Fabrizio was staring at me. “Did Roland tell you that?” he asked very softly.
I shook my head, not meeting his eyes. Instead, I studied the castle-like door with the metal rivets across the beams that led to Rome. There were several other similar ones that physically matched, but something about this one…I could almost hear singing as I stared at it, like a choir.
I finally shook my head and broke eye contact. Cain was frowning, eyes darting from me to Fabrizio, wondering exactly what had just happened. His hand also rested on the hilt of the bone blade in a familiar gesture. I wasn’t sure if he was aware how much his face transformed when he touched it. His features became both more feral and more relaxed.
Like it was a part of him. Maybe it centered him, made him feel complete. I wasn’t sure, but I would keep an eye on it. Because even though it seemed to calm him, his eyes also had a dangerously wild look to them.
“I hope you have a ladder or something,” Cain said.
I scratched at my arms, feeling like I was overheating.
“Actually…we don’t. We used pulleys,” he said, pointing to an alarmingly weathered setup on the side wall. I didn’t feel like trusting myself to them. I stared up at the twelve doors, thinking furiously. Which one? If I could only see them closer, maybe touch them…
My forearms began to tingle noticeably, and my ring of shadows grew colder against my thumb, reacting to whatever had made my arms tingle. I scowled at my appendage. On principle, I wasn’t pleased that my body could have an argument with itself when I didn’t even know why. It was ridiculously unfair.
“Which door?” I mumbled to myself, my lips suddenly feeling numb.
Cain has asked Fabrizio something about Last Breath, but I was too focused on the sensation ripping through me. The cold, the heat. Back and forth, back and forth…
“…maybe a lion of some kind. I know how ridiculous it sounds…”
My teeth began clicking together as my whole body shuddered. I was squeezing my arms, now, and realized I was staring at the shadows in the cavern, feeling slightly nauseated. I touched my forehead and saw it was slick with sweat. Fabrizio suddenly stood before me, looking alarmed as he touched my cheeks. I was sweating and freezing. “Callie, are you feeling okay?”
I shuddered again, my vision beginning to tunnel as if I was dehydrated and had stood too fast. Cain began to growl from where he stood near the pulleys, but I wasn’t sure if it was because he sensed something or if he was just reacting to my apparent meltdown. My thumb suddenly froze and I gasped as my vision shifted into a world of chrome shades.
One Door among the twelve seemed to glow like polished silver, brighter than the rest, which merely looked gray and dull—still metallic, but not as brilliant. The hundreds of other doors were simply a weak, pale gray.
I pointed at the polished Door, my arm shaking with cold. I realized I was gripping the Seal of Solomon in that fist. The door began to rattle and dance on its chains, tugging and popping the links as if something was trying to break free from within. Cain and Fabrizio began to shout in alarm as the Door abruptly snapped free, molten shards of hot metal chain zipping out in every direction, splintering any adjacent decoy doors to shreds or flames. The Door crashed to the ground about three feet in front of me, landing perfectly on its edge, even embedding an inch into the stone, but not damaging or impeding the door itself. The rock floor around it singed upon contact—even one of the powerful runes the Conclave had spent so much time finger-painting.
“I think we know what her silver ring does now,” Cain told Fabrizio.
I shifted my hand to touch those golden chains and they puffed to vapor like smoke.
It comes. RUN! Nameless screamed from within the furthest corners of my mind, almost making my thumb bone ache at the sudden arctic chill.
I heard a metallic screech—like nails on a chalkboard—from down the passageway. The elevator. Someone was scratching at the elevator. I locked eyes with Fabrizio—his face now just a tapestry of chromatic hues. He looked shaken, alarmed, and furious. No one but Fabrizio and Roland had the code to the elevator for this floor, and I hadn’t heard the elevator leave our floor.
“Run…” I heard myself whisper, repeating Nameless’ internal warning. But I realized that it was hopeless. The only way left to run was down the passageway…
Towards the scratching sound.
We were all staring at the passageway, Cain gripping the hilt of his bone knife with a permanent snarl, his lips pulled back to reveal his teeth. Then I heard the sound of rapidly scratching claws, as if something was running towards us on all fours.
Cain appeared to be frozen, his body bending low as if to crouch at half-speed, even though my movement was entirely normal. Cain’s mouth slowly began to open as if he was roaring, but in slow motion.
A ball of flame slowly flickered to life in Fabrizio’s outstretched hand, proving that something funky was happening with reality. Just like when Michael had abducted me, time had abruptly slowed down.
Then it hit me. I’d seen my vision do this before. When I’d been chasing down Cain through an alley so long ago. The Silver. Time hadn’t slowed, my perception had quadrupled.
I flung out my hand, sending a swarm of Silver butterflays down the passage, hoping to deter the attacker long enough to get Fabrizio out of here. I heard a feral, coughing snarl—not sounding remotely affected by the strange distortion to time—as I ripped open a Silver Gateway directly behind Fabrizio. The runes at our feet suddenly flared in warning, smoking at the use of a Gateway in such a heavily warded place.
Shit. Forgot about the Conclave’s finger-painting.
Fabrizio’s pulse throbbed in his neck about once every ten seconds, proving the time distortion for everyone but myself and our attacker. I hoped it also delayed the defensive runes.
I grabbed Fabrizio and shoved him through the Gateway, having no idea where I had just sent him. Because Silver Gateways were based on need, not rational thought. It had to be better than his current location. Next, I released the Gateway, grabbed Cain, and then jumped through the open Door, ramming my shoulder into it like I was one-woman SWAT team raiding a known drug house. I caught my thumb on the frame and it flared with pain, but I bit back my cry.
At the last moment, I glanced back at the passage way to see a four-legged creature stalking towards us, its head hanging below its shoulders like a stalking lion. Or a tiger. It was still just a white blur, although I would recognize those flaming blue eyes anywhere.
Last Breath. I took that as a sign that we were on the right path.
And that we were about to pay dearly for it.
If the creature had opened the door to get down here in the first place, I knew our security wasn’t going to hinder it. How it had even found the church, or that I was in it was a mystery.
Was it tracking my Seal? Had it sensed the Fallen Angel on my finger? Or something else? It had killed those Sons of Solomon earlier, but had looked directly at us in the fountain and hadn’t attacked. Had it not seen us? What had changed?
It stared only at me, completely ignoring Cain or the rest of the cavern.
I fell through the Door, shoved Cain ahead of me, and then stared back at the figure hunkering low as if preparing to leap at me. The time distortion definitely wasn’t impacting Last Breath. Those twin blue flames were not pleased.
The Door slammed shut and we landed on cold stone in a strangely familiar place.
Chapter 26
I panicked for a moment, eyes flicking about the room for any sign of Last Breath, but we were entirely alone. Cain grunted, rolling up to his feet, spinning back and forth with wild eyes, not understanding what had just happened—or our current location.
We were in the cavern of Doors we had just left.
But with a few differences. No runes decorated the floor, and only three Doors hung from the ceiling. There were no pulleys on the wall. The Door we had just exited clicked shut high above, at least twenty feet in th
e air. I was suddenly thankful we hadn’t landed on our necks from such a height. In fact, I didn’t even feel a bruise from our fall.
And thankfully, Last Breath had not pursued us. I could make out a faint hymnal song in the air, like it was being carried from far off in the distance, but I also sensed that it was the place itself—part of the air, not truly a song being sung in the distance. It was powerful, like a flavor of magic.
Cain gripped my shoulder. “What about Fabrizio?” he demanded. “He’s a sitting duck back there!” he hissed, panting. “Who attacked us?”
I squeezed his arms reassuringly, trying to calm him. He hadn’t seen me send Fabrizio through the Gateway. Because his sense of time had been messed up.
“Easy, Cain. Easy. Take a deep breath. Fabrizio is fine. Last Breath came for us, but I sent Fabrizio to safety. Last Breath did something to you guys to mess with your sense of time,” I said, not knowing for sure whether it had been Last Breath or myself.
Cain took a deep breath, closing his eyes for a moment as he lowered his dagger. He finally shook his head. “Okay. I heard the claws on stone, but never saw anything. Did you get a good look at Last Breath this time?”
“Maybe…” I said, pursing my lips. “He looked like some kind of cat. Or a four-legged creature with a long tail, at least. It was still hard to tell. But it was definitely Last Breath. Same blue eyes. But wherever we are, it didn’t follow.”
Cain nodded jerkily, eyes darting about the room in newfound recognition. “What happened to the other Doors?” he asked anxiously.
“We went through a Door and ended up here. It’s the same cavern,” I told him, studying the room. My pulse suddenly began to quicken, and my stomach dropped. “I think this is…the night the Doors first appeared…” I whispered, suddenly realizing what that meant.
The night I had been left on the steps of the church.
Somewhere high above me, baby Callie lay crying in a small crib on the steps of the church, terrified of the lightning and rain. My vision seemed to rock and I almost lost my balance. Cain caught me immediately, following my train of thought and knowing my sudden reaction for what it was.
A grating sound made us flinch, spinning to face an attack, imagining the worst horrors possible in this strange…dimension or plane of existence. Was this real? Or a dream fragment of some kind?
A black quartz obelisk—flecked with metallic veins of silver and gold—rose from the floor, dust and gravel crumbling until it grew as tall as a man. Then, silver script flared into existence across its surface.
Well met, Traveler. You have taken the first step towards the treasure trove of knowledge I have amassed. Know that you are firmly on this path, now, and the only way outward is onward.
Cain shot me a brief, incredulous look, lowering his dagger, but we didn’t dare risk missing the rest of the message, because the first lines were already fading as the message continued, only showing several lines at a time.
You have chosen the path of the mind—the tougher, more arduous path—over the path of the Earth. This implies you seek more than material wealth, which is commendable, but with greater rewards comes greater risk. I do not envy your decision, but applaud your fortitude…
Cain shot me the frankest look of accusation I think I had ever seen. “Shortcut my ass,” he muttered, folding his arms.
“Shut up, Cain,” I snapped defensively. “The magical rock phallus is talking.” But part of me also wanted to throttle Fabrizio’s neck as well. Of course a magical Door hanging from a chain in a mysterious cavern had been a terrible idea. It made so much sense in hindsight. But we’d really had no other choice.
Knowledge requires sacrifice—ironically, memories. The mind of man can hold only so much information, after all. A grail can only hold so much water before overflowing. Only so many thoughts can fill a man’s mind.
But in a thought lies the keys to existence, to life itself.
For what is existence, but a single thought from God?
I shared a look with Cain. The magical rock phallus was deep. Existence was nothing but an errant thought of God? Wow. That put things into perspective.
Doors will litter your path, and behind each is a different gift. An immediate gain or a delayed gratification—but either gift requires a sacrifice, a memory. There are no single correct answers to this quest, as it is tailored by God and his Angels to each Traveler. An immediate gain may sometimes be the wisest choice over a delayed gratification. Likewise, a delayed gratification may sometimes be the wisest choice over an immediate gain.
Your choice is to find the right Doors that lead to your ultimate desire—knowledge or power. Truth or fiction. Behind each choice is a consequence. But consequences are sometimes known as penance, so be steadfast. Momentary failures might be required for a future gain. Yet momentary successes might be required to prepare you for a future loss. To earn you enough to pay a future price for something you covet most dearly…
Behold the lesson of Free Will, in all her glory.
Godspeed…
The words slowly faded from view but we continued staring at the obelisk for a few more moments, wanting to be certain no additional advice was forthcoming. Nothing else appeared.
“Well, at least it wasn’t ominous,” Cain finally grumbled.
I nodded in agreement. But there wasn’t any use complaining about it. We were stuck here, wherever here was. I took a nervous breath and made a ball of flame in my palms, ready to extinguish it in an instant if it set off any alarm bells. It worked, and nothing deadly happened. Then I tried creating a Gateway the size of my fist—enough to see through, only—thinking of the steps of the church above. It worked, about a gallon of rain pouring through the opening from the storm outside.
I released it with a nervous laugh. It really was the same night. It had to be!
Cain grunted from a pace away, pointing down at the ground. A skeleton sat propped against the wall. I frowned, thinking furiously. Then it hit me. “Is that…Fabrizio’s friend?” I asked in a whisper.
Cain knelt down and used his dagger to shift the man’s threadbare shirt. It revealed a cross hanging on a chain around the skeleton’s neck. He glanced up at me with a somber look. “It seems plausible.”
I crouched beside him, flipping over the crucifix pendant. The initials A.D. were etched into the back. I stared at them for a long time, thinking of Fabrizio’s story. This had to be Anthony. I hesitated for a moment before lifting the pendant from the skeleton’s neck. Thankfully, it came free without knocking Anthony’s skull off, and I placed it around my neck so I wouldn’t lose it. I turned to Cain with a shrug. “Maybe I can give it to Fabrizio. Put his mind at ease. At least for his friend Anthony…” I said, thinking of the other Shepherd, Luke.
Cain nodded. “What do we do, now?” he asked, tucking the blade into his belt.
“I think we should go check on the…baby,” I whispered. “It will at least confirm if we’re here the night all this happened.”
Cain nodded, but in his eyes was an obvious concern. Was my head in the game, or was I too close to this world around us? I took a deep breath, trying to center myself.
I honestly didn’t know the answer, but I could almost hear a baby crying—like a chorus between the verses of the faint hymnal song woven on the fabric of the air…
Chapter 27
I opened a Gateway again, this one large enough to step through, and stared out at a dark city street. Rain pelted the pavement and the skies exploded with light and great thunderous booms that threatened to strike any number of the tall buildings around us. I saw a billboard advertising a new movie titled First Knight.
The sight struck me like a blow to the jaw. It was a new movie about the abduction of Guinevere, featuring Sean Connery as Arthur and Richard Gere as Lancelot. From the mid-nineties. I peeled my eyes away from the billboard, feeling strangely uncomfortable for some reason. It was important somehow…
We really were here in the past, the nigh
t I had been left on the church steps.
In fact…
I could hear myself crying in the darkness. Me as a baby…
Rain pelted down, hard enough to attempt to wash Original Sin from the streets of Kansas City, Missouri.
Hard enough to terrify a small baby girl as she was abandoned to face a dark, terrible world without her parents—the two people in the world who should have protected her, kept her safe, loved her, taught her to overcome her fears, comforted her with her first broken heart, taught her to drive her first car, guided her through her first use of magic, perhaps even take her to church.
But none of that would ever happen.
Because they loved their babe too much to hold her close to their breasts.
Loved her enough to leave her—cold, crying, soaking wet, alone in a world that wanted to destroy her very soul, and gobble her up.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son…
I spun frantically to stare up at the Church. Thunder and lightning cracked across the sky, chaotic enough to reveal long, demented arms of light connecting with each other, growing and snaking and expanding from one to the next in one seconds-long explosion of raw power. The very ground shook like a succession of mortar shells striking the earth.
And I saw two shadows slip from the front steps of the church, racing away into the darkness. One supported the other, seeming to force the other to run from the steps no matter what it desired.
And above the baby crying, I heard the anguished sound of two parents doing their best to hold themselves together—soul-deep sobs like they were being torn into thirds.
“My parents…” I rasped, blinking heavy tears from my eyes.
Then they were gone, before I could even think to consider chasing them down, to stare into their eyes for the first time, to tell them that I had made it.
Sinner: Feathers and Fire Book 5 Page 15