by Wesley King
“Do you smell . . . ,” Marta said.
“Fire,” she said excitedly. “There’s something up there! Come on!”
The group picked up their pace, even Leonard, and Silvia felt her spirits rising. The smell was growing stronger now . . . she thought she could even smell something like charred, roasting meat. Her mouth watered. Was it Jana and her people? Or someone else . . . Eric or Mr. Baker?
“Turn out your lights!” a whispered voice commanded. “Do it now!”
Silvia whirled around, panicked, and everyone else did the same. When their dim, struggling remaining flashlights fell on two figures behind them, her eyes widened.
“Eric?”
Twenty-One Hours After
* * *
CARLOS OPENED HIS EYES AND instantly felt his head pounding. It was like a swarm of bats was spiraling around his brain and screeching madly in unison. His body shook with the slow, plodding steps of someone carrying him, and the headache grew worse.
He struggled to remember what had happened. The Worms. The hit on the head. He tried to feel the back of his head, but his hands were bound. He looked around and saw two men walking on either end of him, one holding his arms and the other his legs.
“He’s awake,” one man grumbled.
“That’s fine,” Jana said from the lead. “Boy, if you speak we will put you out again.”
“There will be . . . punishment for this,” Carlos managed, squinting as his head throbbed.
“No, I think not,” she said. “Either the surface demons will destroy your people, or we will negotiate for your release. I told you what I want: real lands to feed my people.”
“And you think we will honor that once you turn me over?” Carlos said, furious that they had knocked him out.
“Likely not,” she said, turning back to him. “We will exchange you for other hostages.”
“You won’t get my sister. . . .”
She laughed. “Yes, yes we know. But your grandmother perhaps. And you have cousins.” Jana turned ahead again. “But let us hope that won’t matter. Hopefully, the surface demons will burn Medianoche to the ground and there will be no need to negotiate at all.”
Carlos fell silent and tried to will the pain to pass. The strain on his arms and legs was terrible. The two Worms were far from careful and kept letting his tailbone smack painfully against the ground. A few of them were speaking, and he tried to listen, but the pain in his head was too distracting. Instead the words came through in segments:
“. . . think they’re almost there . . .”
“. . . what about the sister . . .”
“. . . those weapons would be handy . . .”
“. . . the hogtied King . . .”
“. . . I say we kill him now . . .”
Finally, the group slowed to a halt. Carlos looked past them and saw that they had arrived at a small chamber they called the Hollows, not far from Medianoche. Voices echoed here, spilling into the tunnels in all directions. Jana looked around, as if trying to get her bearings.
“We will keep him here for a bit,” she said softly. “If he shouts, knock him out again.”
The men set Carlos down and he rolled onto his side, trying to take some pressure off his sore tailbone. His head was still throbbing with pain, and he cursed himself for being so stupid. He should have left his sentries on the borders. This many Worms would never have been able to cross unseen. He had been too worried about the surface humans and not his own people. His father would be furious.
To make matters worse, Jana was marching the surface humans to their deaths. Despite everything, he had doomed them as well. Even if Eric was right and his mercy had not brought about the quake, it had still condemned the Realm to disaster and death. He was right all along. He was too weak to be the King.
Jana crouched down in front of him. “What did the other boy tell you?”
Carlos met her eyes stonily. “That his people did not come here for a fight.”
“Why did you not kill him? Were you afraid?” Jana asked.
“He broke no Law, unlike you, Worm.”
“Your father would have protected your people. He would never have allowed this.”
“You didn’t know my father,” Carlos said quietly.
“No,” she said. “But I know that Midnight Kings have cursed my people for a century.”
“That is your fault,” Carlos said, meeting her cold black eyes. “They were exiled for breaking the Law, in case you forgot.”
She took his chin with her sharp nails, digging them into his skin. “That is the fault of your arrogant ancestors. They sent us away because we did not honor the rule of a false king. Because we thought we came down here for freedom. But instead they called us Worms. Outcast to the worst lands, where we feed on undergrown Night Rats and bitter haga beetles.”
“Traitors deserve no better,” Carlos said. “My father always said so.”
“The tide has turned.”
She turned as Nennez jogged into the tunnel, wheezing. He too bore a knife.
“Gapa said you would be down here,” Nennez said, his eyes falling warily on Carlos.
“And here we are,” she replied, turning back to Carlos. “Watch him, Nephew. Porcho, Fania, come with me. We’re going to see if the surface humans are getting close.”
With that, she hurried down an adjoining tunnel, the two Worms close behind her. Nennez stepped forward, and Carlos hoped for some mercy. Instead the boy quickly put his knife to Carlos’s chest like he was a wild rat for the spit. He was as bloodthirsty and savage as the rest.
Carlos had learned yet another lesson: Mercy did not have a just reward.
I am sorry, Father. I have failed you, he thought for the hundredth time since the quake.
His thoughts turned to Eva and Eric. Would they actually go to the lake and wait?
No. It was Eva. She would try to save Eric’s people and rescue Carlos. And despite his terrible fears, he knew that Eva was resourceful, and that Eric was also very clever. They still had a chance.
He had no choice but to wait. It was up to them now.
Twenty-One and a Half Hours After
* * *
“COME ON,” ERIC WHISPERED, WAVING them back. He was looking beyond the class for any movement. Eva had already warned him that the group was dangerously close to Medianoche.
“What—” Silvia started.
“Silence,” Eva cut in, motioning down the tunnel. “Follow me.”
Eva led the group down the tunnel, walking until they were back in a small chamber with orange walls. As soon as they were through, Eric turned to the class and was immediately engulfed in a hug. With a mixture of shock and delight, he realized it was Silvia.
“We thought you were . . . well . . . and you tried to grab us . . . ,” she said.
Then she pulled back, her cheeks turning pink.
“I’m glad you’re okay. We looked for you, but we were so lost.”
Eva snorted, and Eric gave her a dirty look. “I . . . well, I’m okay,” he stammered. “Where are the others?”
“We got split up,” Silvia said. “What happened? Why did you take us back here? And who is this girl? Is she with Jana?”
“Don’t say that name,” Eva spat, fuming. “I am Eva Santi. My older brother is the Midnight King. He was with Eric for a while. Jana is a Worm, and you were all about to die.”
Silvia looked between her and Eric. “The what King? Die? What do you mean?”
Eric quickly explained what Jana had intended, and how Carlos’s soldiers would have killed them all. At the news, Ashley paled and sat down on the ground, shaking her head.
“I knew she was bad news,” Tom said quietly.
Eva walked up to Silvia, eyeing her. “Are you the leader here, Surface Girl?”
“Silvia,” she said, hesitating. “Yes, I guess so.”
“Fine. Now Jana is going to send a scout to see if you made it to Medianoche. When she learns that you haven’t, she
will send someone to my village to tell them they have the King and want to negotiate for his life. When that happens, it’s going to get ugly around here.” She gestured toward Medianoche. “The soldiers are going to head out and they won’t be happy.”
“So what do we do?” Eric asked.
“Take this group up this tunnel,” she said, pointing to the smaller opening. “You will come to a chamber called the Catacombs. Don’t go in there . . . just wait nearby. I think Jana will bring Carlos there.”
Eric frowned. “Why?”
“It has meaning for her. More importantly, it has built-in protection against attack. If she arrives before I get there, tell her you took a wrong turn. Say nothing about your weapons . . . just stall her there.”
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“I am going to find Captain Salez,” she said. “We’ll come back for Carlos.”
“Okay,” Silvia said. “But why don’t we just stay here and wait for you? It’s safer.”
Eva hesitated. “If the soldiers see you, they might attack. They are afraid, and they will be enraged that Carlos was taken. I can’t call them off. The only person who can is my brother.”
“Be careful,” Eric said.
Eva smiled and grabbed his arm. “You too, Surface Boy. This one is pretty and seems to like you,” she said, nodding at Silvia. “I told you. You’re very nice for a demon. See you soon.”
She took off running down the tunnel, and Eric quickly turned away to hide his burning cheeks from Silvia, who was looking at him with a bemused expression.
“Making new friends?” she asked.
“Something like that,” Eric said. “Come on . . . let’s get to the chamber. The others . . .”
“Should be safe,” she said. “They’re on the other side of a rockfall.”
“Good enough.”
Eric started up the tunnel, and the rest of the group followed, all of them looking beaten down. Silvia stepped up beside him, using her flickering light to guide the way.
“It sounds like you’ve been busy,” she said.
“Well, I found a chamber of glowworms, a giant rat, a forest, I fell off a cliff because of a scorpion, crossed over a bottomless pit, was almost eaten by a spider, and oh, I met a King.”
Silvia laughed. “I think it might have been the same spider that almost ate me. We saw a glowing whale, Naj was almost eaten by a catfish, we found a forest too, and met cave people.”
“So pretty close,” Eric said.
“Pretty close,” Silvia agreed. “Oh, and we found a bunch of Ms written on the walls everywhere. You see any of those? I’ve been trying to guess what they stand for.”
“They stand for the Midnight King. It meant you were in his Realm.”
Silvia snorted. “It’s been quite the field trip. Mr. Baker . . . ?”
“No . . . unfortunately not.” Eric watched as her flashlight played over the walls. “It wasn’t all bad, I guess. There was some pretty cool stuff in the mix, besides all the almost-dying I did.”
“Agreed,” she said. “I even found a few other things. I didn’t expect as well. About me, I guess. It seems that everything I thought about myself got . . . well . . . turned around down here. Like maybe I was a bit hard on myself. And some of the secrets I was hiding . . . they don’t seem like such a big deal anymore. Do you know what I mean?”
Eric turned to her. “Actually, I know exactly what you mean. And now I’m ready to go home.”
“Yeah. I . . . look!”
Her light washed out over a chamber ahead, and they slowed to look. The chamber was about the size of a football field, and the ground was pockmarked with cracks and holes. Silvia stepped out, but Eric grabbed her arm and pulled her back. Something about the place felt weird.
“Eva said don’t go in, remember? She’s usually right.”
“So what do we do now?” Silvia said, taking a step back.
Eric looked out over the chamber. “We wait.”
Twenty-Three Hours After
* * *
JANA STORMED BACK INTO THE chamber, her black eyes narrowed to slits. She had her knife drawn and was clutching it at her side, as if ready to strike.
“The demons did not go to Medianoche,” she hissed.
“I guess they’re too smart for you,” Carlos said, smiling.
He pulled away as she leaned into him. “They were heading there. One of my scouts saw them. Your meddling little sister must have warned them.” She stood up straight again and cut the vines on his ankles. “Stand up. We’re moving.”
“Where?” he asked, slowly climbing to his feet.
His hands were still tightly bound and chafing against the vines, so he struggled to keep his balance. Jana met his eyes—she was the same height.
“For my insurance,” she said. “We are heading to the Catacombs to negotiate.”
“The Catacombs,” Carlos said slowly. “Where your father—”
“Was executed by yours,” she spat. “Yes. And where the haga beetles should prevent any foolish rescue attempts from your soldiers. One drop of blood, and no more King.”
Carlos grimaced. “That’s a dangerous game, Jana. We could all die.”
“The Mother will protect us,” she snarled, “her righteous children.”
“You can still release me,” Carlos said. “I will let you return home.”
“Home is a wasteland,” Jana said. “There is no food, little water. Only the fear of the demons has kept us from leaving the Mother. We cannot live there. We want access to the rest of the Realm. We have as much a right to it as you do. Worm or not.”
“Traitors have no rights.”
“There you go with that word again,” she said. “Who had Nennez betrayed? He was born in the Worm lands. So was Fedo over there. And what about the others? Your father exiled Nina because she refused to acknowledge her brother’s crimes. My father was killed because he did not bow. My brother for hunting in the Ghost Woods. Are they really traitors?”
She leaned in, her breath hot upon his face.
“I do not acknowledge the Midnight King. You do not rule me. Only the Mother does.”
She turned and started for another tunnel opening, gesturing to her people.
“Bring him. If he tries anything, make sure he only does it once.”
As they stepped out into the Catacombs, Carlos looked down warily. None came here if they could help it. The haga beetles had carved the floor into a massive hive, tunneling deeper and deeper through solid stone with their powerful mandibles. There they lay dormant unless stirred.
“Keep walking,” one of the Worms said, though he sounded nervous.
Nennez was pale beside him, carefully stepping around the many crevices and holes. On the far end, Carlos saw a white glow in one the tunnels and realized the surface humans were here. He looked for Jana and saw her crouching, her hand on the ground.
“Father, keep watch for us today,” she said softly. “Help me change our fate.”
Carlos watched her, frowning, and when she saw him she quickly looked away, as if embarrassed. But when she turned back, her eyes were hard again, and she led the group to the center of the Catacombs. There she stopped and gestured for Carlos to sit. He hesitated, until he felt a knife press against the small of his back. Then he reluctantly sat down, his eyes darting about.
“Weapons up and ready,” Jana said. “Nennez, watch the King.”
Nennez stepped in front of him, pointing a knife at Carlos’s chest. Carlos looked up at him, and for a second he could almost see his father, standing behind Nennez imperiously.
This is what your mercy has bought you, his father seemed to say.
Carlos closed his eyes, ashamed.
“Demons!” Jana said, her voice carrying even at a whisper. “Come out!”
The lights in the tunnel suddenly flashed out into the chamber, and many of the Worms cursed and turned away. Carlos heard muttered conversations, and then two figures emerged.
/> It was Eric, along with a girl with long black hair. Eric had mentioned her: Silvia.
Silvia spoke first. “I guess you weren’t trying to help us after all.”
Jana paused. “I was simply pointing you at my enemy.”
“Yeah, I gathered that,” Silvia said coolly.
“Let the King go,” Eric said, holding a white light but pointing it at the ground.
The Worms shifted nervously, and Jana turned to him, obviously uneasy. “This isn’t your business, demon. This is a war that has been going on long before you got here. Just walk away.”
“Carlos is my friend,” Eric said.
“Don’t be fools,” Jana snarled. “One of my men has gone to get the King’s soldiers to negotiate. Get out of here before they arrive. They will kill you all. That part was no lie.”
“I will tell them to stand down,” Carlos said, nodding at Eric. “They are friends.”
Silvia raised her flashlight in warning. “Let him go, or I will be forced to use this—”
Everything happened fast. Her light suddenly sputtered and died, and Jana stepped forward and slapped the light out of her hand. Before Eric could move, Jana grabbed his arm and twisted until he let his flashlight fall to the ground. She put a knife to his throat.
“I told you to stay out of this,” she whispered.
There was a stir in the tunnel, and Jana spun Eric toward the opening.
“Stay where you are,” she ordered loudly, “or he dies. You can all wait there if you wish, but if you are smart, you will run away from here as fast as your legs will carry you.” She turned back to Carlos, scowling. “When Captain Salez and your soldiers arrive, you will command them to drop their weapons immediately. If you don’t, these two will die, and you will follow.”
Carlos met her eyes. “Fine.”
Jana looked around the chamber. “Now, everyone just stay quiet until—”
“Ow!”
Carlos turned to see one of the Worms kick his bare foot out, wincing. In the glare of the flashlight that was lying between them, Carlos saw a large beetle fly off. And then something worse.
