Copyright © 2016 Nicole MacDonald
Cover copyright © 2016 Nicole MacDonald
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the author.
First Edition: March 2016
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.
MacDonald, Nicole, 1982-
Escape Vo’Arum
a novel / by Nicole MacDonald. – 1st ed.
Table of Contents
Map of Gar’Nyse Part One
Map of Gar’Nyse Part Two
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
About Nicole
Map of Gar’Nyse Part One
Map of Gar’Nyse Part Two
Chapter One
Great Uncle Ilder lay on a high narrow table surrounded by flowers and shimmering white crystals. Mila watched as her grandparents made their way to the table, bending over his head, appearing to whisper to him before adding a crystal of their own to the table.
Seated between her mama and papa, Mila straightened in anticipation when her grandparents nodded to Mama.
‘Let Mila go play,’ Papa spoke the words without moving his lips.
Her mama arched an eyebrow.
‘No!’ Mila protested before a firm squeeze on the shoulder made her falter, voice dropping to a whisper.
‘Please, I want to put a crystal up too.’
‘Come, Mila,’ Mama released her shoulder, seizing her hand. ‘This way.’
All those in the room, her Mestarn relatives and DeNaga relatives, moved forward in a line to say their final farewells. Mila squirmed to watch as Mama, her hold on Mila’s arm firm, guided her to the door.
With an extended hand Mama pushed the door open, her gift a familiar soft bell tone in Mila’s mind. Mama closed the door behind them then crouched to meet Mila’s eyes.
‘Go play with the others, darling, you don’t need to say another goodbye.’
Mila’s face wrinkled, bottom lip thrusting out in a pout as an indignant fluttering in her chest made tears well up.
‘But Mama,’ she sniffed as tears trickled out. ‘Everyone else is!’
‘This is the adult part of the ceremony, little one.’
‘But Jyen is staying!’ Mila stomped her foot, regretting it the moment her foot met the solid wooden floor.
‘Mila! Are you questioning me?’ Mama straightened up, her eyes hard on Mila’s as she flicked the layers of her beautiful black dress out with a gesture of irritation.
Mila stared down at her feet, curling her toes inside the new shiny black leather shoes.
It had all seemed so exciting this morning, to have Nanny dress her in the soft black dress with pretty lace. And her first pair of proper grown-up shoes!
‘I wanted to say goodbye,’ she whispered the words out to her shoes, knowing them to be a lie, wanting to be seen and admired.
‘You’ve said one,’ Mama’s voice softened. ‘Now, go and play. I can sense Addy is there already.’
She stooped, cupping Mila’s chin to press a quick kiss to her forehead before turning back to the door, skirts spinning out and disappeared back into the Memory room.
With a scowl at the closed door, Mila stomped her foot again and again then for good measure jumped on the spot a couple of times. Her skirt filled with air as she jumped up and rounded out with a muffled ‘poof’. The sound and sensation made a giggle bubble up.
Mila! Go on now!
Mama’s voice cracked in her mind, Mila flinched at the sudden sound. She scurried off down the hall her new shoes clacking on the wood floors. The sound caught the attention of the fire dragon in residence, snoozing on a low window seat in full sunlight. The silver green dragon lifted its head, dark eyes narrowing as Mila edged her way past, pressed against the opposite wall. She’d banged into a sleeping fire dragon once. The smell of burning hair still hung in the back of her mind.
Sounds of building echoed along the corridor, heavy distant booms and the occasional sharp ringing CRACK of stone being split. At the next window seat, Mila climbed onto the plump cushioned top to peer out at the slowly rising spiral of stone. From the third story of the Manor Lodge (as the villagers called it) it didn’t seem that impressive yet. One day, not too far away Papa said it would be a round tower, tall enough to house them all with a magnificent spiral staircase from bottom to top.
The staircases in this building all went straight.
I wonder how fast I would slide down a spiral staircase, Mila thought, head tilted as she stared out the window, envisioning the gleaming wood railing. I bet it would make Addy scream lots!
Reminded of Addy, Mila climbed off the window seat and ran along the corridor. After passing only a few doors with many still to go, she paused, reaching down to unfasten her shoes. The tight fit of the buttons made it a struggle. She plonked down to the floor and crossed her foot across her other leg, as close as she could manage and squeezed her little finger behind the button, wriggling it back and forth, easing the leather slit of a button hole off over the shiny metal button.
‘Ooaf!’ It took more effort than she’d expected. Mouth set in a hard line, Mila wrestled the other two buttons out and let her stocking clad foot swing out then pulled her other foot in.
With both shoes off, clutched tight in her hands against her chest, Mila set off at a sliding run, slipping along the wood floors while giggling madly, trying to keep balance.
‘That’s MY ball!’
Addy’s voice rang out high and tight, like how she sounded when about to cry.
The fun of sliding vanished, Mila dashed around the next corner and wobbled with the effort to stop.
The four children stopped to stare at her for a second before ignoring her, the tallest boy lifting the ball high, too high for Addy to reach when she stepped forward with her arms outstretched for it.
‘Benal,’ Addy’s voice got higher. ‘Benal give it to me!’ She dropped her arms, hands curled in fists as she huffed, shoulders going up and down.
‘Na-uh! You gotta grab it off me,’ Benal taunted, the two other boys with him laughing in a tone that made Mila’s face hot with anger.
‘That’s ADDY’S BALL!’
Benal paused for a second, light eyes squinting at her before he turned his attention back to Addy.
‘Ha-ha, come on, grab it, don’t you want it?’
Addy stepped back, face flushed red, making her pretty white eyes stand out even more than usual. Mila covered her ears, knowing what came next.
‘WAAAAHHHHHHHHH!’
The scream pitched out sharp as a wendal sting with almost the same reaction. Benal dropped the ball, sprinting after the other two boys who’d started running as Addy first drew her breath.
‘You sooky baby!’ he shouted while running off.
The scream dropped to a shuddering sob, Addy’s shoulders quivering along with her lower lip.
‘It’s okay,’ Mila dropped her shoes and put her arms around Addy’s shoulders, squeezing.
&n
bsp; ‘It’s okay. We got the ball back.’
Addy sniffed while nodding, the pigtail close to Mila’s face rubbing over Mila’s nose. She pulled back with a sneeze, wrinkling her face and swatting at the itchy sensation on her nose.
Addy giggled and turned, pouncing on the brown leather ball.
‘Want to play?’
‘Yes!’
They moved further down the corridor, off the main route to the quiet end where the doors finished further back. A window at the end let sunlight stream in pretty patterns through the rough glass windows.
They started out flinging the ball to each other, increasing the distance and when the lumpy ball tired their arms they kicked it, the wool filling with leather cover soft enough to not bruise their shins. Addy, standing near the end of the corridor, took a deep breath before dashing forward to kick it at Mila. With a shout Mila lunged, hitting the floor with her knees but catching the ball in her arms. She grinned at Addy, scrambled to her feet and kicked as hard as possible.
The ball flew down the corridor, too left of Addy, lurching off a wall. It hit a corner and tumbled from view.
Both girls dashed after it, their feet making soft padding noises as they ran. They reached the corner at the same time, Addy squealed when Mila banged into her, both of them falling into the short dark section of corridor.
‘Where’s it gone?’
Mila blinked and blinked again. She saw four walls of the corridor, a single door to the right, but nowhere was the brown leather ball.
‘Mila! Where’s it gone?’ Addy wailed the question again as they climbed to their feet.
‘I don’t know!’ Mila looked at her friend; her stomach lurched like she’d jumped off too high a ledge. ‘I’m sorry!’
Addy stared around the small corridor, her mouth open and face sagging. ‘Miillaaaa,’ the wail from her friend made the falling sensation even more pronounced. ‘You LOST my ball!’
On hands and knees Mila started hunting, peering along the way while glancing back at her friend.
‘We’ll find it, Addy, it can’t just disappear!’
Addy slumped to her knees, blonde pigtails sticking out. Her face crumpled a little more.
‘Honest, it’s gotta be here-’ As the words left her mouth Mila spotted it. ‘LOOK!’
Addy slid across the floor on all fours, jamming up beside Mila who peered through the gap beside an iron-grated manhole set in the floor.
A gap large enough for a brown leather ball.
It sat there beyond reach. Mila stretched her arm hard but didn’t even brush it with her fingertips. Addy, slightly longer limbed, tried her turn, face scrunched with effort before her eyes popped open.
‘I touched it!’
She pulled back, both girls peering through.
It seemed a little further away.
Addy thrust her arm back through the gap, stretching and stretching for it before she pulled back with a gasp of exertion.
‘Too far,’ she said in a voice of angry tears and pulled her knees to her chest, burying her face in them. She rocked on the spot, refusing to look at Mila or the ball.
Pressure built on the back of Mila’s mind, making her eyes hurt and stomach ache. She chewed on her inner cheek and stared at her friend, tummy flip-flopping. Mila crouched next to the gap where the ball was and squinted at the locked manhole beside it.
It was to do with maintenance that’s what Papa had said when she’d pointed one out once and asked what it was. A small space that one of the workers would squeeze into to fix things.
Never go into one, Mila, Papa had warned. They’re not places for children.
Chewing harder on her cheek, working at the flap she’d accidentally created the other night when she ate too fast and chomped her own flesh, Mila squinted again at the manhole, reaching to put her hand against it then snatched it back.
Behind her Addy flopped back onto the floor, arms and legs outspread limp. Her shoulders huffed up and down with her breaths, tears trickling down the sides of her face.
Mila watched her for a moment, feeling worse than the time she’d broken Nanny’s vase and hidden the remains under her bed. Turning back to the manhole, she drew a breath in slowly, nodding to herself, the motion somehow encouraging as she reached out.
Hand against the heavy lock set into the dark iron that strange sensation hummed through her. In her mind Mila saw the puzzle box, a simple contraption. The strange sensation grew, making her teeth chime like the time she’d watched the blacksmith in the village sharpen tools for the stone workers. Breathing hard through her mouth, she kept her eyes closed as she ‘pushed’ at the buttons, holding them back then squeezing her eyes tighter she made the necessary ‘twist’ in her mind.
A soft muffled “click” ran through the metal beneath her hand.
‘Miilllaaaa,’ Addy moaned from behind. ‘You lost my ballll.’
‘Addy, Addy look!’
‘What?’
Addy didn’t even lift her head, uttering the word in a sulky voice.
‘I think.. I think the manhole isn’t locked.’ Mila resisted telling the truth, knowing it naughty enough to go into the manhole, but to have unlocked it in the first place? Papa would NOT be happy.
Addy paused her angry huffing breaths, rolling to the side and pushed up to sitting.
‘What?’ she asked in a croaky voice, face wrinkled and red as she rubbed at it with the back of a hand.
‘I think I could get in,’ Mila said, looking at Addy.
Blinking Addy shook her head like Grandpa’s dog did when it sneezed then scrabbled over to Mila on all fours. ‘Show me!’
Both girls peered at the heavy iron trap-door. Mila slipped her fingers into the gap around it, grunting with effort as she strained to lift. It moved a little, but the weight made her arms wobble. With a disappointed exhalation she let it down.
‘Too heavy.’
The moment of thrill she’d felt when Addy had rushed over vanished. Didn’t matter if she unlocked it if she couldn’t open the door then the ball was still stuck.
Addy frowned, poking the tip of her tongue between the gap in her front teeth and cocked her head while staring at the door.
‘Why don’t we both try?’ she suggested, turning to Mila, her eyes looking less red now.
‘Okay!’
Shoulder to shoulder both girls squeezed their fingers into the gap.
‘Ready?’ Addy asked, eyes eager.
‘Yes!’
‘Go!’
Lifting, arms straining and both of them grunting at the effort, they heaved and heaved, the door of iron slowly rising until it reached midway point. With a loud SLAM it hit the floor behind. Mila and Addy jumped, looking at each other with half-open mouths and wide eyes.
‘Oops,’ Addy said showing her lower teeth as she did when nervous.
They both stayed still, waiting, listening. After it seemed minutes had passed, Mila let out a breath in relief. Addy giggled.
The open square looked huge and obvious. Mila pulled back and lay on her tummy, easing herself into the hole and bent at the waist. The pressure as she hung there upside down made her brain seem to throb. Addy grabbed her legs, leaning her weight on them making Mila’s knees press painfully against the floor. About to protest Mila stopped when she spotted the ball.
‘Ooo!’
With one hand flailing toward the bottom of the manhole, still several inches below, Mila stretched and stretched her other hand toward the ball, fingers aching with effort.
With a gasp she pulled back and wriggled back out of the open square onto the floor, Addy helping her.
‘Too far.’ She took a couple of breaths the effort leaving her a little breathless.
Addy made a grumpy sound and sat back, staring at the gap, jaw thrust to one side and tip of her tongue working at the gap.
Mila sat too, catching her breath and rubbing at her knees.
Staring at the hole Mila chewed on her cheek, and considered an option
she knew she shouldn’t.
‘Maybe..’
Addy’s eyes jerked to her. ‘What?’
‘I,’ Mila began before dropping her voice, as if whispering would stop any potential consequences.
‘I… climb in and get it?’
Addy gasped, shunting over the floor right next to her.
‘Could you? Oh Mila!’
Mila rolled her lips together and nodded before looking around in alarm, expecting a resounding ring in her mind then her mama’s voice booming NO!
But nothing happened.
‘Look after my shoes,’ Mila said.
Addy nodding while grinning. ‘I will, I promise!’
Taking a breath, Mila swung her legs into the hole, stomach fluttery like she’d gulped a mouthful of astrii. Carefully she lowered herself into the dark space.
Chapter Two
The floor of the manhole was grimy with dust and greasy. The moment Mila straightened up to move, she slipped, legs flicking out from under her.
Her stocking clad foot connected with leather.
‘MILA!’ Addy shrieked, hanging onto the edges of the manhole opening to peer in. ‘You knocked the ball!’
Mila sat up in time to see the brown leather ball rolling rapidly off, down into the darkness of the narrow space.
‘No, no, no!’ Hands and feet slipping over the greased surface, she scrambled after it, hearing Addy call her name as she got further into the dark.
The initial rush of excitement faded as the tunnel grew even darker until Mila couldn’t see anything at all.
She stopped, still on hands and knees, a pounding in her ears so loud she couldn’t hear anything at first. The horrible sickening sensation passed and her hearing seemed to be normal again. The solid darkness terrified her. Frozen still, not sure what to do next, Mila whimpered, trying to resist tears, or at least resist proper crying. A tight sensation, starting in her stomach and moving its unpleasant grip up her chest, pressed at her throat.
Mila squeezed her eyes shut, knowing the scolding she was about to get, and opened her mind to shout for help.
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