by Jamie Davis
Quinn realized with horror they’d been talking about Cindy and Fergus going down to the ceremony already. Taylor was next in line.
She worked through her few options. There had to be a way to get out of this and free Taylor, too.
The man who had come with Quinn nodded, locked the front wheels of the table he and Quinn brought, and moved to the table holding Taylor. He stood at its head and pointed at Quinn. “You coming?”
Quinn nodded and fell in at the foot of Taylor’s table. Before he started down the passage, he pulled up his hood, hiding his face. Then, with Quinn’s help, he began rolling Taylor’s table deeper into the tunnels.
She was glad the other one had raised his hood. It meant any others down the passage likely wore theirs up as well. That would make it much easier for her to blend in.
The passage soon began to slope downward again, and with each step, more fear built up deep in her chest. The tons of stone and earth above her, trapping her below the ground, contributed to more dread than she thought she could stand.
She feared what she’d find farther down the tunnel, and what it would mean for her friend.
Chapter Nineteen
As Quinn and the robed man headed down the passage, she went through what she knew and her options. First, VirSync wasn’t just a company working for evil wizards or whatever, the whole place was apparently a cover for a cult of demon worshipers.
Second, a lot of what she could do to rescue Taylor depended on how many people were at the ceremony, and if they left Taylor alone at any time. Quinn didn’t relish the idea of fighting the cultists, especially if it came to killing someone, whether they were already damned or not. If it meant saving Taylor’s life, she’d do what it took, though.
On the way down the tunnel, several people in robes passed them, coming from the other direction. She’d hoped maybe she and the man at the head of the table would be alone in the passage long enough for her to find an excuse to stop and then jump him.
They were never alone long enough to give her a chance to try. All she could do was press her lips together in silence and keep her head down to hide her face in the shadows of her cowl.
Chanting drifted up as they continued downward. With each step, the chants grew louder. The words were in a language she couldn’t understand, but their harsh, guttural sound made the hair on her arms stand on end.
About a hundred feet farther down, the tunnel opened into a large cavern. Although the rough walls and ceiling had been shaped by natural processes, the central portion of the cavern’s floor had been smoothed, forming a circular area in the middle of the chamber.
From the center of the circle rose a carved stone pedestal about three feet across. The top had been hollowed out to form a shallow basin in which burned a pile of coals.
At least twenty other robed figures clustered around the stone brazier. In front of the pedestal, resting on one of the steel tables, Fergus was laid out for everyone to see, covered from head to toe in painted black runes and shapes. They’d arranged the table with his head near the pedestal.
Next to Fergus, a figure wearing a robe similar to Quinn’s stood. It wasn’t identical. His was embroidered with gold and silver thread, forming ornate patterns on the chest, shoulders, and sleeves.
The figure held a glowing red gem in their right hand. The jewel had been cut to form a flattened disc about two inches across and an inch thick. The leader slowly passed the stone over Fergus’s body from head to toe, then back up again.
This must be the Ruby Heart she’d heard mentioned earlier.
When the stone passed over Fergus’s head or chest, it pulsed brighter. This caused the assembled cultists to chant louder for a few seconds. Everyone’s eyes were on the gem.
Having neared the rest of the group, Quinn and the man pulling Taylor along stopped beside an empty table.
Quinn realized it must have held Cindy at one time. She was nowhere in sight, so Quinn scanned the crowd to try to find her. Had they killed or sacrificed her?
At first, Quinn didn’t see her. Then Quinn spotted a short redhead wearing robes and standing amidst the others clustered around the burning brazier.
Her hood was not drawn up, and Quinn stifled a gasp as she caught a glimpse of Cindy’s eyes. The other woman looked in Quinn’s direction with eyes that were completely black. It was as if the pupil had been expanded, no whites visible.
Cindy’s black eyes seemed to glare in Quinn’s direction for a few seconds before she turned calmly back to the ceremony around Fergus.
For a moment, Quinn worried that Cindy, or whatever she was now, had recognized her. She let out a long, slow breath of relief when the possessed woman didn’t raise the alarm.
The chanting rose in volume again, finally ending with a shout from the chief priest. When she heard his voice over the others, Quinn recognized it. The leader of the ceremony was Myles Hickman.
Myles held the glowing gem in the air over his head. The stone pulsed again with a surge of crimson light. When the light within the stone was at its brightest, he lowered the gem to Fergus’s forehead.
The comatose figure came to life with a spasm that ran from head to toe.
Myles removed the gem and stepped back as Fergus sat up. His head swiveled from side to side in slow motion as if he were taking a panoramic picture of the room.
When Fergus’s face turned Quinn’s way, his eyes contained black pools of darkness just like Cindy’s.
Myles raised both arms over his head and offered a deep bow to Fergus. “Rise, brother from the nether planes. We welcome you to our world.”
He straightened from his bow and gestured to one of the other cultists nearby. The hooded figure came forward holding a black robe. The cultist helped Fergus put on the robe, then stepped back to their place in the group.
Fergus surveyed the group with a toothy grin, then the former candidate turned back to face Myles. “It has been a long while since I have walked in any form on this world. You have done well to summon so many of us to join your ranks these last few weeks. You must hurry to bring more. There are others among my brethren awaiting transference.”
He still sounded like Fergus, sort of.
Quinn wasn’t sure what she’d expected. There were differences. His voice now had a timbre that caused her skin to crawl. It was like there was a second, deeper voice in the background when he spoke. The amulet on her chest had grown colder and colder throughout the process of his turning. Now it seemed to be cold enough to freeze the skin beneath it.
Despite how uncomfortable it was, Quinn didn’t dare reach for it, for fear it might draw attention to her. She’d just have to bear the discomfort.
Myles nodded in response to Fergus’s command. “Yes, of course. We have an additional candidate already prepared for one of your companions to join us.” He raised his hand and gestured past the other cultists in Quinn’s direction.
The man at the head of Taylor’s table turned around and hissed at Quinn to get her attention. “Come along. We mustn’t keep him waiting. Be quick about it.”
Quinn gripped the foot of the table as they rolled Taylor into position. Two other cultists had moved the other table out of the way to make room.
Fergus went over to stand beside Cindy while Taylor’s table was arranged.
Myles stepped forward and raised the gem over his head. It had dimmed quite a bit since its last use, but it still pulsed with a faint inner glow.
He glanced at both Quinn and the man who’d delivered the table. “Return to your places.”
Quinn backed up, joining the ranks of those encircling the ceremony. She positioned herself so she stood behind two others, trying to remain as far away from the light coming off the burning brazier as possible while remaining in a position to see Taylor.
Myles began chanting, and he was quickly joined by the others. She moved her mouth, letting a dull drone come out, trying to mimic the others without saying any actual words.
Myles pass
ed the stone up and down Taylor’s rune-covered form.
The chill in Quinn’s amulet intensified again as the strange magic in it activated its inherent protections. A thought popped into her head. Could the protection it offered her be extended to someone else?
Given that the spell was already in progress, Quinn had to do something before Taylor was possessed by whatever type of being had taken over the other candidates.
Quinn pressed the chill of the amulet’s magic deeper into her chest with two fingers. Though the cold now seared her skin, Quinn didn’t wince or let out a sound. She focused all the energy from her pain and every ounce of her will on the amulet, directing its energy at Taylor.
She had no idea if it was working but it was all she could think to do.
The chanting continued and Myles moved on with the ceremony, passing the pulsing gemstone over Taylor’s body as he worked on whatever magic he tried to cast.
Even though it looked like the ceremony was progressing, Quinn refused to give up.
She squeezed the amulet tighter through the robe’s fabric, digging it into the skin in the center of her chest until the silver edges cut into her. The cold’s intensity had increased to the point that it felt like a hot poker was pressed against her.
Quinn accepted the pain of the extreme cold and channeled it, boring into Taylor with her eyes to try to send some of the energy from the protection amulet into her friend.
Myles raised his voice as he continued chanting.
That was when Quinn heard it.
His voice was different. It seemed strained or doubtful, or maybe both. Although she couldn’t understand the language they used, Myles’s words had taken on a desperate tone.
The magical gemstone also looked different now. When she’d arrived, it had steadily increased in intensity as it pulsed over Fergus. Now, though, it had dimmed.
Myles brought up his other hand and held the gem between both of them. His knuckles whitened as he applied pressure. He seemed to be trying to squeeze more power from it.
Quinn, through a haze of icy agony, realized whatever she was doing was working. She gathered her remaining will and pushed her amulet’s magic at her friend with more intensity.
Quinn visualized pushing the pulsing red glow back into the depths of the gem so it couldn’t work its magic. She’d never attempted anything like that before; it was sort of like trying to hold onto fine sand.
Myles snarled a curse and lowered the gem to his side, eliciting an alarmed shout from the assembled cultists. He lowered his cowl and wiped beads of sweat from his forehead with the back of his free hand.
The chanting around the circle petered out, and everyone fell silent.
Cindy, or the person who used to be Cindy, turned her black eyes toward Myles. “What is wrong? Why do you not proceed?”
Myles shook his head, staring at the gemstone with a puzzled expression. “We have used the stone enough today. I thought there was enough energy remaining from yesterday to bring three of your comrades through. Unfortunately, it appears to be unable to do so.”
“I do not care for idle excuses. If you begin the ceremony, you should finish it. Our masters will not be pleased.”
A chorus of concerned murmurs spread through the robed figures surrounding the brazier.
Myles’s expression changed from perplexed to alarmed, or perhaps even desperate at Cindy’s last statement. “We will bring the remainder of your group through tomorrow. In the meantime, please come with me while my underlings recharge the stone so it will be ready tomorrow.”
Cindy and Fergus nodded, fixing the VirSync CEO with their black eyes. They moved over to follow him as he walked through the cluster of cultists.
As he passed Quinn and the man who’d brought Taylor down, Myles said, “Place her back in the upper chamber with the other one. We will prepare them both for transference tomorrow.”
The man nodded and bowed as Myles passed. “It will be as you say, my lord.”
Quinn duplicated the bow, using it as an excuse to keep her face hidden from the high priest as he and the possessed candidates stalked by, heading back up the passageway.
As Quinn rose from her bow, she caught sight of the gemstone, which sat on a brass plate resting on the coals in the center of the brazier. Lying next to it on the edge of the stone pedestal was a long iron knife. The black blade looked pitted and crudely fashioned.
The assembled cultists began to line up, blocking Quinn’s view of both the brazier and the gem. Each went to the pedestal for a few seconds, then moved on, making room for the others in line behind them.
Quinn couldn’t make out what they were doing, so she moved closer to stand next to the table where Taylor lay.
A tug at the table drew her attention back to the man at the other end.
He sneered at her. “Unless you want to sacrifice your blood to recharge that damned gem, I’d keep moving. We’ve been given another task by the high priest, but if the others see us here, they’ll expect us to join them in the blood ritual.”
Quinn nodded, resisting the urge to glance over her shoulder at the line of cultists. She pushed her end of the table, helping the man steer it back up the tunnel. They soon arrived at the side chamber, where the other table with the final male candidate sat.
She helped situate Taylor’s table next to the other’s still form. As soon as she locked the wheels with her foot, she bent down, pretending to attend to something in her shoe.
The gray-haired man said nothing as he stalked past Quinn, leaving her alone in the room with the two unconscious candidates.
As soon as he exited the chamber and there was no one else in sight in the passageway, Quinn ducked into the shadows in the corner of the small chamber, waiting for the other cultists to finish filtering back up from the ceremonial chamber. She held off activating her hiding skill until someone came into the room.
As she hid in the deep shadows of chamber’s far corner, Quinn ran through her options to get Taylor out of there. She wouldn’t leave her best friend behind.
Chapter Twenty
While she waited in the side chamber, Quinn listened to those passing her hiding place. The robed figures chattered idly, most discussions having nothing to do with the failed ceremony below.
The long line of cultists from the ceremonial cavern eventually thinned until it had been several minutes since anyone appeared.
Quinn stepped out of her hiding place and moved over to Taylor’s still form on the table. She looked up the passageway leading to the VirSync building above them, then cursed and shook her head. There was no way she could get Taylor out of there without some sort of assistance. She couldn’t carry her all the way out alone. Even if she were to somehow get her to awaken, which she couldn’t, they’d still have to escape the building and get back to Quinn’s Jeep. And that left them inside the walled compound, still likely on lockdown.
Quinn needed help, and there was only one person she knew who could provide it. She pulled out her phone and turned it back on. She waited until it powered up, then held it in the air, checking the signal. The display showed no connection, not even to the building wifi above them.
She was going to have to leave Taylor again and return to the surface to call Clark. Hopefully, he’d have an idea of how to break the spell on the girl, as well as how Quinn could get the two of them out of here.
Quinn returned to the tunnel, looking in both directions as she listened for approaching voices or footsteps. When she was sure no one else was coming, she started back up the tunnel to the elevator.
It didn’t take her long. Soon she stood beside the construction elevator looking up the long shaft up to the surface. She could just make out a speck of light at the top. The elevator mechanism was silent, and there were no voices coming down the shaft.
Confident the others had moved away from the elevator above, Quinn pushed the button and stepped back, pressing herself against the side of the shaft so she wasn’t in direct view o
f the elevator when the doors opened. The elevator came down the shaft and opened.
It was empty.
Quinn darted inside just as the elevator doors started to close again and pressed the up button to return to the basement level.
Once again, she tried to hide her presence, standing with her back against the side of the elevator, getting herself out of sight as best she could for when the doors opened at the top. Although she still wore the robes which had served to hide her well enough, it was pressing her luck to rely on them much farther. People on this level would be taking off their robes, and they would expect her to do the same.
When the elevator stopped and the doors opened, she listened carefully. Hearing nothing, Quinn glanced up the short hallway leading to the preparation room.
All clear.
Quinn allowed herself a tiny smile. She just needed to go a bit farther to get a signal.
She moved to the door leading into the preparation room and paused. This was the door that required keycard access from the far side to open.
Quinn expected it to be locked, but when she examined the door from this side, she realized it didn’t require a card. All she had to worry about getting back through it after the door locked behind her.
Her ID badge wasn’t coded to open it. She’d either need to steal an ID from someone with the correct access or somehow disable the lock in a way that wasn’t obvious upon casual examination.
Quinn crouched to examine the mechanism. She’d heard a click when the guy used his keycard earlier to open the door, so the lock must be electromagnetic. Her suspicion was confirmed by a pair of white and black wires coming off the locking mechanism in the wall. The two wires entered a conduit that disappeared into the ceiling.
In theory, if she cut the power to the magnet, it couldn’t engage the lock once she went through. Knowing it was all she had to work with, Quinn drew her Bowie knife and set the blade against the two wires.