I tried to deny what I was seeing, to tell myself even Octavia couldn’t be capable of such monstrous deviancy. Then it crouched down on its bulging, muscular haunches and I saw them: not one, not two, but three wild-eyed wolf heads, and enough teeth to make mincemeat of a dozen Cyclops. Terror spiked down my spine, as it levelled its demonic, hunting eyes with the entrance to our tunnel.
Cerberus. The beast’s name reverberated through my disbelief. Guardian of Hades.
This was a mythical beast of horror, and worst of all, I knew exactly what it was looking for. Me.
I flattened back against the uneven rock surface. It was dark enough to hide, but the creature snarling and shoving its saliva-streaming canines into the tight tunnel entrance seemed to have a heightened sense of smell. There was no way it wouldn’t catch our scent if we stayed where we were.
As though it read my thoughts, all three heads suddenly swung our way, competing for room in the narrow entrance way. Its scaly, enflamed nostrils pulsed repeatedly, searching to pinpoint the scent that was clearly driving it crazy. I pressed so hard into the rock behind me it began to cut into my back, and Unus’s breath became heavier and erratic. I could feel fresh beads of sweat breaking out across his thick shoulders, and hugged him close as a million thoughts rattled through my frantic mind.
I gritted my teeth. This had Cassius’s bruised ego written all over it, it didn’t seem logical that Octavia would allow someone of value to be ripped apart.
An eerie silence descended, and I willed my heart to pump more quietly, but it pounded on stubbornly. Unus was still, but his neck and shoulders were now dripping with sweat – if nothing else the creature had to smell our fear.
A gargle of victory suddenly escaped the beast’s wet jaws, and six blood-red eyes narrowed in our direction. I watched transfixed as it shifted its thick powerful body around to face us. It was so big it filled the archway completely, and its rough hair scraped the cold rock surface as it forced itself forward with a menacing snarl.
‘Unus, run!’ I whispered frantically, trying to inject some life into the Cyclops’s frozen limbs. But instead, and much to my horror, he pushed off the rock face and stepped forward as though to face the monstrosity. All three blood-eyed heads could clearly see us now, and its body slunk low like a big cat hunting its prey. Only this was no big cat, this was a mythical beast with the strength of seven dragons.
I kicked my legs and tried to slide down from Unus, I was no use glued to his back, and I still had speed and agility on my side. But he held me firm. I pulled harder, but he kept my legs tightly trapped to his back with his truck arms. Just as the panic escalating inside me threatened to explode he threw back his thick muscular neck, and let out a series of unfamiliar hoots and calls. It had to be a distress call.
Confused, I watched as Cerberus paused its advance and listened. A new, wild fury settled on its distorted faces and it reached out a clawed paw to swipe at Unus. The single blow sent us staggering back towards the cold rock, Unus’s shoulder taking the full impact of the collision. Taking swift advantage of his dazed state, I slid to my feet and ran around to distract Cerberus. I looked up into its malevolent eyes and, as if in confirmation that I was its intended prey, it licked all three pairs of its lips, slowly and purposefully.
I saw red. Blood-blistering, horror-hiked, adrenaline-angst red.
‘What?’ I screamed at the top of my voice. ‘You want to eat me? Well, I’m right here so come and get it, you pig-ugly, skunk-stinking, elephant-arsed excuse for a mutt! I bet you wouldn’t even know what to do with a ball if I had one!’
There was a moment’s silence and then the strangest noise filled the tunnel. It was an unfamiliar whooshing sound, coupled with a chorus of high shrieking that threatened to burst my eardrums.
‘Tal move!’ Unus roared, lurching towards me and using his heavy body to shield me against the opposite rock face. Then the whooshing and shrieking was all around us, mingling with Cerberus’s violent growls. It was the most terrifying cacophony of noise I’d ever heard, and I could do nothing but cover my ears and wait for the chaos to subside.
Finally, after what seemed like several minutes, an unnatural hush descended. When Unus finally stepped away to let me scramble out, I searched the gloom in fear, but the tunnel was completely empty. Puzzled, I looked up into the Cyclops’s inky blue eye. It was clouded with relief.
‘How, Unus?’ I whispered.
‘Unus play game. Unus do strix food call. Strix run. Dog stupid. Chase anything that run,’ he offered simply.
I reached out to embrace the Cyclops’s thick body. ‘Unus brave and clever,’ I answered, my voice laden with emotion. ‘Thank you.’
He patted my shoulder awkwardly, as though he were unused to being the object of affection.
‘Now Flavium,’ he concluded, reaching out and swinging me back up onto his back without waiting for agreement. I settled down gratefully, somehow less afraid of the shadows.
Apart from the occasional appearance of an empty laundry trailer, we were quite alone this time. The call Unus used had dispatched the strix on a full pack alert, and I relished the thought of Cerberus chasing them, wagging its ugly serpentine tail.
Within the hour, Unus began to slow his pace again, scanning the dark, dank walls and ceiling as if working out exactly what was above.
‘Are we near the Flavium, Unus?’ I whispered, feeling flutters of excitement in my stomach. I was aching to leave the darkness behind, and to find Max. I closed my eyes briefly. I couldn’t consider any alternative. The thought that he could be hurt, or worse, was too much. And as for Aelia and August … My chest tightened like a fist.
August was Octavia’s hand puppet by his own admission, whereas Aelia had inadvertently both gambled, and saved my life, within the space of a few short hours. She seemed to make a habit of it. I should hate them both, but the truth was I didn’t. Or couldn’t. I shivered and Unus patted my leg awkwardly, nodding into the darkness on the right.
‘Unus know drainage passage for waste. It’s quiet; we follow.’
He stepped up towards the wall, and reaching behind a small protrusion in the black rock face, pushed with all his strength. We were rewarded with a glimmer of dimmed light as a large, heavy door slid backwards, creating a narrow opening. He squeezed through the space with a little difficulty, and I swiftly followed.
Unus hadn’t exaggerated, the doorway led into a wide room littered with all types of waste, mostly excrement. It was better lit than all the previous passageways, but smelled foul. I fought the urge to gag, and watched as Unus pushed the hidden door back across the entrance, and took a circuitous path around the decaying matter. There was row after row of crude holes in the ceiling, dripping with putrid sewage, and I wondered briefly at a civilization that prided itself on being so technologically advanced, and yet still relied on such a basic drainage system.
I exhaled in relief when Unus selected a dark passageway at the back of the room. The rotten stench seemed marginally fainter because of the absence of raw waste drainage holes, and we trod cautiously down the long, insipidly lit tunnel. The green, mould-covered walls seemed to stretch on endlessly, and just when I was beginning to despair of ever reaching the holding cells, we arrived at a dead end.
Frustrated, I ran forward and pushed the solid wall. Had there been a rock fall? A low belly chuckle escaped from Unus, and I looked back at him in confused frustration. He had to know that every second counted.
He dropped his huge head to one side, and listened intently before reaching up above us. Then he grasped a concealed ledge and, using a couple of crude indentations set into the rock face as footholds, levered himself up into the darkness. There was complete silence. I looked around, forcing myself to consider my options if he failed to reappear, but none appealed. Then a strong arm reached down from above and, muttering a silent prayer, I let it scoop me up.
This passageway was different. It was better lit and ventilated, but there were no shadows
to hide our progress. I couldn’t decide which was worse – the strix-ridden black, or the flickering torchlight that left few places to hide.
‘Unus know cells,’ he whispered, ‘but always guards. Tal stay. Unus make safe.’
I put my hand on his thick arm to stop him, and he looked down in surprise. ‘I want to help,’ I returned softly. ‘Tal help Unus.’
For a moment the thickset Cyclops looked nonplussed, then a twinkle shone in his inky eye.
‘Tal stay close; watch Unus’s back.’
I nodded my agreement, and we moved stealthily into the brighter yellow light. In just a few minutes I might see Max, Aelia …and August. I clenched my fingers as tiny impulses of excitement fanned across my shoulders and down my spine. Partly because I need to focus, but mostly because the first two hadn’t triggered them.
Chapter Sixteen
There was no mistaking we were in the guttural underbelly of the Flavium now. Every facet of the structure reminded me of the original Roman Colosseum I’d studied growing up. And, from what I could recollect, that wasn’t a good thing. Although some Caesars had used the public arena to showcase gladiatorial strength and honour, it was the barbaric killings that made the Colosseum famous. Somehow, I couldn’t imagine Octavia had resurrected the ancient structure for noble purposes.
Somewhere in the distance a relentless drum pounded, and the air had a strange, sweetened odour, like old lavender. The walls here were made of bricks, not hard rock, and the torches burning high up the walls were much larger. Everything about this place was imposing, including the thick, dark wooden doors set into the walls at regular intervals. There were tiny grilles halfway up each, yet Unus indicated we should keep going. I didn’t question him. I’d had my fill of looking behind Octavia’s locked doors.
As we approached the end of the corridor a fresher breeze lifted my hair, and Unus’s careful tread slowed. We pressed close into the brick wall and, silently, I stole a glance around the corner. I caught my breath. Three human guards were standing outside the same number of doors.
‘The holding cells?’ I whispered in hope.
Unus nodded. ‘Unus see many doors. These with guards.’
I nodded quickly. It stood to reason Octavia would post sentries outside her prize prisoners. She had to be planning to use the Flavium to demonstrate that Prolet rebel insurgences would never be tolerated. I had little doubt there was a fate of nightmares awaiting their release into the arena. Well, she’d failed to factor me into that equation.
‘Do you think you could surprise them, Unus? They are bound to be armed,’ I whispered.
‘Guards not only ones,’ he returned unexpectedly, feeling inside the tied waistband of his loose tunic and producing a short, stubby axe. I was impressed. I had little doubt Unus could do more damage with this one, roughly made tool than the three guards put together.
‘Unus have present for Tal too,’ he added. I stared in curiosity as his hand emerged clutching something small. He unfurled his fingers, revealing my small catapult nestling in the centre.
A slow grin spread across my face as I picked up the unassuming piece of leather. ‘Unus, you’re a genius!’ I whispered in delight, watching him turn slightly pink despite the yellow, flickering light.
‘Unus take from Cassius’s pocket. Unus think useful.’
‘Better than useful,’ I answered, feeling in my pockets for the last of the darts I’d secreted from the medical supplies cupboard. ‘Now we can have ourselves an Arafel ambush!’
I counted under my breath before giving Unus the sign. I knew our plan was beset with flaws but there was no other way. It was only a matter of time before Cassius caught up with us, and I had no doubt Octavia intended us all to meet our end in the Flavium, in the most gruesome and public way possible.
‘I’m coming,’ I promised Max silently.
‘Bless you, Unus,’ I whispered, as seconds later, he rushed around the corner with a deafening roar, making the guards leap to their feet, their hands reaching for their Diasords. Thankfully Unus, despite his size, was too swift, seizing two of the guards around their necks and knocking their heads together so they slumped to the floor in an ungraceful heap. The third managed to retrieve his Diasord and brandish the weapon threateningly, while reaching behind his back with his free hand.
It was my cue. Taking aim, I rapidly counted to five and released. My aim was true and the small, sharp dart hit the unsuspecting guard in the back of his hand. He whipped his hand in front, shaking his fingers in shock as I ran in. It was enough, and Unus surged forward, knocking his Diasord to the floor. He pressed back against the wall in terror as Unus towered above him. I chuckled softly under my breath.
‘Where did you come from?’ he stuttered, the effect of the drug already taking hold. ‘Nothing lives down there, except nightmares.’
It was Unus’s turn to chuckle. ‘Maybe Unus one of them?’ he teased with a soft growl, leaning closely in to his face.
I stepped forward. ‘Who are you guarding?’ I demanded.
‘What’s it to you?’ the guard returned, looking me up and down with contempt. Unus growled, and it wasn’t the playful noise of moments before. He grabbed the guard, and held him up by the scruff of his neck.
‘Unus nice. Unus wait. But if guard stupid, Unus not nice. Unus not wait.’
The guard turned white and fumbled around his neck for a thick, stubby piece of metal, grooved at one end.
‘Place this in the locks and turn anticlockwise twice,’ he slurred, clutching at Unus’s giant fist wrapped firmly around his scrawny neck.
My heart thudded painfully as I slid the heavy piece of metal into the nearest door. With a bit of persuasion it finally turned, and the heavy door swung open revealing darkness beyond. I grabbed the torch from Unus and plunged it into the musty, dank cell. After a couple of seconds, there was movement from the back, accompanied by a deep groan.
‘What the …? I’ve told you already, I don’t know where Talia might be, I’m not a Prolet sympathizer, and for the love of Arafel, I have no idea how to translate that mouldy old book!’ Max’s angry, stressed voice echoed oddly in the muffled chamber.
Without waiting for further prompting, I ran into the darkness, and threw myself at the figure lying on a threadbare mattress.
Max’s protective warmth wrapped itself around me instantly, and I buried my head in his broad shoulder. I was suddenly flooded with guilt – guilt for blaming him for Eli, guilt for dragging him here, and guilt for not realizing he loved me more than he should.
‘Tal? Is that really you? For the love of Arafel … I thought, I thought …’ he whispered hoarsely into my hair, before pulling me to him in a furious hug.
I returned the pressure, and only released him when he winced.
‘You’re hurt?’ I dreaded his answer, yet knew we had to move fast. I couldn’t imagine a world in which Max wasn’t just Max.
‘I was going to ask the same of you!’ he whispered, stroking my hair, ‘and not really. Octavia just has … temper tantrums.’
I bit my tongue, and helped him up, sliding a supportive arm around his back as we walked slowly to the doorway. Unus had pulled the two inert guards next to the conscious one, and was watching them all with one large unblinking eye.
Max chuckled through a hollow cough. ‘You brought the Cyclops?’ he asked in wonder. ‘You really are the most extraordinary girl!’
‘Actually, Unus brought me,’ I corrected with a rueful smile. ‘I wouldn’t be here without him.’
In the better light I could see Max’s face was bruised and swollen around his right eye. He tried to avoid my gaze, but he was clearly suffering, and I blazed with a chemical heat. Gently, I reached out my fingertips to touch his injured face. He closed his eyes, and rested his cheek in my hand.
‘You came for me.’
‘Of course I did,’ I whispered, my voice rough with emotion. ‘We’re going home, Max. I just need to find Eli and Grandpa, and then we’re goin
g home.’
His eyes flickered open and he stared at me intently. ‘What about Aelia … and August? What about the Book of Arafel? Why are they so interested in it, Tal? What do they think it’s hiding?’
‘We’ll do what we can for Aelia and August,’ I answered avoiding eye contact, ‘but Pantheon is their home, not ours. And as for the Book … History has a lot to answer for … but I think I know how to stem Octavia’s interest once and for all.’
His frown was replaced with quick anxiety, as a loud crash resounded further up the corridor. It was followed by shouting and the sound of many heavy feet, running. I looked around frantically to spy one of the apparently unconscious guards clutching a small round disc in the fingers of his right hand. I didn’t need to be told what it was. Unus swiped at it but it was too late; the alarm had been raised.
‘Grab their weapons,’ Max hissed, snatching the device and crunching it under the heel of his leather foot strap.
Unus grabbed the two conscious men by the scruff of their necks, and pushed them up the wall. ‘Tell Unus way out. Unus not break necks!’
The small weaselly one who had raised the alarm pointed at one of the heavy closed doors. ‘There’s … an exit at the back of that room. It takes you up … up a round stone … staircase into … the main floor. Not guarded, but there are cameras.’
I stepped forward and pushed my newly acquired Diasord into his stomach. ‘If you are lying, Unus will come back for you. And he never forgets a face.’
The man turned a pale shade of green, before nodding vigorously. ‘I’m not lying. It’s the only route out, other than through the main tunnel.’
Unus wrapped his boulder hands around two of the guards’ necks until their faces turned purple, only releasing them as their legs started jerking uncontrollably.
Book of Fire Page 21
