by Olivia Ash
“You’re certain this is the heir?” Edric said.
Sophia nodded. “With everything I have.”
Edric said, “I got to say that this is surprising. All this time I thought we were searching for a male heir.”
“I said the same!” Ezekiel said.
“Focus,” Sophia said. “We need to get Madison healed and out of that coffin. Time is running out.”
“First,” Edric said, “We need to get back. We can plan our next step back in the village.”
“Leaving so soon?” a woman’s voice spoke from behind them.
Sophia turned and settled her eyes on the duchess, standing regally in the doorway of the archives. Her dress was dark—navy blue or black, Sophia couldn’t tell which—with silver brocade and lace. Her head was adorned with a crown that angered Sophia more each time she saw it on the woman’s head.
“You just arrived, after all. And it would be rude not to at least say hi.” She examined her nails then set her cold gaze on Sophia and her men.
“You’re in danger,” Sophia said.
The duchess laughed. “Quite. I have the city’s most wanted criminals in my sight.”
“No.” Sophia sighed. “The Nameless Master is after you.”
“Dear girl, let me explain something to you. I’m as safe as safe can be. Even from the Nameless Master. And once you are dealt with, I’ll ensure that this little secret you have stumbled upon dies with you.”
Sophia’s gut tightened into a knot. Her men stiffened and Edric’s hand went to the hilt of his sword. She quickly put the pieces together and realized that she somehow had something to do with the heirs disappearing.
“What have you done?”
The duchess quirked an eye brow as she stood taller with her chin held in the air. “What I had to do.”
“You… you killed them?” Though Sophia didn’t mean for it to come out as a question, it had. And her voice sounded foreign to her own ears. As though she didn’t want to believe the truth despite everything in her body knowing it beyond any doubt.
“It’s a shame you didn’t remain ignorant to the heir. I had such hopes for you.” She sighed. “No matter. It’s not like the royal family is going to suddenly appear alive and well. You’ll be joining them now. Send them my regards.”
Sophia realized the duchess must not have overheard much of their conversation. Especially the part about reviving Madison and restoring her to the throne. For now, the heir was safe. And though she didn’t know what the Nameless Master wanted with the duchess, Sophia was now sure that they were working together. The power-hungry duchess probably made some type of deal with the Nameless Master that would assure her the throne and the royal family out of the way.
With a flick of her hand, the duchess released traps within the room, which resounded with clicks and the sound of grinding gears and chains. She darted into the dark corridor and said, “Now the throne will finally be mine!”
“Damn,” Andreas said.
Green, toxic mist floated through cracks in the walls, covering the floor. Poisoned gas. Sophia shook her head as gears and chains continued to move behind the stone. Knowing her luck, it would be more moving walls, sealing them in the room.
They had to escape and fast. But with a quick look around, the only way in and out of the room was through that one door.
That would have to do.
“Hold your breath,” she said.
Jumping into action, Sophia darted into the hallway, pulling on the sword, and her men following close behind her.
Her eyes darted along the hall. She knew the duchess had just gone this way, but the castle would know to stop them, and the traps would make the trek even more difficult. Spikes jutted up from the floor right in front of Sophia. She stopped mid-run, narrowly missing being skewered alive.
Once the spikes withdrew into the floor again, Sophia hunted for the trigger. If there was one set of spikes, she had no doubt others were along the floors.
“Keep close to the walls to avoid the spikes,” she said as she dragged her sword along the wall. It worked the first time, and she hoped this time was no different. The sword glowed bright white and illuminated the walls on either side of her.
She angled the sword to aim the beam in front of her and saw a switch used to automate the traps. But when she approached it, spikes shot down from the ceiling and nearly made her day go from bad to worse. Even still, the switch looked like it had been crushed and the center portion of it was missing.
“The switch is broken,” she said.
Ezekiel approached, avoiding the spikes as well. He studied the switch and shook his head. “I can’t do anything with that.”
“Use the sword,” Edric suggested.
“I’ll go forward and see what other switches are in sight, and maybe we can take them out as we go,” Andreas said and shifted into wraith form.
Sophia asked, “Use the sword how?”
“Cut the switch from the wall,” Edric said. “It will relieve the pressure triggering the traps.”
Sophia hadn’t thought of that, and it was a great idea. Angling herself awkwardly against the wall, she lifted the sword into the air and brought it down against the switch. The stone and wooden contraption shattered. A loud twang echoed, as though a spring was released, and the traps stopped, receding into their deadly holes.
She released a sigh of relief and took stock of the next set of traps that could pop up at the most inopportune moment. Meanwhile, she kept an eye out for Andreas, hoping he would return soon. After all, they couldn’t stay in the belly of the castle, hidden in its secretive walls forever. They needed to get out, get to the camp, and set a plan to rescue Madison.
After several long minutes and still no sign of Andreas, Sophia turned to Edric and Ezekiel. “Let’s go find him.”
Slowly, and very carefully, they headed farther down the hallway, keeping an eye out for not only Andreas in his wraith form, but also any traps.
As they moved, something didn’t seem right. Things looked… different. Sophia couldn’t place how or why, but it did. And as she came up to a dead end, she knew for sure that the castle was rearranging itself to keep them from getting out.
Edric examined the wall while Sophia asked, “Is there a way out back behind us?”
Ezekiel shook his head. “It’s possible this is why Andreas hasn’t come back yet.”
“He knows to go back to the wraith camp. In case we are separated further, that’s where we will meet up. Hopefully, we will find him on the way without anymore issues, and we can all go together,” Sophia said.
Edric grunted as he tried to push on the wall. “Damn it. It’s like the wall was built here, but I know it wasn’t.”
“It’s the castle. It’s trying to keep us from escaping,” Sophia said. “It had done something similar one night when I was trying to get in to find information on the heirs, just after meeting the three of you.”
“I knew the castle had such defenses on the outside, but not within,” Edric said.
“Well, now we all know,” Ezekiel said. “Let’s back track.”
“Good idea,” Sophia said. “There has to be a way out somewhere.”
They turned and followed Ezekiel back toward the way they just came from. He stopped suddenly. Sophia bumped into him and had to quickly grab hold of the back of his shirt to keep him from toppling over into a deep, black pit.
They were blocked from getting any farther, and it seemed like they were stuck. Sophia leaned against a wall and sighed. Edric did the same on the opposite wall. The wall shifted inward. He lost his footing, falling into the room on the other side. Sophia went to go pull him back as the wall started to close. But it was too late. The door sealed.
The last thing she saw was Edric staring up at them with an expression of horror mixed with shock.
She hit the wall with the sides of her fists. Was this how she’d lose her men? In the bowels of the castle, each of them being swallowed or caug
ht in deadly traps?
Ezekiel laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. “We should continue. He knows the castle well enough, and he also knows to meet us at the camp.”
Sophia took several deep breaths to ease the anger inside her. She should have saved him. She should have grabbed him and pulled him out of the way.
“Think of it this way,” Ezekiel said, “now we know the walls are trapped like that. We can stay away from them and hopefully avoid being separated even more.”
His voice was calm and soothing, but it didn’t help Sophia’s nerves. She would continue to worry until she saw them again. For now, she focused on keeping Ezekiel in her sight.
Sword at the ready, she walked back the opposite direction, away from the pit, stopping at yet another one.
Frustration burned through her nerves and her magic coursed through her veins. This looked like a hopeless situation, and she was done being toyed with by a castle and the duchess’s stupid traps.
The sword pulsed with light and magic and she paused to look at it, an idea forming in her mind.
The sword was the key to getting into the castle, through the door to the archives, and even to stopping some of the traps on the way there. Looking around, she searched for a slot, bump, hole—anything—that would stop the traps and let them out of the castle. Finding Edric and Andreas on the way would be a bonus she hoped for. But first, she needed to find the way to stop the traps. And quickly.
With the flat end of the blade, she tapped the floor where the trap was, testing the flooring surrounding it and hoping that the vibration would trigger it to close.
Nothing happened.
She pushed her magic into the sword. It glowed brighter, pulsating with energy. Across from her on a wall opposite of the pit, a keyhole shone bright purple.
That must’ve been it.
Now, how to get across.
She looked behind her and judged the space between pits. She knew the more they moved, the more likely it was for another pit to reveal itself. But if she could get enough of a running start, she could jump over the first pit and get the sword into the keyhole hopefully before any more traps were triggered.
“What are you thinking?” Ezekiel asked.
She met his gaze and she said, “Jumping.”
His eyebrows pinched together, and he looked across the way. He seemed to have come to the same conclusion. He nodded. “I’ll stand here. There should be enough room for you to jump several paces back. That should, in theory, prevent the trap from being triggered.”
Sophia nodded then took several paces back. Holding her sword with the tip pointed up at an angle, she pushed off with her feet. As she arrived at the edge of the first pit, she thrusted herself into the air. Her feet hit the solid ground, and another trap was triggered. Slats from the wall on either side of the keyhole opened up.
Darts shot from the sections.
She dodged each, ducking and rolling out of the way and twisting to avoid getting impaled by one. A slice of heat pierced her upper arm and she winced but kept moving. Another dart cut into her thigh.
Biting against the pain, she reached the keyhole and slid the sword in. She twisted both ways and a resounding click echoed before the darts ceased, sealing behind the slats once more. Panting, she turned and found Ezekiel walking toward her. Once he reached her, he cupped her face and planted a kiss on her lips.
“Smart girl,” he said and smiled. “Now, let’s get out of here.”
She nodded and they ran for it, working through the many twists and turns. Each trap they came across, Sophia used the sword to disarm them.
Once they reached a bend, Ezekiel recognized where they were. “This way, there is a gate that opens into Witch Woods.”
“Do you think Andreas and Edric made it out?” Sophia asked as she followed him down the hall to the gate.
“Yes,” he said. But she was sure it was said to reassure her more than anything.
Up ahead, she saw shadows moving. Ezekiel stopped running and held up his hand. She stopped and they narrowed their eyes on the movements.
After exchanging a glance and a nod, Ezekiel and Sophia made their way slower, careful not to make a sound, toward the shadows. Whoever it was had been waiting for them, and Sophia refused to go down without a fight.
She aimed her sword, ready to make the kill as she drew closer.
“Sophia?” Andreas asked.
That halted her steps and her heart skipped a beat. She released the breath she had been holding and rushed into his arms. The other shadow was Edric. They each took turns hugging or shaking hands.
“I thought the worst had happened to you both,” Edric said.
“I too worried,” Sophia said. “Let’s get out of here before we have to go through that again.”
The men agreed. They all rushed into the woods, heading for the wraith village.
Chapter Seventeen
Sophia
Without wasting time, Sophia and her men rushed into the village. Andreas went to gather as many wraiths as he could to help with carrying Madison out of the mountain, while Ezekiel gathered his notes and supplies to help curb the effects of the mountain’s magic. They still had the amulets, and Sophia hoped they would work long enough for them to get in and get out. Edric gathered what rations they would need, and Sophia scouted ahead for a way through to the mountain without getting caught by grimms using the masking potion Ezekiel had made for their trip to the nymphs.
Once she found the path, she returned, and they set off.
Finding the cave wasn’t as difficult as she thought it would be.
Using magic, Ezekiel and Sophia widened the exit by shattering the larger boulders that were in the way. The pieces fell to the ground, sizzling like hot coals. The wraiths moved in with their shadowy forms, floating effortlessly like a large cloud. They shifted and hovered in the air. Sophia listened for any creatures or attackers outside of the cave as the wraiths carefully floated the crystal coffin on their backs.
Once they were out in the daylight, Ezekiel examined the coffin for any cracks. Sophia watched as he traced his fingers along the base. She held her breath, hoping there was a secret to waking her within the symbols etched into the crystal. She worried they would inevitably be too late, but she also maintained hope that they would make it back in once piece, unscathed, and would have the heir awake. She wondered what she would be like and if the girl knew what had happened to her. It was almost painful to see the heir lying in such a death-like state. Knowing the duchess was responsible for all this mess, she would make her pay for that, and more.
“These runes were placed here to prevent tampering and would promise a very painful experience to anyone trying to open it without the key.”
Great.
Of course, there would be something else to stand in their way.
Sophia nodded. “Stay on top of it. See what you can figure out by the time we get back to the village.”
“I’ll write down all my findings. They are in code as well. Similar to the ones in the scroll. It is possible they coordinate, and the key is within the scroll’s message.”
Moving carefully through the mountain, they carried the heir to Nighthelm, hoping beyond all hope that they would get back without a fight.
Just when Sophia could see the edge of the Witch Woods, a giant shadow shifted through the darkness. Her body alert, she pulled on her sword right as the giant lizard-like creature emerged from the tree line.
It was beyond monstrous. Instead of skin, it seemed to be created from a series of roots and branches, with tops of trees lining its back from the base of its head to its tail. Its eyes were like yellow moons and were focused right on them.
The creature swished its branchy tail toward them, narrowly missing their group by inches.
The wraiths carrying Madison floated back several yards and carefully sat her down before joining the fight.
They coordinated with each other, flanking the creature and dispatching it
quickly with fire and a whole lot of stabbing between the knots and weaved wood. It fell with a deafening roar, and Sophia’s muscles ached from the exertion of the fight. But she refused to let any creature or force stand in her way, not when she was so close to fulfilling her destiny. She would keep fighting, for the heir and for those she loved.
Sophia checked on her men to make sure they weren’t harmed and that Ezekiel and Edric were holding up well against the poisonous mountain magic.
Their amulets were charged with a slight glow, but she could tell that they were wearing thin. She knew they had to get out of the mountain, but she also realized they needed rest.
“Let’s make camp for the night. Resume in the morning,” she said. The amulets would at least hold out until then.
The wraiths almost looked relieved, and Edric immediately started laying out his bedroll. After that battle with the lizard creature, they all could use the night to recover. Andreas and another wraith volunteered for first watch, which gave the others time to set up a fire and make food. Ezekiel took the opportunity to research the runes and his notes. Sophia sat next to him.
“Anything good yet?” she asked.
He pointed to one rune and said, “This one sticks out. It’s not as obvious as the scroll was, but I do believe the same code applies. It’s just a matter of figuring out the key to the code and solving from there.”
She nodded. “Anything I can do to help?”
He shook his head then kissed her on the cheek. “Lay down and rest, woman.”
She smiled, but resting was the furthest thing from her mind. Still, she lay next to him and stared at the starry sky through a hole within the rock of Riphthorn.
“Are you feeling all right?” she asked him.
He nodded and “mm-hmmed.”
She knew he was starting to feel the effects of the mountain magic despite the amulet. He was just trying to keep her from worrying. She could appreciate that about him. Returning her gaze to the ceiling, she became restless and decided to stand and do some stretches. Walk around the perimeter of the camp to help keep watch.