RYLEE (The Rylee Adamson Epilogues, Book 1)

by Shannon Mayer

  The mountain shifted and rumbled again and I braced myself on the rock wall. “That can’t be good.”

  “Hurry,” Nigel said, stepping out first. I grabbed him by the tail and swung him into my arms.

  “You got it.”

  “Wait, what are you doing?” He let out a screech as I jumped off the ledge.

  For perhaps one of the first times, I trusted in the new strength of my flesh and bones. The walls ripped by us as we fell and Nigel buried his face against my chest. “I’m going to die.”

  I landed hard, the ground under my feet unforgiving. The shock rolled up through my body, but nothing broke. No legs snapped under the pressure, my back didn’t compress and jam my spine through my skull. I released Nigel and he darted away from me.

  “Don’t do that again!”

  I shrugged. “You said hurry. I obliged.”

  He snorted and I drew in a breath, scenting the air as I took a look around. We were in the center of the hole we’d jumped into. A large circle studded at intervals with torchlight. And doors beside each torch. Fifteen doors in total. I licked my lips, the smells and sounds of heartbeats drawing me forward. I counted twelve hearts. Twelve out of fifteen. Our odds of finding both Belinda and Sparrow alive were higher than I’d thought.

  Beside each door hung a brass ring with a single key hanging from it. I grabbed the ring and jammed the key into the door. The mechanism opened smoothly.

  I opened the door and peered in. The scent was not Belinda’s. The kid lay in the middle of the cell, and the minute the door opened, the heartbeat faded and stopped. Shit, that changed things. It was like her heart had been spelled to give a false beat until the door opened. I stepped in, bent and brushed a hand over a dried husk of a face. She’d been dead for a long time and just left to rot away.

  “Lack of water, they just left her here to dry out,” I whispered, knowing the way she’d died without truly understanding how. She’d been a half breed, half water elemental, and half fire. Her fear, as old as it was, permeated the air and for a split second, I saw her ghost hovering. A plain girl, with kind eyes and wildly curly hair. She lifted a hand to me and walked out the door. A chill washed over me. “Even her spirit was trapped here.”

  Nigel whimpered. “Hurry, they took Sparrow from me almost a year ago, and her heartbeat is weak.”

  I stood and went to the next door, using the key next to it. Again the heartbeat faded as the door swung open. This time, it was a boy who ghosted by me, a smile on his face as he escaped his prison. He’d died from a wound gone septic, a wound inflicted for disobedience.

  The ground shook and a crack appeared through the middle of the room. I ran to the next door and flung it open. “He’s alive!” I pulled the kid out. He couldn’t have been more than twelve. He shook like a veritable leaf, and his big green eyes were wildly wide as he tried feebly to pull away from me.

  “Are you going to kill me?” he cried.

  “No, we’re here to rescue you. Can you walk?” I put a hand on each of his shoulders, feeling the thin bones under them.

  He nodded. I pointed at the switchback path. “Go. Get up there and wait for me at the top.”

  “Thank you.” He clutched my hand and then limped away. “Are you going to save the others?”

  “Yes. That’s the plan,” I said. I hoped. One was alive, there had to be more. Maybe we weren’t too late.

  The green eyed boy paused and looked back. “It wasn’t so bad at first. They were nice . . . I mean they fed us and beat us when we were bad, but they weren’t killing us. Not at first. And then . . . then something changed.” He gave a full-bodied shudder. “I heard them kill the kids who were the strongest first. I hid in the back. They forgot about me, I think.”

  My heart clenched. Forgotten in the bottom of the Pit. There could not be a worse way for a child to die than to starve to death, thinking no one loved them. I fought the swell of tears. “Go, get up there. I’ll be right behind you with the others.”

  I glanced at Nigel, he flicked his nose at the next door. “Hurry, if he’s right . . .”

  If the green eyed boy was right, there was hope, but it was slim.

  I opened the next door. Another ghost whispered past me, stealing what hope had begun to grow. But the next held a skeletal young girl. Her brown eyes were dull.

  “Leave me alone,” she whispered. “Just let me die.”

  “Not today.” I helped her stand. “This is a rescue mission. Go to the path, get to the top.”

  Tears sprung to her eyes. “Rescue?”

  “Yes, go!” I couldn’t look at her without crying myself. She wrapped her arms around me and gave me the barest of squeezes.

  “I prayed someone would come, that God would send us help.”

  I wasn’t sure I agreed that I had anything to do with God, but I nodded anyway. “Hurry, we have to hurry.”

  Nigel helped her to the path and I watched as she carefully made her way up, her back plastered to the wall.

  The next door, and then the next, and the next were children who’d passed. Each door stole hope from me as young children and teenagers ghosted out, smiling their thanks. Death by strangulation, starvation, injuries, sickness . . . they waved as they faded from sight. Except for one.

  A young girl who looked to be about ten took a tentative step out, her ghostly form wavering. She had long white hair that fell to her waist, and her frame reminded me of a bird, thin and fragile. She looked at me first and there was so much sadness in her eyes that my heart broke and I looked away. Her death was no better than the others. A broken heart, she’d died of sadness, letting herself fade away as hope had escaped her.

  Life was not fair.

  Nigel cried out, lay on the floor and covered his head with his paws as he sobbed. “I am too late.”

  “You saved my soul, my friend,” Sparrow whispered, the first of the ghosts to speak. “What higher gift could you have given me but that of returning to my family on the other side of the Veil? The madness that consumed Fiametta allowed this to happen to us. It is truly no one’s fault.”

  He keened, a high-pitched wail of grief that cut through me. That brought back to me, all too clearly, the loss of Alex. I wanted to turn away, to open the final door, but I was pinned to the floor by the scene in front of me. Of the pain and anguish of losing someone you were bonded to. And of saying goodbye to your best friend. Tears pooled and spilled over the edge of my eyes. I didn’t wipe them away. I would never be ashamed of tears for my lost friends.

  Sparrow crouched in front of Nigel. “Be strong, my faithful friend. Be strong, and guide the little warrior. She is going to need you and all your wisdom for what she will face will defy every challenge this world has yet seen.” Her eyes lifted to mine and then back to Nigel.

  He slowly lifted his head, his jaws trembling. “I felt you still lived.”

  She smiled and began to fade. “I do live. Just not here. I will wait for you.”

  Tears rolled down his cheeks, disappearing into the thick fur. He stared at where she’d been and I turned away from him. I grabbed the final key and slid it into the lock. Hope . . . what a stupid, foolish emotion. Yet I still opened the last door. Because I could not give up hope, not entirely. At least, I could release their spirits and give them peace.

  I put my hand on the last door and prepared to see Belinda’s ghost walk out.

  She lay on the floor, huddled up and shivering. Shivering. My jaw dropped and I rushed to her side. Her heart continued to beat, fighting to keep going.

  “Holy shit, she’s alive!”

  CHAPTER 12

  THE DANK CELL smelled of urine and shit, and blood, lots and lots of blood. Which didn’t bode well for Belinda, no matter how long she’d been trapped. Unless it wasn’t all hers, which I suppose was possible. No doubt she wasn’t the first kid tucked away in this particular cell.

  I put my hand on her shoulder. She flinched when I touched her. “Honey, I need you to talk to me. Tell me y
our name.”

  “Who are you?”

  “Your brother sent me to find you.”

  She struggled to open crusted eyelids. “Levi? He did?”

  “Yes. And we’re going to get you out of here.”

  Nigel crept into the cell, and the waves of grief all but rolled off him. He sniffed once. “She is a fire elemental.”

  I nodded. “Belly, time to get up.” I slid my hands under her arms and helped her sit. She scrubbed a hand over one eye and I realized she’d been beaten—badly. Bruises and cuts covered her arms and face, splattering what was left of her clothes with blood that had dried in dark streaks.

  “Are your ribs broken?”

  “No, why?” She frowned, but her face was puffy and the effort seemed lost. In answer, I scooped her up into my arms.

  “Cause things probably aren’t going to go easy if they are.” I backed out of the cell, Nigel pressed to my leg. I wanted to drop a hand onto his head, to give him some sort of comfort.

  The problem was, not only were my hands full holding Belinda, I didn’t know how the hell we were going to get out of here. “Let’s go.” I led the way up the tight walkway, my back to the wall as I stepped sideways. Some of the footings narrowed to the point of having to step over empty space and pray the far side held up. I moved as fast as I could, balancing the kid, my head turned to the side to see what was coming.

  Minutes ticked by, the mountain rumbled again. Groaned, and the shudder broke the footing behind me in a domino effect.

  I redoubled my speed, throwing caution to the wind. I was not about to die here, and there was no way I was letting Belinda go. She clung to me, whimpering as I sidestepped as fast as I could. Ten feet and we’d be at the door, the opening beckoned. We were almost there.

  I took a step and the footing wasn’t there. I threw the kid forward. “Grab the ledge!” I reached for something, anything to stop my fall. Thoughts of Liam and Marcella flooded my mind. I wasn’t ready to leave them, no matter how hard things were. No matter how much I struggled with being a daywalking vampire.

  I was not ready to be a ghost in their lives.

  My fingers caught in the wall, a tiny crevice my salvation. Dangling from one hand I looked up.

  Belinda stared down at me from the doorway, her hand outstretched. The other two kids were behind her, holding onto her. “Hurry!” she cried.

  At least my throw had been true. Nigel leapt across the broken space, and stopped so his tail dangled just above my face. “Do it.”

  I didn’t take a second urging. I grabbed his tail, hoping he could actually pull me to safety. He lurched forward, dragging me up. I gouged my hands and feet into the rock where I could, helping.

  Belinda and Nigel stood in the opening that led into the cut through the rock. The narrow space that acted as a hallway between the dungeon cell and the hidden hole where the kids were kept was a welcome sight. Which was saying something. I pushed Bel and Nigel ahead of me and tucked in behind them and the other two kids fell in behind me. Their hands clung to me, as whimpers slid from their lips now and again. I was their only hope in the darkness.

  The irony was not lost on me.

  The faint glow behind us gave a little light. No words, nothing but the knowledge that if we didn’t move our asses, we were in deep, hot, shit that would likely kill us.

  Minutes ticked by as the mountain seized around us, like a dying cow. The image was all too real inside my head. Fuck.

  “Dead end,” Belinda cried out.

  I was right behind her and I took her hands. “Put them on the stone, think about fire. You’ve got this.”

  “I’m not what they say I am! I’m not a freak,” she cried, pushing against me. Not that she could out muscle me.

  “You can do it,” the young girl behind me said. “You can!”

  There was no time to be gentle. I took Belinda’s hands and pressed them against the stone. “We’re going to die if you don’t embrace this part of you. You must do this.”

  She sobbed and hung her head but her hands heated under mine. Not a lot. But enough. The door slid open and we stumbled out across the now hardened lava monster, the black solid material that had been a bubbling mess no longer made an attempt to burn the shit out of us.

  I urged the kids but made sure I led the way. I was less worried about what was behind us, as what was coming in front. “We have to move, so no matter what you see keep running. I’ll deal with anything that needs dealing with.” We bolted down the long corridor of the dungeon to the main doors, the three kids following, tight on my heels. The main doors weren’t even locked. I slammed a shoulder into them; this was not the time for being subtle. Not that there was anyone waiting for us within the room.

  Across the hall we ran, the sound of my breathing, the kid’s panting for air as they fought to keep up, and Nigel’s claws ticking on the floor the only sounds. I hit the main doors with my shoulder the same as I’d done to the dungeon doors, and burst through into a crowd of Salamanders as they rushed for the main doors, which were blessedly open. I didn’t see Cactus, and could only hope he’d survived. I dove into the throng and pushed through them, hoping they didn’t notice us.

  The two kids started to drift away. I grabbed the green-eyed boy. “No, stick close.”

  “No, I can’t go back.” He jerked away from me, his shirt ripping under my hand. I didn’t understand. The brown eyed girl shook her head, took his hand and they dove into the throng of people.

  I moved after them and Nigel bit the back of my leg. “What the fuck?”

  “Let them go.”

  “I can’t, damn it!”

  Nigel yanked me harder, forcing me down to one knee. “You have to. They don’t belong to the human world.”

  Belinda kept a hand locked on the back of my jeans. “Please don’t leave me.”

  Indecision tore at me. If I went after the other two kids, I would be putting Belinda in danger.

  “I won’t leave you.” I reached back and grabbed her hand. “Nigel . . .”

  “They’ll be okay. Whether they like it or not, these are their people now. Both are carrying Salamander blood. They have to find their own way now.”

  But their people had tried to enslave and kill them. Fuck, this was not how things were supposed to—my decision was taken away from me.

  “Hurry,” Nigel bit out. Behind us, a large burp erupted into the tunnel. “The lava is coming. We can’t survive that, they can.”

  “Of course, they can and we can’t,” I bit out as we raced for the doors, the ceiling cracking above us, the ground shaking below, and the lava coming behind. The doors beckoned and I burst through and veered to the right. We split off from the main group, and when at the edge of the mountain hiding us from sight, I looked back.

  A glimpse of long blond hair that stood above the rest was the only view I had of Lark. I nodded. At least she was out. I realized then I’d been ready to run back in to help her if I didn’t see her. We were family, and I would stand with her no matter how dangerous it would be.

  Her voice carried as she gave instructions, herding people away from the volcano. I saw a flash of the two kids I’d rescued and they’d all but glued themselves to her backside.

  Nigel yipped at me. “Stop dicking around, you don’t have time to second guess!”

  Fuck, I hated that he was right.

  I took one last look, and though I couldn’t see the two kids, I had one consolation. There was no way Lark would allow them to be hurt while she was around. It would have to be enough.

  I set off at a jog, wishing the two young ones I’d rescued a silent farewell and good luck as I scanned the area for Eve.

  There was no sign of her on the ground and my heart began to race. Had something gone wrong? Had she realized she had to lay an egg? The timing couldn’t be shittier, but that always seemed to be the case for me.

  “We need distance from the mountain. Even the elementals are making a run for it,” Nigel said.
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br />   The mountain erupted around us as if it could hold back no longer. Lava burst the seams of the Pit, and I turned away. Damn it, this was not an experience I’d wanted a repeat of. The fumes of the burning death floated our way and Belinda gagged.

  “Nigel—”

  “She should be okay. You, too, you don’t have to breathe and I’m designed to withstand Elemental crap like this.” He raced along beside me, keeping up easily.

  Through the surrounding bush, we ran all the while I searched the sky for Eve. I finally gave up and yelled for her.

  “Eve! Where the hell are you?”

  Her resounding screech came from in front of us. I held Belinda a little tighter and hurried as best I could. We circled around two large trees to see Eve waiting, her wings spread and flapping like mad.

  “I thought you were following the scent trail I left?” she yelped as I launched myself and Belinda onto her back. I hadn’t even thought of that. I’d just run from the lava.

  Nigel followed with a single leap and then Eve was taking us up, high above the trees and the mountain as it spilled out, dying even as it crumbled to pieces.

  Belinda stared up at me. “You’re an angel, and I’ve died.”

  I laughed. “I’m no angel, kid. And you are far from dead.”

  She burst into tears. “I’m not worth saving. I’m a slut, just like my dad says.”

  I held her tightly, the mother bear in me wanting to kill her father all over again. “Don’t ever think that.” It made me reassess all the times I’d thought Milly a slut. Sure she slept around, but she always thought it was love. And maybe for her, that was enough. But with Belinda, I knew things started as rape.

  Eve looked back at me several times, as if she wanted to speak and then thought better of it. She flew us straight to Hawaii, landing on the same beach as before. Belinda was exhausted, hungry, and I had yet to tend to her wounds.