by Adria Eustis
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
JANINA
October, Year of the Pearl Acacia
After the village, Nina and Cain came across steep cliffs with no way around but to climb up.
“You got to be kidding,” she said.
“Don't worry, I won't let you fall.”
“Course not,” she mumbled under her breath.
The rocks were jagged and sharp against her skin as she climbed. She glanced up, it seemed like the top was light-years away. Her arms were aching from heaving her weight on to ledge after ledge. Cain was below her, not even breaking a sweat.
“This was a bad idea,” she called.
The surfaces were still wet, the feel of cold water made her think of slipping every time she reached up to the next crack. Her footing shifted every so often as small pebbles rolled out beneath her boots.
“You're doing fine,” he said.
“Fine? I'm practically hyperventilating here.”
Her arm grazed against a pointed edge, she hissed in pain.
“Its not that bad, this is beginner stuff.”
“Beginner?!”
Adrenaline surged through her veins, every step was gamble if she'd live or die. She looked down, stupidly, she was around half way. Cain moved closer, holding on to horizontal crack with one hand.
“Why did I look down?” She gulped, coming to a stand still.
“Don't like the view?”
“Hate the view.”
“Its a good view from where I am.”
“If I make it to the top, I'm pushing you off for that.”
He flashed a barely-there cheeky smirk, she pulled her eyes away, the sight of the ground behind him made her dizzy. Cain moved even closer, placed a hand on her waist, helped her along.
“I got you,” he said.
Nina hoisted herself up faster. The quicker she went, the less time to think of the consequence of falling. A gust of misty wind pushed against her side blowing dust into her eyes.
“Can't see.” Nina froze, trembling. Deathly afraid of falling. In the darkness she saw Eri's crying face, crying because she'd failed her.
“We're almost there,” he said.
“I can't do it. I hate heights, why'd you make me do this?”
“If you don't move, I'll be forced to hold on to you all night.”
If I do move, will you hold on to me anyway? She wanted to say it aloud. But didn't. Blinking away the grit, eyes watering, she battled on. Nina hoisted herself up over the top of the cliff, Cain pushed her upwards, hand on her lower back. Crawling, she got as far away from the edge speedily and kissed the rocky surface.
“Wasn't that bad,” Cain said.
She panted in a heap whilst he swigged water and looked un-phased.
~
Seagulls squawked and there was sea-salt in the air. Nina felt more nervous in these new parts.
“I hope we don't run into Astra, she's around the beach somewhere.”
“Who's that?”
“She's really good at astral magic, and she doesn't like me at all.”
“Let's hope not then.”
Atop the high terrain was covered in all sorts of wild flowers and bushes, they passed a hole in the ground and Cain kicked pebbles down it that went on forever. The look on his face made her think he was going to make her go down there too.
“Not going to happen.” She tapped her foot, tilted her head to get a better look of his buns as he bent over, peering into the mouth of the hole. I'm eyeing up a murderer. I mean, I know I'm kind of a killer too, but that's different. He's something else. What's wrong with me?
“We'd need a rope, a very long one, and somewhere to tie it.” He glanced around and frowned, nothing but colourful petals.
“Or we could not go down the damn hole at all.”
“There could be a weapon down there.”
“There could plenty of weapons over that way.”
Nina gawped at a gooseberry bush in the distance. “Yum,” she said, trudging through grasses to get her meal.
Cain joined her beside the bush and pulled off a few berries to eat. “Nina,” he said, “I hate that you look at me and see a demon.” He placed a berry against his lips, before pushing it in, stared out to a stretch of grey sky. Hunkering down he gripped his hands together and bit into them.
“That bothers you? I thought people like you enjoyed the notoriety, isn't that why you handed yourself in when the camera crew arrived?”
“I can't explain that now. But can you do something for me?”
“What is it?”
“Suspend your hatred for me, until I can explain.”
“I don't hate you.”
“That's not what your eyes say.”
“What would you care anyway if I did? You don't even know me.”
“I want to know you.”
Nina felt woozy, his words left her breathless.
“Fine,” she said, “I won't hate you for a while.”
As soon as Cain had picked himself and started walking back to his precious hole in the ground, she allowed herself to smile the smile of the first day in spring. He chucked in more stones, and pricked his ear to it's destiny.
“Maybe there's another way in, a cave around the beach somewhere.”
“I don't want to go on the beach, she'll be waiting for me there.”
“I'm not afraid of a little girl, Nina, have some faith.”
Faith, funny thing. By now she'd lost all her faith in humanity, that was for sure.
~
Nina was pleased that there was no light-house in sight as they crossed the dull beach. Hopefully Astra was far, far away.
“Over there,” Cain said, pointing at a black circle on far-off cliff face.
Inside the cave, Nina used the damp rugged walls to guide herself through. Cain held the torch and went in front. Every corner they turned iced her skin even more than the last. The darkness behind her was filled with worries and unseen monsters. Bats chattered, water dripped into shallow pools. It was a cavernous dungeon of stalagmite cages.
“I don't like it here,” she whispered. Nina held her info-pad close, urging the yellow circle to stay yellow. Her other hand hovered over the rifle that protruded from her backpack, ready to whip it out if the torch-light hit a face.
Cain shone the torch everywhere, leaving no loose rock unturned, just what exactly was he looking for? Did he want to amass a huge collection of the best weaponry before reeking havoc on the island? He'd already taken her ornamental bomb. To trust or not to trust? Nina gasped, a hand shot to her mouth. “Bridget.”
“Wait. Wait,” she said, pulling over to the side, her back sliding against the slick, slimy wall.
“What is it?”
“My friend, Bridget.”
Cain joined her gazing at the info-pad.
“Bridget #40, Davie, #02, Regulus, #11,” the screen read.
“No, no, no, not Bridget, not Davie, when did Davie even get on the island? It must be another Davie.. oh no.” It wasn't another Davie.
Half a head of black shaggy hair hung over a thin, menacing face. Hollow eyed the young man stood tall and proud on top of a toppled statue of mermaid. A long leather coat drifted behind him in the breeze. A black tattoo of a ram's skull adorned his half shaven head.
“A trickster, judging by the marking,” Cain said.
Bridget and Davie sat on the remains on a falling wall, embracing each other, happiness spread across their faces. They seemed unaware of the stalker behind them.
“What exactly is a trickster?”
“Gifted powers from the god of fear, they can make you see your worst nightmares. Inject you with the most bone-chilling dread you ever suffered. Drive a person insane. Maybe you shouldn't watch this.” He tried to pull the pad away, but she tugged it back.
“You're wrong, and there's two of them, one of him. They're going to kick his butt.”
“Nina, give it to me.”
“No!” She snatch
ed it away, turned her back and cowered over the screen.
Regulus sat down on the statue, his deep-set eyes were an unusual shade of dark red. In the foreground, Bridget brushed her hand through her red curls, planted a kiss on her lover's lips. Davie reached out, entwined his fingers around hers. It was beautiful to see them finally touch without the chain-mail fence coming in between. Bridget leaned her head into his shoulder, sucked in a big breathe and exhaled out slowly. A loving smile crossed her rosy cheeks, for a second or two, before shattering into a stern line. Her hand ripped from his and bolted to her feet. Spinning in circles, Bridget appeared to be screaming. Shrieking like a banshee. In every direction her glare darted, as if she were surrounded by demons. Davie tried to console her, grabbing at her, shaking her. Bridget tried to run from him, frantically shoving him away, kicking at his shins. Moving backwards, she tripped and landed on her knees. Her backpack was ripped open with inhuman strength, when she stood up she gripped a dagger in her hand. Davie's eyes widened in shock. He appeared to be yelling at her to stop. But the look on his face said that he didn't believe she was capable of doing what he feared she might do. Bridget plunged the blade into her boyfriend's chest. Out she ripped it, and again she stabbed him, again and again.
“Bridget... Davie...” Nina's hands jittered, a tear dropped down the screen.
“Bridget Bryant, 1/50, Regulus Quinn 4/100 – Davie Plius Martyred.”
Nina couldn't take her eyes away, refusing to believe the world was this crazy. It had to be faked, it had to be. She waited for the rerun, lips quivering as she sobbed.
“They were in love,” she whispered, “they should have gotten out of here and lived happily ever after.”
Cain's hand on her shoulder was a sudden fizz of heat in the freezing cold labyrinth. The rerun did not play. Instead she saw what happened next.
Bridget, plagued by Regulus' curse of fear, came back around to herself. After seeing what she'd done. Nina watched briefly through the little slit of vision that she gave herself, as Bridget sank her dagger into her stomach and lay down to die with her sweetheart.
“He made her kill Davie, he made her...”
Cain pulled her close, his body rubbing warmth into her shivering shoulders. Murky water soaked their knees as he held her tight in his strong arms. Her tears leaked down his shirt and his chin brushed against her hair.
“I'm sorry I couldn't save your friends,” he said. “but I won't let him hurt you. I won't let anyone hurt you. That's a promise.”
And that promise meant the whole world to Nina. Ever since Dederick came to rule, when she was just a ten year old child, Nina had been the one making those kinds of promises. Hers were sincere, and though Cain looked so mean, the way he spoke to her was full of truth.
Kneeling in the dark entwined, minutes passed, her subsiding sobs mimicked by the walls of the long passageway. She eased him away from her and managed to stand.
“Let's keep moving,” she said, walking ahead so that he wouldn't see her reddened face.
~
“Doesn't look like anyone else has come this far,” Cain said, “the ground hasn't been disturbed since that fork we passed about half an hour ago.”
“No one else is weird enough to want to come this far.”
“I'm not weird, I'm thorough.”
“We're probably lost. And if you think I'm going back to explore all the different ways we missed, you've got another thing coming.”
“Maybe tomorrow.”
“Maybe never.”
Cain sighed, “At least in here, we're not running into trouble.”
“In case you didn't notice, I signed up for this place to get myself home. You might not have anything to rush home to, but I do.”
“What?”
“What?”
“What do you to rush home for?”
“My kid sister is dying.”
He stopped, peered at his shoulder, “Sorry.”
“So if you don't mind, I'd like to get out of this rabbit hole and carry on with my battle.”
“I do mind.”
“Well..” She was stumped for words.
“Be patient Nina, I'll get you home.”
The cavern went on for so long that she was sure the air was running out. They came across a large open area, bats eyes blinked at them. Shielding her eyes, she looked up at the ceiling, the sunlight wasn't that bright, but being in the darkness for so long, made it dazzling.
“Looks like the hole we were looking down from,” Cain said.
He shone the torch around the area, Nina reeled backwards as the light revealed a skeleton, laying on the dank ground besides her.
“Gees.” She gasped, “scared me.”
“That's odd,” Cain said, poking the bones with his foot.
There was nothing left of the person but bones, no clothing, no straggly hair, expect something small glittered underneath one of it's outstretched hands.
“They don't leave corpses here, once a month they come in on helicopters to cremate the bodies. This one's been here longer than a month, a lot longer,” he said.
“What's that in the hand?”
Cain pushed a finger bone out of the way and held up a small golden necklace. Nina took it from him and rubbed at the darkened surface of the pendant, shaped like a human heart. Around the arteries and veins a thorny vine wrapped tight. She dangled the thin cascade chain, eyes transfixed as if the thing were the most beautiful item she'd ever seen. As if it had belonged to her forever, as though someone she loved and trusted dearly had given it to her. But that person had betrayed her. And now it only served as a reminder for a huge mistake. The dripping of water from stalactites that had followed her for the last hour suddenly became unbearable. It came from the distance that it had faded into, and loudened into a deafening, irritating sound. Nina winced, pressed her hands to her ears found herself dropping to her knees. Cain was speaking, but his booming words were impossible to make out, they only caused her hands to clasp harder and she wished he would be quiet. Nina curled up into a ball, eyes tightly closed, and then she heard waves. Surging heavy waves, thundering towards them.
“Get out of here!” She yelled, “the sea is coming in!”
He yelled back, but his words sounded like the words of a drowning man. Coughing and spluttering, she made out nothing. Nina scrambled to her feet, shaky and faint, she tried her best to look around the wide cavern. Her breathe was being sucked away by the ice-cold water that splashed around her neck.
“Cain, I can't see you!” She yelled between desperate gasps.
Her head thumped, her ears rang, her vision rocked side to side as if she were being thrown about by the violent ocean current. She felt her legs slide out from beneath her, and all she could see was the light from above, burning her eyes. The ear-splitting drips faded behind the gushing of a room filling up with water, as the waves carried her away. Down the passageway she floated, light-headed, her eyes refusing to stay open for more than a second at a time. Every time they opened she saw the white froth of the sea battering against the cave wall. She could taste the salty ocean, as it washed over her. Nina was convinced she was going to drown, but yet her limbs betrayed her and would not move, and the only feeling she had was that of regret. Regret for accepting a deal with the god of shadows. Then she came to a stop, the water had carried her all the way out to the other side. It pooled out across the wide open space of a blossom field, depositing her in a heap on the floor. Coughing up liquid she rested her head in the dirt, listening to the rioting sounds in her head as they slowly evaporated with the water around her.
Nina looked up, laughing, beaming with joy to be able to see and hear well again.
Cain peered down at her, still dry. Wait, she was dry too. All of her, except for the slimy damp patches from kneeling down.
“You alright now?” He asked, his face filled with worry.
“What the hell just happened?”
“You started screaming at me something
about water. You were hysterical,” he replied.
“There was no water was there?” She asked, looking around, expecting to see sea scum on the ground, and the last of the tide making it's way out.
“No, I carried you out. That necklace – must have done something to you.”
Cain held out his hand as if suggesting she gave it to him. Nina pulled it behind her back.
“Its mine,” she said, “you can't have it.”
“Its probably cursed.”
“Don't care, it's mine, I'm keeping it.”
“Fine, but let me see it.”
Slowly she brought the pendant out, wrapping chain around her hand in case he should try to snatch it away.
“Huh,” he said, seemingly sure about something.
“What is it?”
“Nina, what exactly did you see?”
“The sea came in, I heard it first, then I felt it, I could taste it. It seemed so real.”
“That's all?”
“Yeah, and I felt strange, like I wasn't me. I had these thoughts...” She paused, trying to remember what she'd thought about just moments ago.
“I don't remember them.”
“What do you know about this island?” He asked.
She shrugged, “I'm not one for history or geography.”
“Thousands of years ago, this place was named Drith Atoll, there was a tsunami here, washed over the whole island, killed everyone.”
“You think that's why I saw that? Some kind of flash back?”
“If that necklace belonged to one of the villagers, maybe you saw their last moments.”
“Oh wow.”
“Back then, the gods were still living on Etath, this could be worth thousands.”
“Poor woman, whoever she was.”
“If you start experiencing drowning again, I'm throwing it into the ocean, I don't care how much it's worth.”
“No you're not, it's mine Cain.” She scowled at him, “not even the king can take this from me. No, no, he's not having it for his treasure collection.”
Nina brushed back her hair and fastened her prized possession around her neck proudly. Her father had given it to her. No. Wait, she shook her head, that's not right at all.
“Alright,” he sighed, “there's an orchard over there, let's eat and carry on,” Cain said, pointing out a mass of small trees behind the rows of white blossoms.