At this realization I pulled my consciousness back to my body for a good look at what stood before me. Even in that moment of fear and anxiety, Graven managed to bring a smile to my face. He stood at the doorway, posing, leaning with his elbow pressed high on the doorjamb. I didn’t know if he knew how damn sexy he looked, but he was definitely showing off his traveling skills, gloating a bit.
“Looks like this is it. Are you ready?” Graven asked as he brought his posture back to normal.
I reached up and touched my chest. I thought to myself, I don’t know if I can do this. In the back of my mind I could hear a whisper in Gram’s voice. “You have no idea what you are capable of, child.”
I looked to Graven to see if he heard it too. He just stood there waiting for me to answer him or make a move. Maybe it was just what I would imagine hearing her say.
“Yeah. Let’s go. I’ll follow you.”
I pushed the door open and held my breath. I was expecting the light to come through and hit my eyes, but it was as dark, if not darker, than my recent living quarters. Although I really couldn’t see much of anything, at least my eyes were accustomed to the darkness at that point.
“Kasha, take a deep breath and focus. We are going to be okay. Just stay alert. Although I did not sense or see anyone out here in the tunnels, there is no way of knowing for sure. It did not look like there were any alarms or trigger points on the map in the security office.”
“Isn’t there someone watching? I thought they were watching me.”
“There are a handful of cameras both in your room and in other strategic places down here, but they do not have someone monitoring them all the time. That is actually part of Ziona’s job, and we both know she is a bit preoccupied at this moment.
“We are out in the middle of nowhere. They have the perimeter of the property guarded and the whole compound is spelled to block from spying eyes like ours.”
If Graven weren’t there, I wasn’t sure I would have been able to manage the tunnels. The walls were smooth and rounded. They were definitely carved out of rock, maybe sandstone. Following him was like following a magic wisp.
“How are we going to get off the compound once I’m out?”
“We have two options. I’m hoping it will be easy enough to sneak you out in my truck, but I always have a backup plan.” He winked at me.
All I could do at this point was trust in him and his plan.
It was so cold in the cavernous shafts. My skin on my arms prickled with chills. There was staleness in the air that made it difficult to breathe. I could taste the dust on my tongue.
I used my hands to guide me. I could feel that the walls were starting to close in on me the farther we walked. My hands were shaking with trepidation. I reached up over my head to check for clearance and could now feel the ceiling descending.
My nerves started to get the best of me. It was becoming harder to stay calm. As the top of my head glided along the dome of this passageway, I became concerned that the tube we were in was leading nowhere fast. Before long, I found myself on my hands and knees. There was barely a hole wide enough to pass through.
The narrower the space became, the more dust filled the air. I could feel the loose earth beneath me, as if I wasn’t already dirty enough. My pants were now covered in dirt. I was cautious not to press my hands or knees too hard. I didn’t want to catch a sharp rock. I guess I was lucky the walls and floor were smooth.
“Um, are you sure this is the right way? How could anyone fit through here?” I was starting to question Graven and his intentions.
“There are many different corridors down here. This is most certainly not the one that leads back to the main house. That one can accommodate a team of personnel down to the holding cells. You don’t want to even know what some of the other rooms look like or what goes on in them.”
A shiver ran along my spine. I could only begin to imagine. My heart quickened as the space in front of me seemed like it could not get any smaller. Just as my panic was about to kick into overdrive, the corridor started to open up into a larger space.
I knew instantly I was standing in a space large enough to be a room of some sort. I stood up. As I walked forward, I put my arms out to reach for the walls or ceiling. I started to pick up the pace. I wouldn’t be able to find my way if I couldn’t feel where I was going. I would’ve been running if I didn’t want to avoid slamming right into a wall.
Finally my hands made contact. There was some kind of carvings on the wall. I couldn’t make out what they were, but they lined the entire fortification. My momentary fascination with the carvings distracted me long enough that I didn’t notice Graven was gone.
My heart skipped a beat. I kept my right hand pressed against the cool earth wall and started to run. I was beyond freaked out. I worried that something happened to Graven. Why would he leave me here without saying anything?
Terrible images and scenarios started to bombard my thoughts and my emotions. I prayed they didn’t realize he was helping me escape. That would be devastating for us both.
I heard my feet smacking the ground, the sound echoing off the cavernous walls. The rhythm moved me forward faster and faster, until the beat seemed to change.
The sudden irregularity sounded like a thousand little feet were chasing me. I could hear panting and heavy breathing approaching me from behind. The clacking sounds came two at a time, getting louder as they closed the space between us.
I pumped my arms as fast as I could. Growls came between the snarls of exhalation. I could now smell the sour scent of wet, dirty dogs creeping up behind me. I turned to look and only saw the glow of crimson eyes closing in on me.
Where was Graven? I needed to let him know I was in trouble. I wasn’t about to even attempt to take the chance at trying to project while being chased down by a pack of wild beasts.
The sound beneath my feet suddenly changed. I could feel a difference in the surface. The floor below me sounded hollow. Once the beasts behind me hit the new surface, I could hear the difference in the way their claws clacked and scratched closer to me.
My fear turned into a blustering frenzy of emotions. My body began to fill again with bursts of electrifying spasms. I could feel the power rise up from my core.
Without even thinking, I turned in the direction of the approaching pack. I wasn’t sure what I expected to happen or if I just realized it would be better to face them head-on if I needed to defend myself. I wouldn’t have stood a chance if they knocked me down from behind.
I aimed my palms forward in the direction of my pursuers and willed whatever was inside me at the growling dogs. I screamed, “NO!” A burst of blue light streaked from my palms.
I could hear the screeching and whining cries coming from the beasts. I also could now see their scraggly black manes. They were much larger than I expected. I wouldn’t have stood a chance if they’d gotten close enough to pounce on me. The floorboards that separated us were ablaze. The fire crept out in both directions. Crackling sounds coming from the floor were making me nervous. I carefully started to take a step backward in an attempt to get to more solid ground.
The fire spread too fast for me to move so leisurely. I pivoted to set my feet back in motion. What other choice did I have but to try and outrun it? I needed to get out of the flames’ reach.
I wasn’t sure if I heard or felt the cracking of the floor first. I never had the chance to run. Instead, I was trying to catch enough balance to grab onto anything to prevent my fall.
The floor gave out beneath my weight without hesitation. Clawing at the floor and walls was of no use. I fell backward, plummeting farther into the darkness, landing mostly on my back. The wind escaped my lungs. Although grateful that I didn’t break anything, I wasn’t feeling great about the sensation of being punched in the gut.
While I tried to steal back whatever oxygen I could gather from the air, I could hear the wild beasts barking up a storm from above. I wasn’t so sure the flames were as
much of a deterrent as the debilitating smoke that filled the corridors.
I managed to get to my knees and began to crawl back into the darkness, hoping that whatever path I was now on would lead me to an exit far from the main house. I could feel the smoke above my head. My lungs were struggling to get what they needed. It was hard to take in a full breath. The smoke burned the back of my throat. I lifted my tattered shirt up over my face.
I scrambled along but knew if someone hadn’t sent the dogs after me, their howling had by now caught the attention of Ziona or someone on her security team. It was time to brave the elements and get to my feet.
I coughed hard and tried to hold my breath long enough to run as far as I could from the blaze above. Maybe by some chance they would think the wood floor in that area had spontaneously caught fire. If only.
I kept one hand in front of me in case I hit a wall while the other hand slid along the wall at my side. Without Graven, I had no way of knowing where I was going. I had to guess that I was at least three stories down from ground level. There must have been a wood floor there to cover an entrance up to the level I fell from.
The wall seemed to be curving to the right. I slowed down a bit in case it led to a dead end. My hand slipped into a groove in the wall. I stumbled into the space and stopped to feel around. I was far enough away from the fire at that point that I could still smell the smoke, but it was no longer hampering my breathing.
There was a crevice in the wall about two feet wide and six inches high. I caressed the wall, looking for anything else. This didn’t feel like an artistic carving or symbol. About two and a half feet up, I felt another indentation in the wall. The width was consistent with the one that was at my waist level.
I decided to place my foot in the first section to lift myself and see if there were any more grooves that could serve as footings for me to climb. There appeared to be consistently spaced hollows lining the wall. I continued to climb, fingers crossed that this was a way out.
If I had time to think about what I was doing, I might have been terrified. Although I was encased in fear, it was motivating me to carry on. Had I been terrified about the climb in the dark, I might not have been able to continue on. At least I didn’t have to worry about looking down.
I wasn’t sure how long I climbed, but I was pretty sure that I’d surpassed at least three stories and the climb stretched on. I needed to get to a place where my feet were on the ground again so I could investigate what happened to Graven.
The air was changing. The smell of smoke was faint and probably just coming from my hair and clothes. I could hear the wind swirling around overhead. I was approaching a change in the structure around me. I kept lifting a hand above my head after each step higher.
One last elevation of the arm and thud. My hand hit something. Excitement and nervousness filled my belly. I pulled myself up so I could reach the overhead surface. I felt around and it didn’t feel like the smooth walls of stone that surrounded me. I could feel the separation between the planks and assumed it was another wood floor. The question that loomed before me was what was above those planks.
There was a chance that it led directly into the main house or out of the top of the landmass where I’d been held captive. Of course it also could have just led me into another maze of hollowed-out tubes. I held my breath and tried to push up the wood. Nothing happened. I guess that would have been too easy. I listened carefully to make sure I didn’t hear the mangy mutts. Another encounter with them may not have ended in my favor. I searched for a clasp or hinges that would’ve allowed me to open a hatch. Nothing.
I thought back to how I opened the door of my cell earlier. I closed my eyes and let the emotions swirl inside me—the anger, the rage, the excitement, the love, the desires. I let them boil up until I felt like I was going to burst. I pressed my feet and knees against the wall and tried to brace myself. I placed my hands above me and let the surge of electricity pulse up my arms and straight out of my hands.
The wood burst up into the air. Shards of lumber and dirt crumbled down onto my face. Before I threw my forearm over my eyes to protect them from the debris, I saw tiny blue sparks exiting my hands. After wiping my face clear of the grit, I opened my eyes to the distant sight of little specs of light.
It was a new kind of darkness I was ready to run toward. The diamonds flashing above gave me a new sense of hope. I took the largest inhalation of fresh air I’d ever taken. I pushed my feet up and clawed at the dirt above me.
I pulled myself up out of the earth and stood on top of the landmass. I was grateful for enough moonlight in the distance to see where I was. I threw up my arms and hugged the sky.
Now I knew I wasn’t making it off this compound without Graven. I calmed my emotions just enough to allow myself to connect with him. I kept my eyes focused on the structure below and soon found myself standing in the foyer of the main house.
Graven stood beside Ziona and two other men dressed in military black. They were facing the large carved wooden entry doors. Graven’s eyes connected with mine and I felt him at my side.
“Are you okay? I am so sorry I had to leave you.” His eyes showed concern.
“Yes. I’m okay. I had a rough time in the tunnels and faced off with a pack of wild, mangy dogs of some sort. Where did you go?” My concern overrode my annoyance that he left me alone.
“Things got a little crazy here. A few of the security team came barging in telling us to be ready and waiting. The Taker is on his way here now. Where are you?”
“I’m standing on the mass above the house.”
“You are out?”
“Yes. The Taker is coming here now?”
Our conversation got cut short when we were both distracted by the commotion at the front door.
“Kasha, Ziona told me he is bringing in someone who will solidify getting what they want from their prisoner. I do not know who they are talking about. I was so worried about you. I had to see what was going on.”
Graven looked over to his physical body and back to the front door. “Now you are out. That means I need to get out of here. You need me now! We can’t risk waiting any longer.”
Just as Graven reconnected with his body, the double doors opened. The figure of a man and the silhouette of a woman shadowed the doorway.
The sight before me left my jaw agape.
My lungs were depleted of air. Even in my astral form, I could feel the tightness in my chest from the lack of oxygen. My shock stifled my central nervous system from performing its job.
Graven was no longer by my side. He stood across the room, but I was still in his field of vision. He could have seen me—that is if his eyes weren’t glued to the front door. As were mine and everyone else’s. No one in the room moved or made a peep.
The male figure stood at least as tall as Graven in the shadows of the doorway. He was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt under a dark-grey blazer. His designer jeans were bunched at the bottom by some funky charcoal lace-up boots. He had a young, hip style. His hood shadowed his face just enough that from this angle I couldn’t see his profile.
The man who held me captive underground in a mountain cell and kept tabs on me my entire life was still without an identity. My need to see him for myself was outweighed by the presence of his companion. It was not he who now had me captivated.
My line of vision locked in on the female to his left. My eyes had to be deceiving me. After all theses years, her face had hardly changed. Her hair was longer than I remembered. The years had stolen the color, making it more white than blond. Her body was covered in a long white coat. She looked very angelic, like a beam of light.
Her face was absent of emotions as the pair entered the room. The man hidden by the shadows of his hood that stood by her side, I assumed, was The Taker. He grabbed her by the arm and shuffled her in aggressively toward the two security guards.
As he waved them away, I saw the huge face of a watch glisten on his wrist. The platinum sho
ne out against his dark clothes. The militant-looking security guards took her by both arms and escorted her down a long hallway.
I struggled for a breath and whispered, “Mom?”
Note from author Felicia Starr:
If you enjoyed this book it would be fantastic if you could help other people find this book to enjoy as well. Please take a moment to show your support by leaving a review on the site that you purchased this book from. You can also recommend this book to family, friends, a reading/discussion group, or on an online forum about books.
If you take the time to write a review on the site you purchased the book, please send me an email and inform me at [email protected]. I will send you a thank you with a personal email.
FIRST AND FOREMOST, I have to say thank you to my amazing husband and my two boys for putting up with my days of disappearing and letting my chores and errands take a back seat. A thank you to my mother who always taught me to persevere and push past the tough times. Of course, I have to thank my sister for being my first test subject and for having the patience to read this book one chapter at a time. I can’t wait for her to read the final polished version. And my grandparents for all the amazing things and places they showed me throughout my childhood.
There has been a small group of exceptional authors that have encouraged me and educated me throughout this journey to write this book. I will be forever grateful to two of my favorite authors. Amber Lynn Natusch and Dannika Dark inspired me and encouraged me in first place to write this book. Thank you, LM Preston, for taking the time to sit on the phone with me and share your story of publication and advice on marketing. To Michael Brown for walking the path beside me. Thank you Monique Rockliffe. Thank you Cambria Hebert for answering every question I had about the publishing process and then answering them again three months later. Your support and encouragement along with being inspired by your success and determination have helped me to not throw in the towel when I wasn’t sure I could move on to the next step. Last but not least, to Cynthia Lucas for her words of encouragement over the past year to get it done and then for her enthusiasm for my writing and helping me through some creative frustrations at the last minute.
Taken (Breaking the Darkness) Page 20