by Sarra Cannon
"Okay," I said. "I'll go next."
I knew Jackson would want to go last, and I wasn't about to let Mary Anne go through until I knew for sure it was safe.
I took a deep breath and with shaky legs, stepped into the circle.
This Will Be Difficult
A subtle energy hummed through my body, starting with the bones in my feet and traveling up my legs, hips, torso, down each arm and up through my skull. It was nothing like the painful torture of the black roses in the woods near Shadowford.
I turned to meet Mary Anne's eyes and was about to tell her that everything was okay when an overwhelming feeling of lightness and separation came over me. For a split second, I ceased to be. Everything went dark. I knew the sensation of falling, but I couldn't feel my body anymore. It felt as if I were a ghost passing through a wall. A mist of a person. I separated, then came together again, landing on my feet at the bottom of a cool dark cave.
I stumbled. Tried to catch my breath.
"Are you okay?" A woman's voice.
I was too disoriented to answer. All I could do was hold onto the wall and close my eyes, praying for the world to stop spinning.
"She's fine." Lea this time. I could tell by the level of sarcasm.
My stomach twirled and twisted, but I refused to throw up down here in front of Lea and this stranger. Most demons I'd met already thought of me as a weakling. I didn't want to give them the satisfaction of thinking they were right.
I took a long breath in, counted to three, then let it out slow and steady. I pushed away from the wall and stood strong on my own two feet. "I just need a second," I said. "I'm fine."
I let my eyes focus on the girl standing next to Lea in the small corridor. She was petite and beautiful. Her black hair was braided into at least two dozen thin braids that hung all the way down to her waist. Her lips were painted a dark red and her eyes were as black as coal.
"I'm Harper," I said, ignoring the fact that she was staring at me like I was diseased.
"Marlana," she said, not meeting my eyes. She looked up toward the ceiling, then placed her hand on a dark stone embedded in the wall beside her.
Mary Anne popped down beside me. She wobbled. I reached out to her and held her steady.
"Just give it a second," I said in her ear. "You're safe, it just takes a minute to get over the dizziness."
Her breaths were shallow and quick. Her eyes were closed shut as if she were scared to open them and see where she'd landed. I held tight to her to give her some reassurance that everything was going to be okay. Her hands trembled slightly and she brought her elbow in close to her right side, wincing.
I looked down toward her wound and saw a fresh red blot of blood spreading across her shirt. I looked to Lea, alarmed. I didn't say a word because I didn't want Mary Anne to freak out, but this didn't look good. Lea stared at me in confusion until I nodded toward the wound.
I pulled Mary Anne closer, careful not to bump her wounded side. I looked up at the ceiling like the demon girl had done, wondering when it would be Jackson's turn to come down here. He'd said magic couldn't be traced this far below the special stone. It worked like a barrier of some sort. I prayed that meant he could use his healing powers to heal Mary Anne's side.
The ceiling of the corridor was covered in black roses. They hung upside down, seeming to grow out of the soul stone. I had no idea what Marlana had seen when she looked up there before, but apparently she could see something my human eyes couldn't. After a few seconds, she glanced up there again, then placed her hand on the dark stone on the wall. It had to be some kind of lever that opened the passageway.
Jackson came through in a rush of cool air, completely unfazed by the process. He took one look at my face and knew what was going on. "Mary Anne?" he asked, touching her shoulder. "How are you feeling?"
She didn't say a word, but her lip trembled. She laid her head against my chest, and I could feel her small frame shaking.
"Can you help her?" I asked.
"What's the problem?" Marlana asked, stepping forward.
"She was injured by a witch when we first came through the portal to the shadow world," Jackson said. "I thought she was healed enough to come through the soul stone, but it might have been too hard on her. I can do a little bit to stop the bleeding, but I'm not a full scale healer. Would it be possible to get her to your shaman?"
Marlana frowned. "The shaman isn't going to want to help a human," she said.
The disdain in her voice made me want to punch her. I opened my mouth to give her a piece of my mind, but Lea spoke before I could.
"Perhaps I can convince her to help," Lea said. She nodded to Jackson and he lifted Mary Anne's shirt over her wound.
Not caring about the blood that trickled through his fingertips, he placed his hand directly on the gash in her side. The black energy of his magic manifested and surrounded her middle section. Mary Anne moaned, gripping the sleeves of my dress tight.
"You're hurting her," I said.
Jackson ignored me, his eyes locked on the wound. When the tension in his arms relaxed, so did Mary Anne's body. She slumped against me, and I struggled to hold up her weight. I glanced down at the bloodied place in her side and sighed with relief when I saw that the bleeding had stopped.
"That will hold for a little while," Jackson said. "But we really should get her to the shaman."
"Andros will want to speak with you first," Jericho said.
I turned in surprise. I hadn't heard or seen him come through the soul stone. Marlana had been standing beside us, and I was certain she hadn't pressed the dark stone to let him in. I wondered how exactly the portals here worked and how they kept unwanted demons or humans from coming through. But now wasn't the time to ask a lot of questions.
"Then please go and get him and let him know we are here," Lea said, her voice commanding.
Marlana stayed with us as Jericho shifted into smoke and flew down the passageway.
I helped Mary Anne into Jackson's arms and he cradled her close as we waited.
"What is this place?" I asked Marlana. "Did you guys build it?"
She turned her face away from me, refusing to acknowledge me. I took a deep breath and tried to remind myself that the only humans she'd probably ever seen were witches from the Order who had come to this world to do terrible things.
"The Underground was discovered rather than built," Lea said, filling the awkward silence. "The demons who live here now call themselves the Resistance, and they began moving into this place about seventy years ago when they first discovered it. No one really knows how long the Underground has existed, though. It's believed to have been built by an ancient race of trolls that went extinct in the shadow world over six thousand years ago."
Trolls? Not exactly what I'd been expecting to hear.
"Does the king know about it?" I asked.
"He didn't fifty years ago," Jackson said, looking to Marlana. "Does he now?"
She shook her head. "No, we've managed to keep our whereabouts a secret, but he knows the Resistance exists, of course," she said. "But there are many portals throughout the Northern Kingdom and we are very careful to make sure no one knows where they lead."
Silence descended on us again as we stood, waiting for Andros to arrive. I wasn't sure, but I guessed he must be the leader of the Resistance. At the very least, he seemed to be the one making the final decision about whether we could stay here or not.
When he finally did arrive, it was in a rush of black smoke. He took form as a tall, very handsome man with long black hair and olive colored skin. His eyes were shockingly blue and seemed to have a glowing light that came from within.
"Princess Lazalea," he said, bowing to her and taking her hand. "You have no idea how happy I am to see you."
Next, he turned to Jackson and clapped him on the shoulder.
"Andros, thank you for seeing us," Jackson said. "I know we're putting you in an awkward position by bringing two human witches to the Un
derground, but once you hear the whole story, you'll understand that we had no choice."
Andros glanced at me, then at Mary Anne, still cradled in Jackson's arms. "This will be difficult to explain to the council, but considering our long friendship and your status among our people, I am going to place my trust in you."
I let out a long breath, relieved to hear that we could stay. At least for now.
"I'm sorry to ask more from you," Jackson said. "But this girl is injured badly and needs to see a shaman."
Andros held up his hand. "Of course, my friend," he said. "I will have rooms prepared for all of you and once you are settled, I'll have the shaman sent to your quarters immediately."
"Thank you," Lea said.
"All I ask is that you stay in your rooms until you are called for," he said. "You'll be perfectly safe and comfortable there."
"Whatever you need," Jackson said. "We really appreciate this."
Andros nodded, then disappeared down the hallway.
The four of us waited there with Marlana for a little while until Jericho finally reappeared.
"I'll show you to your rooms," he said. "Follow me."
I walked behind the others as we made our way down the long corridor.
In the distance, I could make out a brighter light where the hallway seemed to open up into a larger area. As we got closer, I could make out the sound of voices. Clanging metal. Footsteps. The hiss and sizzle of food being cooked. It was the sound of everyday life. Of movement and laughter and work.
It was the sound of the Underground.
The Secret of The Stones
We stood at the top of a large marble staircase overlooking a marketplace so large you could have fit six football fields inside of it. The ceilings were more than fifty feet high. I stared out, open-mouthed. Who could have ever guessed something this grand and beautiful existed so far under the ground?
The room was shaped like a giant rectangle with long sides extending from where we stood at the front of the space. The sides of the room were lined with staircases leading to dozens of tunnels carved into the sides of the rock.
The floor looked like it had once been some kind of grand ballroom, but now the area was filled with hundreds of colorful tents. Demons moved about, traveling up and down staircases, moving below us from one tented shop to another. The sounds of everyday life and movement echoed through the hall. The smell of food wafted up from a few makeshift restaurants scattered throughout the room. A clanging sounded from a blacksmith's shop below where a big burly man pounded on a large silver sword.
"What is this place?" I asked.
"This is the Grand Hall," Jericho said. "It's our central marketplace. All our shops are here. Food, clothes, supplies, everything. You should be able to find anything you need here, but for now, I'd like to get you all to your rooms."
"Of course," Jackson said.
Jericho turned quickly on his heel and motioned for us to follow. He led us down the long stairway to the left, along the edge of the tents below, past three tunnels, then finally up the fourth staircase and into a new tunnel. All along the way, demons stopped to stare at us. Some of them probably recognized their Princess, but most of them kept their eyes trained on me and Mary Anne. Human witches invading their space.
I felt very exposed in my thin white dress with its rip up the side and streaks of dirt and blood.
So much for a great first impression.
I did my best to walk with my head up and not show my fear or embarrassment. It seemed a little bit ironic that the one safe place Jackson could think of to bring me to was full of demons who despised humans. He'd said they would come around once they learned more about me, but I wasn't so sure. The way they looked at me now made it very obvious they didn't want me here. Some even looked openly afraid of me.
Stepping into the more quiet corridor, I relaxed a little. The hallway was deserted except for our small group of travelers. Jericho led us down toward the very end of the hall, and all along the way we passed dozens of stone doors. I shivered as this place reminded me of the Hall of Doorways in Shadowford's attic. I wondered where all of these doors led to.
We finally came to a stop in front of a set of double doors at the very end of the hallway.
"We have plenty of extra housing down here," Jericho said. "Andros decided to put you on one of the empty halls. The ladies will all share this one suite of rooms if that's okay. I understand if you'd rather be in a room separate from the humans."
"I'm sure this will be fine," Lea said.
Jericho wasn't very good at hiding his disappointment. He frowned, then let his eyes flicker over me, no doubt wondering why in the world a Princess would want to live with two human witches. I honestly just wanted to stick my tongue out at him.
"Can we get inside?" Jackson asked, his voice tense. "I have a girl here who needs medical attention, and I don't think we have any time to waste."
"Of course," Jericho said. He took a small green stone from his pocket, then placed it up against a carved symbol in the stone beside the doors.
Both of the large double doors opened inward to reveal a gorgeous suite of rooms beyond. I tried not to act impressed, but it was hard. Jericho led us inside, and I had to press my lips together to keep my mouth from hanging open.
The floors were pure white marble, smooth and cool and polished to a high shine. The walls were a bluish-gray slate and were decorated with golden sculptures and paintings made of colors so real and bright, they looked like windows to some outdoor landscape. A crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling in the center of the room, but it wasn't like any chandelier I'd ever seen before. It was a mess of geometric shapes and crystals in about seven different colors ranging from aqua to dark purple.
Jackson laid Mary Anne down on a soft fur-covered couch in the living room. "I take it the shaman is on her way?"
He said it more as a demand than a question. He seemed to be losing his patience with Jericho. He definitely didn't seem like he was in any hurry to help Mary Anne.
"I'll take care of it right away," Jericho said. "And I left one of my stones on the table there for you just in case."
Lea glanced toward the table in the main area and nodded.
I walked over to the table as she moved to see him to the door. I hadn't noticed him lay it down, but now there was a very small, round gemstone laying in the center of the white table. A ruby from the looks of it. I picked it up and rubbed my index finger over the smooth surface of it.
It seemed gemstones were used everywhere here in the Underground. First, there was the dark stone that Marlana kept touching to bring us down through the soul stone. There was the soul stone itself, covering the area above this entire hidden fortress. There was the key to this suite – a green stone pressed against the strange symbol outside. And now Jericho had left a small red stone here so that we could contact him if we needed anything.
My mind raced. What was the true power of all these stones? And how did it relate to the portal stone in each of the demon gate towns? How did it relate to the power of my own lost pendant?
I set the ruby red stone back on the table. Maybe hiding down here wouldn't turn out to be a complete loss. I couldn't help but think that the answer to some of my many questions about the Order lay in the secret of the stones.
Past and Future Pain
The three of us sat in the living area just staring at Mary Anne as she slept. We all jumped up when the knock sounded. Lea was the first to reach the door, and she looked relieved to see the woman standing there with her beaded hair and long, flowing dress.
"Thank you for coming, Priestess." Lea took the woman's hand and brought it to her lips.
The shaman bowed her head. "It's my pleasure, Princess," she said. Her gaze took in the room around her. "I don't have much experience healing humans, but if this girl is truly a friend of yours, I will do everything within my power to make her better."
I stood as still as a statue, not knowing whether
I should bow to this woman or leave the room. Would my presence here make her uncomfortable? I looked to Jackson for some kind of clue, but he wasn't paying any attention to me. His eyes were glued to Mary Anne.
Feeling that I would be better off out of the way, I moved to the very far corner of the room and sat in a large blue chair, watching.
The shaman priestess moved quickly to Mary Anne's side. She pulled a vial of bright orange liquid from her bag. "Where is she wounded?"
Jackson lifted Mary Anne's shirt on her right side. I winced at the ugly wound, the tiger's teeth marks still prominent against her bruised skin. There was so much blood everywhere.
"The only other wound is the one you see on her face," he said. "But that one doesn't seem to give her much trouble other than her appearance."
The long scratch across Mary Anne's face had healed really well. It was scabbed over and the color of rust, but it wasn't infected like the gash in her side.
The shaman woman uncorked the bottle in her hand and closed her eyes. She began to chant and the bottle rose up into the air over Mary Anne's side, moving in slow circles. I couldn't make out what the woman was saying. She spoke low and close, as if she were speaking only to Mary Anne. The orange liquid bubbled and steamed, sending a sweet smelling smoke into the air. The shaman priestess rocked forward, wafting the steam into her own face.
Her eyes opened suddenly and instead of the blue eyes I'd noticed when she first walked into the room, her eyes were now a bright, fiery orange. She stared ahead as if seeing into some other dimension. She began to hum something so sad, it brought tears to my eyes. Mary Anne shifted on the couch.
With trembling hands, the shaman woman wrapped her long fingers around the mouth of the floating bottle. I flinched at the sound of burning flesh, but the woman hardly seemed to notice that the bottle was steaming hot. Her grip was firm as she tipped the bottle over and poured it onto Mary Anne's wound.