“Don’t blame Elizabeth for my desire to end my life,” I said. “I made those plans long before I met her.”
“It seemed like you were making new plans,” he said.
“Don’t say it,” I said. “Don’t tell me that I’ll meet someone new. I won’t.”
“You never know what will happen,” he said.
“But I do,” I replied. “It’s my life. Someone I love always dies, eventually, and I’m alone again.”
“It happens to everyone, mortal or not,” Talbot said. “You can’t stop it.”
“It’s not going to happen to me, not again,” I said. I’d been fooling myself, living in a dream world. It was time to finish it. Before that, I needed to apologize to Willow. “I’ll go talk to Willow,” I said, which seemed to satisfy Talbot because he finally shut up. I drove the Caddy, but left it about half a mile away from the house. I hiked to the lake.
I was over my head and I knew it, but that didn’t stop me.. When I entered the woods, the wind rustled through the trees, sounding like a shuddering sigh.
I ignored the warning and forged ahead. As I got closer, cold gray fog rose up out of nowhere and I remembered an old proverb that my mother always liked: “If it does not get cloudy, it will not get clear.”
The fog formed into hands, which is when I realized that it wasn’t ordinary fog. Gaston had become extraordinarily good at controlling the weather. And trying to kill me. The foggy hands wrapped around my throat and pressed down on my windpipe, effectively cutting off my breath and my ability to cast a spell.
I’d walked into this battle fully loaded, though. I didn’t have to speak to make magic work for me. I’d fastened the lodestone to the silver chain around my neck. If I could only reach it. I stretched out my hand and my fingertips made contact.
I was losing consciousness, but I summoned enough strength to evaporate the fog, and my breathing returned to normal. The magical attack was over, at least for the moment, and I finally relaxed.
I made a right and another right and the temperature dropped. It felt as though I was breathing in icicles, but I’d made it to the lake.
There was a large dark blot in the water a few feet from the shore, but I couldn’t make out what it was in the dark.
“Willow, is that you?”
No answer.
The object bobbed in the water and drifted closer until it was almost within arm’s reach.
“Nyx.” My name was a harsh croak, and it came from the dark blob in front of me.
“Flamma,” I said. The magic illuminated the shallows. I swore when I saw it wasn’t a blob at all. It was what was left of Jasper.
I waded out and pulled him to shore. I laid him gently on the ground. His arm hung at an impossible angle and something, possibly a water hag, had gnawed on his chin until she’d reached bone.
I took off my jacket to cover him, but he lifted his good hand weakly. “Too late for me,” he rasped.
His voice was fading so I bent to hear him.
“Need…to tell…you,” he said. “Alex…the water…Don’t…” But whatever he wanted to tell me was lost as Jasper died.
Chapter Thirty-Six
Jasper was gone. I closed his eyes and moved him under a copse of trees. There was nothing else I could do for him. But he’d said something about the water. A warning, but there was more.
“I know where they’re stashing Alex,” I said to myself. The sound of my own voice made my head throb, and I nearly lost the idea in the pounding of my brain.
I kicked off my Docs, socks, and jeans. Anything that would weigh me down was gone. My teeth clattered, and I shook with the effort to make it stop.
I’d reached the water’s edge, but I couldn’t bring myself to go in.
Willow appeared, almost as if she’d been expecting me.
“I am glad to see you,” I said. It was a ridiculous statement, considering I was naked, shriveled, and blue with cold.
She didn’t look enthusiastic. “I warned you before, Nyx Fortuna. It is not safe for you in my domain.”
“Just take me down there,” I said. “I know he’s there. What are you afraid of?”
She met my gaze and I realized her eyes were a lovely greenish blue. “Not everyone is indestructible.”
“Please,” I said. “It’s important.” I could go it alone, but the other naiads would be on me within seconds.
Her face went pale and I felt like a jerk. “Never mind,” I said. “I’ll go down there on my own.”
“You’d never make it,” she said. She gestured to me. “Come to me. Quickly!”
I waded into the water and was clasped in her strong slender arms. I had asked, but suddenly I wasn’t sure I’d made the right decision. Now I owed her not one, but two favors. As if reading my thoughts, she said, “In return, I ask that you tell no one that I’ve helped you.”
I started to say something but got a mouthful of water as she plummeted to the icy depths of the lake. I opened my eyes underwater. At first I couldn’t see anything, but as my sight adjusted, I spotted a murky glow. I soon lost track of how long I’d been in the water, and which way I’d turned the last few times.
At last, just as I thought my head would explode, our heads broke through the surface of the water. I gasped great lungfuls of air as I looked around.
“Where are we?”
“In the Driftless,” Willow said simply.
A subterranean river ran through the cave. The sound of water dripping down the walls of the cave was the only sound I heard. In the middle of the river, a stone structure rose out of the water.
The walls of the cave were decorated with bits of glass, painted figures, and other items embedded in the limestone, which I realized were fossils. I ran my hand along the wall.
The water was clear and I could see dark shapes, sleek and dangerous as sharks, swimming below. There was no way to get to the island in the middle unless I swam for it.
“I must leave you here,” Willow said. She trembled against me and I knew she was afraid of what was ahead.
I squeezed her hand. “Thank you.”
She swam away without looking back. I wondered how I would make it out without a bunch of naiads trying to eat me, but I’d worry about that later. I needed to find Elizabeth’s brother and then get both of them out of my life for good.
My feet touched the bottom and a thick mud squished between my toes. The water suddenly grew deeper and I began to swim.
When I came to the entrance of the labyrinth, I examined the carved letters above the archway more closely. It was definitely a magic spell, but not one I was familiar with. I put out a finger and traced the letters and a jolt went through my hand, up my arm, and to my heart.
I entered and found that the interior of the labyrinth was free of any water. The air seemed safe enough, although it was so cold I could see my breath.
I summoned a small flame for warmth and continued through the maze. There was a faint chuckle and then a voice whispered something, repeating the same word over and over. I strained to make out the word, but was unable to hear what the voice was saying. The cold became an icy tiger that sank its fangs into me and I waved my hands, trying to remember how to command the flame to grow, but I couldn’t.
I stared at the carved words above the archway. It either read ABANDON HOPE, ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE or BABY, I’M A FOOL FOR LOVE. Which might actually be the same thing.
I tried again, but couldn’t figure it out. My Latin sucked. A memory of my mother rushed into my head. We were sitting in a meadow somewhere. I must have been around seven or eight. I held a slate and a piece of chalk and was laboriously copying out letters as Mom watched. When I finished, she’d swept me into her arms and danced me around. She’d been so beautiful that even the butterflies had stopped to watch her. I missed her, missed being part of a family.
I dismissed the memory reluctantly. I couldn’t be distracted when I entered the labyrinth. As soon as I took the first step, I could sme
ll the magic. It smelled wrong, though. Not fresh and lemony and part of the natural world.
Magic was always there, always with us, at least according to my mother, but this magic was different. This magic smelled old and dark, like someone’s seldom-used basement. I stopped and sniffed again. Someone’s basement, that is, if they regularly stored something dead there. This magic smelled of blood, of fear, of pain.
I pushed it a little with my mind, testing the boundaries. It pushed back, hard. The dark magic was all around me, so thick that it was like a wall. I murmured a few words and punched a way through, but it was heavy going.
Was Alex there? I knew the answer lay somewhere in the labyrinth.
I pressed on, disoriented by the dark magic. I could taste it on my tongue whenever I breathed in.
The heavy stone walls closed in on me and then I heard a laugh. “ ‘Come into my parlor,’ said the spider to the fly,” a voice whispered.
This was bad, very bad and I suddenly doubted that I would find my way to the heart of the labyrinth without any help.
From behind me came the faint sound of someone calling my name. I stopped in my tracks. There was definite peril ahead, but if I turned back now, I might not get another chance at the labyrinth. I was woefully unprepared, though. The voice called out again. Willow. The note of worry in her voice decided it for me. I’d go back.
I had a phenomenal sense of direction, but I was dizzy with magic and didn’t know which way to turn. I needed to get the magic out of me before I exploded.
I knew it was time to get out, but my mind was blurry and I fought the urge to lie down and close my eyes. My legs had grown as heavy as stone and it took an enormous effort to kick one foot in front of the other.
Had I been there for minutes or hours, listening to that voice? I stumbled and fell. I lay there and a part of me knew I should get up, but I didn’t. I was no longer able to see clearly in front of me as my eyelids grew heavy. Finally, I gave in and listened to the voice. Sleep, it said. Sleep now. So I lay down on the cold stone floor and slept.
Just before everything went black, a familiar face appeared.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
When I came to, I was sprawled on a narrow cot in a candlelit room.
“Wake up, wake up, why won’t he wake up? Maybe I’m dreaming again.”
I cracked open bleary eyes to see a blond guy pacing. He was rake-thin, dressed in a threadbare pair of jeans and a holey sweater. The sleeves were pushed up to reveal a nasty scar that ran up his left arm. I recognized him from the photo, though.
He stopped to stare at me.
I stared back. “Where am I? What happened?” I asked. I felt as if I’d been beaten with a sock full of quarters or something. My ears and hands stung and I realized if he hadn’t found me, I’d have hypothermia. But something about it didn’t feel right. Was the whispering voice just a hallucination or the spell of a tricky magician?
“Questions, questions, he’s full of questions,” he replied.
“Alex, is that you?”
He reacted to his name, but not in the way I expected. He looked over his shoulder fearfully. “Did she send you?”
“No one sent me,” I said. “But obviously, someone didn’t want me to find you. Why?”
“Why? Why? Why?” he echoed. Was I dealing with a lunatic?
I sat up and the covers slipped down to my waist and I realized I was still naked. I looked around and saw clothes draped over a makeshift rack near the fire. We were in a room of about ten feet by ten feet.
“Can I borrow some pants?”
He nodded.
“Alex, how long have you been here?”
“School, school, I’m late for school,” he said in a singsong voice. He was batshit crazy, but who could blame him? He’d experienced more of the magical world than many mortals could take.
I tried again. “Alex, do you remember your sister Elizabeth? She sent me.”
He put a finger to his lips and went completely still, listening to something no one else could hear.
“She hunts,” he whispered. “But she won’t find me. Not here.”
Was he talking about a naiad or one of the Fates? I strained to hear. For a moment, nothing, and then came the sound of footsteps.
I motioned Alex to be quiet. I held my breath, but the footsteps receded and finally stopped.
I wrapped a blanket around me and checked to make sure my necklace was still around my neck. Just having it near me helped me regain a little strength.
“She’s a leech, sucking out all the good,” Alex said.
“Who are you talking about?”
“Don’t tell me that she’s fooled you, too,” he replied.
Bile rose in my throat. “You’re talking about a naiad?”
“Who else?” Alex had been raving earlier, but seemed more and more lucid as we spoke.
“How do you survive in here?”
He shrugged. “They bring me food sometimes. I try not to eat it, but sometimes I’m so hungry.” He gripped my arm. “Don’t eat or drink anything here.”
“Alex, we need to get out of here,” I said. “Can you make it?” How was I going to fight off the naiads and haul Alex back to the surface? He didn’t have the strength to swim on his own.
“Just watch your back,” he said.
“Do you know a way out, Alex?”
He ignored my questions. His face twisted with rage and pain. “I killed them.”
“Who?” I asked. “Who did you kill?”
He stared at me for a long moment. I assumed he was trying to make up his mind about me.
“My whole family. Car accident,” he said. “I was driving. I lost control.”
“I was nearly killed just the other day,” I told him casually. “In a car accident. But it wasn’t an accident at all. It was magic.”
He started to rock back and forth. “No one left. No one left. No one left.”
“Elizabeth is alive,” I said.
It took him a minute, but he snapped out of it.
“Elizabeth is dead,” he said. “They’re all dead.”
I shook my head. “No, she’s alive and well. I promise.”
“He told me they’d died. That they’d all died. That it was just him. Why would he leave me here?”
“I don’t know, Alex,” I replied. “I don’t know.”
I knew Elizabeth, didn’t I? She was a good person. Was it possible that she had been collaborating with Gaston in her brother’s kidnapping?
No, only a monster would leave anyone here. Gaston had been working alone, at least in that. My anger at her treachery lessened.
“Why did he trap you here?”
He gave me a look of cunning. “Don’t you know?”
I held on to my patience with difficulty. I was running out of time, and his vagueness wasn’t helping.
I shook my head. There were only a few reasons that someone would kill—jealousy, greed, or power.
“It’s a secret,” he said slyly. “Mother told me not to tell.”
“Your mother is dead,” I reminded him.
His eyes lost focus for a moment. “She still walks in the labyrinth,” he said. “She visits me. This is where she drowned, you know.”
“No, I didn’t know.” Another detail Elizabeth neglected to mention.
“He wants her to get me to tell the secret, but I won’t.”
“What secret?”
He stopped, listening for something only he could hear. “Shh,” he said. “She’s coming.” He grabbed my arm and led me to the entrance. “You have to go.”
“Come with me,” I urged.
“I can’t,” he said.
“Why not?”
“I can’t find the way out,” he replied. “I’ve tried. I made it to the water once, but then…” His body shook with fear.
“I’ll get you out of here,” I promised.
He gave me a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Others have said the same,” h
e said. “And now they are all dead.”
“I’ll let you in on a little secret,” I said. “I can’t be killed no matter how hard they try.”
How could Gaston have done this? Fury went through me at the thought.
“I can’t leave,” he said. “I’m trapped. The naiads won’t let me pass.”
“Let me worry about the naiads,” I said. “Let’s get out of here.”
He nodded and a glimmer of rationality appeared, but it was gone as quickly as it had come.
“Illuminate,” I said. I really didn’t remember my Latin, but a straightforward command worked just as well and would help discharge some of the magic.
A blue light appeared on the smooth marble wall and began to move in the direction I’d come from. I followed it.
I grabbed Alex and threw him over my shoulder. He was so thin that it wasn’t difficult to carry him.
As I walked, the smooth marble walls shifted and moved. A straight passage out became a dead end. Instead of reaching the exit, we headed deeper and deeper into the labyrinth. My heart rate accelerated as I thought of the possibility of wandering the halls forever, slowly going mad right along with Alex.
Then the whispering began.
“Don’t listen, Alex,” I commanded. I put him down, tore a strip of fabric off the bottom my shirt, and then shredded it into small pieces. I stuffed the small wad of cotton fabric into my ears and made Alex do the same. The whispering became a shout, but the fabric muffled the sound. My head cleared, but as we continued the walls and ceiling pressed closer and closer, narrowing until there was barely room for me to walk upright. Then the passageway opened up into an enormous chamber with four doors.
Which way should I go now? The faint blue light I’d summoned cast a shadow on the stone walls. I put Alex down to catch my bearings. There were rows of pillars, and a statue stood watch in the center. The god Poseidon clutched his trident in one hand. I looked at the statue carefully and noticed that the trident pointed to one of the doors.
When we left the labyrinth, a sea hag waited in the shallows. We reached the stone steps that led to the water. She let out a wail of rage and Alex flailed wildly. I had a hard time keeping my grip on him.
Strange Fates (Nyx Fortuna) Page 23
