Briar Rose

by Jana Oliver

Unknown.

  With the fata as escorts, they wound their way further down into the well and eventually halted in front of a solid wall. Reena’s fata waved a hand in front of the stone and it melted away, revealing a wooden door. Once they were through the portal, the wall sealed behind them. She heard the rush of water as the well refilled, putting the entrance beneath its chilly surface.

  Clever. There was no way the guards could get to them now.

  The hallway in front of them was tunnelled out of rock and warmer than she’d expected. Since the fata didn’t strike her as miners, Reena wondered if someone else had built them. Maybe they weren’t the only ones who lived underground.

  Along either side of the hallway were exquisitely carved flowers attached to the walls, each petal providing a muted source of light. Though there was no breeze, they moved of their accord. When Reena reached out to touch the closest flower, her fata swiftly pulled her back.

  Only for us.

  ‘What happens if I touch one?’

  You are no more.

  Reena lowered her hand to her side. ‘Thank you.’ Unsure if Pat had heard that bit of news, she relayed it to him, and received a grunt of acknowledgement.

  He must really be hurting.

  Eventually they entered a large chamber, an open space filled with black earth and high humidity, like a botanical garden. The same flowers grew on the walls here, but higher up, beyond her reach. Some of them were dark and shrivelled as if they were dead.

  When they are gone, we are no more, the fata said in her mind, its violet eyes peering up at her.

  ‘You eat them?’

  A shake of the head. We gain life from them. We are not meant to be under the earth. We are not of that kind.

  ‘Then why are you down here?’

  The drazak hunts us. We are safer here. For now.

  ‘What is a drazak? Is the regent one of those?’

  Yes. She is an earth dweller.

  ‘Why does she hate you guys?’

  We are not of her kind.

  Which wasn’t very helpful, but Reena let it pass for now. At least now she knew that the regent was something other than human.

  They were led to a bower, one comprised of soft ferns and delicate flowers. Reena found herself wondering where those had come from. Did they grow down here?

  As she gingerly took a seat, Pat held back.

  ‘What’s going on here?’ he asked, his jaw clenched. He had beads of sweat on his forehead and he was still clutching his arm.

  ‘You’re hurting, aren’t you?’ she said. He gave a nod. Reena patted the ferns next to her. ‘Park it, dude.’

  He did as she asked, his frown deeper now.

  ‘Let me see it. I took first aid, so maybe I can help,’ she said.

  With great effort Pat gradually moved the arm away from his chest, still steadying it. She carefully stripped off his torn shirt and wasn’t surprised to find his chest was sculpted with classic six-pack abs. She hadn’t expected any different from someone like Pat: image was everything to him.

  ‘You work out, don’t you?’ she asked, trying to find some common ground.

  ‘Yeah, why?’

  The trick was to keep him talking so he wouldn’t notice the pain as much.

  ‘How much can you bench press?’

  ‘Two twenty.’

  ‘Not bad.’ She did a cursory examination. ‘Well, cheer up: no bones are sticking out. That’s a good sign.’

  ‘You’re not funny.’

  ‘Wasn’t trying be,’ she retorted. Feeling along length of the arm she knew she’d found something when he flinched.

  ‘Stop that – it hurts!’

  ‘Wow, you’re a weenie,’ she said. When he gaped at her, she shook her head. ‘Just kidding. I know it hurts like a bitch.’

  ‘How would you know that?’ he challenged.

  ‘I was in a car accident and broke my arm in two places. Luckily they gave me the really good drugs or I would have screamed myself hoarse.’

  Pat let out a lengthy breath. ‘Wish I had some of those now.’

  Which told her this was hurting like a bitch.

  Reena examined the area more closely and found the skin was darkening – evidence of bleeding underneath the skin. It was a pretty good bet he’d snapped a bone during the tumble into the well.

  ‘Looks like it’s toast,’ she said. ‘Sorry. We can make a splint and—’

  The light touch of a fata made her turn.

  We will help.

  ‘I’m not sure about this,’ Pat began. Apparently he’d finally begun to hear the creatures’ thoughts as well.

  ‘Let’s see what they can do for you. Briar trusts them – we should do the same.’

  A huff was his only response.

  The fata moved closer, looked up in Pat’s face and then nodded to itself.

  You do not believe in us. You do not trust your eyes.

  ‘You’re right,’ Pat said, then frowned. ‘This is a bunch of crap, like one of Briar’s fairy tales.’

  Tales have a purpose. They teach. They give joy. They warn.

  ‘Just do whatever you’re going to do and get it over with.’

  The fata, a female as far as Reena could tell, carefully laid her dainty azure hand on Pat’s arm and began to sing. A shimmering melody filled with half- and quarter-notes came forth, like the marriage of a harp and a flute. The other fata picked up the song and soon Pat’s eyes began to blink. He yawned, loudly, and Reena gently laid him back on the bower as he fell asleep. The song trailed off and ended on one long note.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘At least he won’t feel the pain now.’

  Sleep. It is best for all. We will tell you when it is safe to leave.

  That did sound good. There wasn’t much they could do for Briar or Joshua. When they woke, if Pat was feeling better, they’d try to find their friends and go home.

  Reena curled up in the bower, inhaling the relaxing scent of the leaves. Her aches began to disappear one by one, and she wondered if the same was happening to the guy next to her. Her worries wouldn’t disappear as easily. What would happen to them if Briar died inside the curse? Would the three of them wake up in their beds? Or would her death destroy them all?

  A nervous twitch rolled through her muscles, as if she was being watched. Opening her eyes, she thought she saw something grey in the shadows of the cavern above. Then it was gone.

  Reena drifted off to sleep, lulled by the conversation of the fata around them. On the edge of her mind was the suspicion that her trust was misplaced.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  As they were marched out of the rear of the castle, Joshua kept shooting glances at Briar. The blood had dried on her cheek, but her eyes told him she was still frightened. He wanted to take her hand, even though they were both bound, but he dared not. The curse might pass back to him, and all those years of distrust and hostility between their families would finally come to fruition.

  But what if the curse did revert to him? If Briar were free, maybe she’d wake up in Bliss, all safe and sound. Then Reena could get the rest of them home.

  And on his sixteenth birthday . . .

  I’ll be dead. That was the one flaw in his plan.

  ‘Better uses for a wench than the pit,’ one of the guards muttered.

  ‘You saw her magic. You touch her and you know how it’ll end,’ another said.

  ‘It’d be fun for a while,’ the man jested.

  The leader kept them moving along until they reached an open stretch of ground near the rear wall of the fortress. Unlocking a metal gate they entered an area that supported no plant life, not even a weed. Its only feature was a gaping hole.

  The pit.

  As they walked closer, Joshua did a quick survey: he calculated about thirty feet from the edge of the pit to the wall behind them, where a lone man stood guard. Was he there all the time, or did he walk along the wall at regular intervals?

  When Joshua was inches away from
the hole, his boot sent a small cloud of soil over the edge. He peered downward, figuring there’d be a tiger or a bear prowling around at the bottom. Instead there was a pile of dirty rags, but nothing else.

  A crude rope ladder was dropped over the edge, shaking loose some of the shale. After Joshua’s bonds were cut, the poke of a sword in his back encouraged him to make the journey deep into the earth.

  He didn’t dare leave Briar alone with these guys. ‘Ladies first,’ he said.

  ‘Go on, lad,’ the leering guard replied. ‘She’ll be down soon enough.’

  Briar’s eyes widened as if she’d suddenly realized there was more danger here than just the pit. When she stepped towards the ladder, the man grabbed her arm. ‘No reason to hurry. I’ll keep you company.’

  ‘She goes first,’ Joshua repeated. ‘Or someone is going to get hurt.’

  That only earned him laughter, but to his relief the senior guard interceded. He sliced Briar’s bonds and pointed. ‘In with you, girl. Make it quick.’

  She descended with considerable haste, which set the guards laughing.

  ‘Look at her. She won’t be coming back up that fast.’

  ‘So what happens here?’ Joshua asked. ‘Do we starve to death or what?’

  The leader shook his head. ‘Nothing that painless, boy,’ he said solemnly. ‘Go see to your girl. It’ll be dark soon.’

  ‘And then?’

  The man’s eyes betrayed unexpected pity. ‘Then the metal will reign.’

  His teeth clenched, Joshua climbed down the twisty ladder. The moment he touched the earth floor the ladder was pulled back up. Their captors didn’t hang around, but headed off into the castle, joking back and forth.

  Now that he was below ground, he examined the sides of the pit more closely to discover it had been dug out of shale, which was sharp and brittle. Not ideal for climbing – especially since he had no gear – but not impossible if he was very careful. Joshua had some experience free soloing, so if the rock would hold his weight he might be able to do it. All they had to do was be patient until it was dark, then escape when the sentries would be less likely to see them. Once up on the surface, he’d toss down the ladder and Briar could be free as well.

  This feels too easy. What am I missing?

  Briar sank to the ground. ‘This is bad, isn’t it?’ she said, her voice quavering.

  ‘Sort of. At least nothing’s trying to eat us,’ he said. Yet.

  ‘I thought she was going to make you like Ruric.’

  He looked over at her, hearing her concern and not understanding why she would care. ‘You have any idea why that didn’t happen?’

  Briar shook her head. ‘This . . . nightmare is familiar,’ she admitted. ‘I think some of it’s from my own imagination, but where did the regent come from? I must have dreamed her up. Same with the fata.’

  ‘Or it’s a blend of your mind and whoever created the curse in the first place,’ Joshua suggested. When Briar didn’t respond, he sat on the opposite side of the pit from her, always careful to maintain his distance.

  She noticed and the frown was instant. ‘Can we give it a rest? Our parents aren’t here,’ she said. ‘Enough with the hate, OK?’

  ‘No hate, it’s just best not to get too friendly. It’ll make it harder when we get home.’

  ‘If we get home,’ she replied. ‘And, if we do, my mom is going to owe me big time. I’ll make her tell me who did this to me.’

  Should he just admit it and get it over with? Not yet.

  ‘We’ll be OK,’ he said.

  Briar shook her head. ‘Nice try, but I’m not buying it. Ruric is going full metal, and Pat and Reena are hurt or . . . dead.’

  ‘Pat die? Are you kidding? That ego of his wouldn’t allow it. Besides, Reena will watch out for him.’

  Briar’s gloom lifted a bit. ‘If she doesn’t kill him first.’

  ‘There is that.’

  ‘He really did nail you,’ she said, pointing at his bruised cheek.

  ‘Yeah,’ he said, touching it gingerly. ‘But I got a few hits in myself.’

  ‘You know, our new home sucks,’ she said, gesturing around now. ‘No food or water, no cable. Worse, no toilet. This really blows.’

  He couldn’t help but laugh. Was it his imagination or was that defiance in her voice now? A different girl emerging out of the shell of the old one, someone who had no choice but to stand on her own because Mrs Rose wasn’t running interference this time.

  Neither is my mom. For once they could be themselves.

  He pointed at a series of marks on the stones. ‘I wonder what those are for?’

  ‘Prisoners keeping track of how many days they’re down here before they—’

  ‘Escape,’ he cut in. ‘Possible.’ Still, that didn’t seem right, not with the slashes reaching almost all the way to the top of the pit.

  Briar peered upward. ‘Why isn’t there a guard up there? What keeps us from getting out?’

  ‘Nothing. I’ve done some rock climbing. Once it’s dark I’ll go first and toss down the ladder to you. Then we’ll have to figure out how to sneak out of the castle.’

  Briar shook her head. ‘No, then we find Ruric.’

  ‘He’ll just turn us in. He’s one of her soldiers now.’

  ‘I want to know that for sure before we take off.’

  ‘Briar, he—’

  ‘I owe him, Joshua. I can’t leave him here to die.’

  He sighed at her hard-headedness. ‘Well, at least Pat isn’t around to give us any grief. It’s just the two of us.’

  Briar weighed that last statement and apparently wasn’t happy with it. ‘This isn’t a date, you know.’

  ‘I’m not saying it is, but if I had to be stuck in a deep pit with anyone, you’d be my pick.’

  ‘That’s such a lie. Until the other day, you couldn’t stand to be near me. It’s like I’ve got the plague or something.’

  ‘That’s not true.’

  ‘Yeah, right. So why did you give me the charm bracelet?’ she asked, her voice rising. ‘That completely violated the Thou Shalt Not Go Near That Rose Girl rule.’ Not that her family was any different when it came to him.

  ‘I know, but I’ve always thought you were cool,’ he said. ‘I wanted to give you something and Reena said you’d like the bracelet. She said I should try and be friends with you.’

  Really? ‘That doesn’t explain why your mother told you to stay away from me.’

  Joshua clenched his teeth and held his silence, probably hoping she’d back off or change the subject.

  ‘Come on, just tell me,’ she persisted. ‘Why was it so important that we don’t share the same airspace? What is your mother worried about?’

  He began to dig in the dirt with a piece of shale, but didn’t answer.

  Briar sank back on to the ground, trying to get a read on the guy. This felt really important, so she came at it from a different angle. ‘We used to hang together all the time. We were friends, Joshua. We played together, even held hands. Until after you almost died.’

  He looked up at her now and she could see the worry. She was getting closer to the truth.

  ‘Why did you try to save me that day?’ she asked. ‘You couldn’t swim that good, not then at least.’

  ‘I was too young to know I could die,’ he replied. ‘Six-year-olds are immortal, you know.’

  ‘Yeah, until they’re not.’ Briar shuddered. He was staring at her now, no doubt reliving the scene in his own mind just as she was.

  ‘I remember you squeezing my hand so hard it hurt,’ she said. ‘And then . . . I felt when you . . .’

  ‘Don’t say it!’ he snapped.

  ‘Why not? You died, Joshua. We both know it. But how did I feel that? How could I know the second you stopped breathing?’

  He shook his head. ‘We were kids. It was scary. That’s all.’ He was rushing his words now, as if trying to hurry past a bad memory. Or deflect her from the heart of matter.

&
nbsp; ‘No, it was more than that,’ she said, softer now. ‘I was still holding your hand when they pulled us out. I wouldn’t let go until my dad made me. I cried so hard, but they wouldn’t let me near you, even after they’d put you in the ambulance.’

  Joshua’s face was paler now, two crimson spots resting on his cheeks.

  ‘I should have let you go when I died,’ he said. ‘This is my fault.’

  ‘This?’ Briar leaned forward. ‘What do you mean?’

  He shook his head, refusing to answer. Rising, she walked to within a few feet of him and then sank on her knees. Their eyes met and she could see dread in them.

  ‘Why won’t you touch me, Joshua?’

  No reply, but his eyes still held hers. She was so close.

  ‘Am I so . . . gross . . . you can’t stand the thought?’

  He gasped, as if something had cracked deep inside him.

  ‘No, it’s not you. It’s the curse,’ he said.

  Curse? ‘I don’t understand.’

  ‘My mom . . . believes that if I touch you . . . it’ll come to me.’

  ‘What? How did she know I had it?’

  ‘Because it used to be mine,’ he said, his voice so quiet it was difficult to hear him. ‘That day I died in the river – the curse moved from me . . . to you.’

  As if touched by a live wire, Briar shot her feet. ‘You cursed me?’

  ‘Yeah,’ he said, looking away now. ‘I didn’t do it on purpose. I guess it thought it didn’t need to be inside me any more, didn’t have to wait until I was . . . sixteen to kill me.’

  ‘Sixteen? That’s why I was supposed to die on my birthday, because you were?’ He gave a weak nod. ‘What did I ever do to you?’

  ‘Nothing,’ he replied. ‘Oh God, nothing. I swear I never meant to hurt you.’

  Joshua pulled his knees to his chest, wrapping his arms round them. ‘I didn’t even know I’d been cursed until after you fell asleep. Mom never told me.’

  His mother never told him. Did she really believe that? Now that she looked back, she could. Her mother hadn’t told her the truth, either.

  ‘So you’re the reason I’m in this hellish nightmare. In this pit?’ she said, waving her arms around. ‘You!?!’

  ‘Me,’ he said quietly. ‘It’s all my fault.’