Stay to the left paths, her mind whispered, reminding her.
“I have to go back the way I came!” Laice cried, lifting her head. “How does that help me?”
Stay to the left.
Her shoulders trembled as she drew a quivering breath. She had nothing to lose by trying, and she reached up to wipe her face. Standing to her feet, she moved towards the path on the left, and her mouth dropped open in shock.
The clearing was right in front of her.
Crying out with joy, Laice ran forward, expecting to see the path continue on the other side. Her eyes searched the perimeter of the clearing, but her heart instantly sank as she realized that where she stood marked the only way in or out.
“Now what?” she cried, falling to her knees. Blood seeped from her feet, pooling out on the ground until her flesh healed, and she could almost hear the watch’s countdown as tears filled her eyes.
As she looked around, she realized that there was a massive hole carved into the center of the rocky ground, and she suddenly felt like laughing at the thought that occurred to her. Surely she couldn’t be expected to do that, there had to be some limit to the unending misery of this place.
Laice stood to her feet and slowly moved forward, edging close and staring down into the bottomless abyss. Numbness washed over her mind; for a moment, she considered going back the way she had come, but she quickly dismissed the idea. Her time was running out and she knew she couldn’t afford to waste another moment. There was nowhere else to go.
She tried her best to brace herself as she stared down into the darkness below, her aching throat closing up with dread. Then, closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and jumped.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Laice fell for what seemed like forever, then landed in a heap, the air instantly knocked from her lungs as she felt the bones in her legs snap. Pain shot through her body, racing up her torso and exploding in her mind with a blinding flash of white, and she managed to gasp in just enough breath to let out a ragged cry of agony. She lay on the ground, unable to move, then the pain began to subside as her bones righted themselves.
She rolled onto her back, turning her head to look around, then immediately jumped to her feet as she gaped in awe.
Before her, barricading her way and looming up higher than she thought possible, was the dark shape of a mountain.
She had finally found it.
But instead of feeling relieved, the sight of its shadowed, craggy face made her blood run cold in her veins, and a wave of nauseating stench hit her full in the face, instantly choking her. Her eyes began to water and she gagged as she doubled over, trying to force her lungs to breathe through the thick, foul odor.
“What’s that smell?” Laice cried aloud, the sound echoing through the air as she covered her mouth and nose with her hands. “It’s horrible!”
“Better get used to it,” a voice answered sarcastically, and she whirled around to see Seph standing behind her. She dropped her hands, coughing as she drew a breath to speak.
“You’re here!” she choked out. “But…how did you get here?”
Seph stepped towards her, anger on his face.
“That’s it? It’s nice to see you, Seph! I’m glad you’re okay, Seph! How about that?”
He scoffed, rolling his eyes.
“How did I get here? I fought through a thousand monsters trying to save you! I fell into the den of Pernao chasing after you!”
“Den of Pernao?”
Laice thought for a moment, remembering the horrible creature disguised as an angel, and she shuddered. Seph pointed at her knowingly, narrowing his eyes.
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m talking about!” he hissed, reading her mind. “And now all you can ask is how I got here?” He laughed derisively. “After everything I’ve done for you? You led me into this place, you had me worried sick about you, but that’s all you can think to say?”
Guilt welled up in her heart; he was her friend, but she hadn’t given him more than a passing thought after they were separated.
“I’m sorry, Seph,” she said quickly, moving to stand in front of him. He looked away, still hurt. “I’m sorry, I was just surprised to see you here. I thought I’d lost you, I didn’t think we’d find each other again.”
He ignored her, pouting, and she reached up, gently turning his face to look at her.
“I missed you, Seph. I’m really glad you’re here, I’m glad I’m not alone anymore.”
He sighed, putting his arms around her.
“You’ve had a rough time of it, haven’t you?”
“Yes,” she muttered, her eyes instantly filling with tears. She leaned into him, resting her face on his chest as he squeezed her close. “It was horrible.”
“Then you’ve had enough? We can go home?”
Laice pulled back, giving him a perplexed look.
“What do you mean, go home? The mountain’s right there, why would I leave when I’m this close?”
Seph’s countenance instantly darkened.
“Are you a fool?” he shouted suddenly. She jumped, startled by his booming voice. “You’ve dragged us both all over this hell, and you still want to go on?”
Laice felt her face grow hot, and she wrenched free of his embrace, instantly defensive.
“Of course I still want to go on, I didn’t make it through all of that just to turn back now!”
“Don’t you understand?” Seph cried, his eyes bulging. “You went through all of that because you believed that lying bastard! All of that could have been avoided if you would’ve just listened to me!”
His voice became pleading, and he took her hand again.
“Eli is your enemy, Laice. How can you still not see the truth about him?”
“Your truth, you mean,” she countered. “You want me to see things your way, but I’m sorry, I can’t. I need to finish this.”
“The king will take you if you go! I’ll lose you forever!”
Laice couldn’t help an amused chuckle at his dramatic tone.
“Eli has had plenty of chances to take me if that’s what he wanted to do. He just wants to help me.”
“Where is he, then? If he’s so interested in helping you, then why isn’t he here?”
“I…I don’t know. Maybe he’s looking for me right now.”
“He has magic!” Seph pointed out. “He can find you whenever he wants to! He’s the son of a king, Laice, why would he even want to help you? Have you stopped to ask yourself what he gets out of this?”
She sighed, crossing her arms.
“None of this matters, Seph. I’m not turning back.”
“Why? Just explain that to me, I deserve at least that much!”
“I already told you.”
“Because of your feelings? We’re back to that now, are we?”
“That’s all I have, Seph! I can’t trust anything around me, not even my own mind! But this – this – feels different, and I can’t ignore it!”
“You can’t trust anything around you?”
His voice was pained, and Laice pursed her lips.
“Seph, I didn’t mean it like―”
“So you still can’t trust me, that’s what you’re saying? I still haven’t proven myself to you? You’re willing to trust our enemy, but you can’t give me, your friend, the same respect?”
“I don’t want to argue―”
“This isn’t arguing!” Seph shouted, his face turning red with anger. “I just want to hear it from your own mouth! Say it, Laice, admit that you trust our enemy but you don’t trust your friend!”
“Some friend you are!” she yelled back, her temper finally snapping. “I tell you something important to me, and all you can do is waste your breath trying to discredit me for it! I don’t care what you think, I need to do this! I need to find out for myself, because this is MY fate that could hang in the balance, not yours!”
She pulled the watch out.
“See this, Seph? You re
member this, that little thing you lied to me about? TWO, Seph, it reads two! And I don’t want to find out what happens when it runs out!”
Her shoulders shook with anger as she jammed the watch back into her pocket.
“If you don’t want to be here, you can leave,” Laice told him, turning towards the mountain. “I’m going to finish this, with or without you.” She paused, eyeing him. “But I’d much rather have you by my side.”
Seph searched her eyes, reading the stubborn expression on her face. Finally, he let out a labored sigh and nodded.
“Fine,” he conceded, clenching his teeth with dismay. “But I promise you, you will regret this.”
“If that happens, I’ll owe you an apology,” she said as they began walking towards the mountain.
They arrived at the mountain’s base, and Laice craned her neck as she looked up. Far above, she could see orange and red light illuminating the stark silhouette of the mountain’s ridge, and its menacing presence made her skin tingle with fear. Hushed, whispered moans drifted towards her, and she felt her heart falter for a moment.
“There’s still time to change your mind,” Seph told her, reading her nervous expression. She swallowed hard, her chest tightening with dread.
“Let’s go,” she whispered, her voice cracking.
As they approached, Laice could see two paths that snaked up the side of the mountain. She began veering off towards the left, but Seph quickly stopped her.
“Do you really think I want to stay here any longer than necessary?” he snapped.
“What do you mean?”
Seph gestured to the path on the right.
“That’s the fastest way to the top. We’ll be here forever if we take the other path.”
“Eli told me to keep to the left, and I don’t want to ignore him ag―”
“I told you, I’ve already been here,” Seph interrupted, rolling his eyes. “I don’t care if you refuse to trust me, but at least give me a little credit! Besides, I thought you were in a hurry.” He gestured towards her pocket. “It’s moving faster now, isn’t it? Nearly half past one?”
His voice dripped with sarcasm, and Laice followed his prompting, quickly retrieving the watch. Her eyes grew wide as she squinted in the darkness, reading the numbers. He was right; the hand had shot to half past one in just the short time it had taken to reach the mountain’s base.
“How did you know?” she gasped, glancing up in surprise. He shrugged, looking away.
“It has something to do with the mountain, there’s a quickening here.”
He pointed at the right-hand path.
“That’s the fastest way to the top. I know that watch means nothing, so it doesn’t bother me one way or another. Aside from keeping me here longer than I want to be, that is.” He cursed under his breath, muttering to himself before continuing. “But since you’re so determined to believe Eli’s filthy lies, you might want to take my word for it.”
“You’re…you’re sure it’s the fastest way?” Laice asked hesitantly.
“Trust me, I’m sure.”
She thought for a moment, then nodded, following him to the right.
The smooth, level path quickly steepened into a climb. The ground was uneven and soft, giving way beneath her feet, and the darkness made it almost impossible to see. Each step she took was agonizingly slow; the once-solid path had turned to thick mud that seemed to want to swallow her whole. In her mind, Laice could almost feel each precious second tick by, and desperation mingled with her impatience as her heart began to fill with hopelessness.
The path became worse the farther they went, and by the time they were almost halfway to the top she could barely make any progress at all. The hushed whispers she had heard before beginning her climb had now become an unbearable din, almost as if countless voices had joined together into one collective groan of agony, and she clenched her teeth as she tried to ignore the sound.
Her feet sank, her ankles disappearing into the mire, and Laice cried out with frustration as she tried to free herself. She lost her balance, quickly reaching for a handhold, but the rock she grabbed broke free under her grasp. Falling to the ground, she felt her clothes begin to soak up the damp as the foul odor of the mountain filled her nose.
Laice struggled to her feet, angrily taking hold of the broken rock and preparing to hurl it off the side of the mountain, when she felt something move under her hand.
“Oh, God!” she screamed, dropping it. Seph was just ahead of her, and he turned to see her face go white with horror.
“What’s wrong?” he asked, pausing.
“It’s a face!” she cried, recoiling as she stared at the object. “It’s still alive!”
“They all are,” Seph answered, shrugging as he turned to continue climbing. “You didn’t notice?”
She hadn’t noticed, too absorbed in her climb, and now her blood ran cold as she realized why the path was so soft.
The mountain was not made of rock.
Instead, packed into a solid mass, were millions of rotting corpses, their gray, putrid flesh sloughing off and forming oozing puddles beneath her feet.
As Laice stared at them, taking in every twisted, cold face and gaping maw, their expressions changed. It was as if finally seeing them had somehow allowed them to see her, and now their clouded, pale eyes shifted in unison to meet her gaze.
The moaning sighs of agony turned into high-pitched shrieks of excitement as a million blackened tongues began to lap at the air hungrily. The deathly mass shuddered as twisted, skeletal arms broke free from the mountainside, their bony fingers stretching out to reach for her, and fear burned through Laice’s veins as she tried to run through the muck. She felt them grab hold of her tunic, dragging her back, and she screamed as she threw her body weight against their grasp.
“Seph! Help me!”
She lunged forward in a frantic attempt to break free, when the ground beneath her shifted. She felt the path give way, and she glanced down just in time to see the bodies below her awaken and roll aside, parting in the middle to welcome her into the depths below.
“Seph!” Laice screeched, flailing desperately as she felt herself begin to sink.
She saw him turn, but he was too far away to help.
The mountain swallowed her up, her vision instantly going dark as she was sucked down into its belly.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Laice felt the massive weight of the mountain’s rotting corpses settle on top of her, crushing the breath from her lungs. Her ribcage splintered, sending shockwaves of blinding pain through her body, then the hollow pop of her chest imploding resonated in her ears. Bitter fluid filled her nose and mouth, burning her throat as it began eating away at her. The liquid seared through her skin and muscles with an unbearable agony, almost instantly turning them to pulp.
The mangled, squelching flesh became motionless as it sighed contentedly, the sound rippling through the putrefied mass as Laice was absorbed into it. Her body was gone, her existence nothing more than a consciousness somehow tethered to the suffering of a molten cauldron of flesh. She could feel the mountain shift and move above her, drinking deep of her liquefied bones, soaking her in until she was sure there was nothing left of what used to be her. There was no escape, there was no hope, and her spirit began to wail in the silence of the suffocating dark.
In the midst of her despair, a flash of clarity called forth a single word that tore through her being in a silent scream.
ELI!
A burst of white light exploded through her mind, and the weight of the mountain instantly lifted off of her. Solid ground appeared below her, and Laice felt a new wave of pain wrack her being as her body began to repair itself from nothingness.
Spasms tore through the quivering mass of blood and flesh that slowly took shape around her mind, organs appearing out of thin air to fill the newly-formed cavity of her chest. She was still blind, her head and face only partially formed, but she could feel tissue spring forth t
o encase the bones that gave structure to her bleeding figure.
She lay on the ground, twitching and convulsing as her body became whole. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, she felt her muscles flex, and air rushed into her gaping mouth as her lungs inflated.
Bolting upright, Laice screamed as she sucked in a breath, then another and another. Tears began to pour from the empty cavities where her eyes had been, and her head spun back and forth in a blind, deaf panic. She reached up to touch her eyelids, her mind racing, then relief washed over her as she felt tiny orbs sprouting forth to fill the hollow spaces beneath her fingertips. She froze, holding her breath as she waited for her sight to return.
Blurry shapes appeared as her eyes grew back into place, and muted sounds filled her ears for a moment only to suddenly ring out in startling clarity. Laice looked around. From what she could tell, she was alone, and she had somehow made it to the top of the mountain. The ground beneath her was no longer flesh; she was sitting on solid rock.
Her sobs began to fade as her fear was replaced with confusion, and she struggled to her feet. She pulled herself to the edge of the narrow ridgeline of the mountain, and her mouth dropped open with shock at the sight.
A massive canyon stretched out below her, as far as the eye could see, its depths hidden in shadow. On either side, steep slabs of granite rose up out of the earth, their sheer faces disappearing into the immense darkness above her. Molten lava seeped out of cracks in each façade, dripping down and pooling at the canyon’s edges, then overflowing into two rivers that snaked their way along the borders of the rift until their red-hot glow disappeared into the distance.
Ghastly screams rose up from the chasm, and Laice felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end.
“What is this place?” she whispered, shaking her head in fearful astonishment.
She backed away from the edge, turning to look down the other side of the mountain. From her vantage point, she could just make out the two paths that led to the mountaintop, and as she stared, a sudden realization struck her.
The path on the left, the one Seph had told her would take too long, cut a straight line from the base of the mountain to where she now stood. The path on the right, however, curved and twisted, looping around on itself in an endless circle. She felt the sharp pain of betrayal sting her heart, then she noticed another detail: the left-hand path was carved through solid gray rock, while the path Seph had told her to take was set deep in the oozing, blackened rot that had swallowed her up.
The Moments Between Page 9