The Moments Between

by Christina J Thompson

  “He lied to me,” Laice whispered, fury rising in her stomach. “He lied to me!” She clenched her teeth, balling her fists up until her knuckles turned white. Eli had been right: Seph was her enemy.

  Tears welled up in her eyes, and Laice swallowed hard against the lump of rage and frustration that had appeared in her aching, bruised throat. She felt like a fool, and she could barely contain the emotions that surged through her as she thought back to everything Seph had said and done. He had meant to mislead her from the start, she could see it now, and she had willingly followed him to her demise.

  “I should have listened,” she said to herself, her voice cracking with regret.

  Then, a flash of determination shone in Laice’s eyes: it wasn’t over yet, she still had time. Setting her jaw, she squared her shoulders. Eli had said that home was above the mountain’s peak, and now she searched the narrow ridgeline for which way to go.

  As she stood there, Laice suddenly felt a familiar presence appear on her left, and her heart swelled with a mixture of relief and guilt. She couldn’t look, and the tears she had managed to choke back instantly broke through and began trickling down her cheek.

  Finally, after a long moment of silence, she managed to gather the courage to face him.

  “Why do you keep saving me?”

  Eli’s eyes were soft as he gazed at her brokenhearted expression.

  “Because I care for you,” he answered simply.

  “But I didn’t listen,” she whispered, her chest filling with shame. “You told me what Seph was, and I ignored you.”

  Eli sighed.

  “It is a difficult lesson to learn,” he told her, his voice soft. “As I said before, this deception does not leave without a fight.”

  She averted her eyes, staring down at her hands.

  “Thank you for pulling me from the mountain.”

  “You called for me,” Eli said, reaching out and lifting her chin. “Did you think I would not hear?”

  “I thought you left me. I didn’t see you after Pernao, and I thought…I thought…”

  “I never left, Laice, I was with you through it all. I saw you chasing the visions in the suns of Yirah and I waited for you to come back, just as I saw you follow Seph into the belly of Laeen.”

  Her eyes grew wide, feeling a pang of betrayal at his words.

  “But why didn’t I see you? Why didn’t you stop me?”

  “I cannot force you to see or hear me, you must be ready,” Eli told her. “These are the walls that must be broken before you can be whole. Only you can decide.”

  “Decide what?” Laice demanded, frustration rising in her voice. “How can you say that you care for me but let me suffer like that? You could have stopped me!”

  “I cannot stop you from making a choice,” he answered, shaking his head. “Just as I cannot explain what you aren’t ready to hear. You will understand soon, your time is nearly up.”

  He gestured towards her pocket as he spoke, and her anger quickly died as a sudden fear shot through her stomach. She grabbed the watch, trembling as she snapped it open.

  The hand was hovering exactly halfway between the one and the zero.

  “How is that possible?” she cried in panic. “How long was I trapped in the mountain?”

  “You’re nearing the end,” Eli told her. “You are quickening. We must go, there is yet one wall that remains to be broken.”

  He pointed to the left, and Laice turned to look.

  On the far side of the mountain’s ridge was a staircase carved into the granite wall. Her eyes lifted to follow its ascent into the shadows above her, finally coming to rest on the barely-visible shape of long, narrow bridge. It hung in space, seeming to span the entire length of the canyon.

  A twinge of familiarity struck Laice’s heart; she recognized the staircase, she had seen it before. She concentrated, trying to remember, when the image of a crumbling bridge suddenly flashed through her mind. A cold wave of fear raced over her skin, and she swallowed hard.

  As if reading her mind, Eli shook his head.

  “You won’t fall,” he told her. “Just trust me.”

  He took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze as he began leading her forward, but she pulled away, pausing as a new kind of fear appeared in her heart.

  “You said I’ll remember, right?” she asked, her voice sticking in her throat. “Everything will make sense?”

  “Yes,” Eli answered, and Laice drew a nervous breath as her blood began pulsing loudly in her ears.

  “In the maze…Yirah…I saw something. I want to remember, Eli, but…”

  Her voice trailed off; in her mind’s eye, she could still see the hatred and rage on Amy’s face.

  “I’m afraid of what it will be.”

  Eli quickly shook his head.

  “What you saw was illusion, a projection of memory mingled with fear. It was meant to lead you away from the path.”

  “But if it’s part of a memory, that means it’s real, doesn’t it?”

  “No, Laice. Some elements may hold traces of reality, but even those have been twisted into something else.”

  “But what about Amy? Is she real?”

  This time he nodded, and a lump of sorrow appeared in Laice’s bruised throat.

  “And the little girl I saw back in the camp? The girl I dreamed about?”

  He nodded again.

  “Yes, but not in the way you think,” he told her. “I promise you, it will all make sense soon. It may be difficult for you to bear for a moment, but what I show you will be truth, nonetheless.”

  Laice pursed her lips, processing Eli’s response. That must mean that the ‘he’ Amy spoke of in the vision was real, too.

  “Come,” Eli prompted her, holding out his hand. “We must go.”

  They neared the staircase, and Laice tilted her head back as she gazed up at the bridge, her mouth going dry with nervousness. Almost there.

  The ground beneath her shuddered as she took another step, and she paused mid-stride as the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end.

  “Something’s wrong,” she whispered.

  “Hurry, Laice,” Eli urged. “Trust me, we’re nearly there.”

  Her body tensed as her instincts were set on edge. She could sense the air suddenly change, almost as if it was being flooded with a strange darkness, and she glanced behind her nervously. There was nothing there.

  “It doesn’t feel right,” Laice said, turning back around. “It feels like…” Her voice trailed off as her eyes grew wide.

  A light had appeared behind the staircase, a deep amber glow that seemed to be bleeding through the granite wall. It quickly spread, saturating the entire surface of the rock, then a massive wave of heat blasted towards her, singeing her face as the stone suddenly liquefied into a blinding cascade of brilliant, molten glass. It poured down in a burning waterfall, splashing to the ground and seeping towards her in thick tendrils.

  A thunderous, ear-piercing roar filled the air, the vibration passing through the molten rock and instantly freezing it into a thick sheet of clear, honey-colored crystal. A massive shadow paced back and forth behind the transparent wall, and Laice’s heart stopped in her chest.

  Eli stepped in front of her, blocking her view.

  “It can’t touch you, Laice,” he said, his eyes boring holes into hers. “You are safe beside me.”

  She glanced past him, fear gripping her throat. The roar sounded again, this time sending a spiderweb of fractures racing out over the surface of the amber glass, and she saw the shadow stop moving.

  The piercing sound of shattering crystal filled the air as the wall disintegrated into a million pieces, and now she could see what lurked behind it. Her stomach churned with horror as three dark, yellow eyes with burning black and red pupils locked onto her, their lidless gaze ripe with fury.

  “It’s coming for me!” Laice screamed, preparing to run, but Eli reached out to stop her.

  “It will not
touch you,” he promised. “We must go, your time is running out.”

  The creature threw its shaggy, black-maned head back, letting out another roar as it leaped forward and began to run towards her, its powerful muscles rippling beneath a decaying hide that bubbled with festering wounds. Each lunging movement ripped gashes in the rotting flesh from which rivers of thick, green pus poured, spattering the monster’s path with the foul, viscous fluid. Its mouth was open wide, saliva dripping from its curved, ivory fangs.

  “Don’t look at it, Laice, look at me,” Eli told her, his voice calm. “Trust me. Come, we must hurry.”

  He took her hand, pleading with her to follow him. She tried to obey, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the monster’s approaching form.

  It was almost upon her, and as it drew near, it reared upright, sprinting forward on two bent, scaly legs while the other two retracted into its emaciated chest. A hole opened in their place, the ragged edges curling back to reveal a cavity filled with writhing snakes that now burst forth into the air, their venomous jaws agape, and she couldn’t bear another moment.

  Shrieking with terror, Laice wrenched free of Eli’s grasp. She staggered back, turning to flee, only to find herself staring straight into Seph’s leering face.

  “You!” she gasped, recoiling in stunned disbelief as her mind instantly closed in on itself.

  Seph’s hands darted out, snatching hold of her. He chuckled, drinking in her fear, and his blackened eyes seemed to burn with a blood-red fire.

  “Did you think I had forgotten you?” he sneered, his fingers digging into her flesh.

  Laice’s mouth moved soundlessly as she tried to focus. She could hear the monster’s hoofbeats closing in behind her, but there was nowhere to run.

  Seph pulled her close, his lips a hair’s breadth away from hers.

  “I told you,” he whispered, grinning darkly. “I can’t bear the thought of losing you.”

  Then, with one quick movement, he flung her over the edge of the mountain.

  The creature skidded to a stop at the canyon’s edge, its head shaking from side to side as its wild eyes watched her fall. It let out one final roar of fury, the sound mingling with Seph’s exhilarated laugh and trailing after her as she disappeared into the depths below.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Laice glanced down at the watch just in time to see the hand move to zero, then a low rumble rose from the earth. She looked up in wide-eyed fear as the bridge started shaking, the rock fracturing into pieces beneath her feet.

  Eli’s eyes filled with tears. The bridge began to crumble, and her vision went dark as the structure gave way with a final, ear-piercing crack of shearing rock.

  She opened her eyes. The bridge was gone and she was alone, curled up on the ground in a barren cavern of brown rock and dry earth.

  A deafening roar rang out, and Laice leaped to her feet, her eyes darting about as she searched for its source. The ground trembled beneath the sound of approaching hoofbeats, and her chest ached with fearful anticipation; something was coming, and she knew in her heart that it meant to destroy her.

  She began to run, only to find her path almost immediately blocked by a solid wall of rock. A red glow shone bright through a crevice carved into its face, and she felt her skin start to crawl.

  The roar shook the air again; she had nowhere else to go.

  A blast of heat hit her full in the face as she made her way forward, her skin burning as she moved through the cramped tunnel. The farther she went, the brighter and hotter the red glow became until it was a raging inferno of flames and heat. The walls of the tunnel were singed black from the smoke that wafted towards her, and she coughed, holding her hands over her nose and mouth as she tried to breathe. The roar of the fire was deafening, and she could hear the stone around her cracking and popping under the stress of the heat. She looked down at her arms, watching her blistered skin ripple as it repaired itself only to instantly bubble up again. The pain was unbearable, and she screamed as she ran, unwilling to turn back.

  She burst out of the passage, gasping for breath as she collapsed to the ground. She looked up, only to recoil in shock from the sight that greeted her.

  Before her, six jagged mountains loomed up from the earth, their peaks spewing fire that illuminated the ceiling of the cavern that contained them. Carved into the sides of each one were millions of blazing pits, and she could see burning, melted bodies amid the flames, their charred hands frantically reaching for a handhold to claw their way out. Dark figures encircled each pit, their screeching, laughing voices mingling with the endless cries of their living fires.

  As she stared at the figures in horror, Laice realized that she recognized some of their faces: they were the men from the camp. Goesh was there, cackling as he mocked the screams, and the others joined in his mirth.

  A wave of nausea flooded through her body and she vomited, her muscles convulsing as her back arched. The army turned, their eyes locking onto hers, and she staggered to her feet, numb with terror. The men’s faces began to change the moment they saw her, their features shifting and twisting until they had transformed into massive, transparent shadows with razor-sharp teeth and red eyes.

  She tried to run, but it was too late.

  The shadows howled as they charged forward, and Laice screamed as she felt fierce hands take hold of her. Sharp claws stabbed into her flesh, pulling and tearing at her as she was dragged to one of the pits. She kicked and flailed, trying to fight back, but it was useless; the beings were nothing more than vapor, creatures with the power to lay hold of her with a crushing grasp yet when she struck them, her blows passed through their forms as if they were made of smoke.

  She heard her bones snap, and her chest sounded hollow in her ears as the clawed fingers ripped into her body. Blinding, searing pain coursed through her; they pulled at her, wrenching at her limbs, and she could feel each torn nerve as her arms separated from her broken form. Blood gushed from her nose and mouth and her eyes spilled out onto her cheeks, dangling as they hung from their sockets before being crushed into oozing liquid under the feet of the giddy monsters.

  She was destroyed; her skull was shattered, and gray sludge forced its way out of her ears. She could hear the squelching of her guts as they poured out of her torn stomach, she could somehow see her crushed, mangled form. She could feel each claw as it ripped into her flayed carcass, she could feel the teeth of the shadow beasts as they devoured pieces of her flesh. Then, as they threw her into the fire, Laice could feel the unbearable heat of the flames licking at her skin.

  Her body began to heal, readying itself to be destroyed again, and she heard a familiar voice in her mind.

  “This is eternity, my love,” Seph whispered in her thoughts. “There is no escape, not this time. You belong to me now, and I will never lose you.”

  She could hear the ring of truth in his words, and her heart began to wail with hopelessness.

  Laice’s eyes snapped open and she leaped to her feet, thrashing at the air as she gasped a breath to scream. In her mind, she could still see the shadows standing over her, and her skin still burned from the heat of the flames. She frantically ran her hands over her body, slowly coming to her senses, then she sighed with relief. It was just another dream.

  “Eli?” she whispered, her eyes darting back and forth. She was in an empty, windowless room, and dread washed over her as she thought of the horrible things she had already encountered. She could only imagine what lay in wait for her in the shadows of this new nightmare.

  “You said you never left me, Eli,” she breathed as her heart began to pound. “Where are you?”

  There was no answer, and Laice buried her face in her hands. It was no wonder; even after everything he had done for her, she had failed to trust him yet again. Why would he hear her now?

  She pulled the watch from her pocket, and her heart skipped a beat: the hand was only a quarter from zero.

  “Now what?” she whispered, her voi
ce catching in her throat.

  A tiny noise echoed off the dark, rough-hewn blocks of stone that formed the walls of the room, interrupting her thoughts and instantly commanding her full attention. It sounded like a crying child, and she squeezed her eyes shut.

  “Don’t listen, Laice,” she told herself, cringing as she tried to ignore it. “It isn’t real.”

  But when the quiet cry rang out again, she couldn’t help craning her neck, unable to fight the feeling of longing that rose up in the depths of her soul. It seemed so helpless, so alone and lost and afraid. Sorrow filled her heart, and she focused on the sound, feeling a wave of nervous anxiety overpower and replace her concern for her own fate.

  Standing to her feet, Laice stepped towards the arched doorway that led out of the room, placing her hand on the cold, damp wall as she felt her way through the shadowed hallway. The cry gradually grew louder, tugging at her heart with an unbearable urgency as it beckoned to her, and cold shivers of panic began to race down her spine as a sudden desperation filled her chest.

  She reached the end of the hallway and turned down a narrow corridor, her blood pulsing loudly in her ears as she followed the cry. The cracked, wet floor was slick beneath her feet, and she stumbled as she picked up her pace, clutching at the wall to keep her balance.

  The corridor ended, her way blocked by a heavy wooden door. Laice struggled with the rusted, wrought-iron latch, throwing her weight against it as she strained to slide the bolt back. She heard the little voice again, crying at her from behind the door, and she heaved with all of her strength.

  The latch broke free and she threw the door open, revealing a wide, spiral staircase that twisted its way down into shadow. Laice moved forward without a second thought, the cries calling to her again and again as she flew down the steps.