by Marta Szemik
“They’re special. We’re special. That’s why they’re quick!” I stared at William who waved his arms up and down and moved his lips in slow motion, as if he were trying to exaggerate what he was saying so I’d understand. “Ekim, can you read lips?”
“I wish I could.”
“I can’t hear what William is saying. How are they going to get us out?” I turned my head toward my father as if there weren’t a wall between us.
“He’s doing something. Look at his hand.”
William pulled his crystal out of his pocket and held it up, pointing eagerly and lifting his eyebrows like a maniac.
“Use it—he’s saying use it, Sarah!”
I knew exactly what to do and hit the bottom of my stick against the wall once, then a second time. A small orange glow materialized at its end.
“It will show you the way out when there is none,” Castall had told me. I drew a five-foot oval on the wall of our adjoining cells, the same way the seekers had in the tunnels with their canes, then stepped through it.
Ekim pushed to his feet, arms open. “Sarah!” Tears probably would have rolled down his youthful but tired face, but there was no moisture left in his body.
“Father!” I nearly ran over the tall, frail man and embraced him. His bones pressed against my body as we hugged, his prominent cheekbones dug into my face, his ribs, his sharp elbows and bulging kneecaps all stuck out—he was malnourished. Two rat carcasses lay in the corner of the cell.
I closed my eyes. A rush of energy took me to a different place. A dark labyrinth of narrow corridors appeared in my mind—a maze. I followed a blonde woman freed from the first cell in the dungeon. She was an inch shorter than me. William walked behind me, and I heard the footsteps of others further back. The woman turned at some corners and walked past others, leading us out of the underworld. When she stopped, we faced two exits. One led up and was as bright as daylight; the other led downward, into darkness.
The vision ended, and I found myself in Ekim’s embrace. We were too close for him to have noticed my closed eyes, and I was glad; I couldn’t think about the vision now—I was hugging my father.
Pulling away slightly, I looked at him. His colourless flesh almost glowed. Even vampires, although pale, had some tinge of colour in their skin. Ekim was completely white, drained. I hid my concern when he took my face in his hands.
“Honey, you’re so beautiful! You look just like your mother!” He hugged me again, squeezing me against his cold body. I’d never felt a vampire’s hug, but this felt natural and, despite his painful thinness and sharp bones, unexpectedly comfortable. “I’ve waited so long to see you, to hold you.” Guilt and remorse shook his words, a deep regret at missing all the years we could never get back.
I swallowed through my dry throat, feeling overwhelming shame. Besides Helen, he was the only relative I had ever known. How could I have ever thought so wrongly of him?
Unable to contain the tears flowing down my cheeks, I had to make a confession. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to ki— She’s gone because of me . . .” I broke down sobbing.
“It’s okay. It’s all right. You couldn’t have known,” he soothed, stroking the top of my head. Then he thumped his right fist against the middle of his chest.
The gesture was familiar. My mother had done the same before dying. “You will always be here,” she’d said.
“Look at your freckles. They’re just like Saraphine’s.” He brushed his fingers on my cheek.
Would I be a constant reminder of what he had lost?
“I’ve waited so long to see you. Your mother would have been proud of you.”
I pushed my worry aside. I would be what he had gained . . . and vice versa.
He dropped his gaze and pointed at the glowing stick I held. “Now, that’s one worthy gift you’ve got in your hand.”
“Castall.” I smiled.
“What do you say we get out of here? I think they’re getting impatient.”
I looked toward our rescuers. His eyes narrowed, William glanced from my old cell to my father’s, his brows narrowing in confusion.
“You go ahead through my cell; I have a couple more people to free,” I began drawing an oval on the next wall in Ekim’s cell. “I’ll join you in a sec.”
“I’m not leaving your side for a moment.” My father stepped beside me.
The new circle singed the rocky wall, and we crossed cautiously inside the adjoining room, where a man and a woman sat hunched on the floor. The man had his arms around his partner. They rubbed their eyes, blinking at the orange glow behind us. Crumbs and food scraps littered the floor inside their green barrier. My stomach growled, but I didn’t have the appetite to eat. It seemed the woman had been fed well during her imprisonment, but the man—a vampire—was half-starved and almost as white as Ekim. I wondered how long a vampire could go on without food before becoming a comatose ghost.
That’s when I realized Aseret hoped the vampire would give in to his hunger and attack his love. The warlock knew nothing of love, nothing about sacrifice and devotion.
“Atram . . . Willow,” Ekim whispered.
“Ekim!” They struggled to their feet to embrace their friend.
After their reunion, Willow focused on me. It felt as if my body was melting under her gaze, and it took me a moment to recognize the care and love on her face—the love of a mother. “Sarah,” she whispered, covering her mouth, as if her smile would somehow run away. Eyes moist, she moved tenderly toward me and placed her arms around me. She stroked my back as a mother would to comfort her child. My chin sank in her shoulder as we held each other. With Helen gone, Willow was now the closest person to a mother I would ever have.
When she pulled back, her fingers combed through my hair.
I spoke first. “Hello.”
“How did you get here? You shouldn’t be here,” Atram whispered in concern as someone’s footsteps crossed the hall above us.
Willow’s hands moved up to cup my face. “We knew they’d come to save us. Oh, Sarah! You’re more beautiful than I could have imagined.” She spoke my name with care, her pulse becoming loud and vibrant.
We’d heard more seekers shuffling their feet in the hall upstairs.
“Willow, Atram, we need to leave before the demons realize what we’re up to. Follow me. I’ll see you on the outside.” My father embraced me again, then led the family through my cell, the only exit all three could take, as I stepped out of theirs, unscathed.
William pressed his lips to mine before I could speak. “I thought you said you were in the third one.” He kissed my forehead, cheeks, nose, and lips. Starved for his touch, I dug my fingers into his shirt, clenching the fabric, and held until the tips of my fingers cramped. My heart ached, but the sweetness, the warmth that I’d missed, was too compelling. The pain I felt when he was away from me was fiercer than the pain from touching him.
As the jolts of electricity became unbearable, William pulled away. Ekim, Atram, and Willow had finished their rushed greetings and stood beside us.
“I was in the third one but couldn’t get out,” I explained.
Someone grabbed my arm from behind. Instinctively, I pulled it away, fisted, ready to punch, but I stopped mid-swing. Tall and dark, Xander’s bright grin stretched his face. This was the first time I’d felt his true strength.
“Xander!” I jumped, throwing my arms around his neck.
“Hey, stranger. We need to leave now.” Xander hushed with urgency.
Mira crushed into us, almost knocking down the gathered family members.
“Mira, I can’t believe you’re a . . . what exactly are you?” I whispered.
“No time for it now. They’re coming! I’m not human, but I am your friend,” she said earnestly. “Follow me.” She took my hand and pulled toward the staircase as seeker voices resonated from the top of the steps.
“It’s blocked.” Atram looked up toward the only exit we knew.
Then I remembered
. “I need to get someone from the first cell. She’ll help us.”
“Sarah, how could you possibly know—” William stopped. “Oh . . .”
“I’ll be right back.”
William caught my hand. “You’re not going anywhere by yourself.”
The siblings joined me and William inside the empty second cell, where I drew a new oval on the side wall. As I’d expected, a blonde woman was the prisoner. She seemed timid, her head slightly lowered and face covered in springy curls. Her well-fitted floor-length dress reminded me of Mrs. G’s. A delicate aroma of red roses danced around her.
Xander stepped boldly forward, smirking as he devoured the woman with his gaze.
“Your name?” he asked.
“Alexandra. You can call me Alex. I’m a witch. Aseret imprisoned me.” The woman’s voice flowed in a melodious hum, as if she were singing a song; it was almost too nice.
Like a spell . . .
Mira pushed Xander’s chin up to close his mouth. “Can we trust her?” she asked me.
“She’ll help us find the exit. Right?” I scanned her frail body.
“Follow me.” Nodding, she brushed my arm when she slipped out of the cell. A slight tremor of nerves and chills passed through me.
“Sarah, you’re sure about this?” William asked carefully.
“I’ve already seen her help us. There’s no point in wasting time.”
“Let me see your wrist!” Mira ordered, holding out her hand. The trademark leather straps my friend usually wore were untied; I noticed three wavy lines on her wrist.
Alex pulled her hands out of her long-sleeved dress; seven pairs of eyes fixated on the blank spot.
Someone began descending the steps into the dungeon.
“Where’s your mark?” Xander asked.
“I don’t have one. I was cursed at birth,” Alex explained. “I will not be marked until my destiny is decided.” She looked up at us from below her long lashes.
“Don’t lie. Witches are always marked at birth.” Mira’s jaw tightened.
“But that’s why Aseret imprisoned me. I’m a cursed witch. He wanted to sway me to his side so I could get the sphere. He didn’t want me to have a choice in my marking.”
Xander kept his eyes locked on Alex, while everyone else exhaled with relief. My nerves never let go; there was a tight knot in my stomach, and a sharp pain came back to my chest, reminding me of my nightmare when I scarred. Shivering, I shook my arms and shoulders. The familiar ache moved up higher. I tried to suppress the distress, but the soreness on my chest intensified. My breath became shallower as I tried to quell the panic, and I fell to my knees.
William helped me up. “What’s the matter? Are you hurt?”
The inhales were insufficient. I squeezed my eyes shut, waiting for the pain to go away.
“What did you do?” William demanded of the witch.
I opened my eyes.
“Nothing. It’s not me.” She took a step back from us.
The ache started to fade. “It’s okay, I’m better. She’ll help us. Follow her,” I whispered pointing to Alex, and everyone focused on the slim woman again.
“One wrong move and I won’t hesitate to kill you,” Xander warned, his smirk long vanished.
Alex lowered her head. “This way.” She led us to an unoccupied room further down the dungeon hallway.
We followed her in as I heard seekers take the last step. I had a moment of déjà vu when I crossed its threshold. The cell did not look like an exit.
Alex pressed her hands against the wall with her full weight behind them. She glided her hand over a larger stone, stroking each edge and corner as if trying to memorize its precise shape. With one strong breath, she cleaned the dust off its edges with one strong breath, then her hand went to her dress and she pulled a dagger from a concealed pocket.
William placed his arm in front of me. The siblings moved closer to my side.
The blade was paper thin at its edge. Even in the dim room, its plate reflected light in a thin, dangerous line. A red gemstone in the pommel glistened. Alex used the dagger to draw a mark on the stone. The mark shone gold, getting brighter each second, before it abruptly disappeared.
My gaze locked with William’s, then turned back when I heard a low grinding of rock against rock. The wall slid back and sideways, opening a passage.
We followed her in, the stone wall quietly closing behind us.
“How did you know about it?” I asked Alex.
“This is the way they brought me in,” she answered.
I wanted to trust her because I knew she would lead us to an exit, but there was something peculiar about Alex. A frown embedded on my forehead while paying attention to the witch. William’s pulse raced at the same speed as mine. It thumped with worry and suspicion and I bumped his arm for an answer.
“It’s not the right time,” he whispered. “We’ll deal with it later.”
Alex led forward, her blonde curly hair bouncing from left to right as she walked with confidence. Her petite figure didn’t show any signs of cruelty or distress from her captivity.
She walked quickly, aware of every turn before we reached it. The narrow tunnels of the maze weaved, widening at few points. We veered right, then left, passing through rough openings, doorways, and small halls. Most paths led up, toward the surface. The smell of sulphur intensified. The air thickened with humidity, making it difficult to breathe. We were close to a geyser or a hot spring.
“Here, cover your mouth.” Atram handed Willow a handkerchief. “It shouldn’t be too far now.”
We came to a sudden stop before two doorways. One led upward and was as bright as daylight; the other led downward into blackness. “This way,” Alex said, taking a step toward the darker one.
“That’s just going to take us back,” William argued.
“This is the way out,” the witch said. “I’d used it before.”
“Like hell, it is!” Xander growled.
Alex took a step back, and I felt sorry for her. I didn’t like Xander taunting her and I didn’t want her to be an outcast the way I’d been most of my life.
Mira came to my side. “Sarah, what do you think? Which exit did we take in your vision?”
“I’m not sure, but I think we should listen to her.”
Willow’s soft voice resonated from the back. “Sarah, darling, are you sure? Look at these exits. One clearly shows the way up to the surface, and the other one goes down toward the underworld. Why would we go into the dark one?” Willow’s argument was good, but my gut told me otherwise.
William frowned. “Xander, can’t you ask a mouse or a rat to lead us?”
“I would if there were any around,” he answered, scanning the tunnel floor. No vermin braved scavenging in air this toxic.
“Why don’t we go toward the light? We can always turn back,” Mira suggested.
Everyone murmured agreement. I had my doubts about going the way my family endorsed, but I didn’t completely trust Alex either.
“Fine; we’ll go the way you want, but this is not the way I came in. Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Alex said.
We walked up the rough slope toward the light. I followed Alex with William behind me, and the others at the back. The air was just as stale here as it had been underground; I couldn’t detect the fresh air I expected to blow in from the outside.
Wihout warning, Alex stopped.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“The light . . . it doesn’t look right. It doesn’t have the brightness of daylight.”
I focused on the dancing light ahead. Though it sparkled almost like the sun, it seemed a little different. Sunlight did not shift between light orange and yellow in an unsteady pattern. The beam of light radiated from a flickering source. We should have listened to Alex; it wasn’t the outside after all.
“Turn around! Now!” I ordered.
Atram, who was the last in line, suddenly disappeared beneath the earth. Then Will
ow, then Ekim, Mira and Xander . . . William would be next. “No!” I shouted, reaching out to catch him before he dropped, but as soon as I flung my arm out, he vanished. Soil receded under my feet and I scrabbled and slid, falling down a steep, muddy chute.
My vampire sight could not adjust to the darkness as I skidded on my behind. Rocks scraped against my thighs with bruising force. The sound of us plummeting through the tunnel resembled that of a rock slide. The curvature of the chute was unnatural, though man-made—or demon-made.
William’s body broke my landing. Alex’s fall just missed me. In the strange orange glow that illuminated the area, my family stood in a line, covered in dirt and mud, their faces motionless staring past us.
I turned around to see over two hundred pairs of orange glowing eyes. Aseret smiled slyly in their midst.
Chapter 19
I was back at the beginning, in the large hall I’d first entered, but now I’d dragged my family into hell with me. My stomach turned inside out. The tension inside me pushed upward, and I wanted to throw up, but there was nothing in my stomach.
I can’t believe I did this.
“Silly, silly creaturesss.” Aseret chuckled, his head thrown back. “You thought you could essscape the underworld? Hah!” he mocked. “And take my prisonersss as well?” His gaze focused on Alex, although he no doubt meant to include everyone.
Everyone, including the witch, stood poised defensively, knees slightly bent, muscles tensed, wary eyes darting, waiting for any movement from the hundreds of Aseret’s minions who watched us with predatory eyes.
“There’sss no need to be afrrraid,” Aseret cooed, his words annoyingly slow. “I’m sssure we can work together. Mira, Xander, have you decided to join me?”
“You need me to even out that beauty mark for you on the other side?” Xander laughed, nodding to a pink scar behind Aseret’s left ear which stretched down and disappeared beyond the cloak. He crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re more delirious than I thought.”
“Hmm, I guesss Daddy wouldn’t apprrrove, would he?” Aseret sneered. “I can deal with that, forrr now.” The sagging flesh on his wrinkled face shifted with a twitch.
