by Brux, Boone
A cloud of moist air blanketed her as if welcoming her home. The hot pools gurgled a greeting she recognized all too well. The whoosh of warm air rising through natural vents in the floor hissed and the memory of being warmed by them flittered through Rell’s mind.
Gregory motioned everyone forward. Without a word the twins jogged across the chamber to take up guard at the only other entrance into the Shadow World.
Siban slid from the opening and came to where she stood. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.” She let her gaze travel upward to the dark ledge that jutted twenty feet above the ground. “I used to sit there.” Next she pointed to a large, flat-topped rock. “And Jade used to sleep there.” She lowered her arm and looked at him. “It’s all still so familiar, but completely different.”
“You are completely different.” He took her hand. “We both are.”
“It’s strange being here.” Jade joined them. “Now that I see the caverns again, they’re not that bad, eh?”
Rell cocked a brow.
“All right.” Her sister shrugged. “Maybe a little bad.”
“This is where your expertise comes in.” Gregory stopped in front of them. “What is the best course to the chamber where you found the Bringers?”
“Through that entrance.” Rell unsheathed her sword. “It’s a bit of a rocky trek, so watch your footing.” She stiffened her spine. “I’ll lead the way.”
She could feel Siban’s stare burning into the side of her head, but she ignored him. This was the one way she could help the Bringers. This was her realm.
Gregory nodded. “I will be right behind you.” He turned and motioned the members of their party to gather around him. “Rell will lead us to the chamber. Okee and Odette, you take the rear guard. Juna you’ll be up front with me. The rest of you fall in where you can.” He held up his sword. “Stay alert and ready for battle. No telling what we might encounter the farther in we travel.”
“I have a pretty good idea of what we’ll encounter,” Luc said.
“Exactly.” Gregory looked around the group. “For what it’s worth, I would happily go into battle with all of you at my side” He exhaled.
“That may be exactly what we’re doing,” Rhys said.
“Let’s hope not.” Gregory pointed to the entrance. “All right, fall out.”
Rell made to move for the door, but Siban grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. His mouth covered hers and his other arm wrapped around her waist, holding her to him. The kiss was hard, his grip crushing. She twined her arms around his neck and returned the kiss with everything she had.
When they finally broke, he didn’t let go, staring into her eyes. “Don’t die.”
She smiled. “You either.”
With that he released her. She stepped back, holding his gaze, and then turned and jogged to the head of the line, taking her place in front of Gregory and Juna. Siban fell into line and withdrew his weapon.
“Whenever you’re ready,” Gregory said.
Rell took a deep breath, stepped through the doorway and into the tunnel that led to her darkest fears. Nothing of the terrain had changed since the last time she’d prowled these corridors. Moisture coated the walls. Trickles of water slithered to the base and disappeared into grooves that had been cut by the constant flow over millennia. Lit only by the tiny rivulets and glowing algae, her shadow barely registered against the wall.
She jammed her foot against a large rock in the middle of her path and stumbled. Gregory caught her arm, holding her upright. She righted herself and looked at him, giving the king a grateful smile. When he didn’t release her arm, she turned back to him in question. In his palm he held a ball of some kind, its outline perfectly circular.
Unsure what to do, she leaned toward him and whispered, “What is it?”
“A glowb.” He gently blew on the orb. She felt his warm breath against her cheek and to her surprise a tiny white light sparked at the center of the circle. He breathed on the ball again. The glow grew, lighting the passage enough so she could see the path ahead.
Taking the light, she held it in front of her with one hand, while still clutching her sword in the other. With careful steps she crept forward. The illumination was enough to keep her from stumbling again but not so bright as to impair her vision beyond the light.
They wound their way through the tunnels. The bite of the Bane grew noticeably stronger but not enough to herald a demon in the near vicinity. The corridor shifted downward, the moisture on the stones making the trek tricky to maneuver. She heard the slipping feet of the Bringers behind her, but continued on without stopping.
At the bottom of the slope, the ground evened out. Rell stopped and held her hand up, signaling the party to do the same. She pointed to a black doorway a few yards ahead of where they had halted. Gregory nodded and took the orb from her hand, slipping it back into his pocket. The tunnel dimmed. Only the drip of the water trickling down the wall and the light shuffle of feet could be heard.
Again Gregory gripped Rell’s arm, holding her in place as he slid past her. Juna did the same, putting Rell third in line. Unsure what to do, she followed them, her sword at the ready. Once at the doorway, Gregory retrieved the globe again, hesitated a second, and then bent and rolled the light into the room.
Rell’s breath caught in her throat. Her body tensed, expecting the Bane to attack. When nothing happened, Gregory poked his head around the corner. He raised his hand and signaled them all forward. Juna quickly followed and disappeared into the room. It took all of Rell’s willpower to peel herself away from the wall and continue forward.
The glow from the orb revealed that the room was empty of demons. Rusty chains lay in a heap near a far corner, the same chains she had used to bind Luc and Jade. Rell turned away, not wanting to see the reminder of her betrayal. The large chunks of stones that had once been the torture table lay scattered across the floor. Angry at Icarus, Vile had smashed the slab with a single blow.
“Where are the Bringers?” Gregory turned to face the group.
Rell lifted her sword and pointed toward the farthest and darkest corner. “The opening is over there.”
Her feet didn’t want to move. A firm hand settled on her shoulder and she looked up expecting to see Siban, but it was Luc. He peered down at her. “You all right?”
It was funny that he should be asking her that question. He’d been the one tortured, imprisoned by her and Icarus. “Are you?”
“Not really.”
She nodded, feeling a connection with him. He understood. “Me either.”
“They’ve moved the immortal weapons.” He walked around the tumbled chunks of stone and stopped next to a ledge, placing his hand on it. “About fifteen weapons rested here. I grabbed the axe on my way out. So the rest were probably immortal as well.”
“Let’s hope not everything has been moved,” Juna said.
A small movement on the ceiling drew several of the Bringers attention, including Rell’s. She crouched in an attack position, her sword pointed in the direction the movement came.
“Imps.” Siban crept forward. He pointed to several different spots on the ceiling and his posture was somewhat relaxed. “They’re all over the place and not dangerous from what I can tell.”
“What are imps?” Meran stopped directly under one of the bat-looking creatures. Large black eyes stared down at her. “They’re not demons?”
“I don’t know exactly,” Jade said. “But when I was healing Luc, they shared their life force. There wasn’t much, but what they had, they gave freely.”
Juna stopped next to Meran, also staring up at the creature. “How odd.”
The imp cocked its head and blinked once. Meran smiled. “They’re kind of adorable.”
Juna snorted. “We have a very different idea of adorable.”
“Let’s keep moving.” Gregory walked to the far corner of the chamber and pressed his hands against the wall. With a slow side step he slid along the
solid structure until his hands disappeared. “I found it.”
In an instant Juna was behind him. Instead of rushing to follow, Rell lingered behind and waited for Siban. This was not a place she wanted to charge into at all. But if it meant saving the Bringers she would—with his support. She noticed that Luc and Jade also hesitated. The three exchanged glances, silently mustering their courage.
Luc held out his arm, indicating Rell should lead. “Shall we?”
Siban slipped his hand into hers and gently pulled her forward, leading the way. The blackness in the corridor pushed against her eyes. She strained to see anything, but no light penetrated the passage. The air grew noticeably colder. A shiver ran through Rell and her fingers began to ache against the metal hilt of her sword.
When they rounded a curve, blue light illuminated the end of the passage, and she could see the other Bringers waiting. Thankfully the bite from the Bane did not increase. If they were lucky, they could be in and out before the demons even knew they had been there.
As they approached the end of the line, Rell couldn’t help but notice that the glow was much dimmer than it had been when Sha-hera had shown her the menagerie of frozen prisoners. A feeling of foreboding grew inside her. Siban turned and looked at her, his expression grave as well. Something wasn’t right.
Leading the way, Gregory slipped beyond their sight. Each one of the Bringers followed. Siban pulled her forward and out into the icy chamber. Luc and Jade were the last to enter. They stopped, they’re mouths dropping open. Rell looked around the cavern and groaned.
“Where are they?” Jade said.
Vapors from her breath circled around Rell’s face as she exhaled in frustration. She released Siban’s hand and walked to the first opening. At one time a young man had been held here, his features peaceful, captured in an icy prison. Now the gaping hole was dark and empty.
She slowly turned and faced the group. “Vile must have moved them.”
“Sha-hera must have told him of our encounter.” Ravyn said. She moved down the line, checking each prison. “Perhaps he guessed our purpose.”
“No doubt,” Rhys said from behind her. He walked to the opposite side and examined the jagged ice around one of the openings. He touched a shard with his finger and quickly yanked his hand away. “It burns. Be careful.”
Trace jogged the length of the chamber, disappearing into the darkness. After a minute he returned. “There’s no exit down there, only the way we came in.”
“We knew this wouldn’t be an easy rescue.” The tip of Gregory’s sword rested against the frost-covered floor. “I say we continue into the Shadow World and try to find where Vile has taken them.” He looked around the group. “We don’t know what we’re up against so I will leave the decision up to the group.”
Rell looked at Siban. His eyes questioned her. More than anything, she wanted to get out of the Shadow World, but she was part of something bigger now, and the chance to face her fears and perhaps exact a little revenge would probably not be handed to her so neatly ever again.
“I’m staying.” She held Siban’s gaze. “The Bringer prisoners need us.”
His brow furrowed for a second and then smoothed into acceptance. “I’m staying as well.”
Obviously not happy about the decision, but Rell was grateful that Siban made no further protest.
“Count me in.” Jade moved to stand beside her sister. “We’re all in this together.”
“Damn it, woman, you’re going to make a hero of me yet,” Luc said. He joined the line. “So what’s our next move?”
Gregory smiled. “Have any of you been deeper than this chamber?”
“The farthest Rhys and I have been is the Throne Room.” Ravyn looked at Rhys. “At least I think that’s the farthest we’ve been.”
“Yes, and I have no knowledge of the outlying tunnels or chambers,” he said.
“I was imprisoned somewhere, but I couldn’t tell you where.” Siban faced Rell. “Do you know?”
“Down a different corridor, but on this level.” She could feel his hesitance at knowing the details of his captivity. In an effort to ease his agitation, she kept her description general. “It would not be big enough to hold all the prisoners. So I doubt they took them there.”
Siban didn’t ask any more questions and she didn’t provide further details.
“Well, uh—” Jade shifted uncomfortably when everybody’s gaze turned toward her. “I explored as far as the succubus army’s war room once.”
“What?” Rell glared at her sister. “When?”
Jade waved her hand in the air. “It was a long time ago and I never did it again.”
“Why not?” Rell’s stare narrowed. “You almost got caught, didn’t you?”
All eyes leveled on Jade, waiting for her answer. “Maybe…by Vile.”
“Sweet Sainted Ones.” Rell raised her arms. “Didn’t I tell you to stay in the caverns?”
“Really?” With her hands propped on her hips, Jade donned an indignant scowl. “We’re going to do this now?”
Rell bit back her retort and faced Gregory. “I have also been to the war room.”
A sound of protest escaped Jade. “And you’re scolding me?”
“I—” Rell slowly turned and faced her sister. “Was a demon, not an innocent child with her soul still intact.”
“Details.” Conceding defeat, Jade relaxed. “Fine, so we can both get that far, but it’s treacherous.”
“She’s right.” Rell spoke to the entire group. “The minions don’t inhabit the lower areas, so any demons we meet are going to be the most dangerous.”
Luc tossed his axe in the air, spinning it before catching it again. “Then I suggest we stay on our guard.”
“Agreed.” Gregory looked between Rell and Jade. “I hate to ask, but would you mind leading again?”
“I will show you the way,” Rell said, cutting off any argument from her sister. “I’ll use my Tell to guide us. Hopefully we’ll be able to sense an attack before we’re caught off guard.”
“Very good. I’ll be directly behind you.” Gregory walked back to the passage. “All of us should scan constantly. Though the Tells’ abilities are stronger, we each have the capability to perceive demons.”
Rell joined Gregory near the door, once again taking her place at the front of the line. She released a heavy breath and sent up a prayer to the Sainted Ones.
Please deliver us all from the mouth of the beast.
Chapter Fourteen
The corridors were eerily quiet. Though the gnawing of the Banes’ presence had intensified somewhat, it was still not as strong as it should have been. A heavy chill weighed the air, making it more difficult to breathe. The smell of wet stone mingled with the taint of sulfur, stinging Rell’s nose. Her heartbeat quickened as she crept forward.
She stopped. A hidden crevice that was cut into the walls to her right could barely be seen. Once when she’d been following Icarus, she’d seen him disappear into the fissure and that was the only reason she knew the opening was there. Otherwise she would have passed by it completely unaware that it led to the upper level overlooking the war room.
When seeking Icarus’s help, she’d found him lurking above, listening to Vile and the succubus army plot against the Bringers. Though she had been hidden in shadows, Rell was almost sure the Demon King had known she was there.
Again she raised her hand to halt the group. Strategically they were not in a good position. The narrow corridor gave them no outlet for escape. But then again, they’d already established that until they found the Bringers who Vile held captive, retreat really wasn’t an option. She turned to Gregory and indicated the crack in the wall. His brow furrowed, obviously still not seeing the entrance in the dim light.
Without waiting for him, she slipped between the rocks, hoping the others would follow. The rough stone caught her hair and the rasp of the leather sliding against rock hissed along the narrow opening. Inch by inch she scooted
farther into the gap until it opened onto a circular landing. Gregory emerged directly behind her. One by one the Bringers squeezed through the crevice and materialized into the cleared area at the base of the stairs.
With her sword, Rell pointed up the steps. Instead of letting her take the lead, Gregory motioned for Trace and Rhys to follow. The three men stole up the steps that had been carved into the rock with weapons ready. The quiet crunch of their footsteps sounded overly loud in the enclosed space.
Juna stood at the base of the stairs, staring up into the dark stairwell, like a dog that had been told to stay and now impatiently waited for its master’s call to join them. Nobody spoke. Ravyn had positioned herself at the entrance of the rocks. It seemed each Bringer was finding their place within the group. Besides Juna, the Shields naturally took up a position of defense, where as the Tells main talent seemed to be in sensing danger and the correct path.
Rell stared up the empty stone stairwell. From what she remembered, noise from the war room traveled down the steps. Just as easily any demon in the upper level of the war room would be alerted to their presence if they weren’t quiet.
Strained glances ricocheted between the Bringers as the minutes ticked by. Finally, the crunching of returning steps grew louder. The group backed up as far as possible, allowing the three men to reenter the circle.
Gregory remained on the bottom step and spoke quietly. “The war room is empty, though there are several drawings of Illuma Grand spread out on the table. We’ll deal with that information later.” He gave a little shake of his head. “I think we need to continue deeper.”
Every member of the party nodded in agreement, but didn’t speak. Without further discussion, Gregory took the lead and disappeared into the fissure. The Bringers fell into line, waiting their turn to slide through the opening. Once back in the corridor, he motioned them forward.
Where they traveled now was unknown to any Bringers and very few demons. A dark world where only the most dangerous Bane dwelled. Rell’s breath swirled around her in an icy cloud. She remembered this cold. The chill penetrated deep, burning its way into her bones. It had an unnatural feel, as if it emanated from the very heart of the world.