by Tikiri
“We’ve got to find Tetyana.” I said.
“I’m dead thirsty,” Win said. “Wish I’d brought some water.”
“Me too,” Katy said.
“You guys hear that?” Luc said, cocking his head. “That’s not too far away.”
“The river?” I asked. “Been thinking the same thing. Why don’t we try to find it and think of our next steps there?”
Katy nodded. “At least we’ll have water and maybe a place to sleep.”
Win sat up gingerly and got ready to climb down. The rest of us followed.
We started walking toward the sound of the river, deeper into the woods. We knew we were going in the right direction because the roar of the river got louder with every step.
There was some light from the rising moon, enough to see our general surroundings. The birds, settled in for the night, had gone quiet, and the woods seemed somber. This is a forest of goblins and fairies, I thought, stepping over a large root. What if we get lost here? What if we die here?
We walked in silence for five minutes, moving as quietly as we could. The adrenaline that had been pumping in our veins had depleted and our pace was slowing. From time to time, one of us stumbled on a stone or a root, so we started to walk abreast, holding on to each other.
The trees started to thin and the ground beneath us changed from soft moss to brown dirt. A wind swept across us now, blowing our hair and swaying tree branches. After a few minutes, we came to a thin line of trees, the demarcation between the forest behind us and whatever lay ahead.
We stepped through the tree line into an open area.
“Oh my god,” I said.
“It’s the end of the world,” Win whispered.
Chapter Forty-nine
Five feet in front of us was a deep ravine. If we’d run out of the woods without looking, we’d have rolled down the cliff.
We stood in silence at the edge, looking at the desolate gully below, feeling the wind whip around us menacingly. A dark river meandered below, the sound we’d been following. On the other side of the ravine was a forested hill, or at least it seemed to be in the dark. We huddled closer, shivering with cold, sapped of our energy. We were at a dead end.
At least we found water, I thought, looking at the river. To get to it, though, we’d have to scale down the sheer cliff wall. An impossible task. After surveying this landscape for a while, we began to move. It didn’t matter which direction we took anymore, because we didn’t even know where we were.
I now knew why no one had bothered to come after us. They knew there was no way out. We’d have to return to the castle grounds or die in the woods.
We decided to turn right and walk along the edge of the cliff. There were no clouds in the sky. Early stars twinkled above, next to a nearly full moon. I wished I’d learned more about the skies, so I’d at least know which direction we were heading.
“Look!” Win said, her sharp eyes noticing something. She walked up to a dip at the edge of the cliff, then as if stepping into a void, she disappeared. Katy and I gasped.
“Win!”
We ran up. She was standing on a ledge below the edge of the cliff. “They go all the way down,” she said, pointing at the roughly hewn steps. Luc jumped down to join her.
I looked around nervously. Where there were steps, there were sure to be people. But no one was around, except us. I climbed down to join them on the ledge, testing each step as I did. Here, the cliff jutted out in a gentle slope, and someone had cut these steps to form a path. But in the dark, it was difficult to see how far they went, or whether they went anywhere at all.
The wind was stronger here. A sudden gust came, and I grabbed on to Win to keep steady. She seemed fearless though, standing strong, looking into the abyss below. Luc was at the edge too, peering down.
“Hey, be careful,” I said.
“That looks dangerous,” I heard Katy call from above.
“Come down,” Luc said, motioning to her.
“Could be a dead end,” she said.
“I’ll check,” Win said, letting go of my hand and bounding down the steps.
“Hey!” we all called out, but she’d disappeared.
Luc jumped down after her. We had no choice. I waited for Katy to join me and we climbed down after them, one step at a time, holding on to each other.
We caught up to the others twenty steps below. They were standing in front of a dark hole on the cliff wall. It was hard to see inside, but the entranceway was large enough to fit us all abreast.
“What’s that?” Katy asked in a whisper.
“A cave,” Luc whispered back, peering inside.
I could no longer see the bottom of the gully, but I knew it was a long way down. It was tempting to step inside this sheltered den, away from the wind and the threat of a fall.
“Do they have bears in Luxembourg?” Katy asked, vaporizing my temptation in an instant.
If we don’t disturb a bear in there, I thought, we could very well bump into the police, waiting to capture us. I wasn’t sure which I wanted the least. Another gust of wind blew, making us reel from the force. We stepped closer to the mouth of the cave. We were almost inside.
“I can check first, if you’d like,” Luc said, with a grin. “If I don’t come out, there’s definitely a bear in there.”
No one laughed.
“We can’t go down any further,” I said. “Especially in the dark. It’s too dangerous.”
“Maybe we can rest in here for a bit,” Katy said. We looked at each other and as a group, we stepped inside the mouth of the cave. Shoulder to shoulder now, the four of us took another step forward.
We were in a mid-sized tunnel. We stood still for ten seconds, clutching each other’s hands, to let our eyes adjust to the darkness. There was a yellow light coming from somewhere, like someone had installed an incandescent bulb inside. We walked forward again, taking one step at a time. After twelve steps, we came to another doorway of sorts, an opening to something bigger.
We stared into the cool, open space. Almost fifty feet high above us was an opening from where the pale light was coming. It was a stream of moonlight, entering through the hole and lighting the entire cavern, like a chandelier from the heavens. We stayed at the entrance for a minute, spellbound by the sight.
Holding hands, we took another step forward. That was when something brushed by my ear.
I jumped. It flew by me again.
“Eeek!” I shrieked, flapping my arms.
The echo of my voice bounced off the walls. With a fluttering roar, more of these things flew out and circled the cave. It was like watching a real-life horror movie.
An electric torch turned on suddenly and pointed up. It was Luc. He’d remembered the torch he’d found at the castle caves and had been carrying with him all along.
“What are they?” I asked, ducking as another one got too close.
“Bats,” Katy whispered.
“They don’t hurt people,” Luc said.
“How do you know that?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Read it somewhere.”
“They’re cute little things,” Win said.
“Shhh,” Katy said. “Let them settle down and get back to their sleeping spots.”
It took a whole minute for the bats to quieten down. A few still fluttered around, but none came close to us.
More cautiously now, and using Luc’s torch, we started exploring. The cave was the size of a basketball court. Long icicles dripped down like alien candelabras from the ceiling, and stalagmites rose from the floor like strange sculptures. Other than these natural wonders and the large bat family hidden in the crevices, there was nothing else in the cave. Not a sign of a bear or castle guard or police officer anywhere.
We walked around the cave and returned to the entrance. Luc shone his torch so we could get a better look. The ledge outside the cave was small; it had been a miracle none of us had fallen. The steps carved into the cliff face wound into the black
ness below. Inside, near the entrance, we noticed a low tunnel, the size of a large sewer pipe. I bent down and peeked, but saw nothing but a black hole.
“We can sleep in the cave or in here,” Luc said, shining his torch around the entranceway.
“Or we can sleep outside and have bears eat us,” Katy said. “If we don’t fall over the edge first.”
“I’m not sleeping with the bats,” I said with a shiver. “I’ll stay here. You guys can go inside.”
“I don’t care,” Win said, plopping down on the ground. “I’m really tired. I can sleep right here.”
After looking for the smoothest spot on the ground near the entranceway, and double-checking for bat droppings, we lay down and huddled against each other for warmth. Though we were all hungry and thirsty, Luc fell asleep within seconds, snoring gently. Win was next, falling asleep with her head resting on Luc’s arm.
Katy and I stayed awake, whispering to each other for a while, wondering about Tetyana, sharing our fears of what might come next and our disbelief in what had just happened. Then Katy too fell asleep. I stared into the lonely darkness of the cave, listening to any sound that might signal danger, but I heard only my friends’ breathing.
It took me a long time to fall asleep, and when I did, I dreamed of being pulled by unseen forces through that low pipe tunnel. In my dream, I stumbled into an underground cave only to see a tall vampire with bloodshot eyes and a red cape, waiting for me. Screeching bats fluttered around. A subterranean wind howled through the cave. Trembling, I yelled for help only to discover I’d lost my voice. The vampire smiled an evil smile and called out my name. His voice sounded suspiciously like Vlad’s. He came closer and closer, calling my name louder and louder. I stood in place, petrified.
I woke with a shudder, drenched in sweat. My heart was pounding, and my mind was whirling.
That was when I saw the shadow of a face, inches from mine. I heard my name, and I drew back screaming.
Chapter Fifty
I punched at the face, but hit air.
“Get away from me!” I yelled.
Next to me, Win, Luc and Katy jerked awake. I heard Katy scream. I felt Luc rummage in the dark for his torch, cursing. I threw another wild punch, protecting my head with the other hand, against what, I didn’t know. Missed again.
“Asha!” someone scolded. “Stop it!”
Tetyana?
I stopped trying to pummel the air and peered through the darkness. Someone was kneeling in front of me.
Luc turned his torch directly on Tetyana’s face.
“Tetyana!”
Everyone screamed and jumped on her. Inside the cave, the bats started to flutter and screech in annoyance at the disturbance.
Tetyana looked like she’d crawled through a mud bath; her hair was wet and pinned against her skull, and her face was covered with a green tainted muck.
“How did you get here?” I asked.
“Through the tunnel,” she said, pointing behind her. “How did you get here?”
“Through the woods,” Win said.
“What’s on your face?” I asked.
“Mud,” Tetyana said. I noticed she was supporting her right elbow with one hand.
“Are you hurt?” Katy asked, leaning forward.
“It’s nothing,” She shifted, grimacing. She looked at us. “How about you? Are you all okay?”
We nodded.
“We’re good,” Luc said.
“Just a roughed-up ankle for Katy when she fell, but otherwise okay,” I said.
“I was so worried for you,” Win said. “We heard gunshots, then I didn’t see you anymore.”
“That was the cop,” Tetyana said. “He was shooting all over the place.”
“Did he shoot at you?” I sat up and pointed at her elbow.
“This? No, just missed a step,” she said.
“Tell us from the beginning,” Katy said.
Tetyana let out a big sigh.
“While you were upstairs at the dinner party,” she said, looking at Katy and me, “we heard police sirens. So I asked Win and Luc to get ready to move quickly. The van was going to be out of bounds, so we had to find another way.”
“Through the woods,” Win said.
She nodded. “We got through the tunnel to the parking lot, but when we got out, a cop was standing outside on his phone. He didn’t see us at first, so he didn’t know where we came from.”
I’d heard part of this story.
“But he saw us, and called out. So I pretended someone was behind our van and pointed and shouted. The cop pulled out his gun and turned to the van—”
“That’s when we ran to the woods,” Luc said.
Tetyana nodded. “I didn’t want him to see where you were running so I shot the nearest police car.”
“Whoa!” Katy said.
“You shot a cop car?” I asked.
“Windshield for maximum effect. I was quick and my silencer was still on, so he didn’t know where the bullet came from.” Her eyes were flinty.
“He turned around and shot at the van, thinking the shooter was there. While he was looking around confused, I slipped back into the cave. I heard him shoot again, just as I slipped in. I think that van’s a goner now.”
“But how did you get down here?” Katy asked.
“Remember those catacombs?” she said. “I had to take my chances. I stumbled down those stairs and ran like hell. I ran through the tunnels, hoping it’d get me somewhere. I was either going to get out or die trying.”
“Oh my god,” Win said.
“It was wet and slippery in there, and I couldn’t see much. I fell halfway on some steps.” She jerked her elbow at us. “That’s how this happened.”
“So that tunnel came all the way here?” I asked.
“I ran till I hit a dead end. It was a cave, a big one like that one.” She pointed at the cavern where the bats were now back to sleep. “I heard someone yell. It was a girl’s voice. It was faint but I was sure it came through that tunnel.”
“That was me,” I said in an embarrassed voice. “Bats freak me out.”
“Glad they did,” she said. “I couldn’t go back the way I came, so I waited to see if I could hear anything else. Either way, your yell meant there were people out here and maybe there was a way out. As soon as I found the tunnel, I crawled through it to do some reconnaissance.”
“Good thing you did,” Luc said.
“We need someone to look at your bruise,” Katy said.
“Had worse and survived,” Tetyana said with a shrug. Her eyes narrowed. “So how did you all get here?”
Between the four of us, interrupting and interjecting, we described our escape.
When we were done, Tetyana leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes. In the dim torchlight, she looked worn out, like she’d just returned from the front lines of a battle. She opened her eyes after a few seconds and sat up.
“We can’t sit here all night waiting for them.” She pointed at the entrance. “What’s out there?”
“We’re on the edge of a cliff,” I said, shaking my head. “There are only two ways out. Back through the woods to the castle, or down this straight cliff.”
“Where’s this river?”
“All the way down,” Win said. “At the bottom of the cliff.”
“What’s past that?”
“Looks like a hill with a forest,” Luc said. “Hard to say in the dark.”
Tetyana asked us to describe the cliff in detail, including the ravine below. When we were done, she looked around us and said, “How do you all feel like a night hike?”
“It’s dark outside,” Win said
“All I have is this tiny thing and the battery’s running out,” Luc said, waving his torch.
“You said the moon’s out tonight,” Tetyana said.
“Yes, but, it’ll be dangerous—” I started to say. All of a sudden, the caves felt warm and safe.
“I’ve tracked through w
orse, with gunfire in the middle of the night with no moon,” Tetyana said in a flat voice. “I’ll find a way down.”
No one spoke.
“Trust me,” she said. “The castle guards know these caves and they know the woods. It’s only a matter of daylight before they and the police come looking. We need to start moving now.”
“Sounds scary,” Katy said.
“You guys haven’t seen scary.”
“Tetyana, how do you know all this? What are you?” I said. “I mean—” I didn’t know how to finish the sentence. At twenty-one, she was the oldest, but sometimes the things she said were too old, even for her.
“I’m a rebel soldier.”
We gasped.
“I didn’t know that,” Luc said. “I thought you were always a—” He stopped.
“A hooker?” she finished his question.
We looked away. That sounded far worse out loud.
“I was a primary school English teacher once,” she said in a low voice. “In another life.”
So that’s why her English is so good, I thought.
“Why did you work for Zero and Vlad then?” Win asked, her voice innocent, curious.
“Because it’s the fastest way to bail out my brother, hun,” Tetyana said, looking at the ground. Her face looked more haggard than ever.
“Your brother’s in jail?” Katy asked.
“Why?” Win asked.
“Because he wanted freedom.” Tetyana’s voice had softened. “He was at the wrong place at the wrong time. Should never have let him come with me.”
“Come where?” I asked in a whisper.
“To the battlegrounds to fight for independence, but in the end, the Russians captured us. They caught him and me.” There was no emotion in her voice. It was like she was telling us what happened on her way to get groceries.
“They put me in the torture room. I don’t know how many days I was there. The warden said he’d let my brother go if I bring him fifty thousand US dollars. He was the one who enjoyed hurting me the most. I didn’t mind the physical pain, but I broke down when he told me he was going to kill my brother and described how he’d do it in detail.”