"What do we do now? We need her to tell us what happened down there and if she knows why they were keeping all of those Nesmyr in cages."
"I know," he said. "We have to take her back to headquarters so the council can hear what she has to say. We'll inform her parents that they can meet us there to pick her up but the council has to hear her out first."
"Poor girl," was all I could say.
"It could have been a lot worse. It doesn't look like she's been hurt at all so I think she got lucky."
"She would have been a lot luckier if it hadn't happened in the first place," I muttered.
"But it did. We can't change that. We need to go now."
I nodded and we got in the car. Ellie knew we were talking about her but she didn't ask any questions. We told her that she would get to see her parents soon but that she wouldn't be able to go home right away. We left out the part about her needing to be questioned but she seemed like a smart girl, so she probably already knew what was going to happen.
Felix called Ellie's parents to let them know we found her and that they needed to meet us at headquarters to see her. He didn't explain much about what had happened but said that the council needed to see her before she would be able to go home. They asked to talk to her but Ellie had already fallen asleep in the back seat. Once the phone call was over, I drifted off into sleep too. I trusted that Felix wasn't quite as tired as I was and would be able get us to headquarters safely.
Chapter 23
I expected the nightmares this time. I knew I was too tired to block them out right now but I was kidding myself if I thought I could actually be prepared for the horrible images I was about to experience.
I was walking through the caves alone but all of the caverns were visible from the main path. Instead of being hidden by layers of rock, there were clear walls blocking them off. It reminded me of the zoo. There were Zhulik in each cavern but the main display was the Nesmyr and Lovac they were torturing.
The caves had been turned into a sick show where other Zhulik could come and watch those they despised be tortured and murdered. With all of the gruesome torture and death, there was a small stream of blood running down the main path. I forced myself to avoid looking into the caverns and just followed the stream of blood. My gut told me it would lead to answers.
The path went on for miles. I kept my head down and tried to block out the screaming until I eventually stepped into the main cavern of the caves. The stream of blood led to a portion of the cavern that was sunken in, causing the blood to form a pool. There were Zhulik swimming and laughing inside of it. The Zhulik were laughing. That was almost more disturbing than the blood itself.
I tried to look anywhere but at the pool and saw a set of steps that led up to a small sitting area against the far corner of the room. Sitting at the top was Lucas, with a crown on his head, proudly gazing down at what he had created. Sitting next to him, holding his hand was a woman. At first I didn't recognize her, but after closer inspection I saw that it was Kamila, the woman, no, demon, who killed my mother. She also had a crown on her head but it was oddly shaped to allow room for her horns that were barely visible through her hair.
The anger immediately boiled up inside me. I took one step inside the cavern when everything froze. I had planned to approach Lucas and Kamila to take them on but I couldn’t move. I looked around and saw that all of the Zhulik were frozen in place as well, except for Lucas. He stood up from his chair and smiled at me, like a proud father would smile at his daughter.
Then I was awake. I shot up in my seat and looked around and saw that Felix had gently touched my arm to wake me up. We were at headquarters already. He was giving me a strange look.
"What?" I asked.
"I barely touched you before you shot awake. Usually it takes a little more to get a Lovac to wake up when they're having a nightmare."
"How did you know I was having a nightmare?"
"You were twitching a lot. That's usually the best indicator. I was going to start shaking you awake if you started thrashing or screaming. It must not have been a very bad nightmare."
I shuddered, remembering how vivid all of the blood was. "It was horrible but I think I might have learned something. Can our nightmares sometimes predict the future at all?"
"Not exactly," he said. "They can sometimes reveal small things about a situation that we might have just been in or give us an alternate ending to something that might have just happened. Most of the time they just mess with our brain though."
"Well, I hope this was just messing with my brain."
"You'll have to tell me about. Later, though. We need to get Ellie inside and inform the council of what we've seen. We might have to plan an attack soon to get the rest of those Nesmyr out."
I turned around in my seat and saw that Ellie was still sound asleep in the back. I reached back and shook her arm gently. Her eyes shot open and she looked frightened. Once she remembered that she wasn't still in the caves, she relaxed.
"We're at headquarters," I told her. "Your parents should be here soon to get you but we need you to talk to the council first. Do you think you can tell them everything you know about what happened?"
"I'll try," she said quietly. Her voice was barely a whisper every time she spoke and I wondered if she was naturally quiet or if the shock was really that bad.
We got out of the car and were greeted by two Nesmyr guards at the front door. They gave us nods but didn't say anything as they escorted us into the building. Felix said he had called the council to warn them about the situation while Ellie and I were asleep, so hopefully they were all ready for a meeting. The sooner we got this started the sooner Ellie could go home and we could start rescuing the other Nesmyr.
Ellie and I walked behind Felix and he led us into the same room where the council had told me I was allowed to start taking jobs. Sitting at the long table in front of us were all of the council members. They had been quietly chatting amongst themselves when we walked in but they went silent when they saw us.
"Council members," Felix started. "Earlier tonight I called to warn you of what Avery and I found. We brought back the girl we rescued to tell you everything she can about what has happened to her."
Felix put his hand on Ellie's back and gently pushed her forward so the council could get a better look at her.
"This is Ellie. Her parents posted for help locating her after she was kidnapped by a Zhulik yesterday evening. Avery and I took the job and later found her caged up in a cave, surrounded by Zhulik. Ellie, can you tell the council everything that happened to you, starting with when you were kidnapped?"
To my surprise, Ellie turned back to look at me for guidance. I stepped up next to her and put my hand on her arm. "It's okay. You can do this," I muttered to her and squeezed her arm gently for encouragement.
She nodded and turned back to the council. Her voice was still quiet. "I was watching TV in the living room when the doorbell rang. Both of my parents were upstairs at the time so I went to answer it. It was my Uncle Colin but he," she paused to choke back some tears. "He was different. He had red eyes now instead of blue. I was so shocked and by the time I realized what he was he already had a hold of me. I screamed and I heard my parents come running. They just reached the door when Uncle Colin sprinted away with me."
"Where did he take you?" Gladys asked.
"He took me to some old caves deep in the woods. He met up with another Zhulik there. Uncle Colin wouldn't give me to the other guy until the other guy promised Uncle would get his reward."
"Do you know what the reward was?"
Ellie shook her head. "I don't know for sure. When I was locked up I heard the Zhulik guarding me talk about getting their reward too. They made it sound like it was some kind of power and they couldn't wait to be so much stronger afterwards."
"Do you know what happened to your uncle?"
"No. Once he gave me to the other Zhulik he left. He said he needed to go home for something and when h
e came back, the Zhulik guarding me wouldn’t let him see me. I heard him in the hallway just before Avery and Felix rescued me."
"Did you hear anyone talk about what was going to happen to you?"
She nodded her head slightly. "Anytime I made any noise or cried they would threaten me to get me to stop. They kept saying that if I didn't, my death would be a lot longer. They kept talking about a woman coming for me."
"A woman? Do you know who?" Gladys asked, sitting on the edge of her seat, anxious for more information.
"No. They never said a name."
"Thank you. You're a very brave girl." Gladys sighed, disappointment washing over her face at the small bit of information Ellie had. Then she turned her attention to Felix and I. "Do you know how many other Nesmyr are being held captive there?"
Felix looked at me to answer. "From what I could sense, there were at least seven. Six now, since we rescued Ellie. There might be more, deeper in the caves depending on how far they stretch. There are at least two Zhulik guarding each Nesmyr, too. Some have three."
"Can you tell if any of them are upper class or not?"
This question caught me off guard. Felix warned me that most of the upper class Nesmyr only cared about other wealthy Nesmyr but I assumed that the council might be a little bit different. I guess I was wrong.
"No, I can't but I don't see how that matters. They're all Nesmyr and they all need to be rescued. If you're not willing to set up a rescue party for Nesmyr that might not be as wealthy as you are, then I'll do it myself."
I hadn't expected to sound so rude but I was shocked at how vain these Nesmyr could be. Everyone in the room was staring at me with wide eyes like I had just spat in all of their faces. I stood my ground though. I crossed my arms across my chest and held my head high while I waited for an answer.
Gladys cleared her throat before responding. "Well, then. I guess we better contact some of our best Lovac and get a rescue party started. Does the council agree?"
They all nodded and mumbled yes. The Nesmyr members still looked like they were in shock but all of the Lovac members were beaming with pride over me. I didn't think very many people stood up to the upper class Nesmyr and got away with it that easily.
"I think you two better rest up now," Rema said. "We'll inform all of the Lovac we can. I want both of you there but I want you to be completely rested, so you won't be able to head out until tomorrow morning. I don't want you going in the middle of the night when they're at their peak strength."
"I don't think we can wait that long," I said. "Felix and I overheard a few Zhulik talking about a ceremony they were having at dusk. I think we need to attack before this ceremony happens."
The council members took a moment to murmur among themselves before Gladys spoke again.
"It's not safe to attack Zhulik when it's still dark out but we're going to trust you on this. You will leave an hour before dusk. That still gives you a good ten hours to rest and prepare yourselves."
The council started to break apart then. A few of the members rushed out of the room to start preparing supplies and informing Lovac of what was happening. Felix and I were dismissed but before I could make it out of the room Gladys approached me.
"Young Lovac, may I have a word with you?" she asked.
Felix gave me a worried look. I was definitely in trouble for standing up to her earlier. She pulled me aside but the look in her eyes was that of worry, not anger.
"Standing up to me like you did was very brave," she started. "But I want you to know that I do care about the lower class Nesmyr just as much as I do the upper class Nesmyr. I was one of the first lower class Nesmyr to work my way up to upper class. I know what it's like to be stepped on by the wealthier Nesmyr. I try to make life for all Nesmyr as good as it can be.
"The reason I wanted to know if you knew if there were any upper class Nesmyr in those caves is because I just learned that one of my grandsons went missing last night. He just recently turned eighteen and went out with some friends to celebrate but he never came home. I'm worried that he might be down there.
"I know you want to go back to those caves right away and I wish you could too. If he is in there, the longer we wait, the higher the chance of him being killed is but I know you need to be there for this to be successful and you’re in no shape to fight right now. So get some good rest and when you go back this evening, please keep an eye out for my grandson. He shouldn't be too hard to recognize. For a Nesmyr, he's very muscular and has long blonde hair. His name is Ivan."
Suddenly, I regretted being rude to her. She genuinely seemed to care about all of the Nesmyr community and was very worried about her grandson. I agreed to try to find him for her and bring him back to her family safely. She had tears in her eyes as she gave me a quick hug, telling me how grateful she was and how lucky we all were to have me around.
When I found Felix waiting for me outside of the meeting room, he attacked me with questions. I left out most of the details but explained that she asked me to try to find her grandson that might be in the caves. He was just as surprised as I was that she hadn’t yelled at me.
I noticed that Ellie wasn't with him anymore and Felix explained that the council released her to go home. Her parents had been waiting for her out here while we finished up. They had a teary reunion and took her home. He also handed me a check from Jeremy and Colette for finding their daughter.
Felix almost cried when I ripped it up and told him I wouldn't take any money from the lower class Nesmyr. He told me I was crazy and that I needed to be grateful for any money I got. I told him that I didn’t care about the money. I wouldn’t take any of it from the lower class Nesmyr.
We both went back to our rooms then. Felix tried to get me to come back and sleep in his room with him but I declined. I knew I would get better sleep with him around but I wanted some alone time. I enjoyed my time with Felix but I needed to wash the blood off and try to clear my head from the events of the day. He understood and didn't push too hard but said his door would be unlocked if I changed my mind.
Back in my room I took a long bath, making sure I kept my eyes open so I wouldn't start drowning myself again. I cleaned all of the dried blood off me and made sure I smelled like fruit and flowers before I dried off and crawled into my own bed. It wasn't the most comfortable bed I had ever been in but right now it was like sleeping on a cloud. Just as I closed my eyes and felt myself start to drift into sleep I heard a knock on my door.
I groaned and crawled out of bed to answer it. Standing outside was a Nesmyr employee with a small box for me. He handed it to me but didn't explain anything before he left. I sat back on my bed and opened it. Inside was a small vial with a pink liquid in it and a note.
Avery,
I think you deserve a decent night's sleep after your first job and to prepare for your next. This vial is a special fairy enchanted liquid to help keep the darkness away for eight hours and enhance your power for up to twenty-four hours. A few drops is all it takes. Make it last. I sent one for Felix as well. You both deserve it.
Rema
P.S. You were amazing at the council meeting.
A vial of fairy enchanted liquid to keep the darkness away. I wondered why every Lovac didn't have some of this but then I remembered what Thorkell had said about fairy prices, which explained why it was so small. There were probably only thirty drops in the whole bottle. Right now, I needed to sleep and I was more than excited to sleep without the darkness interrupting me. The vial came with a small dropper and I dropped a few drops on my tongue. It tasted like sugar and alcohol, which wasn't very good but it worked. I fell asleep within minutes and I slept for a full eight hours, uninterrupted.
The sound of my stomach growling pulled me out of bed. I ordered my usual bowl of pasta and got ready for the events that were coming. I wondered how many Lovac were going to the cave with us and I hoped we all made it out alive.
I checked the Lovac online forum to see if any announcements about what
was going on had been posted and sure enough, there was a large announcement at the top of the page asking any available Lovac to report to the gym at headquarters in less than an hour. There was also a notice that no new job postings would be allowed until this crisis was resolved.
I slurped down the noodles slowly, savoring every minute of it. For all I knew, it could be the last thing I ever ate. I felt like I was in a dream. Two weeks ago, I was living with my mom in a small house, worrying about what I wanted to go to college for. Now I was preparing to kill a large group of evil creatures, one of which was my father. I didn't know if Lucas would actually be there but I had a feeling he had something to do with all of this and I had to find some way to stop him.
I sat in my room doing nothing but eating and thinking until it was time to leave. I was beginning to regret wanting to live an exciting life. Being human was much easier and much more relaxing. I didn't have a choice though. I couldn't deny that I was just an ordinary human any more. There was something special about me and I had to use that to my advantage to help these people.
Felix came to get me twenty minutes before we were all supposed to meet in the gym. I threw on some of my new clothes and I put my newly cleaned stake in the holster. I pinned my hair up so it wouldn't get in my way while fighting. Then I checked myself in the mirror. The person looking back at me looked confident and fierce. I was surprised it was me.
"You look like you were born to fight," Felix said when I was finally ready.
"I was," I said and it was true. I wouldn't have been given the power to be able to fight if I wasn't meant for it.
"How did you sleep?" he asked, when we left my room.
"Thanks to that fairy liquid, I slept amazing. I feel amazing, too."
"That was incredibly nice of Rema to give both of us some of that elixir. I've used it once before and wished I could afford it ever since. It's incredibly rare and expensive."
Avenging Amethyst (Immortal Eyes) Page 15
