by B. J. Smash
“Stop talking.” It was the same voice from before. This wasn’t how I had planned our first meeting at all. She was never supposed to have the upper hand.
“Zinnia,” I said, “make me.” Even at the disadvantage, I wouldn’t succumb to her orders.
“Don’t worry. I will.” She walked in view now, and I could see she hadn’t changed much. Maybe her beautiful skin glowed more and her hair might have been a bit more lustrous, and her clothes more ritzy, but it was the same girl I’d grown up with.
She wore a tight, green silky gown that hit the ground. A slit, decorated with pearls on either side, went up the front to above her knees, causing the hemline to flow out. The neckline seemed a bit too low for my taste. We had nothing in common anymore. I wasn’t surprised.
Her rich brown hair was pulled up into a fancy bun, and was fully adorned with many pearls. She stepped closer, and it was then that I could get a better look at her eyes. They were shaded with glistening green eye shadows, but what caught me off guard was the color of her eyeballs. Her once blue eyes were now green like emeralds—the color of my own, only brighter.
“Get her up. Toss her in the cavern.” Her face held no expression other than pride, with a smirk on her lips.
When she reached down to grab my belongings, I could see that the length of her arms still bore the ivy tattoos, and they were raised. Lifting my bound hands, I touched the tattoo. It felt like a rubbery plant. The tattoo was real. It was a plant.
This caught her off guard, and she pulled her arm back. “Keep your hands to yourself, Elf.” She snickered at the rhyme.
“What is that? On your arms?”
“Not your concern.”
“Do you have any more weapons on you?” She opened my robe to check. “We’ve taken most of your things.” I wanted to kick her, but my legs wouldn’t move. They’d been badly bruised and lay limp before me, shackled at the ankles. I felt weak and sick. My hands went to my chest in search of my necklace. They’d already taken it from me. But the ring—Izadora’s signet ring still sat upon my ring finger.
Lucian, who’d been watching, said to Zinnia, “Keep your hands off her.”
My sister stepped back and slapped him across the face, and she shook her pointer finger. “I’ve got plans for you. Don’t make them worse than they already are.”
I hadn’t noticed before, but the man I’d seen amongst the Unseelie, the same man from the vision with Aunt Cora, stood by a large rock. And he was the same man from Zinnia’s ceremony.
He watched Zinnia’s every move. When he noticed me, he stepped forward, stopping in front of me.
“Take the ring off,” he demanded. He ran his hand through his dark hair. His short beard didn’t match his hair color. It was splattered with grays.
“It won’t come off, Rodinand,” Zinnia said.
So, I got to finally meet him in person. I hated him for what he’d done to my family. He left my aunt at the altar. Stole her dog. When she wouldn’t convert to his evil ways, he waited and waited for another Seaforth—and stole my sister. I hated him. He had to be pure evil.
“You take it off. Jerk.” I spat at him.
Two Fae fighters picked me up to my feet. Lucian kicked at them. When he moved, he flinched with pain. Another two Fae fighters grabbed his feet and dragged him off. He was helpless with those stones around his ankles and wrists.
By this time, Rodinand had my hand, yanking on Izadora’s ring, trying to get it to budge. His hands were cold, like ice water.
“Someone has cast a spell on it. It won’t come off,” he said.
I had to believe that is what Maximus had been doing when he studied the ring on the rocky shore of Hy Brasil. But why had he done it? What was so good about the ring? It called forth Magella, but I didn’t see any water around, and she couldn’t and probably wouldn’t come to land to help me.
“I’d cut it off. But this spell was cast by a master. No doubt trying to cut it off would only strengthen the spell.” His eyes were the color of black coffee. “You get to keep it for now.” He threw my hand down. “Not much you can do with that ring, anyway.”
I’m sure there was, if I knew how to use it. After all, it was Izadora’s signet ring, but what, I don’t know.
A Fae fighter tossed me over his shoulder like a rag doll and carried me over a rocky path. My head was upside-down, and with each step, it felt like it might split open at any second. We arrived at an opening in the rocky hillside, just in time to see Lucian being thrown in the hole.
I was next. When they tossed me in, my head landed on Lucian’s arm, sparing me any further injury.
“Not this. Zinnia, don’t shut us in here. You know how I hate closed-in spaces!” My lungs had already constricted, and breathing wasn’t coming easy.
“I know. I remember the day we walked through an underground tunnel with Father. You were scared to walk through the skinny gap at the end in order to exit. I’ll never forget it.” She smiled.
Two Fae fighters pushed on a boulder, grinding their teeth, using their full strength. The hole covered with a deep thud.
There we were, in the cold, dark cavern. Pointed rocks hung from the ceiling, and water dripped into a puddle somewhere. I’d seen this place before, in the vision my mother had shown me. The vision that led to doom.
My breath sounded like a loud “hush-hush-hush,” and it couldn’t be controlled.
“Ivy. It’s going to be all right. Someone will rescue us soon.”
He stroked my head, calming me.
It wasn’t working.
“But the air…the air. And the d-dark.” I could see images in the dark, but it wasn’t easy when I was closed inside the earth.
“Look, there is some light shining through those crevices. That means there is air.”
Two minuscule crevices let in the most limited light possible. They weren’t ideal, but I focused on them. Soon, my hyperventilating subsided.
“My father, Ian, Hugh, Alexander, Trent—they’ll all be here soon.”
“Lucian, did you see how many Fae fighters are out there? There had to be a hundred.” Water dripped on my face, and I wiped it off with the back of my dirty hand. “And what happened to the elves that had been fighting with us?”
He took his time in answering this. “One escaped, and they caught three. Their feet were bound like yours. Bound with metal. Metal causes Light Elves to be weak.”
“I thought it caused the Fae to be weak. They hate metal. How is it they bound us with it?”
“They wear thick gloves. As long as it doesn’t touch their skin, they can handle it,” he said.
“And lapis lazuli—”
“Will eventually kill me…if I don’t get it off. Hellhounds can’t abide lapis lazuli,” he said quietly.
For several minutes I tried to fumble with the shackles on his ankles; there was nothing I could do. At least they had removed the shackles on his wrists.
We sat in silence, and I observed our surroundings. The cavern appeared just like the vision my mother had shown me; it was cold, dark, and dank, and smelled of mildewed dirt. The rocks were jagged and pointy and damp. We found a rounded area where the rocks were absent and the earth was present, and lay close to one another for heat. The cold forced us to do this. The cold was relentless.
My teeth chattered uncontrollably till his arms were around me, and with Drumm’s robe pulled over me, the cold became manageable.
“Does your skin still burn?”
“Not too bad. The stones aren’t touching my skin at the moment,” he said weakly.
I knew he was lying, and I felt sorry for him.
“One good thing: when I get these shackles off…things should start to heal up. Hellhounds heal quickly,” he said.
This made me feel better.
We continued to lie there, dozing in and out of sleep. At one point he cleared his throat. The next thing he said surprised me.
“Ivy. You know that I love you, right?”
&n
bsp; My stomach tightened as I feared this was coming. “I love you too, Lucian.” I said. “But only as a friend. Drumm is the one I love.”
“I know you think that, but—”
“I know that I do. We’re meant to be together. We have the same aura, made from the same soul—”
“That doesn’t mean that you have to be in love with him. That just means he’s your protector. Your guardian. He’s bound to you, yes, but that doesn’t mean he’s your…your lover.”
“How do you know?”
“My father made me learn the ways of the Others many, many years ago. I think I was eight when he had me begin my studies. I know many things about the Fae and many things about the Elven. Heck, I probably know more about you than you do.”
He probably did. But I didn’t have the energy to argue. Without the necklace that my mother gave me, without the Elven stone, I had lost all energy. “It doesn’t matter. There is something about Drumm that makes me love him.” I pictured his sweet, handsome face. My nose started to stuff up.
“What if we were both dying? Would you choose him?”
I found this to be a weird question due to the circumstances. We were buried in a cavern in the earth, and for how long? Maybe forever.
“I’d die first…before I let either of you die.”
“Forgive me. That was a lame question.” He rubbed my arm. “I must say, though, if he’s your protector, where is he now? Looks like I’m the one who’s here.”
Defending Drumm, I said, “He had to go with the Elven. He’s the fastest Elf they have. I don’t blame him for that.”
“You’re right. I’m being stupid. Get some rest now. Don’t lose faith.”
I couldn’t sleep. “Tell me about the McCallister curse. The darkness. How long have you had it?”
“Ever since I was fifteen, but I knew it was going to happen. The curse is inevitable for the McCallister men. My father used to visit Ian’s every fall and winter. In the beginning, I stayed with my mother, until one day she passed away. At the age of fourteen, I too began to travel to Ian’s every fall and winter. Sometimes staying till the spring. I knew it was coming.”
“I’m sorry to hear about your mother.”
“Me too. I never got to say good-bye.”
The feeling of doom fell over me now. How could the world be so cruel? My own father was on the brink of death. My sister hated my guts. My aunt had gone crazy.
And where was she now? Was she trying to find Rodinand so they could be lovers? Would my aunt cast aside Zinnia? At this point, I’d like to cast Zinnia aside with my fist.
Lucian continued to talk about the curse. “I’m sorry that I have blood on my face. One thing about the curse, it’s hard to control at times. Like, I didn’t have to kill that Fae fighter. I saw what he did to you, and the heat overwhelmed me. I could see in his soul that he was bad to the core.” He paused for a moment. “No. He deserved what he got.”
I didn’t argue. The guy was evil. Yet as I recalled the gruesome sight of his pile of bloody bones, I had to wonder if I could have done the same.
I had to add to our conversation. “Well, my family is a bunch of sorcerers. I suppose if you think about it, between the Seaforth madness and McCallister darkness, we are quite a pair.”
His body quivered slightly as he laughed. “I suppose you are right.”
The solid ground beneath us hurt to lie on, and the coldness was hard to ignore, but we both managed to fall asleep for quite some time. I dreamt that Izadora had cast me to live inside an ice cube in the freezer, along with Pladia. Even though we were in ice, she still talked and talked continuously.
Loud voices and laughter awoke me, bringing me back to reality. Lucian stirred beside me, lifting his head to listen. Outside the boulder, Fae fighters rambled on in a language that I couldn’t understand.
“I wonder what they are saying.” I expected Lucian to answer, but it wasn’t him that spoke. It was Pladia.
“Talking ’bout fight,” she said in her high-pitched voice.
I bolted upright. “Pladia! How did you get in here?” I kept my voice low, so as not to draw attention to us.
Lucian sat up too, rubbing the back of his head. Even though it was nighttime, the Fae fighter had some sort of bonfire going outside, and with my Elven vision, I could still make out images.
“I make way—through hole.” She pointed at one of the small crevices in the rock wall. Her silver wings appeared white in the dark, and she was a sight for sore eyes.
The hole didn’t look big enough to fit even her little body and big rump, but apparently it had.
“I toss stick. They dumb—so dumb. They chase after noise. I sneak in here.”
Every joint in my body ached. Every limb felt heavy. My head could barely be lifted. I lay back down.
“You sick,” she said.
“I’m okay,” I lied.
Lucian lay back down and put his arm under my head. “Have you seen any of the McCallisters, Pladia?”
“McCallisters trapped. Behind mountains, far away. Barricade of Unseelie block way. Hundreds. They send me to find you. I go soon—tell them I find you,” she said.
“What about the Elven?” Lucian asked.
“Three Elven bound up in chains—outside. The rest—nowhere. I cannot find.”
“Don’t give up Ivy. My father will find us.”
The glands in my throat were swollen, and I tried to swallow. Instead, I ended up spitting on the rocks. The Fae fighter babbled on outside beyond the boulder. Laughter broke out amongst them.
“What are they saying?” I asked again. I knew Pladia could understand.
“They talk about fight tomorrow,” Pladia said.
“What fight?”
“Never mind,” Lucian said sternly. “Just never mind. Rest.”
Pladia shut her mouth at Lucian’s request. I knew now that he could understand them as well, although I didn’t think he would tell me.
“Tell me, Lucian. You can understand them.”
“I can. I know four languages, and Gaelic is one of them. But they speak about nonsense.”
My eyelids fluttered, and I had begun to feel hot. Chills ran through my body. Darkness would soon consume me. I had the feeling that I was in hell.
“I go get berry for Ivy. She sick. She need berry,” Pladia said. And it was the last thing I heard before sleep overcame me.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Upon opening my heavy eyelids, I could see the light cast its way through the tiny crevices, forming mini shards on the rock. The air, heavy and stale, caused my lungs to ache. However, I was becoming accustomed to the cold ground. Lucian sat, shirtless, with his back against the rock wall, his arm draped over his knee. Nothing had changed in our current circumstances. We had been in here for a long time.
Listening to the water drip in a far-off corner, I felt the glands in my neck. They were huge.
“You’re awake.” He forced a smile.
“Where is Pladia?”
“Gone to inform the McCallisters of our whereabouts.” He rubbed the stubble on his face. “They’ll come. But, Ivy, I’m going to have to leave for a little while.” He sounded sad.
“Why? Where are you going? How?”
“Don’t worry. Everything will turn out fine,” he promised me.
I passed out again.
Not sure how long I slept, but my mind surfaced as I tried to swallow. The pain. Oh, the pain. What I would give for an Advil. I soon realized why I’d been awakened. The boulder was being moved, pushed aside with loud, scraping noises. A Fae fighter stood before us, my sister beside him.
“Come, Lucian.” She placed her hands on her hips. “It’s time for you to come out.”
“Zinnia.” My voice was raspy and almost nonexistent.
“Ivy? What’s wrong with you?” A hint of concern hit her voice. Then he stepped up beside her. Rodinand.
“Get the hellhound and shut her back in,” Rodinand said.
Zinnia stood straighter. “You heard him.”
Lucian crawled to the opening. The Fae fighter grabbed his arm and hauled him out.
“Time for a good fight,” Rodinand said as he stepped away. “Get the demon dogs ready.”
“D-demon dogs.” My voice cracked. “Zinnia. Help. Him.”
Her face frowned. “He can take care of himself, Ivy. What’s wrong with you though?” She bent down and leaned in the opening.
“I’m dying,” I said, and it wasn’t a lie. I could feel the life draining from me. I was barely holding on. “The metal cuffs. The cold air.”
I heard Rodinand yelling out something. The only words I understood were “come” and “hurry up.”
“Just hang in there, sister. The game has only just begun,” she whispered. I knew she didn’t speak of any dogfights. She spoke of the game between me and her. The game of “who can outdo whom.”
“Zinnia.” I used all of my energy to push myself up on my elbows and tried to make my words as forceful as possible, yet they still came out in a giant whisper. “When I get out of here, you’ll be sorry. And if anything happens to Lucian, I’ll never, NEVER forgive you. But more importantly… I’ll strangle the life from you.”
I fell back to the earth, and no tears would come. Dehydration wouldn’t allow it. The boulder rolled back to the doorway, and I heard the voices fade. Off in the distance, I heard yips and growls. I tried to roll to my side into a ball, to the fetal position. The last thing I recalled, my hand hit the fresh, raw earth. Dirt.
I had to be hallucinating. I could have sworn Izadora’s signet ring glowed purple.
Chapter Thirty-Four
I heard movement throughout the cave. Fluttering, wispy sounds. And cigarette smoke. I could smell it.
Managing to open one eye, I saw silvery-white wings shimmering next to my mouth.
“Eat berry,” a squeaky voice said.
I accepted the single berry that was placed in my dry mouth. Somehow, without chewing, I got it down my throat. Pladia nestled down on the other side of my head, grabbing my hair, cowering from something.
“Are they coming back?” I asked her.