The Agrista (Between the Lines Book 1)

by Shannon Lamb

  Fear and excitement battled for control of her nerves. She wasn’t exactly a good flyer, and this was significantly more frightening than a plane. Even so, she refused to close her eyes. The sight of all the stars whizzing past her as she and Alex flew through space was absolutely breathtaking.

  She couldn’t help but wonder how it was possible for her to breathe in space, among several other things that tested her sanity. She thought it was best not to overanalyze her experience like she did everything else. There was nothing about any of this that made sense, and that was part of the fun.

  Finally, she relaxed her grip on Alex and leaned forward, resting her head on the back of his soft, silvery mane as she watched the stars dance all around her.

  “Thank you, Alex. This is amazing.” She relaxed her body and entered into a state of euphoria.

  By the time she and Alex approached the castle, she had no idea how much time had passed. It could have been minutes; it could have been hours. The only thing she was certain of was that the journey here had been the most amazing thing she’d ever experienced, and had shown her the most beautiful sights she’d ever taken in. That is, until she got the full view of the castle of Quinque.

  The castle in itself was its own planet, with no land surrounding it. The entire surface looked as if it was made of marbled mirror. Precious gems wove a paisley pattern through the cracked glass, reflecting the stars like city lights.

  The interwoven structure was a compilation of dead ends and splits, deviating and converging like a three-dimensional maze, except the structure was entirely cylindrical. The borders of the castle were illuminated with black and white lilies that shone like neon lights and drew her in.

  The closer they got to the castle, the more gargantuan it seemed. Alex began to fly in lower, toward the only part of the castle that was pitch black. It was as if the lights had gone out eons ago, emitting a strong feeling of abandonment.

  Marie’s thoughts rallied in objection as they approached the darkness. She’d forgotten Alex’s warning until now, when it was too late. She recalled his words, letting them work their magic on her nerves as they tightened her muscles and shortened her breaths.

  They needed to be careful because there were people here who wished her harm. He was her protector. Who or what did she need protecting from? What would happen to her if they got caught? She swallowed hard as her pulse quickened.

  “Alex, wait!”

  He ignored her pleas and stayed his course, closing in on the castle faster. Alex had kept nothing from her. She knew the situation they were going into was dangerous, but she’d been so starry-eyed and thirsty for an adventure that she never let the weight of his words fully sink in. She felt it now, anchoring her with fear.

  The only thing she’d taken away from their meeting was that he was taking her far away from the place she loathed, and that he needed her. The beautiful, perfect man that had stood before her needed her. For once, she wasn’t just another face in the crowd.

  “Alex! Wait a minute!” she protested, pulling on his fur so hard he growled instinctively.

  He pushed on, driving them further into the darkness. She felt his body grow rigid beneath hers as she began trembling. Impending tears hazed her vision, separating her from the murky path before them.

  She felt a sudden jolt as his paws touched down on a hard surface. A soft echo danced around them, reverberating off the walls and enveloping them mystery as it skirted the long corridor. She had no choice but to adhere to the sound, having lost all sense of sight.

  Alex shifted into his human form, adroitly catching Marie before she hit the ground. He set her down gently and took her hands in his. She lost herself in his soothing voice, forgetting, just for a moment, why she was so scared in the first place.

  “You must stay quiet and just listen,” he whispered. “I know you’re scared, but I will keep you safe. We’re here to gather what is absolutely essential for us to continue our quest.” He released her hands, placing his securely around her waist. “We must get past the Queen and head to the servants’ quarters. We shall not linger. No harm will come to you while you are with me.” He paused. “Do not make a sound.” Alex threw Marie into the air as he shifted back into his Umbraic form. She landed squarely on his back, and they proceeded to venture further into the darkness.

  Marie focused on her breathing as she struggled to relax. Be quiet, and this will all be over soon. She mentally repeated the words to herself like a broken record, fading into white noise. She tried to distract herself as they journeyed through the darkness, but her thoughts only corralled her into uncertainty.

  The more she thought about it, the less it made sense. Alex had told her that Umbra protected those of royal blood, which would make her a princess. Isn’t a castle the one place a princess should be safe, especially if it’s her own? It didn’t add up. It seemed she’d been a little too hasty in her questioning earlier. She’d carelessly glossed over the finer details of the situation, not thinking to derive their altogether purpose.

  Unfortunately, the time for asking questions was no longer upon her. Pining over regrets and lost opportunities was only making her more anxious, so she decided to focus all of her energy into staying quiet. It was the only way she was going to get through this.

  Far off in the distance, Marie could see a dim light filtering through the cracks of an obscure set of doors. A much welcomed light at the end of the tunnel, she thought. Alex picked up speed, charging toward it. In an instant, a dreary red light engulfed the both of them as they emerged into the next room. She judiciously examined their new surroundings, and found herself suddenly wishing she was back in the darkness.

  The dim room was uniquely beautiful and equally frightening. Textured black stones encrusted with rubies lined the floor and the walls. Red water flowed through the cracks, suffusing the room with a crimson glow. Something about it gave Marie an unsettling feeling, so she quickly moved on.

  Roman shades of burgundy crushed velvet and black silk draped along the walls, soaked with the same flowing red water that made it appear as if they were dripping blood. Between the curtains, black iron sconces adorned the wall. Each contained a long, skinny red candle that burned with a black flame.

  Chandeliers of multifaceted glass hung from the ceiling, filled with the same mysterious red liquid that seemed to flow throughout the entire room like a spider web of spindly ventricles. Marie was beginning to feel like she was in the belly of a monster.

  The stale copper scent that hung stagnant in the air was beginning to make her feel queasy. Feeling faint, she began to sway, prompting Alex to move faster. Her stomach began to settle as the next room came into focus. She desperately hoped this one was better than the last.

  There wasn’t a speck of color to be found anywhere in the room. Everything was a pristine white. She squinted against a blindingly bright light that inflicted a dull, throbbing pain just below her temples, but couldn’t locate the source.

  Journeying through this castle is starting to feel a lot like a hangover, she thought miserably. That was an adventure she’d already had, and one she was okay with missing out on.

  As they delved further into the room, Marie heard screams cry out from beneath Alex’s feet. Her head snapped down to investigate. The entire floor was made up of faces, writhing beneath his toes in endless, agonizing pain as their piercing sobs penetrated the air. She slapped her hand over her mouth, choking back the rise of vomit.

  Marie slammed her eyes shut, desperately trying to erase the image from her mind. Even if she could forget the grotesque picture now burned into her brain, she couldn’t block out the cries of anguish that filled the air with deafening dissonance. She covered her mouth in an attempt to muffle her sobs, unable to contain her shock and devastation.

  “You’ll need to be a lot quieter than that, or Queen Cailene will know you’re here,” a pretty, petite blonde girl, no older than thirteen, whispered from the shadows of the doorway.

&nbs
p; “Hurry, Johanna!” the Queen bellowed impatiently from the next room as the girl dashed past Alex and Marie in a flash of purple and yellow.

  The young serving girl was covered from head to toe in welts and bruises; some long healed and some new. The freshly puckered skin and ghosting scars of injuries past incited Marie with a primordial rage, coupled with an unbridled determination to make the evil Queen pay. Who did this woman think she was to treat people like this?

  She fought the urge to jump off of Alex’s back and show the Queen exactly what she thought of her. Knowing that would only do more harm than good, she took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself. Alex had told her they needed to remain undetected, and she wasn’t going to undermine his direction. She had a feeling she was in way over her head.

  Marie braced herself as they crossed the threshold of the grand entrance to the throne room. Alex slowed his steps, proceeding with the utmost caution. Frightened as she was, Marie couldn’t resist the urge to catch a glimpse of the cold-hearted shrew that had caused countless others so much pain.

  Queen Cailene sat perched upon a throne of pure silver, looking like she didn’t have a care in the world. Her posture was perfect, which came as surprise, considering she looked thirty years past the deadline for osteoporosis.

  A flowing black satin gown clung to her bony frame, and her withered hands were covered with gaudy rings that looked like they weighed more than the woman herself. Upon her face sat a black and white ceramic mask with hollow eyes and a Glasgow smile, framed with a crown of thin, frizzy white hair that had a mind of its own, going off in several directions.

  Beside the Queen, hunched over and looking bored on a throne of black iron, sat a man that looked to be around Marie’s age, if not a few years older. He had a lean frame, but he filled out his snug dress shirt, leaving little to the imagination.

  Sandy brown hair brushed over his piercing blue eyes, kissing the arc of his high cheekbones. His full lips pursed into a seductive pout, giving him a wild, devil-may-care look. Marie surmised that he probably had a nice smile, providing he ever managed to wipe the grimace off his face. Looking like a man who was never satisfied, she doubted he ever did.

  Marie’s attention was directed back to Alex when he came to an abrupt stop. His back muscles grew painfully tight beneath her as his shoulders aligned into a rigid, straight line. She looked around to see what had stopped him dead in his tracks, immediately discovering the cause. Looming near the doorway was a dead, stuffed Umbra.

  While the Umbra was most likely once a beautiful creature like Alex, it was far from its former glory. Its black undercoat had faded to charcoal gray, and its once lustrous, deep red stripes had been ripped away, leaving raw skin and exposed tissue. The remnants of the creature’s wings were dull black feathers, matted together with blood and filth, as was its auburn mane.

  The look on the creature’s face was heartbreaking. Even in death, it looked to be suffering. It was obvious that this once magnificent creature had been tortured until its body couldn’t take anymore. Then, to add insult to injury, they used its battered corpse as a taxidermy project, displayed proudly in the throne room to strike fear among its kind. Marie focused her attention back on Alex. The fallen Umbra was obviously one of his kin, and he was in shock.

  She had no idea what to do. The Queen and her protégée were less than twenty feet away, and Alex wasn’t moving. He seemed to be lost in grief, and she couldn’t say anything to him for fear of discovery. She gently stroked his mane in hopes that her touch would break his trance, but she couldn’t tear his attention away from the gruesome sight before them.

  She tugged on his mane. Gently at first, then harder. She poked his sides, pinched and flicked his skin, covered his eyes and pulled on his ears. He remained as still as the Umbra before them.

  Marie began to wonder if this room contained some kind of enchantment that paralyzed their kind. If that was true, what could she do? She’d never make it out of here without Alex.

  Johanna reentered the room carrying a tray of drinks. Marie’s heart sped up, beating painfully hard against her chest as the servant girl made a beeline for the two of them. It was obvious Johanna could see them. When she spoke to them earlier, she’d locked eyes with Marie and held her gaze.

  Marie had no idea whose side the girl was on. While she hadn’t alerted the Queen of their presence before, that could very well be what she was doing right now. After all, she was walking straight toward them.

  Marie’s heart began beating so fast that it shook her entire body with terse, jerky movements that stirred the air around them. In a last ditch effort, she lightly punched and kicked Alex, continuing her futile attempts to rouse him from his petrified state. When she received no result, she focused all of her energy inward in an attempt to remain calm as Johanna lazily strolled up to Alex’s side.

  The sudden clamor of ringing metal and broken glass nearly made Marie jump as her heart caught in her throat. She looked down to see liquid spilling across the floor, fortunately in the opposite direction. As Johanna knelt down to clean up the mess, she gently placed a hand on Alex’s front paw and whispered two obscure words, prompting him to move a step forward.

  “Johanna, you imbecile!” hissed Queen Cailene.

  Alex began moving forward again. Marie fought back her squeals of delight, casting an appreciative glance at the young serving girl. If they made it out of this alive, she would find a way to repay her. She had no idea what Johanna had said to Alex, but whatever it was, it had snapped him back into reality.

  “Gustav! Fetch us more drinks!” Cailene bellowed. “Johanna seems to be incapable today.”

  A small creature emerged from the shadows of the throne and placed himself before the Queen and her son with a customary bow. Gustav, apparently. Had he been here the whole time? Marie watched him in fascination as he left the room, trying to figure out exactly what he was. He looked like a little troll, making her wonder if their existence was more than just a myth. After today, anything seemed possible.

  Gustav was short and stout, no more than three feet tall. His skin was dry, scaly and green, much like a turtle’s. His head was perfectly round and almost entirely bald, if not for a few random flyaway gray hairs. He had a flattened, elongated snout with protruding black whiskers, and round, black, beady eyes that reminded Marie of a little field mouse.

  She’d gotten so caught up in watching Gustav, she hadn’t even realized that Alex had only gotten a few steps further before coming to a complete stop again. She looked around to see what had stopped him this time, quickly realizing that the prince now stood a mere few inches from them.

  “Let me help you, Johanna.” The prince knelt a little too close to the serving girl. By the look on her face, his presence obviously made her extremely uncomfortable.

  “That’s very kind of you, Prince Marcel, but a man of your status shouldn’t be doing servants’ work. It’s beneath you.” She forced a smile as she inched away from him, only to have him move even closer.

  “What’s this?” Marcel grabbed her hand, holding it up to his face. “You’ve cut yourself on the glass,” he squeezed the fresh cut on her finger, forcing blood to trickle out. “When you’re done cleaning this up, come to my chambers. I’ll bandage you up.” Marcel threaded his fingers through her curly ponytail, causing her to quiver as a look of terror washed over her face.

  Without preamble or permission, Marcel placed his hand on Johanna’s knee, slowly inching it up her thigh as he delicately slid her dress higher. She sat unmoving, unable to react. A serving girl had no place denying a prince anything he wanted, even if what he wanted was her.

  It was killing Marie that she couldn’t intervene. She was more than willing to give away their position to help the poor girl, but what good would come of it? The three of them would probably end up as faces in the creepy skin tapestry so boldly displayed in the last room.

  Marie watched helplessly as Marcel continued to put his disgusting
hands all over Johanna. He probably thought no one could see him, and continued to do as he pleased. Marie wasn’t sure he’d stop even if he did know he had an audience. It might only sate his prurience.

  Marie hated people like Marcel. She was a pushover when it came to a lot of things, but one thing she could not and would not stand for was bullying. Marcel was no different than any other bully, and he needed to be put in his place. It took every bit of restraint she could muster up to stop herself from kicking him in the face, which just so happened to be right by her foot.

  Minutes later, Gustav returned with fresh drinks. His attention was immediately drawn to Johanna’s distress. He cleared his throat to announce his presence, but Marcel seemed unconcerned by another pair of eyes. He hastily set the tray down on a steel table between the two thrones and turned to the Queen.

  “Will there be anything else, my Queen?” Gustav bowed before Cailene. With a wave of her hand, she dismissed him. “I shall help Johanna then.” He bowed once more before rushing to Johanna’s side. “I’ll finish cleaning this up, dear. Go have Agatha bandage you up before you bleed all over everything, and send someone to help me with this glass, would you? We wouldn’t want the prince here cutting himself.” Gustav turned to Marcel, flashing an insincere smile.

  Johanna gave Gustav a grateful look as she fled the room. Prince Marcel brushed himself off and somberly made his way back to the throne, directing a nasty scowl at Gustav as he slithered past. It was obvious that the prince was used to getting his own way, and gave little credence to obstacles.

  “Let it go, Marcel,” Cailene warned. “You know I don’t like you messing with the help. They either disappear or become useless, and then I have to dispose of them.” She demurely nodded to the previous room. “Your cheap thrills only create more work for me,” she sighed.

  “Those cheap thrills are part of our deal,” he purred.

  “I haven’t forgotten. I just don’t understand what you see in those disgusting creatures.”