“It is you that shall be cursed. I have wasted much time hoping you would be sensible.” His eyes fixed on the prisoner. “I am done.”
He set the cord on the ground and took a single step back. At once, the cord knew its purpose. Its movements were snake-like, writhing along the ground straight for the prisoner. It slid up the prisoner’s leg and right above the man’s knee, wrapping around forming a tight, seamless band.
The prisoner jerked and spasmed in response, flexing his legs and arching his back in unnatural angles, his agonizing screams rebounding against the walls of the small room.
The band began to throb and pulse, glowing a pale white, and the man’s cries lessened as he slumped in a heap on the ground.
The hooded man stood tall over the heap on the floor. Tiernan removed the cloth from the prisoner’s head and yanked him up by his hair, craning his head back. The man’s pain pulsed through me.
“I warned you,” Tiernan hissed. “Now you will watch as your pathetic world is destroyed, and your loved ones die with it.”
He threw the man back on the ground, his face falling in the candlelight.
It was my dad.
****
“Dad!”
Someone was shaking me as images of my dad stained the back of my eyelids.
“It was just a dream!” The voice was familiar.
I opened my eyes. Alex’s face was inches from mine, his expression tight. His concern strong; his hands went to my cheeks, holding my face. But there was no dungeon. No pain, no sign of my dad.
I was sitting up. The embers from the campfire still burned beside us.
“Look at me.” Alex’s voice was strained.
My eyes moved back to Alex’s, my body shaking uncontrollably.
“What happened?”
My throat clamped down, making it difficult to speak. It had all seemed so real, like I had been right there in that room with my dad. I could still feel the chill inside the stone tomb; smell its stale air. Feel his agony.
Alex wiped the hair out of my face. “Was it the vision?” he whispered.
I shook my head and he sighed.
Cicero and Sonya joined us. “What was it?”
I choked on air. “Dad.”
Cicero and Sonya exchanged a glance.
Alex grabbed my hand. “What about Alaric?”
I saw my dad thrown onto the floor, his shape contorted in pain. The seed of fear began growing, wrapping and twisting around my veins. Very slowly, I recounted the details of my dream and once I finished, I glanced up. Each of their faces was tight with worry. It was all I needed to act. Right now.
“We have to find him!”
“Your father isn’t in any real danger.” Sonya placed her hand on mine.
I yanked it back. “How can you say that? You haven’t heard from him in days, and my dream was so real…what if that’s why you haven’t heard? What if he’s imprisoned, being tortured?”
The more I thought about it, the more certain I was. My dad was imprisoned somewhere, held captive by some person I didn’t know. He was never going to meet us here. The Pykans had known that. The Del Contes knew that, and that was what they had been hiding from me.
Cicero looked to his wife. “How could they get to her here?”
“I’ve no idea.” Sonya stared at me, deep in thought. “They can’t penetrate physically, but it is feasible they could reach her mind. They’ve already done it once.”
“We’re wasting time.” I started to my feet.
“Daria.” Sonya’s voice was firm. “I know you are worried about your father, but this dream—I think it’s a trap. The Pykans know you’re here, they know your weakness….”
“My weakness is that I’ve let you bring me here without demanding an explanation when I know full well that I can trust none of you.”
Alex narrowed his eyes. “That’s not fair.”
“I’ll tell you what’s not fair. Since I walked through that portal and into this world, I’ve done nothing but do exactly as you all have said. I trusted you, I believed you. Even though you’ve done nothing but hold back the truth from me—which, need I remind you, you’ve done my entire life. I’m telling you what I saw is real, so unless you help, I’m going after him myself.”
There was a small voice in my head that warned of guilt, but I forced it silent. The sympathetic side of me had waited on them long enough. My whole life. My independent side was done waiting.
Cicero’s face was hard. “You’ll stay right where you are.”
“I won’t—“
“You will,” Cicero interrupted, his tone firm. “We’ll discuss this in the morning. Alex? Keep first watch?”
Alex watched me, his jaw clenched. “Yes.”
This was just great. Not only had I let my intentions slip, I had earned myself a personal guard. Alex. And he would anticipate me better than anyone.
Cicero and Sonya walked back to their beds; Sonya’s features cast down as she glanced back one last time.
“Feel better?” Alex wasn’t looking at me.
“Don’t talk to me.”
My words hurt him, but I didn’t care. He didn’t understand. He’d grown up with the protection of two parents—two parents that had always been honest with him. Alex had never been lied to. Alex had never been alone.
There was one person in this world I could claim as a parent and he was the only family I had. Nothing they could say, nothing they could do could make me wait any longer.
I sat with my anger seething. Alex sat beside me but I’d never felt more distant. Neither of us spoke. He was my captor, I his prisoner. I couldn’t believe this. He’d never let me out of his sight. He was controlling enough as a protector when he did trust me.
How would I get away now? I racked my brain, trying to think of an escape. How could I get away from them without them catching up to me?
Then I got an idea. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but it was all I had.
I stared out into the forest and focused on the shadows. Craning my neck, I stared harder, intent on nothing, but Alex didn’t need to know that.
It only took a few minutes for my attentive captor to notice.
“What is it?”
“I think…I think there’s something there.”
He watched me a moment, and then followed my gaze. “I don’t see anything.”
I shifted, still staring at the same empty spot. “Are you sure?”
He got to his feet, unsheathed his sword. “Daria, I swear, if you’re lying…”
“And you would know all about that, wouldn’t you?”
His lips formed a rigid line, and he walked in the direction I’d been looking. I only had a moment.
Once Alex disappeared from sight, I moved. As quiet as possible, I crept over to where Sonya and Cicero were sleeping.
Where did Cicero put it? I sifted through his bag.
My fingers touched upon cool metal. I pulled the amulet from the bag, making sure not to wake them, hung it around my neck, and crawled back into my blankets, just as Alex came into view again.
He stared hard at me and then glanced over at his parents.
“What did you do?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Don’t tell me you don’t trust me.”
“Not when you put your mind to something.” Alex sat on the other side of the fire this time, but kept me in his periphery.
So far, so good.
Now I needed to figure out what to do. Tran said it was a transport device and it looked almost exactly like the one the Del Contes used to get to my house. Was it something I had to think? Concentrate on?
My movements were slow as I touched the cool metal. I didn’t know what I was doing, but physical touch couldn’t hurt. If there was any possibility of finding my dad, this device should be my most direct route. Or at least it would get me out of reach of the Del Contes.
My fingers closed over the object and as I focused, Alex jerked his head around.
&n
bsp; He leapt to his feet and scrambled to me. “Daria, no!”
I shut my eyes, concentrating on the object just like I had done with the fire. And right as I felt Alex’s hand cover mine, it vanished. I heard a high-pitched hum and my body felt like it was being squeezed through a small hole. Vomit rose in my throat and my ears popped.
And everything went quiet.
Chapter 23
Lord Tiernan
I was standing in a large stone room, lit by the glow from candles floating in the air overhead. A man was across from me, seated in a sort of throne, crowning a small staircase of four steps, candelabras on either side. A hooded figure hunched beside him, whispering into his straight, jet-black hair. Two guards flanked his sides with swords at their waists.
The hunched figure froze, and turned his face to look at me. It was a face of dried earth and orange cat-like eyes and it emitted a low hiss as its eyes narrowed in fury. The man in the chair noticed me then, dark, powerful eyes taking me in. His lips lifted into a smile that, for all its intent, turned my insides cold.
“Daria.” The man’s voice sent chills down my spine.
It was the voice I’d heard when I’d first entered Gaia. The dark rider near the portal. The voice from my dream. And I began to feel very, very afraid. “Where’s my dad?”
Without turning his eyes from my face, the man waved at the Pykan. “Leave us.”
The Pykan moved past me, pausing at my side, its frame towering over me as its anger surged, and then it left. The door closed behind him.
The man clasped long fingers together. “I’ve been expecting you.”
“Tell me where my dad is.” I unsheathed my dagger.
At my movement, the guards rushed to my sides. I tried to ready myself to fight but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t even wiggle my fingers. My body was frozen in place. In no time the guards had my arms locked behind my back and a sword was pointed at my neck.
The man stood, calculating each step he took. He stopped inches from me and took my dagger.
I struggled against the guards, but my limbs still wouldn’t move.
He ran his fingers over the face of the blade, tracing the strange etchings. “Extraordinary,” he whispered to himself. He shoved it in his belt and looked back to me. “You won’t be needing this.”
“Tell me where my dad is or—“ The tip of the blade dug deeper in my throat, cutting off my words.
“Or what?” he spat, staring down his long nose with hatred in his eyes. “Take her below.”
My body went cold as my mind turned to darkness.
There was a sharp pain at my wrists and shoulders. It was the only thing my mind could grab onto, and it slowly pulled me back to consciousness. I tried thinking, but I couldn’t sift through the haze. I tried moving, but my body would only sway.
I forced my lids open. A torch hung near a windowless door, keeping the room dim and filled with smoke.
My wrists were chained above my head, hanging from a high stone ceiling and my feet dangled a few inches from the ground, rocking back and forth with every wriggle and writhe. I could just graze my toes along the ground, but each time I tried I’d sway and my shoulders and wrists burned. I tried to call out for help, but no sound came. My throat was parched. My whole body ached—it was hard just breathing—and my head pounded as the memories returned.
Where was I?
There was another question, one I was afraid to ask but my conscience did it for me.
What have you done?
I didn’t know how long I’d been unconscious. Had I been left to die in this room? Why lock me up at all? Was I that much of a threat? My shoulders burned from the strain, my wrists ached against the metal. I was certain the shackles would carve right through them.
Just then the door creaked open. A tiny person walked through, concealed in an oversized cloak. They walked towards me with a small cup in hand. It was a boy, and a young one from the looks of it. There was innocence in his features despite the dirt and grime shading his skin. His face was pale and covered with countless little red freckles and his eyes held a significant amount of sorrow and wisdom for one so young.
He held the cup to my lips.
“Who are you?” My voice scratched.
He pushed the cup to my lips, forcing the water into my mouth—the water was revitalizing as I gulped it down. I finished it in two gulps, and the young boy stood before me, staring.
“Help me…please.”
He stood a moment more, and turned around and hurried out the door.
Hours passed in darkness and my shoulders burned so badly I thought they might fall off. My spirit was heavy with the same question: what had I done?
After what seemed like days, the door opened again. This time, a man walked through, a guard following after him. It was the man with jet-black hair. The guard stayed by the door, but the man walked towards me, halting inches from my face.
And I spat in his face.
His face contorted with fury as he gripped my hair, yanking my head back at an uncomfortable angle. I fought not to cry out in pain. “I advise you cooperate if you value your father’s life.”
Seeing that I wasn’t going to argue, he released my hair. My scalp throbbed.
“If that happens again, I will kill you.”
“What have you done…to my dad?”
The man walked towards a stone basin that stood in one corner of the room, filled with what looked like water. He kept his broad back to me. “I have done nothing to your father.”
“Liar,” I hissed. “I saw you—“
“You saw what I wanted you to see.” He turned around then, his features fixed. “Your father is not here, nor has he ever been. That vision was fabricated to lure you away from your friends and bring you here.”
My heart dropped through my feet and fell to the ground. “You’re lying.”
The man smiled a wicked smile. “It is one of the few times I am not, I’m afraid.”
The Del Contes had been right. It was a trap. A trap I’d walked into alone. I had no idea where I was and chances were no one else would know either. Any relief I might have had about my dad’s safety was being quickly replaced by horror. “What do you want with me?”
The man drew my dagger as he approached. My heart beat hard in my chest, adrenaline moving through my veins so strongly that I forgot the pain in my arms.
“You have something I need.”
“You’ve already taken the only thing I own.”
“No, it is in here.” He tapped the tip of the dagger on my temple. “A location.”
“A location? Of what?”
He frowned. “The box.”
“What box?”
His eyes narrowed. “The one that belonged to your mother.”
I glared back. “I never knew my mother.”
“Do not take me for a fool,” he growled.
“I swear I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He dug the edge of the blade against my neck, the cold metal digging into my skin. “I will not play games with you. Tell me where it is.”
I struggled against the sharp pressure on my neck. “I don’t know.”
Fury burned in his eyes. He took a step back and crouched to the ground. He extended his arm, letting it hover over the cold floor and his sleeve began to move. It wriggled back and forth like something was trying to climb out of it.
Two brown threads appeared first—like antennas. A long, thin body followed, suspended between sleeve and ground, until a handful of its tiny legs touched the floor. It slithered from his robe, streaked in bright red and yellow, slithering towards me on jointed legs like a centipede. A centipede the size of my arm.
It writhed fast across the stone floor, straight towards me, the torchlight reflecting off its glossy, chitinous body. Once it reached my feet, its front end lifted from the ground until those spindly legs caught hold of my boot. I tried to kick it off, but it was no use. Each and every leg was secured. In
ch by inch it pulled the rest of its body upwards, crawling up my shoe, and began moving up my leg.
My blood burned as sweat dripped around my face, stinging my eyes.
The man watched with cold eyes as his centipede tickled up my leg and slithered up my torso.
I tried not to cry out as it continued up my chest, but once it reached my neck I shut my eyes tight. I couldn’t take it anymore, the feeling of each leg, tickling the skin around my collarbone. Its body was cold and wet and it just sat there as the sweat beaded down my face.
After what seemed like an eternity of silence, I opened my eyes.
The man stood before me with disdain on his face. “Let’s try this again, shall we? Where is it?”
Cold, slimy pricks tickled my ear. “I don’t know!”
Those black eyes narrowed in fury, inches from mine. “The slithe will kill you. All I have to do is give the command. Its poison will slowly dissolve your organs, saving your brain for last. You will be conscious through the entire process, wishing you were dead.”
His cold black eyes bore into mine, his lips turned downward. I felt him then, like tendrils sifting through my thoughts and feelings. His power was great—stronger than any I’d felt since being here, save Tran Chiton. Closing my eyes, I waited for the pain to come, trying to ignore the feel of the slimy slithering creature on my neck.
My heart pounded in my ears as I tried to calm myself. I was going to die here. Die without anyone knowing what happened to me. Die because of my own foolishness.
The mental probing abruptly ceased. “You really have no idea, do you?”
I opened my eyes and was surprised to see a spark of amusement in his.
“I told you, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The pointed legs slid around my neck like a collar. “I came here for my dad.”
“And did you in all honesty think that a man with the power of Alaric Regius needs the help of his daughter?”
I stared at him and immediately forgot the slithe. “Alaric…who?”
His smile made me recoil. “I see your father picked a masterful guard in the Del Contes. Aegis Cicero never would break an oath.”
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