He pointed ahead, a set of barely visible stone stairs carved into the wall. “The sooner we get to those, the better.”
Nodding, I turned toward the steps, surprised when my feet didn’t budge. It was as if they’d been swallowed by rock, holding firm as I tried to move forward. In fact, they were sinking farther, my form moving toward the water at an almost imperceptible rate.
Alarmed, I glanced at Cal, watching as an expression of frustration and concentration covered his face. Slowly, and with extreme effort, he lifted his knee and took a step, a great rush of air leaving him as he set his foot down.
Following suit, I exerted all of my strength, grunting as the sole of my boot peeled away from the ground, my thigh shaking as I finally took the first pace forward.
“Keep going,” Cal instructed, already another step ahead of me. “It gets easier the faster ye can move.”
Taking the advice as if it were from God himself, I continued to plow forward, moving at what seemed like a snail’s pace. My muscles burned from the effort it took, sweat beading on my brow, heart hammering as I gasped. With each movement, the pressure seemed to lessen, and after several panicked and driven moments, I found myself collapsing onto the stairs, my feet finally free.
Beside me, Cal sat, trying to catch his breath. Our reprieve was short lived, though, his grip finding my shoulder.
“We must keep going.” Wearily getting to his feet, he pulled me to mine, pushing me heavenward.
Ascending quickly, we came into another large cave, the opening on the other end gaping at a plain of emptiness. Dirt blew across the bare earth, gusts of wind howling within the mouth of our current location. As far as I could see, there was not a single plant or being.
Cal frowned, his brows knitting together as he stared at the expanse. The weight he’d assumed as soon as we entered the Dark Isles seemed to double, an age I’d never noticed in his gaze making itself known.
Turning, he examined me. “Can ye run?” he asked. “The sand takes it out of ye, I know.”
“I can,” I answered confidently.
“Good.” Peering back at the waiting desert, he pointed off to the side. “We will go in that direction. Ye must run as fast as ye can, no matter what ye see or hear. The Children of Darkness will know we’re here as soon as we set foot in the open, if they aren’t aware already.”
He eyed the sword then, hesitation in his voice. “They’ll come fast, with their dogs. Hell Hounds. Your blade will be the only chance we have of getting away, should it come to a fight.”
“Ye don’t expect to stand and face them?” I asked, surprised.
He shook his head. “Not yet. We must outwit them if we wish to take the Red Javelin from them. It will do us no good if I am injured and ye are dead before we have the chance.”
The sour pit in my stomach tripled tenfold. He was right, of course. Cal couldn’t die unless the gods gave their permission. I, however, wasn’t under any such stipulation.
Touching the hilt of Excalibur, I swallowed hard. “What do we do now, then?”
“We make for the safe hold.” He pointed into the void. “It’s there, tucked into one of their sinkholes. I know the way well. If ye stay right with me, we should have no issue getting there.”
I breathed out slowly. “Very well. Lead on, Callaghan. My life is in your hands.”
Making a grim face, he sighed and walked to the opening. “On my mark,” he muttered.
A few moments passed, the wind ruffling my hair and throwing dirt in my face. Then, he raised his hand, giving the signal to sprint.
Moving as fast as I could, I darted into the open, sticking to his side. The wind was so forceful, it almost knocked me over, the sand stinging me. I pressed forward to the best of my ability, stumbling here and there, but somehow managing to keep up with Cal.
Once again, he seemed to know everything about the space. He dodged dips in the ground and small stones that waited to trip an unsuspecting sap like myself. His feet practically flew over the ground, his shirt whipping back and forth in the wind, arms pumping at his sides as he blasted forward. Not once did he look back to see if I was with him, every single ounce of his being oozing survival and focus.
Then, a deep horn sounded, the vibrations of it shaking my body. Hearing it struck fear into my heart, for it was so close I assumed our enemy was right behind me, snapping at my heels. I didn’t dare look back, for fear of falling and being overcome by the demons.
A bark carried with the wind, a growl following. It was a bloodthirsty and painful cry, swooping past me like a bird in flight. Somehow, I moved even faster, flinching as a second howl pierced the air.
The ground gave way to sinkholes, a riddled maze of traps and the death. Cal darted through them like a mouse escaping a cat, his steps light and sure. Then, in an instant, he was gone, down one of the caverns.
Gulping, I flung myself into the pit after him, grunting as I hit the ground, jarring my shoulder.
“Here,” Cal whispered frantically, skittering to a large stone lodged in the wall of the hole. Shoving at it, he began to roll it away, revealing a small hole in the earth behind it.
Rolling to my feet, I helped push the boulder away, sliding through the opening behind him. We then pushed the rock back into place, plunging ourselves into the dark.
It felt like we’d been buried alive. The earthy smell of the place was overwhelming, to say the least. Reaching out, I could place my hands on either side, my elbows bent slightly. It was longer than it was wide, my touch unable to find the other end, or Callaghan.
Breathing heavily, Cal moved around, his actions a mystery to me. “Are ye hurt?” he asked, his fingers touching my arm as he came closer.
“No,” I responded, ignoring the twinge in my shoulder. Then, pulling Excalibur from its sheath, I sat down, letting the light fill the space.
“Good.” Cal winced, shielding his eyes. “We are safe for now.”
It was hard to feel protected in a hole in the ground, though. I inspected the space, frowning at my sparse findings.
There were a few shelves dug into the walls, broken pieces of something spread across them. A pile of dry branches rested in the back corner, covered in what looked like a ratty and moth eaten blanket. An old bow and leaned against the far wall, several sharpened, bone-looking weapons with it. Overall, the entire thing was nothing more than a glorified coffin.
“This is where ye lived?” I couldn’t help the disdain and horror in my voice. “For all that time?”
He nodded, taking it all in, too. “Not the whole time. I didn’t manage to find the indentation behind the rock until I’d been here for several decades. It look much longer to dig, because I didn’t want to be caught building a hiding hole. But, once it was large enough for me to wiggle into, aye. I stayed here. It was a small mercy, having somewhere to go when I could no longer brave the tide outside.”
Staring at the ceiling, he bit his tongue, sitting down and bringing his knees to his chest, folding his hands over them. “It’s not much,” he continued. “But it’s all I had. Until the Adelina arrived, that is.”
Scooting down the rectangular space, I sat as well, laying the sword on the ground between us. “How did ye do it?” I pressed. “The very earth attacks ye in this place. I cannot rightly imagine what such a life must have been like.”
He shrugged, watching me blankly. “Ye do what ye have to, to survive.”
Guilt that never really escaped me rose to the surface again, clenching around my chest so tightly I thought I might cry out from the pain of it. If only I had thought of him as taken instead of killed . . . he could have lived his life the way he was meant to.
“Cal,” I started, only to have him hold up a hand and silence me.
“There’s nothing ye could have done, Tristan.” His voice was soft but sure. “There’s no use in mourning over it now. All we can do is move forward.” He frowned, a bit of fire entering him. “And make sure Randall pays for what he did. Wha
t he’s done to ye in my absence.”
His gaze turned toward the rock that hid us from the beasts outside and muted the horrors awaiting us on the plain. Growling, the force of his anger snaked through his words like a sword through flesh. “This time tomorrow, we’ll have arrived at the Citadel. Ye will show the Fomorii the full strength of Excalibur and we will take the Red Javelin back to the home it truly belongs in—Thomas Randall’s cold, dead chest.”
We left the hole in the dead of night, sprinting away without any thought of returning to the glorified grave. Under cover of darkness, Cal led me across the rest of the desert, to the edge of the bleakest forest I’d ever seen. None of the trees lived, their trunks blackened and hollow, leaning over the rough undergrowth. No path existed through this space, the plants waiting at every turn to grab and hold you steady. Twice, I saw red eyes watching from a distance, their presence causing my heart to speed considerably. We were completely alone otherwise, only the sound of our footsteps breaking the night.
When the sun rose, it was in a perpetual eclipse, creating an eerie orange glow. I felt as if I truly were in the depths of Hell, waiting for the flames of the devil to come consume me, their presence drawing ever closer.
The further we went, the more agitated Callaghan became. His expression made me wonder if something was wrong, his constant searching beyond his shoulder giving away how much he truly feared this place. Whenever I saw his terror, I cursed myself for needing him to bring me here, for making him face the prison he’d been so long captured in. He said nothing of his burdens, though, and I did not bring them up.
There was no need to. Clearly, all either of us could think about was the creatures here and the suffering they could entail.
By mid-morning, the Citadel was visible beyond the forest, its glassy spires raising high into the sky. It was something from a fairytale, like the ones Samantha whispered to me during rough nights at sea, her voice soothing my anxieties. I’d never seen something so black and fragile looking, while also being so strikingly strong and unbreakable. Half of me believed I could crumble the palace to pieces with a simple flick of my fingers. The smarter half knew it would take an act of the gods to level such a place.
A branch snapped to my left and I jerked, a shout stuck in my throat. For a second, I could do nothing but stare, frozen as I looked at the creature we’d stumbled upon.
It was the same type of beast that had taken Cal from the beach. Large, leathery wings and talons that could rip the flesh off bone with one single swipe glinted in the unearthly sun. This monster was a blue color, though, and made clicking sounds with its mouth as it carefully stepped forward. It appeared as surprised as I was, but its intelligent gaze confirmed what I’d already guessed. The red eyes matched the ones I’d seen watching us, the demon waiting until the perfect moment to strike us. By God’s good grace, we’d somehow managed to catch it off guard beforehand.
Cal didn’t make a sound, his hand slowly moving to the bone spear he’d brought along from his hideaway. The creature regarded him, annoyance flashing in it’s strangely human like features, and clicked more, stepping forward quickly.
With no hesitation, Cal stepped in front of me, throwing the spear at the fairy and piercing its shoulder.
The creature howled, using it’s sharp teeth to grab the bone and wrench it from its body. Snapping the weapon like it was a tiny twig, the thing growled at us, leaning forward until its talons dug into the earth, its form crouched and ready to spring.
Heart hammering, I scrambled to form a plan, but could find nothing. It was strange, how we’d not come across another monster. I’d been attempting to ready myself for it all day. Now that one had presented itself, I was back on the beach, ten years ago, staring at the beast who would take my brother, paralyzed by indecision.
My palm found the hilt resting on my hip, fingers grasping it tightly. The action seemed to alarm the fairy and it reared, jumping forward.
“Run!” Cal shouted, grabbing me by the shoulders and shoving me in the direction we’d come from.
Sprinting for my life, pushing through the trees and bushes, ignoring the minor cuts and bruises I gained along the way, I relied on my base instinct to survive. Behind me, the fairy crashed through the underbrush, screeching in a manner that made my ears feel like they were bleeding.
Cal slipped in front of me, leading the way, weaving around the trunks and hopping over roots like he was a wood nymph in its own home.
Panicked, I did my best to follow him, hissing as a thin branch snapped off his shoulder and slapped into my face, blinding me momentarily. Blinking hard, I rubbed at the stripe, peering through instantly forming tears. My vision was blurry at best, though, and I began to lose sight of Cal, forging my own path ahead, moving as quickly as my feet would carry me. No matter where I went, the creature was somehow behind me, close enough I imagined I could feel its breath on my neck.
I had no knowledge of this place, as my brother did. I stumbled over rocks and fell down hillsides. The plants tore at my clothes and drew blood from my skin, my head pounding from the force of the fairy’s cries.
After what felt like hours, when my lungs were about to burst and my legs were going to give out underneath me, silence finally coated the scene. It smothered the screeches in an instant, and I briefly wondered if I’d gone deaf from the volume of the beast. Daring to pause and make an assessment of my surroundings, I put my hands on my knees, breathing heavily. The demon—and Cal—was nowhere to be found. Nothing moved , not even the air. Then, I spotted smoke through the tops of the branches.
Cautiously moving toward the sight, I watched my step, favoring my shoulder that was, once again, smarting from being fallen on. My ears perked at the smallest of noises, the worry of being lured into some kind of trap by the beast heavy on my mind. As I made my way forward, a sense of security began to prick at me, my lungs relaxing. The sound of ocean waves reached me and I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing if I’d somehow found the coast, I’d be able to travel along the edge of the island without losing my way until I found Cal.
The trees parted before me, revealing a cliff side, an open view of the water stretching beyond what I could see. I felt like weeping with relief, my legs continuing to tremble, weak from my flight through the forest.
Shading my eyes, I searched for the source of the smoke that had drawn my attention in the first place.
In the distance, the stuff curled from the burning hull of the Adelina. Terror ripped through me in an instant and I flung myself forward, staring into the face a straight drop to the rocks below. Frantically, I examined the ship, searching for any signs of what happened, or a long boat that had managed to get away. All at once, my vision seemed to zoom in, the sight coming into better clarity, as if I were standing right beside it.
Falling to my knees, I grasped my chest, the life seeping from me in an instant. There was a body in the water, her long, brown hair fanned out around her, the bump of her belly just slightly visible beneath the shirt plastered to her.
“Sam!” I screamed. My body refused to hold me upright as I stared at the sight, the world slowing. It was as if I were trapped in the sand again, unable to move even the smallest bit.
Sobbing, I screamed in frustration, gaze locked on the woman in the water, her form unmoving as it gently floated away.
She was dead. My Samantha, my heart, the mother of my children, the light of my dark life was dead. Pain like I’d never known seared through me, ripping my heart to shreds.
Closing my eyes, I let the horror and anguish of it take me, my body slumping into the dirt.
I was too late. She was gone. I’d sworn to protect her, to save her from the dangers of this world, and I’d failed in the most horrific way possible. I was a liar. A thief. Unworthy of anything.
Anger ripped through me. No! I wasn’t going to let it end like this, not with her floating away while I cried on the shore. If Sam had been in my place, she’d have already found a way to get to m
e, throwing aside thoughts of abandonment.
Forcing myself to my feet, I brushed the dust off, staring at the rocks below. Without another thought, I flung myself from the side, diving into the deep waters, narrowly missing the stones. The liquid seemed to pull me down, not wanting to let me surface, but I fought it, kicking and reaching for the top.
I could see Sam, serenely moving farther and farther away, slipping from my grasp with each and every second that passed. No matter how hard I swam, though, I couldn’t seem to rise toward air or reach her.
Tentacles, long and thick, snaked from the depths, feeling their way toward me. One wrapped around my leg, jerking me down further, its grip tightening painfully. My lungs screamed for release, my soul shouting for my wife.
Grabbing the hilt of the sword strapped to my waist, I yanked Excalibur from its sheath and flooded the world with light.
In an instant, the tentacle vanished. The water rushed away, air filling my lungs. Samantha and our burning ship disappeared, replaced by the dark forest I thought I’d escaped.
Gasping, I eyed Excalibur, the blade pulsing faintly in the orange light, the handle secured tightly in my grasp. Beneath my feet, a pile of bones crumbled.
“Samantha,” I uttered hoarsely, frantically searching for her.
“It wasn’t real.” Cal’s voice was in front of me, his form materializing a few feet away. “Just a trick of the Isles. Yer wife is still aboard the ship, far from this place. Safe.”
Confused, I stared at him, breathing heavily. He seemed as shaken as I was, his face bloodied and eyes tired. There were three, long gouges in his shoulder, his shirt torn and sticks in his hair.
“Ye saved us.” Pointing to Excalibur, he regarded it with more reverence than he had before. Awe washed over him as he met my gaze. “Ye and that sword. We were lost to this place, until ye managed to free us. I’ve never seen a man escape the Nightmare Realm, nor done it myself.” He sighed, rubbing his neck, and then laughed, staring at me. “Ye really are the High King, aren’t ye?”
Stolen Away_A Time Travel Romance Page 26