In The Shadows of the Cavern of Death (Shadows of Death Book 1)

by Angelique Jones

  “Can you terminate him and take care of the problem without causing suspicion?” a raspy voice asked.

  “It’s best to wait until after their Council meeting. I have enough votes that I can get it passed, then I’ll make sure that he causes no trouble for my replacement,” he said, laughing evilly. “These people are such fools, it’s hard to believe that their ancestors almost toppled the government. I can’t wait to be away from the filth of this place. I was only supposed to be here for two years before a replacement was sent to take my place, and it’s been five. I know that bastard Vincent was behind it!” he accused, a loud crash punctuating his words.

  “You place too much importance on time, Jalic, and not enough on your mission. It was your duty to remain until you were no longer needed. I’m sure you’re not questioning your superiors, are you?” the voice intoned. In a bored tone, the man continued, “The information that you have gathered on the Rebels has been useful. You should take it as a compliment that they allowed you to remain these last three years––it means that you have been effectual at your assignment. Now if you are done complaining, give me your vid disc with your reports so we may leave.”

  “Here, take it and hopefully the next time we meet it won’t be in this hovel,” Gillon barked. Fading footsteps and a slammed door announced that he left the room.

  “Do you think he will be a problem?” the silent one asked, speaking for the first time.

  “If he becomes a problem, his replacement will silence him permanently,” the other answered, unconcerned.

  No sound other than a soft click of the door told me they had left. As quickly and quietly as I could, I retraced my steps, barely catching sight of the direction that they went. Knowing that it was dangerous, I followed them anyway, through the twists and turns of the streets, careful to stay out of sight. I followed them all the way to the entrance of the Loyalist cave, where the soldiers parted to let them cross. Turning quickly on my heels, I made my way back to where my night had started, climbing silently into Tristian’s window. Making my way back to where I had left him hours before, I laid my hands on him, whispering softly but urgently, trying to wake him.

  Leaning down until my lips touched his ear, I insistently said his name, getting louder each time in my bid to wake him. So focused was I on this that I was unprepared when he turned his head and caught my lips with his, wrapping his arms around me to hold me in place. Frozen, I sat as his lips moved over mine, caught by surprise at the feeling. Jerking back from his lips, but still held in his arms, I watched as his sleepy eyes opened and realized it was me. I guess I expected shock and to be pushed from his arms, not the smile that curled his lips and the warm, sure press of his fingers on my back trying to pull me toward him. Moving my hands to his chest, I pushed back to separate us, seeing a frown mar his face before I took my eyes from his and he released me. With unsteady legs, I got up from the bed, keeping my face averted to hide the blush I could feel burning it. Remembering why I came back, I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and turned back to face him, taking a quick step back when I found him standing right behind me. Knowing I couldn’t leave to avoid what just happened, I ignored it. I was probably making too much out of it, anyway––who knows who he thought I was?

  Turning my gaze to his chin, I blurted out, “We need to wake your father,” before he had a chance to speak. Turning on my heels, I went for the door. A hand shot past me, landing firmly on it and blocking my exit. Keeping my back to him, I said, “We need to wake your father, Tristian, now. It’s a matter of life or death,” I finished, waiting to see what he would do. With deliberate slowness, he removed his hand from the door, allowing me to release a breath I hadn’t been aware that I was holding. Pulling the door open before he changed his mind, I made my way toward his father’s room, stopping when a hand closed around my upper arm.

  “Go into the sitting room, we’ll join you in a moment,” Tristian said, in a deep voice that sent a shiver through me. Obeying without question, I went and sat on the couch, silently waiting for them to join me. After about ten minutes they finally came.

  “What’s this about Misty?” A grumpy Crowley asked as he took the seat across from me, leaving Tristian to join me on the sofa. I really should have thought about the seating arrangements before taking my seat, I thought, before pushing that aside and getting down to what I came to tell him.

  “I was out walking a few hours ago and noticed two strange men,” I began, but was interrupted by Tristian.

  “What the hell were you thinking of walking home this late by yourself? You should have woken me. Do you realize what could have happened to you?” he yelled.

  Before he could go on, I cut in, “Will you shut up, now is not the time! Anyway, I saw two men and something didn’t seem right, so I followed them. I ended up following them straight to the Elder Gillon’s home. After he let them in, I snuck around to the back of the house and found a window to listen to them through. They were talking about you and the trouble you were giving them about the new lottery winners. The one suggested that they kill you now, but Gillon said that it would have to wait until after the council meeting, so no one got suspicious. He said he wasn’t worried because he had the necessary votes”––stopping for a moment to collect my thoughts, I looked at Crowley and Tristian, who both wore the identical look of disbelief. Needing to finish the story, I said, “Then they started talking about one of the lottery winners being Gillon’s replacement and how he was only supposed to have been assigned here for two years, not five. One of the men called him ‘Jalic,’ like that was his real name. Finally they asked him for a vid disc with his report. After some banging around, he gave it to them and left the room. The quiet one who hadn’t spoken talked about killing him, but the other said that if it became an issue, his replacement would do it. After that, they left and I followed them again, I followed them right to the Loyalist cavern where the guards stood aside to allow them to enter.”

  “Did they see you?” Crowley demanded, fear lacing his voice.

  Shaking my head, I said, “No, I was careful to stay in the shadows and far enough back that I wouldn’t be noticed.”

  “I knew that there was something wrong, but I never imagined that Gillon wasn’t one of us,” Crowley whispered in shock.

  “That’s impossible. I remember Gillon from the time I was a child, he is one of us,” I declared, waiting for him to deny it.

  “Yes, Gillon is one of us or was one of us. This man ‘Jalic’ is an imposter made to look like Gillon and infiltrate us. The Gillon we knew is most likely dead. Killed after they tortured him for the information that he had,” Crowley said, slamming his hand down in frustration. Rising from his chair, he paced the room like a caged animal before turning on us. “You two go back to bed. Misty, stay here the rest of the night. I don’t want you being seen and recognized in case there are others out there.” With that said, he turned and went to his office, closing the door behind him.

  Left with Tristian, the silence in the room became awkward and I was about to disobey Crowley and just leave when I was stopped by the hand that grabbed mine. Tugging me from the couch, Tristian pulled me behind him to his room and straight to his bed. Laying down next to me, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me tight until my back was flush with his chest. For the longest time, I waited for him to say something, but it never came. Eventually, I closed my eyes and let sleep claim me in the safety of his arms.

  Chapter 6

  Today is the day we leave this prison behind. Tensely, I wait in my kitchen for Tristian and Crowley to come to review our plans and help me tell the girls the truth. The silence in the kitchen is ominous as the girls and I eat our meager meal, their eyes skidding to me every few seconds as if they sense there is something wrong. Finishing the last of our meal, we work together to clean the kitchen before moving into the living room. Seeing that they were going to keep going to their room to escape my presence, I stopped them, telling them to sit. Quietly, we
sat there for almost twenty minutes before our company came, no one saying a word. The knock on the door was a relief for the anxious girls, who both jumped and ran to answer it. Escorting Tristian and Crowley to me, they turned to leave, surprised when I told them to sit again, not expecting me to want them to stay. Getting up without another word, I went and collected Rose’s gifts. When I reentered the room, everyone was seated and awaiting me.

  Retaking my seat, I looked at the girls, dread coursing in my stomach for what I had to say. “I know that I haven’t been myself since Rose’s lottery. I am sorry if I have scared you, but I am sorrier for what I must now do,” I began, hating myself as I looked into their sad, confused faces. “Rose showed me something the morning of the lottery that I am going to share with you. I know what I’m about show and tell you will be hard to accept, but you will have to be strong and face it. What I want you to do now is let me say what I’m about to and not interrupt.” Taking a deep breath, I continued, “Today the two of you, Tristian, and I will be leaving this place and making our way to the surface.”

  “What are you talking about, we can’t,” Josie began, before being cut off by Crowley.

  “Josie, Tina, I wish for you to remain silent until your sister is finished,” he demanded, waiting until he had their stunned agreement before nodding at me to continue.

  “What we can’t do is remain here. On the day of Rose’s murder”––and yes, it was murder, no matter what our government chose to call it––“she brought me these items.” Laying them out on the table in front of them, I said, “She told me that I had to take the two of you and escape. This is a map of the caverns and this is a secret internal government video made when the first of our people were forced into these caves.” Spreading the map in front of them, I continued, “We have been lied to, the caverns are more vast than anyone has ever suspected and filled with others like us, who were forced to serve monsters who destroyed the world above. The truth you find in this video will prove that they have lied to us in more ways than you can imagine, but know this right now––it is the truth and you must accept it. After you see this you will not be allowed to leave and hide, but must stay and hear our plans, so we can be free of this evil place.” Waving my hand to Crowley and Tristian, I said, “They know what’s on here and how hard it will be to see it, so they have come here to give you support.” Dropping to my knees, I reached out and took their hands, squeezing them tightly. “Please, for the sake of your sanity, accept it, but do not dwell on what we cannot change,” I whispered, before releasing them and turning on the vid display.

  Blazing anger rushed through me as those hated voices began to speak. Using that anger, I focused, keeping my eyes glued to the girls I watched as the horror of the truth filled them. It was soul-crushing to watch all happiness and trust in the world fade from their eyes. Not allowing myself to be a coward and hide from what I told them to accept, I waited as the last words sounded and the twins raced to the bathroom, losing their dinner and innocence. After twenty minutes, they rejoined us, their ravaged faces telling the story, clinging to one another like babes. Walking to them slowly, I opened my arms, and as if that is what they were waiting for, they rushed to me, knocking us all to our knees. Holding them to me, I rocked the. I was the only mother they ever really knew, their protector. They expected me to keep the world safe for them. It broke my heart that I couldn’t keep this from them, but forced them to see it and know that safety was just an illusion that could be taken at any time. As I held them, willing their pain from their bodies to mine, I swore that I wouldn’t fail them again. My life meant nothing; if I had to give it, so be it. I would get them out of this place. They would live out their days in peace, unafraid of the passing of time and the consequences that it brought in this place.

  Giving them one last squeeze, I helped them to the couch, which was a little hard since they refused to release each other. Squatting down so I could look them in the eye, I said, “We are leaving this place soon, so that”––I pointed to the discarded vid display on the table––“is not your fate. Your fate is to be among the first of us in thousands of years to walk upon the land above.” I let none of the doubt I felt show. “Now you can tell no one about what you have learned; it will put everyone in danger. This must remain here.”

  A sniffling Tina found her voice at my words. “But what about my friends, what about Weston? I can’t leave him behind––we tell each other everything. He has to know. We can bring him with us.”

  Shaking my head, I firmly told her, “No, we can’t, I sorry,” wanting to convey that there was no room for negotiation.

  “That’s not fair!” she wailed, pointing an accusing finger at Tristian. “Then why is he coming? Why can you bring him and I can’t bring my boyfriend? I’ll be alone if we don’t take him. There are no boys up there.”

  “Enough!” I yelled. “Do you think I don’t want to take him? Do you think I don’t want to take everyone? We can’t,” I stated, through with discussing the subject. This is why I hadn’t told them before now. Taking a calming breath, I said, “In a two hours, a meeting will take place. We will make our move then. Now listen as Crowley and Tristian walk you through the plan.”

  Taking my seat across from them, I tried to reign back my anger. Tina had always been the more self-absorbed of the twins, worried about how things would affect her, not those around her. One wrong move could see us killed, but instead of her first thoughts being for the safety of her family, they were for her boyfriend and her selfish needs. Turning my attention to the issue at hand, I listened as Crowley finished telling them the plan and what was expected of them. No sooner had the last word left his mouth then Tina jumped up and raced to her room.

  Pulling my eyes from my retreating sister, I looked at an overwhelmed Josie. “You understand what we must do?”

  “I understand, I’ll go talk to her and pack,” she whispered, with a dazed look in her eyes. She took the clothing that Tristian offered her and followed her sister’s path. Knocking softly at the door, she whispered a few words, then entered her room to prepare for her new life.

  Ignoring the sympathy in his eyes, I asked Crowley, “You’ve made a copy of the map, but what about the vid disc––should you take it or should I leave it hidden here?”

  Thinking about it for a moment before answering, he said, “Leave it here. After it’s noticed that you’re gone, the house will be searched, but your hiding place will be overlooked. Especially with the blood we are leaving planted here. It will be assumed you were killed. We already know that I’m under suspicion and leaving it with another Elder would be just as bad.”

  Agreeing that was the safest bet, I looked to the clock and realized that it was almost time. Picking up my pile of clothing, I murmured that I would be back. Stopping at the girls’ room as I went, I told them to get dressed through the locked door before going to my room to do the same, wanting to give Tristian and his father a private moment to say good-bye.

  A kind of numb calm had descended over me as I prepared myself for what I must do. By the time I was finished putting on the brightly colored clothing and walked to the mirror to see the results, I was ready. Ready to do anything that I had to do to make sure Rose’s sacrifice wasn’t in vain, my sisters would survive. Gathering up the rest of what was needed into the bag, I took one final look around my room before throwing the cloak over my shoulders that would hide my disguise and joined the others, who were already waiting on me in the living room. The girls stared at the floor, nervously shifting from one foot to the other, not raising their heads to look at me even though they knew I was there, the stiffening of their bodies betraying them.

  Ignoring them, I went directly to Crowley, stopping a few steps from him. Intense grief shifted through me at the thought of saying good-bye to him. He had been the closest thing I had to a father through the years. He was always watching out for me, never getting angry, no matter how many times I asked him something. For all his faults, he w
as a good man who served his people, never expecting anything in return and always ready to do what was needed. He was a man who knew death stalked him, but instead of saving himself, he stayed for the same reason I was leaving because we were needed to lead our people to freedom. Seeing my conflict, he stepped forward and pulled me into his arms saying with his embrace what I couldn’t form into words.

  “You can do this, you are a survivor. You will lead them into the light and I will not stop until all our people can follow and join you,” he whispered, squeezing me tightly before stepping back. Blinking back my tears, I nodded, my head and my throat too tight to allow words to escape.

  Watching as he went to my sisters and embraced them, I felt as if the world was shattering around me, but it was when he embraced Tristian––I felt the world become destroyed. A hard look graced Tristian’s face as he released his father as if he had bury all softness deep, where it could never be touched again. Closing my eyes, I felt his pain that he refused to show and I knew it well. It was the same pain I had felt when Rose had said that she wasn’t coming with us. Though Tristian’s pain was much worst. At least a portion of my family would join me in the new world, but his would remain behind. I silently vowed that he would understand one day that all his family had not been left behind. That my sisters and I would not become a replacement family, but an extension of the one that he already had. Stepping forward to stand next to Tristian, I saw the grateful look in his father’s eyes at my action. He had nothing to be grateful for––Tristian was my friend and for good or evil I stood by those I loved and would protect them with a fierceness the likes of which even the government could not stop.

  Without another word or glance back, Crowley left, leaving a void in his wake. No one spoke as we listened to the tick of the clock counting the time. As the chimes of the clock rung out, it was time to go. The factories had let out and the streets would be packed, so no one would notice our movements, we would just be faces in the crowd. Gathering together, we made our way out with Tristian leading the way and me bringing up the rear, the girls safely between us. It took us twenty minutes to reach the alley near the cavern entrance that we had to hide in. Tensely, we waited as soldiers lounged near its entrance, until finally what we were waiting for happened. Alarms sounded––a large brawl was happening one street over, our distraction.