by Jane West
“Yep! I'd like to drive that cherry-red Bugatti.” Sam's eyes took on a look of longing. “That there car happens to be a Rembrandt, limited edition. Sweet, ride too!” He drooled, eyeballing the vehicle.
“You sound like you've gotten behind the wheel in one.” I thought that was sorta weird considering his truck was a dinosaur.
He exhaled. “Nope, just read about it in a magazine.”
Soon, we were approaching the front entrance. “Sam, stop here. I don't want to draw attention.” I didn't say why or whom I intended to avoid, I figured for Sam's safety, he might be better off not knowing.
Sam pulled off back into the shadows where no one could see us. “Do you want me to tag along,” he shrugged, “In case you need backup?”
“No. Go home.” I smiled. “This is something I have to do alone. I appreciate your help.” I leaned over and wrapped my arms around his neck, planting one big kiss on his check. I drew back, smiling. “Thank you so much for rescuing me!”
“No matter what, Chickadee, you're my gul! You always have been.” Sam smiled, though a flicker behind his glint appeared unusual. I shrugged it off. This storm had everyone jumpy.
“Okay, wish me luck!” I tossed one last smile at Sam before bolting from the truck. I made a dive for the bushes planted against the castle. I'd blend in with the shadows of the brush, going unnoticed.
Luckily, the rain had ceased, but the ground remained saturated and muddy. I stayed low to the mud, on my hands and knees. No doubt by the time I found Bane, I suspect mud would be pouring from my pores. “Gross,” I scoffed, not liking the cold, gushy slush between my fingers. Shaking my hands, I flung the mud off, disgusted. “Yuck!” I leaned back on my heels, taking in a few breaths. Getting grossed out over a little dirt was comical. For Christ's sake, I had bigger things to fret over than mud, I scolded myself. Back in position, on all fours, I ventured off to find Aidan Bane Du Pont.
After crawling over the roots and creepy crawlers, I finally came to a window filled with light. It was high, almost too high for me to reach. I looked around to see if I might spot something to stand on, broken tree limb, anything. “Ah!” I spotted a couple of bricks only a few feet from me, hiding under a bush. I grabbed them and placed them under the window. It gave me just enough height that on my tippy toes I could see just above the sill.
My heart skipped a beat as my eyes soaked in the festivity. I felt like a child peeking around the corner at the grownups.
The grand room boasted with a decent crowd of people, chattering about merrily. “As far as I can tell, there's no Halloween party here,” I mumbled snidely to myself.
What lay before my eyes reminded me of something out of the movies. Gatsby came to mind. The women dressed in glittering gowns that flowed like liquid glass around their legs as they sashayed across the floor.
Each lady came with her own arsenal of jewelry, diamonds that glittered from their earlobes to their ankles. Judging by the size of the jewels, these housewives invented the Ritz.
The men uniformed in their tuxes blended like penguins huddled for a leisure sunbath. It was easy to separate the tall from the short and the thick wasted from the lean but other than that, they looked alike.
Waiters carried trays of assorted finger foods and long stem glasses filled with a light gold bubbly beverage offering up to the guest.
Lively music vibrated the glass pane. I noted a stage of dancers. They seemed out of sorts, like strippers busting in on the president's daughter's ball. They stuck out like a dirty, sore thumb.
One male dancer featured in the center of the other dancers wore only a strange headdress that resembled a ram with two horns. Apart from being nude, the male dancer was breathtaking as he was eerie. His body gleamed of bronze, skin smooth as porcelain.
The other dancers were men and women, scantily dressed. Five, I counted, encircled the one with the hat, kneeling before him, stretching their hands over his body, touching him intimately. I wanted to look away, but I simply couldn't.
Frozen, I watched as the indelicate dancers engaged in a lustful frolic.
And I thought cable was racy. Geez!
Moving right along, I eased down to the next window, spotting more couples dancing as laughter wafted in the air and generous amounts of champagne gilded every diamond-marked hand.
I took a slight interest watching one older lady, dressed in a bold print gown. Too bright and loud, she reminded me of Sally. I laughed to myself. The portly lady, white-gloved and carrying a tall stem glass in one hand, was attempting to edge her way through the cluster of guest, and lacking grace, she stumbled about, bumping into others, spilling her drink onto a couple of ladies that looked like they wanted to strangle her.
I covered my mouth to keep from laughing. I had a hunch she wouldn't remember a thing the next morning, but I was sure she'd be the gossip of the party for many months to come.
I watched for a moment longer and nearly forgot why I was here. I slid my gaze to the other side of the room and my breath stalled. Bugged eyed, I gawked in disbelief. Tears stung as the suit of foolery slipped over me.
Bigger than life, I spotted Bane dressed in a tux dancing with a beautiful blonde. I couldn't help admiring her elegance and poise as they glided across the floor in one easy, fluid motion. I watched as Bane and the woman gazed into each other's eyes like star-crossed lovers. He smiled at something she whispered in his ear.
An unexpected bout of jealousy bit me like a two-headed snake.
I suddenly felt conscious of my clothing, covered in mud and dressed in rags. What a fool I'd become? I didn't belong here and I didn't belong in a world filled with overstuffed pockets. It was too fancy for my blood, angel or not.
Feeling the sting of betrayal, I was pissed, humiliated, and hurt. I risked my life for a man that had made a mockery of me. I pulled from the window. I couldn't watch anymore. I'd seen enough.
Sara was right. I was frumpy and undesirable. I reckoned I deserved whatever I got for being the biggest idiot in the freaking world! I hated him, but I hated myself more. I wiped a tear away with the back of my muddy hand.
I took in a long sigh. The venture was over, and the kindled romance had ceased like the rain. The sooner I leave this town and put it behind me the better off I'd be. Maybe Ms. Noel would join me.
Shoulders slumped, spirits shattered, I started to turn away and look for Sam. I caught a flash in the corner of my eye that stopped me in my tracks. I cut a hard look back through the window. I noticed that all the men were heading out, leaving the party.
At first, I panicked, fearing that I'd been spotted. After a few heartbeats had passed, I relaxed. The tuxes were venturing off in another direction, a remote area of the castle, it seemed.
The sensed of urgency resting hard on my shoulders I had to know where the men were heading? I watched as a sea of black and white gathered in an assembly exiting the grand ballroom and abandoning the women.
I spotted Bane as he leaned over, still holding the blonde's hands and kissed her on the cheek. His face glowed with genuine affection for her, an endearment he'd never shown me.
The writing was on the wall. The young woman held his heart. A feeling of incompetence stabbed my gut. It hurt me to watch, yet how could I not. They looked good together, both of blue blood, beauty equally matching beauty. As for me, I literally was the girl looking in from the outside, the outside, where I belonged.
The men were quickly diminishing, and my insatiable curiosity was beseeching me to follow. Swiftly, I moved farther down to the next window, no men, I moved down to a couple of other windows and stopped.
I heard a loud voice shouting angry words. I recognized the voice. I eased up to the sill of the window and peeked barely above the rim. My mouth dropped opened as my eyes widened with fear. Dr. Van Dunn was speaking to one of his MIB. This one I didn't recognize. Not making a peep, I listened as they spoke.
“I have a sneaky suspicion that my nephew is planning to abort our plans. That
goddamn Judas-kissing bastard,” Van railed.
“Yes, master, and you wish me to find the girl and bring her to you?” The creature's words were robotic, cold with no inflection to his speech.
Chills pirouette down my spine.
Van growled. “Yes, bring her to me! In the meantime, I'll be down in the dungeon in a coterie with these fucking idiots. Bring the girl to the warehouse and contain her there until I arrive.”
“Yes, master.”
“Whether or not my nephew wishes to deny our alliance, I'm taking the girl's powers. I'm tired of taking orders from the Family! After I obtain the girl's magick, I'm coming for my nephew next. I think it's time I end that immortal's life.”
Stepping off the bricks and sill, I dropped to my knees, raking in as much oxygen as my lungs demanded. Van's hard-knock determination sparked a deep seeded fear in me that left me reeling. If I didn't know panic before, I certainly did now.
Damn! I reckoned my leaving town would have to wait. Whether I wanted to or not, I had to find Bane!
Where the hell would I find the dungeon? I assumed there was an underground chamber. I bit my bottom lip, thinking. Come to think about it, Jeffery mentioned the castle had hidden passages all through its inter-dwellings. “That's it,” I murmured. “There has to be a hidden door leading to the dungeon.” I nearly jumped with joy!
I quickly took off toward the back of the castle. What I knew about history and midcentury castles was that attacks started from the front. Why else would they have a drawbridge and water to divert takeovers? A back door or trap for escape would be in the least conspicuous place. I figured the door leading below would be ancient as hell and at the base of the castle wall. I hoped my hunch was right. I wasn't looking forward scaling a sixteenth-century castle.
With only the moonlight for my guide, I plunged onward. I followed the line of the castle, hoping to find the secret door. My hand stretched across the jagged stone, hoping to find anything that might resemble a trapdoor. Corner after corner, ripping vine after vine, I found nothing that indicated a secret entrance. I retraced my tracks, and again came up empty handed. I rested my hands on my hips, sighing with a feeling of defeat.
I leaned against the stone and gazed over the pea-green meadow that stretched as far as the eye. The moon was full and cast its silvery light over the tips of the hills. The land was bared of trees and grass had been planted in its wake. It was beautiful. I trekked through the thick lawn, heading for a large oak, the only tree on the premises. Not looking to where I was stepping, my shoe caught and down I went, face first.
Frustrated, I flipped over on my back, kicking with anger. Wet to the bone, chilled and enshrouded with mud from the top of my head to my big toe, I just wanted to go home and sleep until never comes. One swift kick to the ground and my foot hit something hard. I yapped from the sudden pain but then my eyes widened with surprise.
I snapped my head up, shooting my gaze to my foot and there it was. My mouth morphed into a huge 'O'. Not taking my fixed off the shiny object, I bolted up, diving for it. My hands banded around something cool to the touch, hard as metal.
Vehemently, I began ripping away vine after vine, down to the soil. I started shoveling mud with my bare hands. I didn't care if I had to dig to China.
Out of breath, muscles aching, I finally accomplished the task. I sat back on my heels in disbelief as my findings stared back at me. “Holy Cow! It looks like a lever, a door,” I whispered excitedly.
Flat against the ground like a storm cellar door, although it looked like something from the stone ages, the wood appeared almost petrified. By its tattered wear, I assumed it was fragile. Still, it was a door, and I bet it led to the secret chamber that Bane's uncle described. I wiped away the mud off the lever as best as I could.
My eyes combed over it, examining its style. I'd never seen a doorknob like this. It certainly matched the castle's age, yet how this door and the latch survived all these centuries baffled me.
I marveled over the mechanics of the door. The best way I could describe it was that the latch consisted of a horizontal bar held in a vertical loop, with a fastener attached to the doorframe.
No argument, the thing was older than time, but none of that mattered. The only thing that concerned me was whether the years had rusted it to ruin.
I reckoned there was only one way to find out. Holding my breath, I banded my fingers tightly around the latch and gave it a stout tug. At first, it didn't give as I strained against it, teeth grinding, face colored red. Then suddenly it released its iron grip, sending me backward off my feet and landing on my derrière. “Ouch,” I shrieked in pain, quickly rolling off my rump.
Then my eyes blinked back at the lever. Gathering to my feet, I grasped the handle and heaved the wooden door. It roared with defiance, but I had a stern determination that I was getting my way. The door dislodged as I flung it open. A thick cloud of dust burst into my face. I dropped to all fours, gasping and choking. Stale air and old dirt had the reek of manure and tasted even worse. “Yuck!” I hacked up the foul tasting grime.
After clearing my windpipe, I rose to my feet, wiping the smut off my face with the back of my hand, only to defeat my endeavor. Rather than ridding the grime, I only smeared it across my face, adding to the layer of filth that had already taken home. What an awful mess I'd become, looking down at the caked mud and layered dirt. “Stop being such a big wussy!” I gritted my teeth. “Good grief! I was freaking out over a little smut!”
I shook my shoulders, shrugging off my paranoia as I stepped up to the berth in the ground. Cobwebs and darkness blanketed the cavity, preventing me from getting a good look. I stepped back, repulsed. I realized the risk, stepping off into that black hole. Snakes and alligators were just the cherry on the whipped cream.
I pulled out my phone and went to slide the bar across and flip on the flashlight and that was when I realized the battery had died. “Damn, damn, damn!” I twirled on my heels, banging the phone against my forehead in a temper tantrum. I wanted to stomp the phone to oblivion. Clearly, I had a bad habit of forgetting to recharge my phone. For most people, it might not be such a big deal, but for me, it appeared to be a death wish.
With a huge huff, I roughly stuffed the useless phone back in my pocket, cursing words that would've made a sailor blush.
I dropped to my knees, hovering over the hole. I reached down pulling the cobwebs away. I couldn't look at the sticky stuff and I nearly lost my cookies when the gray icky stuff clung to my hands. I quickly raked my palms over the blades of grass. It took several takes before I got the matted web off my hands. “Yuck!” I shivered, grossed out.
Taking a deep breath, I forced myself to stick my head through the hole. Forcing my eyes to open, yet holding my breath, I leaned in through the hole and peered inside. With the little light the moon reflected, I spied stairs.
With no light, not even a match, I couldn't gauge how far down the hole went. I felt almost certain it wasn't a water-well, spotting the stairs.
I worried about the condition of the steps. As far as I could tell, the stairs looked like cobblestone and mortar. I had no idea if the old stones would crumble under my feet. There were so many scenarios that each was as equally dangerous. If I reached the bottom in one piece, would I meet the infamous uncle and his diabolical servant, the MIB?
Or would I find myself in a den of poisonous snakes or snapping alligators? I shuttered over each possible synopsis. “Crap!” I bounced to my feet, stepping away, my fist cuffed to my mouth.
Hysteria was only a breath away. I inhaled deeply and exhaled, dragging in as much courage as the night air allowed.
I stared at the black hole. Either I take the plunge or turn myself over to Van. I twirled on my heels, searching the ground. I needed something for backup, protection. My eyes landed on a long stick under the oak. I hurried to it and snatched it up. I grabbed a rock, tossing it in my hand.
Cutting my eyes back at the hole, I glared at what I must confron
t. I just needed to do it, not give any thought, but dive, feet first. “I. Can. Do. This!” Teeth gritted, in one long stride, I dove into the belly of darkness.
The Knowing Eye
“Oh, geez!” I froze, needles bristled my neck as if I was dangling on a tightrope blindfolded.
Submerged into complete utter blackness, I was on the verge of delirium. The story of Jonah and the great whale plagued my mind. “Okay,” I inhaled the stale air, “I can do this,” I softly coaxed myself.
I placed my hand on the jagged wall. Instantly, I felt cobwebs sticking between my fingers. I jerked away, drawing my hand to my chest. “Come on, no wussy pussy,” I snorted to myself. I inhaled a deep breath and settled my palm against the course stone. The other hand clenched the long stick as I waved it in front of me, feeling for any obstacles. As far as I could tell, the path appeared to be unobstructed.
I tapped the stick to the other side, trying to measure the width of the steps. It was narrow. Not much room to move. One slip and I'd fall to my death.
To my right, I stretched the stick as far as I could and discovered nothing but air. No wall on that side. “Great!” That meant a ledge to fall off of if I misjudge my step and slip.
I tossed the stone to my right and listened for its echo. It had taken several seconds before I heard a quick thud. I couldn't measure how far down but my guess was that it was far enough to be fatal.
If I stayed close to the wall, I should be okay. Well, in theory anyway.
I steady my feet under me and feel of some kind of cobblestone. It was uneven and unsteady as I heard small broken pebbles tumble down the steps and fall off the ledge. I'd have to ease down, testing each step before I bared my weight on the next. “Okay, so far so good.” I blew out a breath.
On the count of three, one foot at a time, I eased down on the step. My balance was good, as sturdy as possible under the circumstances. I took another step, descending farther into the abyss.
