by R D Martin
She gestured for William to continue, wishing they could move faster. She was starting to worry. If this was such an important night to Chryso, why only two guards? Even if he didn’t want the hired help to know about the sacrifice, with his money he could buy silence. She was so lost in her own thoughts she almost bumped into William when he pulled up short.
Pressing against his back, she closed her eyes, trying to hear whatever had made him stop. Off to her right, in the direction they should be going, a faint scraping sound like sandpaper rubbing against stone echoed down the hall, scratching at the back of her mind like fingernails on a chalkboard, though with much less squealing. The noise wasn’t consistent either as it started and stopped, started and stopped, again and again.
“Tell me you have more of those static bombs,” she whispered. William shook his head.
Taking a breath, glad she would not face whatever was down there alone, she prodded him to move, trailing him around the corner. William kept them pressed to the rough stone wall as tight as he could, hoping to catch by surprise whatever was making the sound.
As she rounded the bend in the corridor, what she saw took her by surprise. Instead of some large monster with slavering jaws and sharp claws, there was an old, squat woman in saffron-colored robes sitting in the middle of the floor. Her long silver hair fell in tight curls, each of which seemed to move and shift on its own as she swayed back and forth, making colorful chalk marks on the stone floor. With each mark, she mumbled over it before wiping it away as though it had never been. When the woman looked up, her face displayed her age in wrinkles on the cheeks and forehead, but the creases at her eyes spoke of years of laughter and love. Had they not been in an underground dungeon, this woman could be a grandmother waiting for her grandchildren. Even her voice was pleasant.
“Well, he was right again,” said the old woman, rising to her feet and dusting her hands. “This is just going to make him more insufferable. I don’t suppose there’s any chance I can convince you to turn around and go back, is there?”
“What are you?” William asked, as startled as Bella to see an old woman blocking their way.
“Well, how rude,” the woman replied, pressing her hands to the small of her back and stretching, popping vertebrae with a loud rattle. “You kids never seem to have any manners. I was just telling my sister the other day. Eury, I said, it’s just a shame about people these days. I mean, back when we were young, children listened to their elders and did as they were told. And if they didn’t, parents were well within their right to devour them. But today? No. Now it’s all about emotional sensitivity, doing your best not to hurt feelings or bruise egos. What’s the world coming to? You don’t mind if I stretch out a bit, do you? It’s just that keeping them tied up all the time causes my back to ache so.”
Bella watched as the old woman lifted and dropped her shoulders in an exaggerated shrug. As she did, the sound of tearing fabric echoed against the walls and two sets of wings, one below the other, sprouted from her back.
“Ah, that’s better,” said the woman with a relieved sigh. “Shame we can’t fly in here, but at my age, just knowing everything is in working order is nice enough.” Rubbing her shoulder as if trying to increase blood flow, the woman smiled.
“Ma’am, I, that is we, we need…”
“Are you sure you won't turn back? I’ll just let you go. Promise.” She reached up to draw a cross over her heart with a long black talon.
Wait, what? A talon? Bella squinted as much as she dared, trying to get a better look in the dim light. Either she hadn’t seen it before or the woman had changed, shifting into something different.
Before she could decide what to do next, the woman squawked and jumped at the pair, taloned hands and birdlike feet thrusting forward to impale them while her wings flapped behind to give her momentum.
Frozen mid-thought, Bella didn’t hear William shout and almost fainted when the bird woman crashed into a hastily constructed barrier. The same spell she’d used to push him away was now saving their lives.
“Bella, I could use some help here. Bella?”
“Oh, right.” Snapping out of her shock, she took a deep breath to shout her own spell but fell into a coughing fit before she could. Whether she’d just ignored it before or just hadn’t smelled it before, she didn’t know, but this close the fecal stench emanating from the woman assaulted her like it was a physical thing. It burned her nostrils and clogged her lungs, making breathing difficult.
“Bella,” William yelled. His watering eyes showed the stench affected him too.
The woman squawked and cursed as she scrabbled at the invisible barrier with sharp talons, trying to shatter it and get at them. Her onslaught seemed to be working, however, as William, face gleaming with a layer of perspiration, dropped to his knee.
Struggling to breathe through the stench, Bella yelled for him to drop the shield as she summoned her magic, forming it into a ball of crackling electricity.
The gleam in the bird-lady’s eye disappeared as the ball of arcing light hit her, tossing her feathered body back to bounce on the floor. Almost as fast as she hit, she was back on her feet, talons scrambling for purchase. Thin wisps of smoke rose from the tips of her wings, trailing behind her as she threw herself back into the fray.
Summoning power, Bella sent another arc of crackling electricity to intercept the bird woman. With a pained squawk, the creature stopped in midair, flapping her double set of wings to keep aloft, avoiding most of the blast. Curling her wings around herself like a feathery cloak, the monster dropped to the floor.
Shifting the stream of electricity, Bella watched in horror as the bird woman took the full blast without flinching. Sizzles and pops filled the air and smoke rose in small streamers as arcs of light slammed into blackened feathers, but still the bird woman refused to move.
“Keep her busy. I’ve got something,” Bella heard William say. He’d risen to his feet and begun patting his pockets. She could tell the attack had taken something out of him, but he was still in the fight.
Nodding, she fed the spell even more power and the stream of electricity traveling down the hall thickened, pushing at the monster even as she fought against it, digging her claws into the stone floor.
Just behind her, there was a series of dull popping sounds like microwave popcorn exploding in a bag. Unable to stop herself, she looked over her shoulder to witness William holding a small silver and black device in the palm of his hand. As she watched, he drew another rune on it, feeding it magic. The rune glowed to life and gave off more of the popping sounds before sinking back into the device.
A triumphant yell dragged her attention back to the fight. Distracted, she'd let the bird woman slip by and had to readjust her aim, stopping the woman just out of arm’s reach.
Concentrating on keeping the bird woman at bay, unwilling to give up any ground in the fight, she didn't see William until he ran around her, leaped in the air, and crashed into the bird woman. The two rolled on the floor, stopping as they hit the wall. If his plan had been to come out on top, he failed miserably. Straddling his chest, the creature raised a clawed hand to plunge into his throat.
Device clutched firmly in his fist, he plunged it toward her chest like a dull knife, contacting with a brilliant explosion of green light.
Twisting away to shield herself, Bella turned back to see the bird woman frozen in place, the tips of her claws inches from his neck and face. William, pinned beneath her, shifted a bit. In his doing so, the woman vibrated so fast she seemed to flicker and her clawed hands pressed forward a fraction of an inch.
In the quiet that followed, the only things Bella could hear in the hallway were the hum of the device in his hands and the pounding of her heart, and it would have been a close contest to determine which was louder.
“What did you do?” she asked, approaching the frozen combatants.
“Modified switch spell,” he said, though it sounded like he rushed the words. “Harde
r she tries to move, the slower she is.”
“So what do I do? How do I get you out?”
“Can’t. Got to keep her touching the stone.”
“So how do we…” Though she already knew the answer to her unfinished question.
“You need to go. I’ll hold her, but you need to go. Get the kids and get out of here. I’ll be right behind you. Promise.”
“But…”
“Go!” he shouted, causing the stone to slip just enough for the woman’s claws to slide ever closer. “You have to go now.”
Nodding, she stepped around the pair, keeping her eyes on the woman. She prayed he was telling the truth and not just trying to make her feel better. If he wasn’t, she’d raise his ass from the dead just to kick it.
“Oh, Bella? She’s not as light as she looks, so if you could hurry, please.”
Turning, she scurried around the bend, moving as fast as she dared. Alone, she shivered as cold fingers ran up and down her spine. Get them and get out. Get them and get out, she repeated to herself, though now she was thinking about more than just the children.
Chapter 26
The empty echo of her tennis shoes on the stone floor made her cringe for a moment, dreading the horde of monsters she was sure would come flooding down the hall with slavering jaws and wicked fangs. When none did, the twisting knot in her stomach loosened enough to let her breathe.
Checking the time, she saw she had less than fifteen minutes to stop the ceremony and rescue the kidnapped children. With no time left to be meek or quiet, she strode ahead, praying she was up to the task. Everyone else seemed to have so much confidence in her, so why shouldn’t she have it in herself?
Rounding the bend, she reached the first doorway since leaving William behind. It slid open to reveal a room filled with paintings, confirming her directions. That meant the next door, she thought as she continued her journey, should be… Pressing her ear to it, she heard sounds on the other side. William hadn’t ventured in, but he’d heard some movement. The more she thought of it, the more it made sense. If Chryso wanted to sacrifice someone, he’d keep them secure and nearby. What better place than in his underground dungeon?
Testing the handle, she was both surprised and more than a little worried to find it unlocked. Taking a breath, she eased it open, wincing as it scraped against its stone frame. Though the room inside was dimmer than the hall, she could still make out four figures. Three lay curled up on the hard stone floor, huddling together for protection against the fourth, who stood over them like the Colossus of Rhodes. With each shiver and movement of the children, Bella heard the clink and rattle of chains above their quiet whining.
“Is he ready for another one? I thought it would take longer,” the tall figure said, turning to face the door. The woman’s eyes widened and her words choked off as it took her a moment to register the stranger before trying to scream for help.
The moment was all Bella needed. Acting before she could think, she lunged across the room and drove her shoulder into the woman’s stomach, knocking the air from her lungs and cutting off her scream before it could start. The two figures went down in a tangle of arms and legs, each trying to gain the advantage as they fought.
Yanking the woman’s head, trying to bash it on the floor, she didn't see the hand slamming into the side of her head. Brilliant stars exploded in her vision, popping like fireworks, and her ears rang loud enough to drown out the frightened screams of the nearby children. Dazed, she almost didn’t feel the fist impact her head a second time.
Her hands, tangled in her opponent’s dark hair, loosened their grip and she rolled again, though this time the other woman came out on top.
Ears still ringing, Bella raised her hands and, pressing them against the woman’s ribs, yelled a word that could only be heard and forgotten as loud as she could.
As though grabbed by an invisible hook, the woman on top of her flew backward in a trail of green and white sparks. Slamming into the wall, she hung for a moment, arms akimbo, before sliding to the floor with a solid thump.
Pulling herself up, Bella shook her head to clear her vision. The ringing in her ears persisted, though it was fading into the background.
Turning, trying to ignore the sudden feeling of vertigo, she staggered across the room to the huddled children and dropped to her knees in front of them.
“It’s okay, it’s okay,” she said as they pulled back from her, whimpering even more. “I’m a friend, a friend. I’m here to get you out.” Scanning their faces, she could see the fear in their eyes. They'd been through so much, but the hope of rescue, a small ember, burned bright at her words. “These chains, is there a key? Where do they keep it?”
One child, the only one brave enough to move, pointed across the room to the crumpled woman. Of course, she thought, scurrying across to search her. In quick order, she was back with the children, fumbling with the locks to their chains. The children, desperate to be free of their shackles, pushed and shoved to be the first one undone.
“Samantha. Have you seen Samantha?”
There was a chorus of nods as the children, now eager to please, confirmed not only that they’d seen her but she’d been with them until just a few minutes ago.
Now free, the children grabbed on to her like a life preserver in the middle of an ocean. The stress of their confinement and relief at being rescued broke as first one, then all three began to sob. Unable to do anything else, she wrapped her arms around them, holding them tight.
“Okay, girls. It’s time we get out of here, don’t you think?” she said with a smile, forcing her voice to remain calm. She needed them to trust her right now.
Fumbling in her pocket, she pulled out the gold ring and, sliding it on, placed her hand against the wall to repeat the spell that had brought them here. The wall began rippling, but there was something wrong, something strange about it this time. It felt like she was pulling on one end of a rope while someone had let go of the other.
“What’s going on? What’s she doing?” the children whispered to each other.
She could hear not only the confusion in their voices but a rising tide of fear. They were expecting to leave through the door, but this, this was strange and maybe even too much for them to handle.
Pressing down her own rising frustration, she blocked out everything but the spell. Why was it not anchoring? She stopped and could have smacked herself for being an idiot. The ring had been anchored to Browser’s office, now a burned-out mess, and was trying to connect to a place that existed no longer. It needed a new anchor, but where? Not her apartment, nor William’s either. Then the thought struck her and an evil grin spread across her face.
Karina always said she wasn’t allowed to turn away someone in need.
Concentrating on the end point of the ring’s spell, she anchored it to the food kitchen. Hoping the restroom was empty, she watched as the wall flowed like water on a disturbed pond before calming, revealing a door where none had been before. Anyone in there would be in for a surprise when three little girls stepped through the wall, but walking out wouldn’t raise an eyebrow. Karina would take care of them, call the authorities and whatnot, and authorities would write their rescue story off as trauma.
“Okay, girls. Let’s go,” she said, turning around. The children had shrunk back from the portal, pressing against the wall and unsure if their rescuer was just that. “No. It’s okay. See?” She waved her hand through the portal, showing them it was empty.
Their fear of being left in the dungeon outweighed their fear of the portal. Hesitant at first, they moved forward, pressing each other to be the first to go through. Finally one girl, braver than the rest, passed her hand through. Encountering nothing but air, she squeaked and with a mad rush, ran through. Like she’d opened a sluice gate, the other children flooded through behind her.
With the children on the other side, Bella breathed a sigh of relief, though she was disappointed Samantha wasn’t among them.
; A movement from the corner of her eye caused her to twist just in time to keep the fist flying at her head from knocking her unconscious. As it was, the impact made her legs turn to Jell-O and sent her tumbling to the floor. The children’s guard was back on her feet and, face contorted in a rictus of anger, swooped down toward her head.
A jerk on her thick braid snapped her head forward as she felt herself dragged across the floor. Scrabbling, she tried to find purchase, but was caught in her attacker’s momentum. Passing through the doorway and into the hall, the woman only slowed long enough to kick open another door and drag her in.
“They’re gone,” she screamed over her shoulder, releasing Bella to flop to the floor.
“What? What are you doing here? What are you talking about?” The voice was unmistakable and caused an icy grip to squeeze her heart.
“The children, they’re gone. Escaped.”
“What!” This time the roar was less outrage at the interruption and more uncontrolled anger. “Find them. Bring them back. Now.”
Through her tears, Bella could see the woman nod and sprint out the door, disappearing into the corridor. Through the pain in her head and battered sides, she could still feel herself smile. Karina would never let that woman have them. They were safe, though she couldn’t say the same about herself.
Chapter 27
Rolling over, Bella pushed herself up and looked around. The soft glow of hundreds of tallow candles lit the room, filling it with dancing shadows. William’s short description of the room hadn’t done it justice. Large enough to hold a hundred or more people, the room felt more like a temple than a dungeon. Fluted columns were carved into the walls on either side of her and painted a pearl white. Between each pair was a bas relief depicting different monsters, though she only recognized the snake-headed Medusa.
