by Marta Szemik
The falcon overhead shrieked as if it understood that he was part of the conversation.
Mira wanted to seem calm, but had no control. Small spots sprinkled her face, and her skin took on a green colour. This would have normally amused William, but when Sarah was in danger, it sickened him. William let his shoulders droop, leaned forward, and ran his hands through his hair, wanting to pull it out in frustration. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to have Sarah back.
“Safe?” Xander pointed his finger at William. “You were planning to take Sarah to the underworld to rescue your parents. Couldn’t you have left this place? You knew they were coming!”
“She’d learned. She was stronger than Ekim and Atram combined.” Saying his father’s name meant more to William than simply calling him father.
The siblings fell quiet. The odd crackle of burnt wood echoed in the clearing. Each time William thought about Sarah’s kidnapping it hurt more, and he ached with loss. He’d underestimated the seekers’ cunning.
“It’s all my fault.” William dropped to his knees on the soft dirt and ash forest floor. He could hardly keep himself from breaking into uncontrollable moans again, but he needed to appear strong. The siblings were not cowards. “How could I have allowed it to happen?” he groaned.
“Hell, it is your fault!” Xander growled ,looming uncomfortably close to him. Hands on his hips, he straightened and sniffed the air. “How many were there?”
“Three.”
“They’re covering their tracks with something. Their stench is diluted.”
“Ekim will not be happy with us,” Mira said to her brother, swinging her arms up in defeat. “For twenty years, we’ve kept her safe—twenty years! You’ve known Sarah for a few weeks, and you act like you know what’s best for her. I should have never left the store that day! I should have known you’d screw it up the minute you came to Pinedale.”
William’s lip quivered as he held back a growl.
“Ekim will be furious.” Xander spoke with authority and purpose. He was the quieter of the two, but very intimidating. “Couldn’t you have asked us to come with you?” He finally stepped back, scouring the forest with his gaze.
“There was no time. How do you think Sarah would feel after finding out that the two people she trusted were someone else?” William said.
Xander gaped at him. “You’re underestimating Sarah’s intelligence,” he hissed through clenched teeth, turning a shade of green like his sister.
“Don’t taunt me! I did what I had to protect her. Who knows what would have happened if I didn’t get her in time.”
“Boys, control your testosterone!” Mira snarled, shifting her stance and squaring her shoulders, reminding William of a grizzly preparing to rear. She glowered at him. “For your information, Sarah was ready to confide in me.”
“After twenty¬ years—wow, you’re good!” William sneered, distress overtaking his usual politeness.
“Watch your mouth!” Xander’s said through his tightened jaw.
“Stop hissing and step away!” William growled back, showing his fangs.
Magic rippled through Xander’s muscles.
He’d be fun to fight, but it wouldn’t be an easy fight. William cocked his head to the side.
Xander mimicked the movement.
“Okay, stop it, you guys! There’s no time for that now. Let’s find Ekim. He’ll know what to do,” Mira ordered, sounding calmer. Her composure soothed her brother, whose muscles softened.
“Ekim is gone,” William explained. “That’s why we wanted to go to the underworld.”
“Gone where?” asked Xander.
“We think he’s been kidnapped by Aseret. Don’t you think Ekim would have been here, sensing how your protection failed?” William purposely shifted the guilt but regretted his cowardice as soon as he said it. “I’m sorry. I didn’t—”
“Go on,” Mira interrupted as the downpour started again. The forest canopy didn’t let much rain through, and the drumming of raindrops on the foliage relieved the tension. Black smoke rose from the skeleton of the cabin, fading to gray as it floated toward the tree house.
“My parents were working on a plan to rescue him, but they couldn’t get through to the underworld.”
“I told you the rumours were true,” Mira said to her brother.
“What rumours?” William asked.
“That the underworld is sealed by a spell. Those who live there are supposed to stay there and those who live here are supposed to stay here. Only select seekers can pass through,” Mira began to bite her nails.
“Was that the force field that kept me away from Sarah?” Every time William spoke her name, pain throbbed through his limbs. His heart changed its beat, and he sensed she thought about him as well.
“The force field is the protective layer between Earth and the underworld. It keeps Aseret bound to the underworld. His warlocks must have found a way to break through.” Mira scratched her head.
“No, that wasn’t it. They drew a line in front of me. I couldn’t pass through its energy.”
“Aseret’s powers have grown.” Xander looked at his sister with worry.
“You think?” William sneered, once again unable to contain his sarcasm.
“Did the seekers say anything?” Mira asked in a calmer voice. She was clearly trying to move the discussion forward and was right to do so. Bickering would not find Sarah any sooner.
William sensed her heartbeat diminishing; its beating almost resembled a hummingbird’s.
Worried, he began pacing back and forth. “The only thing they said that we could understand was, ‘The shield won’t let you through. Not now,’” William repeated, not bothering to mimic the mockery in the seeker’s voice.
“What did they mean by ‘not now’? Would it let you through another time?” Mira was smarter than her Barbie-like appearance projected.
Not now . . . Not now that I know? What if I didn’t know it was there, could I pass through it then?
“I’m sure the seekers did not drive here, and I’m sure they didn’t run, either.” Mira’s brother chose his words carefully as he paced three steps one way, then back. He shifted for a moment to a wolf and sniffed the ground. Then, he changed into a squirrel, leaping through the canopy. Finally, he jumped down to the ground, denting the ashed footing. Xander’s seamless ability to adapt to his surroundings astonished William. The shapeshifter removed his shoes and pulled his feet across the ashen grass that began to turn to paste. “They must have entered the forest through a different passage in the force field. The doors stay open for forty-eight hours after they’re created. Nature won’t allow them to be closed too quickly after such an alteration to the natural world.” He scanned the forest, looking composed and calm. Suddenly, the corners of his mouth curved up to a grin. “If you could not pass through the force field when you knew about it, could you pass through one when you didn’t know about it?”
“Perhaps.” William straightened his back.
Xander continued pacing, gently rubbing his chin with his hand; he resembled Sherlock Holmes. “If there is another doorway the seekers used, we may have a chance. But we have to find it without knowing.” He waved his index finger to emphasize his point. “All we have to do is walk into an invisible wall. And it has to be quick. If we’re not too late already”
“It’s the only chance we’ve got.” Hope returned to William’s eyes, aparkling at its rims.
“Let’s go, then!” Mira squealed with enthusiasm. “I’m sure not gonna let our only door to the underworld expire, are you?”
Xander beamed with excitement.
Losing Sarah had robbed William of his strength. Now, he felt himself regain some, along with anticipation.
William gathered rope and harnesses from the tree house and securied it to himself and the siblings. They followed the same circular pattern the seekers had used to search the grounds, but in a wider perimeter around the cabin. For the plan to work, they had to
stay together. If one of them accidentally hit the doorway, the others had to be pulled in without realizing it.
Coordinated, Mira and her brother followed William’s footsteps like shadows. As soon as he lifted his right foot, Mira’s left was in its place. When William lifted his left foot, her brothers’ right one took the spot. Moving clockwise, they covered the ground quickly, searching a twenty-mile radius in the first ten minutes.
After the halfway point, as they passed the eighth mile at the river’s edge, an overgrown cliff blocked their path. The vegetation made it almost invisible, making it appear as if the rainforest continued into its depth.
William tilted his head back and examined the steep rock face. “How well can you climb?” The siblings had great speed and with their upper body strength, William was confident they could scale rock walls as well.
“As fast as you can! You won’t even notice we’re following you,” Xander insisted.
Anchoring his hand on the moss-covered rocks, William put his body weight on it and extended his leg to climb up—and fell forward. The siblings landed on top of him.
“Ouch!” Mira grunted, her elbow jabbing into William’s ribcage as she tried to stand.
Xander struggled on the other side.
“Sorry. Let’s try this again.” William brushed the soil off his pants and looked up, realizing they were not longer in the rainforest.
They were in the underworld.
“That was unexpected.” Mira examined the wall of the tunnel they fell through.
“That was the point.” William smiled. They were one step closer to Sarah. He listened to the rhythm of her heart and heard her subtle warning; he also heard the sounds of footsteps headed toward them. Rushing to untie the harness, he added, “We have to hurry. Seekers are coming.” But Mira and Xander were already on alert, their muscles ripened.
The low ceiling made it difficult to stand tall. The siblings shifted, adjusting their height for comfort. The dank, dim tunnel was claustrophobically narrow. Its uneven floor was slippery from moisture. The trio took a few wobbly steps, hands reaching for the earthen walls as they found their balance. The corridor had just enough space for two people to squeeze through at the same time. As they walked toward its end, a reddish-orange glow brightened into a shining doorway, and a hint of aloe and vanilla fragrance wafted.
Sarah, William’s heart skipped a beat. “It hasn’t been long. I can still smell her. They came back to this tunnel,” he said with certainty as the distinctive bitter, dirty sock odour of the seekers melded with hers. He swished the saliva in his mouth as the smell settled on William’s tongue.
“The glow must lead to the passage door.” Xander stepped closer to the fiery opening. “It should lead us into Aseret’s dungeons. That’s where they’ve taken her; I can feel it.”
They stood at the fiery door, mouths slightly open, staring at the glowing oval. The heat was intense and the blaze looked real—a perfect entrance into hell.
“It shouldn’t burn you,” Mira said.
William lifted his eyebrows. “Shouldn’t?”
“It’s the first time I’ve seen one too. Besides, you said Sarah passed through one, so we’ll be fine too.” Mira stood tall, almost looking confident. Her head bumped the low ceiling. She didn’t twitch.
“What about the force field?” William asked, not wanting to bounce off one again.
“Underground, the doors remain open. There is no longer a need for a force field. It’s only intended to keep out enemies.”
“Couldn’t a human fall into the doorway unknowingly?”
“I don’t think so. You have to be mythical, or different, to pass through. And you can’t get any more different than us!” Xander stepped forward. The closer he moved toward the glow, the wider his grin became. Being underground stimulated instincts he hadn’t used in a long time. Living in an ordinary world was difficult for a shapeshifter. In the underworld you could meet anyone, face off against anyone. It wasn’t hard to find adventure if you wanted it. Xander lifted his foot and thrust it forward; it disappeared into the fire. Then his arms and the rest of his torso vanished.
“Show off,” Mira muttered.
“Let’s go.” William followed Xander through the doorway. There was no burning, no heat, no pain.
In the next few minutes, the trio passed through eighteen tunnels and doorways until William’s shoulder heated painfully.
“There you are.” The demon laughed, pressing his hot claw harder against his shoulder, dragging him down to his knees.
The siblings whirled and Mira disappeared.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Xander warned with a grin. His neck stiffened.
“I’ll kill him before you can move. Where’s the other one?” the demon demanded.
Xander didn’t move.
Suddenly, the heat was gone from William’s shoulder. He leaped to his feet, but the demon had vanished. Mira stood in his place, hands on her hips. She thrust her chin out as black ash remains settled on the floor. “We couldn’t protect Sarah from the seekers, huh?”
“How’d you do that?” he asked.
“We’re more than just watchers, William, remember that.” For the first time, just for a moment, William noticed purple sparks in her eyes.
“Coming?” Xander called, still grinning.
They stepped through the next opening into a corridor. The orange glow vanished. A few more paces took them into a large hall with a fire blazing pit at its center.
Aseret’s hall. Shivers passed through William’s body. His heart fought his mind’s strong urge to run. This was where nightmares were made: a place of tortured black souls. Traces of fear and pain of its victims still hovered in the hot air. The strongest vampire would cringe at the thought of fighting against Aseret or his army of demonically powered zombies.
The hall loomed with eerie silence. “Where is everyone?” William’s quiet voice bounced off the high ceiling, echoing a few seconds later.
“Hold on.” Mira closed her eyes. She reopened them and squinted. Her twitching nose was now pointy, and her mouth had shrunk as she locked her eyes with a mouse surreptitiously feeding on a moth. The vermin ran toward a staircase, veering past the steps to dart through a small hole in the wall. A minute later, it came back, twitching its nose in the same way Mira did. The mouse squeaked.
Mira looked at William. “They’re collecting energy. We have a few minutes before the first seekers show up.”
“Impressive. Can it lead us to Sarah?” he asked.
“Of course.” She squeaked quietly, and the mouse set off; they followed it through the second entrance to the right. It scampered down a circular stone staircase which led to a dungeon. The hallway was unkempt and dank, with hundreds of openings on both sides, though all were without doors. Some of them were empty; others had a flowing green substance, like fog, sealing their entrances.
“I’ll stay back to keep an eye out,” Mira volunteered, then nodded toward the mouse. “She said there’s no other exit.” She twitched her nose at the mouse, and it skittered across the slimy floor, scampering up the stairs.
William and Xander moved closer to the cells. The fog-like coatings over the entries streamed in many directions, swirling with scrambled words they couldn’t understand.
“You said she’d be in the third cell, right?” Xander asked.
William peered closely at the sheer green fields. “Yes. Look!” He pointed toward the words floating over the surface of the third doorway. “There’s Sarah’s name—she has to be in there.”
His heart rate sped up. Adrenaline filled his veins. He closed his eyes and listened to the heart that had stolen his. When he heard a pattern of identical beating, William sprinted toward the third opening.
“Wait!” Xander threw his arm out in front of William whose nose nearly touched the green field. “Are you crazy?”
“There’s no time to waste,” William retorted.
“This green field
is a protective spell. It could kill you!”
“What do you mean it could?” William cupped his hands around his face, trying to see through the barrier, but it may as well have been solid. “Sarah? Can you hear me?”
“Some can kill on touch, and others can’t,” Xander explained. “Do you want to find her only for her to see you dead?”
“No.” William took a reluctant step back. “What do we do, then?”
“I don’t know,” Xander admitted.
“Hurry up, you two,” Mira called from the entrance to the dungeon.
Frustrated, William glanced at the corridor, then back at the green field.
Concentrate, William, concentrate!
Jamming his hands into his pockets, he paced three steps one way, then back, fumbling absently with the shiny crystal from Castall when he remembered. “Sarah! Use your stick!”
Xander looked at him as if he were looking at a madman.
William just waited. Nothing happened. He pulled the crystal from his pocket and held it out in front of the fogged coating. He’d hoped it was transparent on the other side.
A deep sigh resonated from the inside of the cell, and Sarah’s heartbeat quickened and grew louder with joy and happiness.
Chapter 18
The wait was over. William was here, only a few hours after I’d been taken. My eyes squeezed shut, and I rubbed them with my fists, then opened them, trying to focus. I had to make sure the pounding in my chest was true.
William and Xander stood side by side in front of my cell. The walls around me moved away, and the room was again merely small. I’d expected us to be apart much longer. He’s here, now!
My pulse strained to survive on the few drops of blood in my veins. I couldn’t wait to be held in William’s arms and inhale his intoxicating musky fragrance, yet the vivid memory of the electric zap frustrated me.
“William’s here,” I said as loud as I dared to Ekim, not wanting the demons to hear. “With Xander!”
“I see,” he answered, without enthusiasm. “That was quick. Too quick. Things don’t come that easily in life. I wonder—”
