Belvedor and the Four Corners (Belvedor Saga Book 1)

by Ashleigh Bello

  “Stop!” said Jeom, clenching his fists. “There’s no time for this. Yes, it’s all wonderful and magical, but we need to get out of this maze of doors before we rot in here. Now let’s go!”

  He strutted towards the next door across the sea of ice, his steps pounding with every foot forward. Out of nowhere, the room filled with a deafening crack, and Arianna’s hands flew to cover her ears. It sounded like the shatter of a giant glass window, and the floor vibrated beneath them. She heard Jeom scream as the ground collapsed at his feet, and then he was gone.

  “No!” Demetrius jumped up from the floor with every intention of running to his brother, but Lessa caught his elbow. “Let me go!” he said as he tugged at her pull.

  “Please wait,” she said as tears streaked her face. “You could be lost as well!”

  It all happened so fast, and no one had time to think. Lessa and Arianna found it impossible to detain Demetrius in his desperation, and soon he wrenched free of their grasp, sprinting forward at full speed.

  “We have to do something,” said Lessa.

  “I know,” she said, “but the floor… it might not hold our weight.” Arianna racked her brain for ideas. Her heart had tumbled into her stomach the moment Jeom fell through the earth, and she couldn’t bear to watch Demetrius meet the same fate.

  “Jeom!” Arianna heard Demetrius’ frantic calls as he came upon the abyss where his brother had fallen through.

  A wide gash appeared in the thick ice, and Demetrius could see nothing but the firebug-filled lantern, their only light source, tumbling through the earth in a magnificent light show. The blackness swallowed it whole as he hovered over the large opening. His expression fell into shock at the sight as he dropped to his knees on the edge.

  “Brother, help me,” said Jeom through gasping breaths as his eyes met the sea-green of his kin. His violet robes swayed in the ominous void, but he held on by one hand to the handle of his axe. The blade cemented into the iced wall surrounding him, holding his weight.

  “Grab hold of my hand,” said Demetrius, crawling on his belly as he tried to grasp hold of his brother.

  “It’s too high,” he said. “I can’t reach.” His teeth clenched, and he let out a howl as his muscles bulged from the effort. Demetrius tried to lower himself more, but the slippery ground prevented him from getting very far. He knew he would never be able to pull himself back up if he went any further.

  Jeom panicked as he heard another soft crack above his head. He tore his eyes from his brother to locate the source of the threat only to find that it came from his very own weapon. The wood began to splinter from where the lavahounds had bitten it. His eyes darted back to Demetrius who gaped in terror at the comprehension of the sound. Jeom tried to feign a reassuring smile but found it unsuccessful in his trembling state.

  He felt his stomach lurch as he began to free-fall through the dark abyss. A cry traveled up his throat as his body slid down the icy wall, and his axe broke clean in half, tumbling into the endless void alongside him. Before his life could flash before his eyes, as he expected it would just before death, he felt two calloused palms around his own. Jeom looked up, shocked to see his brother halfway into the chasm. His face scraped against the icy wall, and Jeom felt himself inch downward, fast as his weight overwhelmed Demetrius.

  With nothing to grip, Demetrius couldn’t do anything but squirm around to find a balance. Nothing could subdue the oncoming fall. He felt his body slide against the ground as he and his brother inched deeper into the hole.

  “You can’t hold us both,” murmured Jeom. His eyes watered as he stared into those of his brother’s.

  “I won’t let you go,” said Demetrius. “Not again.” He shook his head, knowing that when his waist moved over the edge, they would both free fall down through the ice.

  He closed his eyes, bracing himself for death, but then he felt the warmth of leather grasp around his ankles.

  “Pull!” said Arianna as she yanked at his feet.

  Lessa gripped Arianna’s waist and they both exerted every ounce of energy possible, trying to pull their boys to safety. The menacing sound of more ice cracking pierced their ears as if daring them to make any more sudden movements.

  “Come on!” said Lessa. She threw her head back, tugging with all her might as her fingers dug into Arianna’s stomach.

  Everyone screamed in pain from the struggle as their muscles shook from the exertion. Inch by inch, Demetrius became visible again, and soon the girls pulled him all the way up. With the efforts of all three, Jeom made a quick reappearance from the captivity of the black hole as well.

  Panting as they rested on their hands and knees near the abyss, cold sweat dripped down their foreheads and backs. No one could speak as their lungs sucked in desperation at the chilling air, but the tears of happiness spoke louder than words ever could.

  Just as Jeom parted his lips to speak, another crack in the flooring exploded into an ear-shattering sound as the void grew wider at their feet. The four pushed up from their knees and skated towards the safety of the door on the other side. Their adrenaline surged as they found more energy to sprint at full speed across the ice. As they ran, a myriad of colors bounced around the chamber from the reflection of their cloaks on the ice, looking as if they ran through a kaleidoscope.

  The ceiling rattled as the icicles reacted against the booming sound, and some started to fall loose, the enormous spikes crashing and shattering all around them. Arianna found it almost impossible to hurdle the cracks in the ground as her eyes stayed glued to the ceiling in an attempt to dodge the icicles. Left and right, back and forth, they slid across the floor, through a maze of frosty pillars and holes. Arianna cheered as she followed the boys through the next door unscathed.

  “What a nightmare this is,” said Demetrius as he and Jeom began to assess the damage to each other.

  “Wait,” said Arianna. “Where’s Lessa?”

  She didn’t even wait for an answer as she flung herself back through the door. The ceiling still fell in masses as she scanned the chamber for her friend. She gaped when she spotted her lying on the ground in a heap, her hands shielding her face from the exploding shards of ice landing all around her. A giant icicle had caught on her robes, pinning her to the ground, and Arianna could see blood staining the pearl floor from an unseen wound. Sano slid around the ice a few feet away, trying to dodge the ice on his own. His eyes grew even bigger in fear as he tried to make his way back to Lessa.

  “Ara!” cried Lessa over the booming echoes, her voice lost in the noise.

  Arianna ran forward, skidding to a halt as a large icicle almost impaled her, splintering the path at her front. She felt the ground falter beneath her feet as the ceiling tumbled to the floor. Voids opened up on all sides, dotting the pure white in shadows. She slid around the icicle and leaped another small hole as the ice gave way once more under her weight. Soon, she knelt at Lessa’s side.

  “My ankle,” she said in a thick voice as tears streamed down her face. “I can’t stand on it.”

  Arianna unsheathed her dagger and tore the blade right through the thick fabric of Lessa’s cloak that trapped under the icicle. The cloth separated, and Arianna now saw where the blood-stained spike punctured Lessa’s body. She draped her friend’s arm over her shoulder and, lifting her to stand on one good leg, wrapped her arm around her waist to steady them both.

  Lessa screamed in agony as a shooting pain shot up through her injured leg. “Thanks,” she said through chattering teeth, her pink lips turning blue.

  “My pleasure,” said Arianna as she strapped her dagger back to her thigh and took hold of Lessa’s hand, the ground shaking beneath their feet.

  The two girls navigated the obstacles as the floor fell away beneath them. It seemed like the entire chamber would fall all the way to the deepest pit of Blancoren, taking them as prisoners.

  Halfway towards the door, Lessa spotted Sano and scooped the terrified monkey into the safety of her arms just
as an icicle landed where he had been perched. Another wave of enormous ice dropped from the sky, and the fear they felt grew palpable. Lessa began to pale and shiver at her side from the loss of blood drenching her boot, and the girls stood frozen in place as the ice stakes speared the ground, creating an impossible path to the safe-zone.

  “Hurry!” screamed Jeom from the safety of a jade-colored door.

  Arianna saw their only choices… either leap a small void or tiptoe over a thin trail of ice. Lessa shook her head as Arianna examined the hole before them. She groaned, knowing she wouldn’t be able to exert enough force to carry both of them safely across. Heading towards the only other option, Arianna had to release most of her grip around Lessa for lack of space on the skinny trail.

  Holes of blackness spread out all around them on either side of the twelve inch shelf they decided to test. She clung to the robes at Lessa’s back as she steadied her forward over the path. As soon as Arianna placed a foot behind her friend, another shrill crack splintered the ice. The floor fell away beneath them, so Arianna shoved Lessa, causing her to fly forward across the ice into the safety of Jeom’s extended arms.

  As they pulled her to safety, Arianna felt her body lurch backward as the ice crumpled inwards in a roaring avalanche. Being sucked down by the force, her hands waved above her head as she let out a scream that was swallowed by the deafening collapse of the chamber. Squeezing her eyes shut as the cold shards scraped at her skin, in an instant everything went quiet.

  “Have I died?” she whispered as she tried to blink open an eye, petrified of what she might see.

  “Nearly,” said a warm voice. Only then did she notice a strong grip on her hands as she looked up to see Jeom and Demetrius pulling her to safety. With all the upheaval, she hadn’t even noticed they caught her. Her mouth split into a wide grin and she felt her heartbeat thumping in a joyous parade as they lifted her out of the darkness.

  They heaved her upwards into their arms, and, after a long while, the companions collected their emotions and prepared to move forward. When they looked back from the shelter of the new chamber, the scene had shifted. The room had completely disintegrated into smoothed ice walls and a pearl ceiling which covered a black, empty floor of nothingness. The oval door loomed in the distance, and Arianna let out a howl of anger.

  She slammed the door shut, locking away the wintered room for good. “What is this? The Free Falls!?” She kicked the jade door that appeared before her, outraged and afraid, she turned around to face the room behind the fifth.

  Her cheeks felt hot and her face grimaced as she looked up to see everyone looking down at her with solemn expressions. Lessa limped forward and drew her into yet another hug. “Yes,” she said. “I’m afraid that’s exactly what this is.” Her chin rested on her shoulder.

  While Lessa held her in the embrace, Arianna gazed past her wondering what new horrors awaited them. What she saw was both unexpected yet sobering as her face relaxed into a soft smile.

  “I thought I’d never see this place again…” she said in astonishment.

  CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

  INVISIBLE

  The room was completely filled with water as a wide lake stretched out to touch all four sides. The only solid surface seemed to be the flat area they stood upon. Arianna almost mistook the clear water as a mirror. It looked as still as glass, replicating every corner of the chamber. The jade walls stacked high in cliffs and looked like polished emeralds, twinkling as firebugs dotted the stones. Their natural light gave romantic warmth to the room, and even the ceiling decorated in smoothed cylinders of the same olive-painted earth.

  “The only thing missing is the waterfall,” said Lessa.

  Arianna nodded.

  “I wonder how Solomon and Talis are faring,” she murmured.

  So much had happened since they left their masters behind, so much trouble. Now the memories came flooding back in the replica of their cavern that had started it all. She dwelled on Solomon’s parting words, Cyn’s gestures of kindness, and Liam’s hurtful goodbye. Tearing her focus away from the saddened memories, she pulled her attention back to the situation at hand. She glanced over at Lessa who stood silent, lost in the same thoughts.

  Arianna flinched as she felt Jeom wrap his arm around her waist. She looked away, wiping away a tear. He put his mouth close to her ear so only she could hear. “Please don’t cry anymore,” he said. “We’ll all get through this together.” She gave him a weak, reassuring smile as he released her.

  “So how do we get from here… to there?” said Demetrius.

  Arianna shook off her daze and saw he stood at the edge of the flat surface, staring down into the clear water that lapped at the tip of his dirtied boots.

  Arianna and Jeom walked forward to join him as Lessa leaned her back against the wall for support. They could make out a smooth, triangular door clear across the water. From far away, it looked like a mix of bright turquoise and coal welded together in a twisted pattern of swirls. Arianna groaned, not detecting anyway to reach it.

  A grave expression crossed her face. “I suppose we’ll have to go for a swim,” she said, thinking of all the supplies they would lose.

  “Swim?” said Demetrius with a shriek as he shook the thought away. “I like my feet planted on solid ground, thank you.”

  “I’d rather build a boat…” said Jeom. “Wish I hadn’t lost my axe.” He frowned as all three stared at each other’s crisp reflections.

  Everyone jumped as they heard Lessa screech from behind. No one hesitated to run to her aid. In all the rejoicing, they’d almost forgotten to tend to her injuries.

  “You really should sit down and rest,” said Arianna, kneeling to examine the wound. She cringed as she recognized bone underneath all the blood. “Tell us what to do, and we can help you fix it.”

  Lessa nodded as Demetrius helped her slide to the floor. She looked on the verge of passing out as she rested her head against the door. Her hair drenched in a cold sweat, and her skin was paler than normal. Eyes drooping, and, without warning, her head slumped to the side at her shoulder. Sano jumped down to her lap, affronted by the sudden disturbance. Demetrius patted her cheeks, but she wouldn’t wake.

  “Jeom, bring me her bag!” said Arianna. He set it down beside the two girls, and she began to rummage around for some remedy. “I don’t know what any of this stuff is…” She pulled out various tubes of colored liquid, all very foreign to her.

  Jeom frowned. “That one’s for burns,” he muttered as he studied the scar at the center of his hand.

  “Well, any ideas?” said Arianna, turning to Demetrius, desperate for some assistance. He shook his head and began to rub his stubble out of nervous habit.

  Arianna sat back on her knees and placed her head in her hands. “It’s no use,” she said. “The only one who can fix her is… her.”

  She felt a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Sure about that?” said Demetrius with a confused look on his face.

  Arianna looked up, praying he knew a quick fix for their friend. Glancing at Lessa’s limp figure, she jumped to her feet. “How could I forget?” she said, grinning from ear to ear.

  Lessa’s small, yet loyal, companion positioned himself at her feet. Placing his silver-lined paws on her injured skin, a familiar glow emanated as Sano’s tail twitched behind him. The light became brighter and brighter as the opened flesh began to stitch back together. After a moment, he dropped his paws and curled into Lessa’s lap, the powerful glow vanishing. An iridescent scar replaced the gash at her ankle, and Arianna watched as the color of health returned to her skin.

  Lessa fluttered her eyelids open, groaning as her hand came to rest on Sano. “Thanks buddy,” she said before her eyes drooped close once more.

  Arianna smiled. Lessa was in good hands.

  “How can—” said Jeom. “Did the monkey just heal her? The wound is completely gone!” Jeom’s eyes bulged from his head.

  “Sano is an avatar,” said Arianna, rep
eating the words Talis had once spoken. She pulled off her cloak and balled it into a plush pillow for Lessa.

  Jeom’s brow furrowed, not sure if he really wanted to know. “What’s an avatar?” he asked slowly.

  Arianna shrugged as she positioned her friend on the makeshift pillow. She had no idea how to answer, and even if she did, she knew Jeom wouldn’t believe her. Her mind flashed to her last moments with Liam and the shock of Sano’s astounding talent. So many questions ran through her mind then, but now she had learned to restrain herself from demanding too many answers at once. She accepted the odd realities as they were and would figure out the why later on. “Everything’s a riddle now, and they’re impossible to solve all at once. Just leave it for now,” she said with pleading eyes.

  Jeom looked ready to go on another tangent. He closed his eyes and balled his fists as he let a big puff of air escape his lips. “You know something?” he said. “I don’t even want to know. Will she be alright?” He bent down to examine Lessa’s new, iridescent scar.

  “She’ll be fine,” said Arianna, smoothing out Lessa’s hair as she slept. “I’ve seen this happen before.”

  Jeom came to sit by their side, and Demetrius plopped down by Lessa’s feet to lean again the door.

  The mood began to lift then as the three replayed the day’s events, each one made a hero with their boastful words. Too tired to eat or drink, one by one, they drifted into a much needed sleep, huddled around the comforting protection of each other.

  “Freedom must be earned,” Arianna whispered before her mind thrust into darkness.

  The ashen face of the mountain blocks out the night sky as I stand staring at the face in the mirror. This is my face, but I am not her. The woman from the mirror laughs a sweet laugh as she steps forth from the frame. I stumble backwards, falling to the ground as she glides across the snow, seeming to never touch the ground. Looking up into her face, I see my own.

  A cloak of crimson silk drapes around her shoulders, and tendrils of long hair hang past her chest. She’s holding a dagger in one hand. I know this dagger, my dagger. I stand to face her… to face me.