cheek, making me shiver. I wanted to puke—his touch nauseated me.
I didn’t say anything to him, but glanced down instead. My jeans were torn, and I could see dirt caked on to them along with my skin.
“I think by the time we’re done, you’ll want nothing more than to work for me.” He was so sure of himself, but I blocked him out, focusing on all the energy around me as Moriah said to do, soaking it into my soul. “I’m not nearly as bad as some people would want you to believe.”
I spit at his feet, my saliva landing mere centimeters away from his shiny black dress shoe.
He backhanded me across my face. The ringing in my ears drowned out whatever he said, clearing enough to only catch the last part. “Didn’t your mom ever teach you that it’s not lady-like to spit? Oh, wait… you didn’t have your mom, did you?”
I shrugged letting him know my indifference. I couldn’t care less what wasn’t lady-like right now. I’d shove my unladylike foot right up his backside as soon as I had the chance, but he’d tied my feet to the chair, too. My adrenaline pumped fast, giving me added energy. I wasn’t going to let him get to me with remarks and hurtful words.
Turning on his heel, he walked out of the room, giving me a chance to look around at my surroundings. The light from the sun shining through the windows blinded me after being in the dark earth for so long, and I had to blink repeatedly to keep the burning tears back.
There were two windows; both with iron bars on the outside, and one door—the one where Nicholas had just left the room with. The room was a study with bookshelves lining the wall farthest from a desk, with who only knows what sat on top of its wooden surface. It looked like something from a horror movie. Glass jars with green and blue gel-like liquid made me gag. I had no clue what was ins
ide those, but I had a hunch it wasn’t good. At least I didn’t see human body parts floating in them.
Footsteps in the hallway got closer. Nicholas entered the room carrying a cluster of plants with shiny black berries.
I gulped. “What is that?”
He raised them up and looked at them as if they were no big deal. “This, my dear, is Belladonna.”
Oh, I was in trouble. I thought that’s what it was, but I didn’t want to be right. Squirming, I tried to loosen the knots in the rope. I needed to get out of there.
Meadow taught me everything about herbs and nature in my training, and this was one of the first plants we studied. It was the most toxic plant to witches—ever. Even a tiny amount would make a witch delusional with hallucinations for days. Anything more than that would kill a witch or warlock for sure. It sucked your magic, leaving you vulnerable. It was what she thought poisoned her before the accident. Right now was a time I wished I wasn’t supernatural, and then I wouldn’t be so scared of the darn plant.
Where was Jarak? If there were ever a time for a dramatic rescue from a bodyguard, now would be it. I didn’t even care if he had a freaking white horse and knight’s armor. I just wanted someone to save me.
Pulling at the elements around me, I tried to focus on my own energy. I didn’t realize being in the dark void for so long would drain me as much as it had. A plant in the corner wilted as I sucked it dry, careful to leave the life force of the Belladonna alone.
“Now why would you do that?” He set the poisonous plants down on the desk, next to the creepy jars.
I shrugged to play stupid. “Do what?”
He stood before me in a flash and grabbed my throat, tightening his fingers, closing off my airways. “I can feel your energy drawing from everything in this room. You do not go against me. You will work for me.”
I squirmed and wriggled in the chair. Fighting against him, desperately needing him to let go. I didn’t have enough energy to use my magic against him, yet. I guess now would be the time I would’ve used Jarak’s training that I blew off.
