A Familiar Problem

by Sam Cheever

  The putrid stench made it hard to breathe. The bone-chilling cold made me want to curl up and pull the rough-looking blanket over my head.

  I knew I needed to form a plan. I had to find a way out of my new cell and locate Deg. We had to get to Trudy and find out what she wanted us to do. I needed to…

  My mind went blank. I stood there, seeing nothing as weariness dug its filthy claws into me and tugged, turning my knees to soft rubber.

  Before I knew what I was doing, I’d dropped onto the crusty pad on the ledge and pulled the foul-smelling blanket over me.

  I fell asleep with tears sliding from my eyes.

  My mind shaping the faces of all the friends Axismundi had already ripped away from me.

  A loud clanging noise woke me some time later. My eyes were swollen, scratchy, and glued shut from crying. I forced them open and, to my amazement, saw a small basket being lowered into the cell.

  “Dinner!” growled a voice that sounded more animal than human.

  I lay there a moment, staring at the small basket and wondering if I’d be able to eat. The aroma coming from inside was sour even beneath the stink of my horrible prison. I decided I didn’t have the will to eat or the energy to get off my bunk and fetch it.

  My eyes slid closed again and sleep tugged me near. My dreams had been chaotic and filled with uncertainty.

  But as bad as they’d been. They were far preferable to the nightmare of the reality on the other side of my eyelids.

  I don’t know how long I lay on that hard bed.

  My bones ached from the unforgiving surface and I shivered constantly with the cold. It was easier to sleep than it was to stay awake.

  I lived in fear of the moment when I realized I couldn’t sleep any more.

  Because then I’d have to deal with the cell and everything it represented.

  I had a vague recollection of three more baskets being lowered and, eventually, pulled back up.

  Finally, my body screaming from inactivity and achiness, my eyes popped open and refused to close. I reluctantly shoved into an upright position and almost fell off onto the ground. Dizziness assailed me.

  I slammed my hands to the wall and the ledge to keep from falling.

  In the distance I heard the, now routine, clanging of grates and growled announcements. My stomach rumbled hungrily, despite a very real dread of what I’d find when I looked inside the little basket.

  I’d have to eat something or I’d wither away and die in that terrible place. I suddenly realized I didn’t want to die there.

  I wanted to live.

  But first I had to survive.

  So, I waited for the opening of my grate with some anticipation. My stomach grumbling inconsolably and my mouth watering despite my reservations. When my time came I pushed forward on the bench, intending to snatch at the basket as it was lowered down.

  I glanced up as the grate moved to the side and a dark, hairy face glared down at me, long, curved yellow teeth denting its lips from the top and the bottom. His ugly face curved into a terrible smile when he saw me. “Welcome back to the land of the sort of living,” he growled. “You’ll have five minutes to eat. Then I pull the basket back.”

  I dove on the basket as the grate dropped back into place.

  I yanked a surprisingly pristine cloth off the top and started to reach inside. But the small mound in the center of the basket moved and I screamed, jumping back and slipping on the muck. My feet slid out from under me and I hit the slimy mess with a wet thwuck.

  A tiny form jumped from the basket onto the ledge, landing lightly on dainty black paws.

  “Mabel?”

  The kitten’s bright green gaze lifted to me and her tiny body shimmered, elongating and stretching into the young girl who’d led us to Mundala. “Hello, LA. How are you?”

  I stared at her, unsure how to respond as she wrapped the rough blanket around her pale, slender form.

  She blinked a few times. “Oh. Sorry.” Mabel wiggled her fingers at the basket and a thick rectangle, tightly wrapped in clean paper, lifted from it and floated in my direction.

  The savory scent of meat and freshly baked bread filled my sinuses.

  “Real food?” I ripped the paper off and dove on the thick sandwich, moaning my delight. “This tastes amazing.”

  Mabel watched me eat with a soft smile. When I was finished she jerked her head toward the basket again. “Drink that and then it’s time for us to go.”

  I swallowed my last bite and pulled a small flask from the basket. I sniffed it and was surprised that it smelled sweet and fruity. I downed the entire contents of the flask in one long pull, licking my lips when it was gone. “Delicious.”

  Mabel nodded. “That will give you energy. Are you ready?”

  “I thought you’d never ask. How am I gonna get out of this hole?”

  She pursed her lips and whistled. The grate slid sideways and a metal ladder clanked down, its feet slapping into the muck with a wet sound.

  Mabel stood on the ledge, grimacing at the muck. “If you’d be so kind as to pull the basket up, I’ll lead you through the tunnel that will take you out of here so you can continue your journey.”

  “Aren’t you coming?”

  She shook her golden head. “I have somewhere I need to be. I’m already two days late. It took me that long to find where they’d taken you and plan your rescue.”

  I wanted to hug her for that rescue, but having a cat’s fastidiousness, I was pretty sure she wouldn’t thank me for it. “I owe you my life.”

  “You owe Trudy. But I’m happy to do it. You don’t deserve to be down here. Now we must hurry.” She dropped the blanket and shivered, her form folding back down into the tiny kitten. She agilely leapt from the ledge to the basket.

  I grabbed the rope and hurried to the ladder, climbing as quickly as my numb and unsteady legs would carry me. As my head popped through, I gently pushed the basket away from the opening and started to climb out.

  A grimy hand appeared in front of my face. I looked up into Deg’s thin and filthy face. Despite his disreputable appearance, he was grinning widely.

  He pulled me from the hole and I threw myself at him, nearly taking us both down to the ground. He stumbled backward, laughing softly.

  “I was so worried,” I told him as I scraped filthy curls away from his handsome face.

  He looked into my eyes, emotion throbbing in his sexy quicksilver gaze. “I thought I’d never see you again.” His gaze dropped to my mouth and our bodies drifted closer. I licked my lips, already tasting his kiss.

  Pain sliced across my calf.

  I yelped, looking down at the tiny black kitten, whose tail snapped angrily on the air.

  Deg chuckled. “I think she’s telling us to get moving.”

  I was happy to oblige. The sooner I could put distance between me and that horrible place, the better.

  For the moment I didn’t dwell on the challenges ahead.

  It was all I could do to put one foot in front of the other through the murky madness of the Axismundi prison.

  Chapter Twelve

  Hours later, stumbling with cold and exhaustion, I finally saw a gentle, flickering light ahead, beyond a narrow opening in the rock.

  Mabel cast a quick look back and then ducked through, disappearing from sight. I forced my frozen feet to move more quickly, stumbling and leaning heavily on the wall to keep from falling.

  Behind me, Deg wasn’t much better off. The days of cold and wet had taken their toll on us. We’d barely spoken two words since taking off down a narrow passage to escape the prison wing.

  Since entering the passageway, we’d seen only a few guards moving between levels, climbing or descending the occasional ramp that rose into the darkness above our heads.

  Mabel moved through the twisted maze of passages as if she’d been there before.

  Many times.

  I shuddered to think of the young Nephilim imprisoned there. It was certainly no place for a c
hild. Even one of Angel birth.

  I reached the sliver of an exit and plunged through, finding myself standing in a cave. Water trickled down the walls and pooled on the uneven rock floor.

  Thunder rumbled in the distance, its power reverberating through my bones.

  I felt like crying. We hadn’t left the catacombs. I’d thought we were finally out of that horrible place. But I was still standing in water. I looked down, my feet raw from being wet for days. At least the puddle I currently stood in was warm.

  In fact, I realized the air in the cave was warm too. And I suddenly understood what the distant thunder meant. I looked at Deg. “The waterfall!”

  “It’s close.” We shared a relieved smile. He grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze.

  I frowned. “Where’s Mabel?”

  She wasn’t in the small cave. There was no place to hide and there didn’t appear to be any exits.

  “Maybe there’s a secret door…” Deg began patting the rock walls, looking for a hidden latch.

  I joined him a minute later, fear making it hard to breathe. What if we’d hit a dead end? I couldn’t turn around. I wouldn’t go back to that prison.

  I’d rather die.

  A silvery glow suddenly showed behind one of the walls, and Mabel walked right through it. “Are you coming?”

  “Did you just walk through that rock?” I asked.

  She glanced at the wall, frowning. “Ah. You can’t see past the cloaking.” She reached out and stuck an arm through the rock. I could see the pale limb as if through gauze. She waved it around. “It’s probably because of the bracelets.”

  Her words made me aware of a new problem. Or rather an old problem that suddenly seemed more pressing. “We need to get these off.”

  “We will. But first we need to get you to safety.”

  She disappeared through the wall again and Deg and I wasted no time following. The magic in the barrier nipped my skin as I passed through. It was an odd sensation…walking through what looked, to my blinded gaze, just as firm and solid as stone.

  On the other side I turned back and the barrier was gone. I found myself looking into a three walled cave.

  We were standing in yet another passage, but the air was hot and thick with moisture. A warm mist filtered over us and the thunder I’d heard before was a hundred times louder.

  Mabel hurried forward. “Come. They’ll be aware that you’re gone by now and they’ll be searching. We need to get through the waterfall.”

  Fear made my chest tight. With the catacombs far behind us, I’d been feeling as if we’d made it to safety. But her words reminded me we were still in danger.

  Deg and I exchanged a glance and hurried after the Nephilim. A few short minutes later we emerged from the passage and found ourselves standing behind the waterfall.

  The noise was impossibly loud. I stood in awe of the incredible power of the crashing water.

  Mabel walked right into it and disappeared.

  I took a deep breath, grabbed Deg’s hand so we wouldn’t get separated, and plunged into the falls behind her.

  I’d expected to be pounded by falling water but something stopped it. The air above our heads shimmered iridescent. Frothy water slammed against the magic and rolled over without contacting us. I could smell the water, hear its roar, but not feel it against my skin.

  It was not unlike the bubble encompassing Aunt Trudy’s throne city.

  Mabel was hurrying down a steep and narrow stairway cut into the stone on the face of the mountain. She stopped every few steps and turned a worried gaze our way, clearly concerned about being discovered.

  My fear fed on hers and I found myself moving much too quickly for my tired legs down the narrow stairway. My foot slipped over the side and I was suddenly hanging out over open air, my stomach slamming up against my ribs. Deg’s hand wrapped around my arm and jerked me back onto the steps. We crashed back against the wall and stood, my heart beating hard and fast against my ribs. “Thanks.”

  Deg nodded, his chest heaving. “We might want to slow down. I’ve almost missed a step or two myself. My legs are like rubber.”

  I nodded.

  Mabel turned again and stopped, her hand coming up to point behind us. “Hurry!”

  I looked where she was pointing and yelped in fear and surprise.

  A massive creature with a craggy red face and huge, curved horns was running agilely down the steps toward us. He was so huge that it was strange to see him running so easily, but I realized if we didn’t start moving again he’d be on us in a heartbeat.

  So much for slowing down.

  I took off running, tugging Deg along behind me as we tried to put distance between us and the demonic creature that was closing in fast.

  Mabel was screaming something but I couldn’t make it out in the noise of the waterfall. As we left the magic bubble behind, the real sound of rushing water finally filled the air.

  When I looked again Mabel was running back up the steps, her pretty face filled with alarm. She was waving her arms, pointing behind us and still screaming.

  I turned my head and shrieked, though the sound was swallowed by the roar of the falls.

  A massive hand, fingers tipped with one inch long curved black claws, was hovering just behind Deg’s shoulder.

  Without thinking, I threw up a hand and flung a power word at the demon.

  Fire burst from my hand and flared into an explosion that blew me right off the steps. Deg blasted off with me, arms flailing on the fiery air as flames licked hungrily at his skin.

  I screamed in agony as flame burned my flesh, its touch a white-hot wall of unending pain. I could feel my skin melting under its touch…smell my hair burning…and underneath it all, was a slicing agony of blades fileting my internal organs into mush.

  I hit something that felt like rock. Water shot into the air in a glistening wave and bubbles danced against my skin as all the air I held in my lungs filtered out into the cool, clear pool.

  Sound crashed back, hitting my ear drums like a sonic boom that left me screeching in pain.

  A heavy object hurtled into the water not too far away and, a beat later, something even bigger hit, sending ripples outward to shove me sideways in the pool.

  I was disoriented for a moment, not knowing which way was up and which was down.

  It wasn’t until I hit the white sand at the bottom of the clear pool that I realized I was going to drown. My lungs burned with the need for air. It was all I could do to keep from opening my mouth and taking a deadly breath.

  In desperation, I got my feet under me and shoved off, passing Deg on the way up. He was limp and his eyes were closed. He was sinking fast. If I didn’t help him he’d die. Grabbing his hand, I kicked hard against the roiling white water, aiming for the edge, away from the constant clash of the falling water.

  He was dead weight, pulling me down like an anchor.

  I didn’t want to release him for fear he’d be lost to me forever. But if I didn’t get some air we would both die in that pool.

  With a heavy heart, I forced my fingers to release his arm and shot toward the surface.

  Bursting free of the water, I sucked in great gasping lungsful of air. I looked quickly around, but I didn’t see Mabel.

  I really needed her help getting Deg out of that roiling pool.

  But she was nowhere to be seen. And, as I dragged as much air as I could into my lungs in preparation for another attempt at Deg, I realized we were out of time.

  A great, dark, horned shape was streaming toward Deg’s sprawled form at the bottom of the pool.

  I screamed for Mabel and dove, spearing straight toward Deg’s unmoving form. I had no idea what I was going to do when I met the demon underwater…I’d been so weak I was unable to help Deg get to the surface…but I had to do something.

  When he spotted me coming, the demon’s terrifying face opened up in a wide grin. I panicked, briefly reconsidering my choices.

  Stupid choices. Stup
id.

  My mind raced. There had to be something to do. But I was magic-restrained and physically debilitated. And Deg was…

  I swallowed hard, looking at his unmoving body at the bottom of the pool. He looked peaceful, like he was asleep.

  But he wasn’t asleep. And it was that stark reminder that forced me to do the unthinkable. I lifted a hand, my gaze locked onto the demon, and a power word throbbing on the back of my tongue.

  The demon’s eyes went wide. He started to shake his head, his huge form slicing sideways, one arm outstretched to stop me.

  But I had to save Deg. So, I screamed the power word into the watery cocoon.

  Expulsio!

  I’d thought the explosion on the mountainside had been violent. When the energy boomed away from me the second time, turning the very water encompassing us to pure fire, I was blown backward, flung out of the pool and sent screeching in agony, in an arcing flight through the moist, heated air beside the pool.

  I hit the grassy area surrounding the water and skidded several feet, slamming up against a rocky outcropping and folding into a puddle at its base.

  Knives sliced through my insides, slashing in rolling waves of pain that kept me screaming and thrashing in my mind.

  Only in my mind.

  Because my body couldn’t move. I lay there, twitching violently as my insides were ripped to shreds. But my limbs seemed disconnected from my brain and they lay useless in the wet grass.

  After what seemed like hours, the pain finally started to recede. I lay there, senseless with relief, and panting from the residual pain memory. It took me a moment to remember why I’d tested the stupid bangles on my wrists again.

  I shoved to a sitting position. My gaze slipped hopefully around the area and I saw the demon, pushing to his knees on a groan.

  The thing had survived. Freakin’ fantastic!

  I found Deg lying half inside the pool, several feet away. I didn’t trust my legs to hold me so I got to my hands and knees and crawled as quickly as I could to his side.

  He was icy cold, his skin blue, but he was twitching from the electrical blast of the magic kickback.