by Mary Ting
The ground shook violently, causing all of us to stumble. Finding my footing, I dove with my hand reaching out and pulled out the sword with the rose hilt. It had to be the right one. I agreed with Milani that it should be one with a rose. Like she had said, the rose petals covered every inch of the ceiling, and the rose was Mary Magdalene’s symbol.
Wrong!
The sword disappeared like melting ice and the ground shifted, rocking like a seesaw. Something burst through from underground. No—the land itself ripped open. The ground shaking and the demons appearing were nothing compared to being sucked toward a hole just big enough for one person to fit through. Small pebbles, rock, and sand sank through it.
“Hold on!” I hollered. I kicked the demon’s face that had grabbed onto my boot. More and more demons went through the hole.
“What happened to the sword?” Abel shouted.
“Oh crap,” Jack roared. “The hole is getting bigger and the ground is tilting higher. How do we stop it?”
Uncle Davin yanked Jack by his shirt and threw him higher. Then as he climbed, he grabbed the others, tossing them closer to Jack.
“I think you pick the wrong sword, Lucia.” Zach gave me a hand, helping me move higher.
“Watch out,” someone yelled.
Part of a boulder fell like a bowling ball on my shoulder. I tumbled in midair and hit the side of the wall as I awkwardly plummeted.
“Lucia!” Uncle Davin’s voice rang in my ear.
I jabbed my sword into the wall to stop the momentum as demons clawed at me. Though the eternal lights shifted with the structure, they remained intact, allowing me to see only endless darkness awaited us through the hole.
“Jack!” Abel bellowed. “Lucia, get Jack.”
A demon had grabbed Jack. When he tried to escape its grasp, his fingers slipped and he dropped. I couldn’t reach him in time. Jack anchored his hand around an eternal light and began to kick at the demons pulling him down into the hole.
I flew lower to reach him, but the demons were in my way.
“Jack!” I reached for him.
He began to crawl up, his fingers digging and digging into the soil and his feet kicking at the demons.
“Jack, just a little bit more,” I managed to say, in between killing demons.
Our fingers touched.
Almost.
Then Jack plummeted inside the hole.
“No!” I screamed. My body vibrated and my own light consumed me. When I dove into the hole, I spotted Jack falling. Nothing but darkness surrounded us. “I got you,” I said, relief flooding through me.
“Lucia,” he breathed, holding tightly.
Then I let my light guide me back up.
Lucia, fly. Zach’s words slammed into my mind. Hurry.
I whipped out my wings and flapped and flapped. Holding out both my weapons, I sliced through the demons that tried to hang onto my wings. Adjusting my wings tighter to my side, I soared like an arrow aiming for a target and burst out of the hole. I gripped where the swords were and released Jack. I had to try again.
Not all tells true. Within lies a symbol. One must discover. Or be left to drown.
“Thanks for the warning. You didn’t say drowning into a hole,” I gritted through my teeth. Think. Think. Think.
“Hurry.” Milani placed a blue light barrier around us. A handful of demons that managed to crawl up tried to go through it.
Not all tells true. Only one of the swords didn’t have a symbol.
The ground trembled harder each passing second. If I didn’t pick the right one, it could take us all in.
Hurry. Zach’s voice rattled inside me.
Please let this be the one. When I pulled out the sword with no symbol, the sword glowed like the eternal lights, and the hilt showed the red cross—the Knights Templar emblem.
“You did it.” Jack let out a boisterous laugh. “That was awesome.”
“Why is it still trying to get rid of us?” Abel growled. “I can’t hold on much longer.”
The last remaining sword vanished as if it had never been there, and though the hole closed up, we were still holding by our fingertips to anything we could grab, and the cave hadn’t righted itself back the way it was.
“Lucia, will that sword away. Milani, get us out of here,” Uncle Davin directed. “You know where to take us, don’t you? We’re not waiting around for more surprises.”
“You’ll all link through my barrier. On the count of three.” Milani waved her hand and mumbled words I couldn’t hear. “One. Two…”
Chapter 17
Eli
Damn it! Warning Lucia about the demons was the only thing I could do before Cyrus’s bond jerked and I had to leave. When I ignored his mental tug, I couldn’t think or speak. I hoped she got my warning in time.
“What do you want?” I snapped at Cyrus.
Cyrus had his back toward me, eyeing the rolling lava. Mortem stood beside him. His usual scowl was replaced by something else. For the first time, his face wore concern.
“What took you so long, Eli? Did you follow my army to the rabbit hole?” Cyrus asked calmly.
“What rabbit hole? I’ve never heard of such a thing,” I lied. “I did spy on your army. I was curious. They disappeared into the ground. I thought they were planning to take a nap. They are newbies, after all. Perhaps they finally figured out where they belong.”
Mortem’s eyes widened, and he almost busted out laughing.
I was taken aback by his almost laugh. He’d never thought my insults were acknowledgeable.
“They’re fine. I sent a slew of them. Davin and his team won’t know what hit them. Trapped underground with hundreds of my soldiers, I have a feeling they’ll give me what I want. I only sent a few demons to speed things up. In a few days, the volcano will erupt.” Cyrus finally faced me. “I don’t want any interruption from anyone.” His cool, composed voice grew to an angry one.
I only sent them to speed things up. “You already know where the treasure is, don’t you?”
He kept a stoic face, but there was a hint of satisfied grin when he twitched his lips. “Those fools believe we were a step behind, when all that time we were their shadows. I watched them find the clues. I let them do as they will. But we won’t be their shadows when it’s time.”
“Where is the treasure?” I dared to ask.
Cyrus gave me a long cold glance and turned back to the steaming lava. “Know this, Eli. I will hold tightly to our bond. You will never escape me.”
I ground my teeth but kept my composure. His declaration wasn’t something I didn’t know. But I would die before I ever hurt my friends. Before Cyrus took control of me, I would take that second to plunge my sword into my own heart. I would never want to live with the regret of hurting my friends.
Feet thudded on the ground. One of Cyrus’s girl demons halted a few feet behind him. With her head dipped low, she said, “Master. I had to move. She knows.”
“Cynthia.” Cyrus whipped around, his eyes beaming with rage. “How?”
“I don’t know,” she whimpered, taking backward steps away from him, like a deer standing in front of a lion.
“You didn’t find out?” He rolled back his shoulders and matched the number of steps she took.
The girl raised her hand to surrender. “She wouldn’t tell me! Please, I’m telling you the truth.”
What the hell were they talking about? “Who is she talking about?” I butted in, but Cyrus and the girl ignored me. I glanced at Mortem, who stood like a statue. I couldn’t tell if he was trying to hide his face from the girl or he feared for her life. Regardless, something seemed off, like he didn’t want her to see him.
“You know how crucial this situation is, little girl, don’t you?” Cyrus scolded, curling his fingers and flexing them. “Can’t anyone do what I ask?”
“I moved—” She began.
“Shut your mouth before you say too much.” He waved a hand, sending the girl flying near ca
scading hell water. Cyrus didn’t want either me or both of us to know what she was doing for him.
The girl pulled herself to her knees and begged. “Please. I did what you asked. Do not take my life.” With her fingers digging into the scorching ground, she dragged herself away from Cyrus, but there was no hope for her. Running was futile.
“I do not tolerate incompetence. We’re so close. If you can’t do the job, then I’ll get someone else.”
She raised her hands again as if that would stop him. “Please. I’ve served you for many years. I’ve been a loyal servant. I’ve never done things behind your back.” Her eyes shifted to Mortem and then back to Cyrus. Her expression changed from docile to something bolder. She raised her chin and bored her eyes to his. “Even when she told me you would do this, I’ve kept your secret. I should have let her go.”
Let who go?
“And I should have done this a long time ago.” Cyrus lifted his arm. The girl flew across the boiling lava and stilled in midair at the center. Cyrus was toying with her. He enjoyed making his victim squirm and beg. But the girl would do neither. Even at the moment of death, she held her chin high.
“Do you have any last words,” Cyrus mocked, using his power to dangle her lower and lower.
The girl turned her attention away from Cyrus and caught my eyes. “Yes, I do,” she said with a strong voice. She became a girl of courage and vengeance. “Your mother is a—”
Cyrus let go of his magic before she could finish. Her body plunged into the river of fire and disappeared. She had melted to her core on the spot.
“I took a delinquent and tried to give her a new life.” Cyrus closed his eyes and shook his head, as if she was in the wrong, as if her act of betrayal hurt him. “And this is how she repays me. She mocks me with a lie. Your mother is dead, Eli. She is lying to you to make you turn against me.”
Bile rose to my throat, and I wanted to vomit. I didn’t know who or what to believe. Your mother is alive, she would have said had Cyrus not killed her.
I inhaled a deep breath, reminding myself to be strong, to play his game, but the possibility drove me insane. I needed to know. I needed to find out. If it were true, all the years lost… Breathe, Eli. Breathe. Calm yourself. Play smarter.
“If my mother was alive, I would know. It’s a good thing you got rid of that girl,” I said nonchalantly. “Or I would have killed her for spreading a rumor about my mother. My mother is dead.”
Mortem’s eyebrows arched to the center. Perhaps he wondered what I was thinking. He had to know I was playing a game. But he didn’t say anything to annoy me or rat me out.
“I’ve got things to do, if you don’t mind,” I said, hoping he would dismiss me for the day so I could become friendly with his demons. Someone had to have the answers as to where the girl went and who she was attending.
“Sure.” He waved a hand at me, as if wanting to get rid of me. “Don’t wander off too far. We need to talk about my plan. Bur first, I need to have a word with Clarissa.”
I didn’t wait to be dismissed. Cyrus waving a hand at me as if I meant nothing to him meant I was free to go anyway. I had to minimize my questions. Idiot Mortem kept following me.
“What do you want, Mortem?” I wheeled to confront him, sick of him on my heels. “Are you lonely? Do you need company? Or do you want to be my pet since Cyrus doesn’t pay attention to you?”
He bared his fangs. “If it wasn’t for the fact we’re running out of time, I would make you beg for the information I’m about to give you for free. Let me ask you this question first: What are you doing? Why are you in this vicinity? Looking for answers?”
“It’s none of your business, but I’m going to tell you so you can stop being a pain in my ass and stop following me. I’m going to talk to the newbies. Perhaps I’m searching for answers only they have.”
When Mortem inched closer, his threatening expression changed to something softer. “Your mother is alive.”
My heart stopped. My world spun too fast. His honest tone baffled my mind. Then I lost my patience. My blood boiled with wrath. How dare he ridicule me.
I snorted. “You expect me to believe you?”
Mortem had been nothing but a pain in my ass ever since I’d met him, and he was easily the cruelest fallen angel. Not only did he take pleasure in torturing me physically, he enjoyed playing with my mind, especially when I was down. Sadistic bastard.
“Yes. Maybe. You have to.”
“Why?”
Mortem’s fingers tangled around my shirt and pulled me closer to him. I craned my neck away from his face.
“I’m flattered, but I’m not your type. Please don’t kiss me.” My humorous side took over as I debated what to do. I wanted to punch his face, but at the same time, I didn’t know what to believe. What if my mom was alive and he was the only person that could tell me where she was?
“Stop talking and shut up for once.” He ground his teeth. “Your mother is alive. How clear can I get?”
“Liar. You’ve lied all your life.” I spat on his face.
His wings fanned out defensively, wrapping around me. In the tight dark space, his crimson eyes glowed like fire and his voice sounded like the devil’s. “I’m going to tell you for the last time. Your mother is alive. I know where she is. Why would I jeopardize myself when you can run along to your dearest uncle?”
I wanted to believe him, but I refused to. I had fought with a million tears to mend the hole her death left, and to feel a tiny break, I began to crumble.
“Enough.” I punched his chest.
Mortem flew backward. Damn it! I soared after him. I should let him fall into the lava pit, but if there was a small chance he told the truth, I had to take it. Saving his life didn’t make me feel better. With all the evil things he’d done before I had been born and after, he deserved to be burned to nothing.
Sprawled with his back on the ground, he panted. “Do you believe me now?”
“Take me to my mother, or so help me God, the next time I kick your ass, I’m not going to save you.”
Mortem rose to his knees, shoulders slumped, breathing heavily. “You went to the rabbit hole in England. You didn’t see her there?”
I paced around him, careful with my words. Lowering my voice, I said, “I saw a bunch of eternal lights.”
Mortem lifted his head to make eye contact with me. “Cyrus is holding your mother in a prison he made between two realms. He put a spell either on you or the prison so anyone she loves can’t see where he hid her.”
Master. I had to move. She knows. “The servant girl said…” She knows. She knows. She knows. “My mother must have seen me there.” I shoved my fingers through my hair and kicked a pebble from frustration. My mother had been within reach. “I have to go back.”
“Stop.” Mortem grabbed my arm. “She’s not there anymore. The servant moved her, and only Cyrus knows where she is.”
I yanked my arm back and seethed. “Find her. Or I’ll tell Cyrus you told me my mother is alive.” A low blow to someone that gave me vital information in my favor, but he would have done the same if the situation were reversed.
Morten snarled like a wild beast. “You have to give me time. We can follow the next servant he sends.”
“Why are you helping me? What do you…?” It became clear then why Mortem was helping me. “You want to get rid of Cyrus, don’t you?”
“I’m tired of taking orders. We were partners long ago. Now he makes decisions without me and tells me what to do as if I’m one of his slaves. And your mother is the only one who knows where the Snow Queen is. The Snow Queen is the only one who can stop Cyrus from erupting the volcano, and she’s probably the only one who can kill him.”
“You’re underestimating Lucia and her team,” I said.
“And you’re underestimating Cyrus and his hold on you. You are his powerful weapon.”
Sweat beaded my forehead. When Cyrus had a hold of my mind and body, I had no choice but to do
as he commanded under the pain he inflicted.
“We’ll see about that, won’t we?” Though my expression and tone showed confidence, my heart felt defeated.
I would rather die than hurt anyone I loved.
Mother. Where are you? Help me find you. I tried to reach that bond my mother and I had when she was alive. That bond died when…
“Where did Cyrus take my mom after he wounded her?”
“To his place in the mountains, I think. Why?”
“I thought my mother died in Cyrus’s arms on our ranch. I saw Cyrus kill her. All that blood.” I gazed at my hands as if they were Cyrus’s hands. Blood had seeped through his fingers and dripped down, painting the dirt red. “There was so much blood when the rake went through her back.” I stopped talking, realizing I spoke to my nemesis.
“We should go,” he suggested.
Before I could object, he fanned out his wings, and darkness covered me whole.
Chapter 18
Lucia
We arrived smack in the middle of Jack’s living room. Lucky barked and wagged his tail. He was the first one to greet us. Lana came out of the kitchen with her hair in a bun and an apron around her waist. From the aroma, I could safely say she was baking chicken pot pie.
“Why are we here?” Jack shot a glance out the window. “We’re in present time.”
Milani straightened her top and brushed through her hair with her fingers. “I brought you here so we can get Gustavo’s sword. We’re going to need it.”
“Not without my permission.” Gustavo remained grounded as he held firm to his word. He stood next to the glass case, one hand covering the lock.
“I’m going to borrow it. I promise to return it.” Jack shoved his little brother away.
Gustavo got right back up and shoved Jack. Lucky’s bark grew louder the longer they struggled.
“Stop!” Lana shouted.
The boys halted.
“Why do you need Gustavo’s sword, Jack?” Lana tugged on the boys’ ears and guided them both to the sofa.
Brody, Zach, Abel, and Milani snickered quietly.