He was grinning at her and instead of feeling reassured she felt a growing sense of unease. He collects lost souls? What the hell does that mean?
“Which tunnel will lead me out of here and back to the forest?”
“Are you sure you want to go back to the forest? There be monsters. Monsters, monsters.”
“What are my choices?”
He screwed up his face and lifted his eyes to the ceiling as if pondering her question. His grimy hand scratched his grimier chin and tugged on an overly large ear lobe.
He indicated the tunnel on their right with a knobby finger. “This one will lead farther down into the deepest darkest hole where the air is so thin it’s hard to breathe. It’s a dead end and you will never find your way back out.” His words grated against each other.
“This one here,” indicating the center one, “continues on for a ways, and then branches off in four different directions. If you don’t know your way about these tunnels you could end up walking in a maze that has no end. End, end.” The words echoed off the walls of the chamber.
Danica felt sweat trickling down her back.
“And this one,” he whispered, indicating the one on their left, “is the one you need to take. I’ll make sure you’re safe.”
Danica doubted that. “Where does it go? Will it take me back to the forest?”
His face clouded and became darker under the grime. “There be monsters in the forest,” he said in the scratchy whisper. “Follow me.” He turned and walked toward the tunnel he had come out of earlier.
Danica hesitated. “I want to try this one,” and she pointed to the middle tunnel.
“You don’t want to go there,” he said in a wheedling voice. “Besides, I can’t take you in there.”
“Why not?” She was breathing in short breaths. Something about this little man was making her increasingly agitated.
“I’m not allowed, Dearie. You come with me,” and he held out a dirty gnarled hand.
She looked at the hand with distaste. Long gray fingernails imbedded with grime clicked together nervously as he waited for her to take his hand.
What should I do? I don’t want to go with him—he’s a Bane. I can’t trust him.
To buy herself time to consider her choices she asked, “What’s in the bag?” The cavern echoed her question.
He put his hand on the gunny sack by his side and smiled knowingly. “Didn’t I say I collect lost souls, Dearie? You want to see what I have in my bag?” His whisper echoed menacingly.
He opened the top and peered inside. Suddenly Danica did not want to see what he had in there. She started backing up in the direction of the middle tunnel.
“That’s okay. I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to know. Thanks for your help, but I’ll be going now.”
He reached a hand inside the sack and pulled out a large round hairy object. It rotated slowly towards her and she realized it was a head! He held it by the hair and its unseeing eyes stared at her, its mouth opened in a soundless scream. Bits of gore hung from the severed neck.
Danica’s scream seemed to go on forever. The little man cackled gleefully. She turned and ran as fast as she could into the middle tunnel, but she didn’t get past the entrance before a root caught her foot and she fell hard. Then she felt a hand on her ankle.
“Come back, Dearie,” the loathsome creature whispered. “You’ll get lost in there.”
She turned, screaming, and kicked at his hand with her other foot. He yowled, releasing her and she scrabbled backwards. “It’s too dark for you to see. Come with me. I’ll set you right.”
That’s when she remembered the night vision goggles in her pocket. She took them out and put them on and turned into the darkness. She wanted to get as far away from the horrible man as she could. As she got to her feet and ran, she heard him calling to her. “Come back! You’ll be lost forever! forever, ever.”
Danica wasted no time in putting distance between her and the horrible Bane. Soon the smell of mold and decay became overpowering. She traveled as fast as she could through the mostly level damp tunnel, the other-worldly blue light from the goggles affording her enough illumination to see where she was going. She could see crawling wriggling insects and worms in the dirt sides. Large strange-looking spiders traveled across the tunnel’s ceiling. Soon there was a thin film of slime on the floor of the tunnel that stuck to her shoes like sucking wet clay and retarded her progress.
In her haste she didn’t see the rock in the floor ahead, and her foot caught sending her sprawling. The slime grabbed at her, holding her to the floor of the tunnel and keeping her from righting herself. She felt something slithering beneath her body and her panic rose, imagining what it could be. She struggled, frantic, attempting to free herself from the sticky slime. When she lifted an arm, thick strings of the stuff connected her to the cave floor and pulled her back. She tried to bring her knees under her, but the slime held her fast. She was tired from struggling, and her panic was turning to despair.
I’m going to die here in this stinking cave! No one will know where I am or how to find me!
She rested her head wearily on her forearm. Tears filled her eyes and the people and events of the past months flowed across her mind. Jimmu, Neith, Wilder, Liam. Then she saw Marc grooming his horse. He looked at her and smiled, blue eyes crinkling. Phil’s face loomed softly in her mind’s eye.
Why did you send me here? I can’t do this! I’m afraid and alone!
“Help!” she screamed out loud. “Help me!”
Phil’s voice came to her clearly. Get up, Danica. The cave has no hold on you. Don’t let appearances fool you. Nothing is as it seems.
Danica blinked rapidly. She felt as if her face had been slapped. Nothing is as it seems! Of course!
With new resolve she quickly stood up and the slime melted from her body. It wasn’t holding her; it was just slime. Focusing on the tunnel ahead, she walked more carefully in the darkness.
Soon the passage sloped upwards, and Danica had to use stones and roots imbedded in the dirt as handholds and foot pegs. The climb became steeper until she felt she was ascending a nearly vertical surface. Her muscles were screaming. A faint light above kept her going when she felt like giving up. Higher and higher she climbed until the light was a round sphere, and she knew she was nearing the end of the tunnel.
At last, she pulled herself through the opening and into the light. She lay on her back on the forest floor breathing heavily.
I made it! I’m through!
Something was moving against her chest inside her shirt. She jumped up and quickly reached inside the neck of her shirt and grasped it and pulled it out. A long, purplish-green snake-like creature with many legs wriggled wildly. Its eyes fixed on her and its mouth opened widely, sharp teeth dripping slime, and it hissed angrily. She threw it to the ground and stepped on it right behind the head. It writhed, swishing its tail back and forth. Danica took the dagger from its sheath and in a fluid motion, cut the creature’s head from its body. Then, without a backwards glance, she picked up the path and she was soon walking out of the forest.
Neith and Sam were waiting for her, leaning against the side of the jeep eating apples. As she walked up to them, Neith surveyed Danica’s disheveled state. She looked like she had been through a war, but there was a calm determination in her eyes.
“Any problems?” Neith asked.
Danica looked from Sam to Neith. She smiled broadly. “Not really.”
Jimmu wasn’t hungry. He kept thinking of Danica and wondering when she and Neith would return. Phil looked at him from across the table.
“The pork is delicious, Jimmu. You should try it.”
He stared at her, and when she lifted her eyebrows in a silent question, he dropped his eyes to his plate.
“I remember when I had to do the obstacle course,” Wilder said. “It’s scary and dangerous, but I believe our girl will come through with flying colors.”
“The course is dif
ferent for everyone. It morphs into challenges that each individual needs to face, and no two people experience the same course,” Liam said, buttering a warm roll.
“It will challenge her fears and insecurities,” Phil said.
“She may be facing worse in Lymonia,” Liam added. “I think it was wise to take her right to number four.”
Wilder shook her head. “She could have warmed up to number four. Maybe she should have done the first three before number four.” She looked at Jimmu and Liam. “That’s how we did it.”
Phil sighed. “We don’t really have time. Everything is happening so fast. This will be a true test to see if she’s physically and mentally ready.”
“And if she’s not?” Jimmu asked fiercely.
Just then the door opened and Neith and Danica stepped into the dining room. The four seated at the table looked at Danica in astonishment. She was covered in dirt and grime. The knees of her pants were torn, and one sleeve of her shirt hung from her bloody shoulder. Her face was a mass of scratches, and blood trickled from a cut on her right cheekbone. Her dark hair hung in tangles around her face. Electric blue eyes surveyed the four of them triumphantly.
“Sorry we’re late for dinner.”
Twenty
Danica had adjusted to her new life in the Beyond. A big plus about living at the Mystic Hotel was her access to all the information about her childhood and upbringing in the form of articles, reports, films, and journals. She watched film after film of herself as a young girl and then a teenager, and she came to the realization that her “parents” hadn’t been as neglectful as much as they had been permissive.
She pored over reports and journal entries—volumes over the years—and saw how scrupulous Phil and those who had been commissioned to watch over her had been. One of her neighbors, an older man who had always been friendly to her, was, in fact, one of her caretakers from the Beyond. Her whole perspective about her early years had changed, and she was able to see things differently. She had grown up comparing her family to others and coming up lacking. It was true her foster parents had been undemonstrative toward her and had overindulged in alcohol, but she saw on the films that there was a carefully disguised masquerade in place so that she never guessed what was really going on. Her foster parents were also kept largely in the dark. It was better all-around that they didn’t know the truth about Danica, especially since she could read their minds whenever she wanted to.
One of her favorite pieces of film was of Phil holding her when she was a small infant. There was nothing dramatic or significant about it to anyone but her. She watched, fascinated, and saw the unmistakable love that Phil had for her. In the few minutes of the film, she observed Phil rocking her and talking to her and she, as the tiny infant she had been, looking at Phil with wonder. This, she realized, was why she had been so accepting of Phil the first time she had met her, and why she trusted Phil implicitly. She and Phil had—and still maintained—an undeniable connection.
Her training and instruction were going well. She learned quickly and retained what she learned. She was beginning to understand how The Magic possessed her and was changing her. She had always been a fast learner, but now she mastered skills in half the time it used to take. Her mental and physical acuity was increasing daily.
A class she enjoyed was weaponry. She learned how weapons were made and how they functioned. She could take anything apart and reassemble it, and she was fastidious with cleaning every weapon she used. She spent hours at target practice, and it wasn’t long before she became a crack shot and earned the nickname ‘dead-eye’. She quickly learned how to use a bow and arrows, and she loved 3D archery with recurve and compound bows. Fencing was a favorite activity, and along with aikido and karate, she honed her reflexes until she was quick and sure and most importantly, accurate.
She had a close-knit group of friends that did not include the Coverts who were more like family, although it was difficult getting close to Jimmu. He was the definition of loner. He was sociable at dinner and conscientious at her swim lessons, but Danica felt he was keeping a distance between them. He continued to both annoy and mystify her, and to her confusion, she found herself increasingly attracted to him.
All the Coverts were her mentors. Neith took her on long overnight hikes where they traversed mountains and forests, and caverns and caves. These hikes morphed into survival training where she learned how to find food, water, and shelter, and they included zip-lining in Darkwood and rock climbing in Cliffwald. Liam was a pilot and took her flying and taught her the fundamentals of aircraft flight and navigation. She loved skydiving and parachuting, and once when her parachute didn’t open, she learned to rely on her partner to bring them both to safety. Liam also instructed her in hand-to-hand combat, and she learned how to handle all the bladed weapons. He was quick and lithe, but it wasn’t long before she learned the defensive moves to avoid his superior skills.
Wilder’s Magic was the ability to walk into fire and to control it. One day while training with Wilder, they walked to the edge of a blazing inferno. A section of a thick forest had been burning for days. Wilder handed Danica a leather belt with gleaming metal disks sewn into it that glowed with red and orange light, and she instructed Danica to put it on. When she told Danica they would walk into the fire, Danica balked.
“Trust the belt, Danica, its magic will protect you. Don’t worry. I’ll be right next to you and I promise you will be safe.”
Danica touched the leather and metal belt. It felt warm, but it didn’t look like it would protect her. She looked at Wilder. Her red hair lit up like flames before the inferno. She couldn’t get into Wilder’s mind, but she felt she could trust her, so she took a deep breath and held out her hand. Wilder grasped it and together they walked into the flames. She was immediately surrounded by color of such intensity her eyes hurt looking at it. Fiery red, yellow, and orange so bright she had to squint, and blue the color of liquid sapphires. To her amazement there was no heat. The intense heat she had felt before Wilder gave her the belt was gone. Sound was also gone. The roaring, splintering, screaming of the inferno was absent, and she was in what she could only think of as a vacuum with no feeling and no sound. She looked around her in wonderment and caught Wilder’s eyes and smiled.
“This is amazing!” she cried, but her words were swallowed, and she didn’t even hear them in her own head. There was only color swirling and moving in waves around her.
They walked further into the burning firescape and the flames seemed to part for them. After a while, Wilder signaled to Danica and they walked back out of the flames. Danica’s body instantly expanded. The noise of the fire that greeted them was almost painful to her ears after the total silence within. She was full of questions.
“How is this possible? Why can’t I hear anything in there? Can anyone who wears this belt be protected? Can we go back in? Just for a little while?”
Wilder laughed and led her farther away from the inferno where it was more quiet.
“The belt protects you from the heat and the burn Danica, and the sound. If you could hear in there, you would hear the most awful screams.”
“Screams?” Danica asked softly, even though she knew the answer before Wilder spoke it.
“All the alive things that are being burned. The trees, plants, animals. Even the insects, grass, and weeds. The fire doesn’t discriminate. It just feeds itself, and the bigger it gets the hungrier it gets. Because of your gift, you, especially, would be able to hear and feel the horrible death and destruction the fire brings, so the belt protects you from all of that. In return, all sound is gone. Even sounds that could be helpful to you like your own voice and the voice of others.”
“Yes, I couldn’t hear my own voice.”
“The fire is like the Others, Danica. It becomes more powerful when it consumes. And it is mesmeric. If you aren’t careful, it will absorb you and before you realize it, you will be no more. This belt is my gift to you, but use it carefully, and on
ly when necessary. The hypnotic fire will seduce you and wrap itself around you and you won’t want to leave it. I think you are strong enough to resist it, like you can resist the Others.
“So, fires that are out of control are the Others?
“Yes, think about it. As the fire gains strength, it gets more powerful and harder to extinguish. The Others feed on chaos, and a fire like this one is a perfect example of chaos.”
“So, forest fires—huge fires—on earth are the Others?”
“Many of them are. But not this one. I created this one for your training, and I will deconstruct it.”
Danica took a moment to absorb this information.
“Have you given a belt to anyone else?”
“A couple of people, and one allowed himself to be consumed.”
“Allowed himself?”
“There is always a choice. Remember that.”
Twenty-One
Danica stood at the entrance to the labyrinth. The hedges were eight feet tall and looked as though they were well maintained, as was the path leading in—at least as far as she could see. She had wanted to explore it the first time Liam had pointed it out to her during her early tour of the grounds, but she had held back, afraid, for some reason. Now, months later, she had a free afternoon and it beckoned to her. As she stood looking into the entrance, she heard someone approaching and when she turned, there was Shaw, his floppy gardener’s hat obscuring his eyes. He wore gloves covered in black dirt and held a trowel in one hand.
“Shaw. Hi.”
“Hi, Danica. Thinking about going in?”
“Yes. I’ve been wanting to for a while now. Just haven’t had the time. Do you take care of it?”
“I do. These hedges will grow out of control unless they’re trimmed back regularly.”
“You’ve done a good job. It looks neat and tidy. What is this labyrinth used for?”
“It depends on who you talk to. Some just like to walk in the peace and quiet inside and use it for meditation.” He smiled wryly. “Couples go in to find a place for secret trysts.”
The Acolyte: Magicians of the Beyond Page 12