Rounding another bend, we nearly plowed into Ciaran and two of his friends. Caught completely off guard, even while expecting someone to be lurking, I gasped and drew back. Gracelyn squeaked, stopping so abruptly she almost fell. Kyrous caught her before I could and managed to keep her upright.
“What are you doing?” Mel questioned angrily, bringing a hand to her chest.
Maverick raised his brows at her tone. “Coming to make sure you three were okay.”
Ciaran reached out and gently took hold of my lower wrist. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”
I nodded, not wanting to speak until my heart fell back into its normal rhythm.
“Come on.” He skimmed his fingers down to capture my hand. Goosepimples followed in their wake. If he noticed, he did an excellent job of holding a poker face.
His grip was firm and secure.
If I weren’t partial to having somewhat of a guide, I’d have pulled away.
Gracelyn wound up with Kyrous, allowing him to spot her as we began going downhill. He had an inch or two on Ciaran height wise, making Grace seem even smaller than she already was. I wondered if that’s how I looked beside Ciaran.
“What’s at the end of this thing? Is it that city?” she asked.
“Yes, and also something else,” Maverick answered.
“Something else?”
“It’s better if we just show you.”
Could he be any more ominous?
It didn’t take us much longer to reach the bottom and discover what he’d been referring to. There was a sign centered directly in front of where gravel turned to tarmac. The rest of our group was waiting for us in front of it, the apprehension rolling off them stifling.
As we drew closer, I was able to see that a message was engraved into the wood.
“What is all of this?” Mel questioned rhetorically. I don’t think anyone had an exact answer.
When we were within hearing distance, Selena began to read off what the sign said, doing her best to sound out the foreign words.
“Servatis Periculum. Blissful decay. Amorous hell. A place where day is night. Tragic and Twisted fell in love—”
“Something wicked this way comes,” I chimed in.
“How did you know that’s what it said?” Brunette asked, eyeing me with suspicion.
Selena gave her an exasperated look. “Sweetie, it is literally written down right in front of us.”
“Sweetie has a name. It’s Abby.”
Before my hand found a way to her face for being an idiot, I calmly explained.
“It’s also one of the lines we heard on the shuttle.” And I got in a text.
I thought that would’ve been obvious, and not for the first time this evening. Ciaran cleared his throat and let go of my hand, proceeding to read off the remaining portion of words. “Suspend reality and step inside, Goetia will lead you to the Devil’s Playground.”
“Does anyone know who this Go-e-tia could be?” Abby’s friend asked.
“Only one way to find out.” Ciaran stepped back and gently touched my arm, making his way around the sign.
I wasn’t sure what the touch was meant to convey, but this time I followed him without objection or complaint. The rest of our wary group did the same.
“Do you guys see anyone?” Mel asked, squinting.
“Other than us, you mean? Nope.” I popped my lips on the P.
Selena slowed so that she could walk alongside our trio. “I haven’t seen anyone but you guys since we’ve been on the shuttle,” she remarked, clearly having been listening to our conversation.
I held back a sigh, wishing I could just take a minute to stop and think all of this over. There had to be some sense in the nonsensical, right? For our sake, I hoped so. Thus far, nothing had happened since back at the first sign. Whoever was shooting fucking arrows never made an appearance.
As we got closer to the city, silhouettes of skylines punched through the air, rising well into the clouds.
Various buildings were peppered throughout.
“There isn’t anyone around,” Mr. Authority said, announcing what was already apparent.
People should’ve been everywhere, but just like all the way back in the woods, there weren’t any sounds.
No traffic. No barking dogs. No one enjoying some nightlife. There was zero sign of any activity. This didn’t seem like a place that sustained life. Looking to the sky and seeing only the moon, it was as if the stars themselves knew not to shine here.
We moved from gravel to asphalt, finally crossing the threshold into the city. Only the sound of our footsteps filled the air, practically echoing due to the sheer emptiness of the space around us.
“Should we try in there?” one of the older women suggested, pointing towards the first building on our immediate right.
“The Visitor’s Center?” Melantha questioned.
“It has the customary arrow,” Abby replied dryly.
That it did. The sign on the door read OPEN with an arrow pointing inward, a string of lights framing it entirely.
Something inside was giving off a soft glow, but it was impossible to tell what from where we stood. There was a large front window, but a dark set of blinds prevented us from seeing through it.
On the other side of the road was what appeared to be a small Starbucks café, but it didn’t have any lights on at all. That made the decision ten times easier. If someone were screwing with us, then surely this is where they were directing us?
I meandered around everyone in my way and started walking towards the entrance. As I was passing Ciaran, he reached out and grabbed hold of my upper arm.
“What are you doing?”
“What does it look like?” I attempted to pull away, but he tightened his grip.
“You think it’s a good idea to go charging blindly into what could be a trap?”
“Oh, like the one you just forced me into?”
He laughed softly. “You mean when I saved you? I’m still waiting on you to thank me, by the way.”
“Thank you for what?”
“I just told you, for saving your life.”
“Thank you so much, you’re my hero,” I oozed sarcastically.
He stared down at me, his expression morphing into one I couldn’t read.
“You can let her go now,” Gracelyn chided. She had stepped up beside us, ready to intervene physically if necessary.
Much like on the shuttle, his hooded eyes—myriad blue and set beneath dark, long lashes—pierced right through me. Only now they were so... cold. I didn’t know it was possible for someone’s gaze to be this intimidating—yet enthralling.
“Bro,” Charon began.
His tone was cautious, as if Ciaran were a wild animal that would maul me if provoked. That was all it took, though.
“Do me a favor? Start thinking with your head and not your emotions,” Ciaran advised, his tone surprisingly gentle.
He released me and walked away, heading for the very building he’d just made a scene about me trying to enter.
“That guy has issues,” Selena counseled, staring after Ciaran and the others as they began to follow him.
I guess she was going to stick with us.
“Are you okay?” Gracelyn asked. “Do I need to kick his ass?”
I gave her a tight-lipped smile. “He didn’t hurt me, Grace. He actually made a good point.”
“Yeah, he did!” Mel agreed.
I shot her a disapproving frown, watching from the corner of my eye as the group began to file into the center.
“I’m just saying, if you’re going to go all Charlie’s Angels, at least bring us with you for back-up.”
I pursed my lips and followed the others, holding open the door for Selena once I stepped inside. The layout was like most Visitor Centers I’d been to in the past, aside from the wall straight ahead. It was covered in a large wall mural of what looked like demons surrounding a naked woman. I wasn’t sure what to make of that.
To the left was a wall of pamphlets advertising different venues and attractions of which I’d never heard of. Off to the right was where the group had gathered. A map unlike any I’d ever seen before was the culprit behind the glow.
The thing was huge. CITY OF GOETIA was displayed at the top of it.
“I guess that means we aren’t looking for a person,” Grace said, peering at the digitalized image from over my shoulder.
Maverick glanced back and waved us forward. We moved closer, our eyes taking in all the vivid features. I found where we would be by spotting a cluster of green dots.
“Our names are listed at the top,” Abby’s friend pointed out.
Dragging my gaze to the upper corner, I skimmed down the list, stepping around her so that I could get a better look.
I had to stand next to Ciaran in order to do so, but this situation went beyond any issue I had with him.
Seeing each of our official names displayed? That certified this wasn’t random.
He and his friends. Me and mine. Selena. Abby. I didn’t know who went with whom outside of that.
Two were crossed out altogether, a dark red line going straight through them.
“You think that’s the people who didn’t make it off the shuttle?” Mel asked.
“I would say so,” Maverick replied.
“There’s a name missing. Three should be crossed out in total,” Selena said.
Charon shook his head. “Not if the driver isn’t dead.”
“Your brother said he was,” Gracelyn reminded him.
“I said he didn’t get up and walk away. Translation being, someone took him. Be careful how you interpret things, Gracie.”
Her lips slightly puckered at the play up of her name, but she didn’t comment on it.
“If anyone was wondering, I’m Margo,” the older woman who’d fought with her cigarette helpfully divulged. With flaxen hair in a single braid that hung down her back and a grungy outfit, that was not what I would have guessed her name to be.
I imagined she had a Harley stored in her garage—that’s the vibe she gave off.
“This is my aunt, Susan.” She touched the arm of the other older woman.
Her sleek gray bob could’ve given my abuela’s a run for its money.
I nodded and offered them both a quick smile, introducing me and the girls before glancing back at the list. The only names left to put with a face were self-explanatory. Leonard had to be Mr. Authority. Heather was the chick with glasses.
“None of our last names are on there,” Mel pointed out.
“Maybe they didn’t know them? Or they were irrelevant?” As I was saying this, I realized that made almost no sense. If whoever did this was savvy enough to pull off everything they had thus far, I’m sure listing our full names wouldn’t have been too hard a task. I sighed, chewing the inside of my bottom lip.
“I dunno, guys. Does anyone here know each other from somewhere else?”
Shared glances went around the group, not one person claiming that they did.
“How would someone know exactly who was on the shuttle?” Gracelyn pondered out loud.
“I don’t think that information would be too hard to find.”
“That’s the curse of the internet,” Susan stated matter-of-factly. She was older, so I’d let her have that.
“You’re still not doing what was asked of you,” Kyrous implied. He addressed us as a whole, but his eyes were settled on Grace.
She noticed, meeting his gaze head-on. “Which is?”
“We were told to suspend reality. So, stop trying to figure this out logically, and suspend reality.”
They had a stare-off for all of five seconds, Grace being the first to look away.
“You see the black dots?” Ciaran asked me quietly—specifically, as if we were the only two people in the room.
I sought out what he was referring to, walking the path with my eyes once I spotted them. It reminded me of the old treasure maps restaurants gave kids to keep them entertained. You had to follow the X’s to claim the loot. Only, in place of riches this led to something called Blight House. The name flashing consistently cemented the fact that it was where we needed to go.
Visually, it didn’t appear to be that far away. Realistically, I’m sure it was much further. Looking at the image in its entirety, Goetia was huge. There was a massive wall or something that divided it unevenly, though, leaving a rather large portion of the map dimmed.
“This Blight House place seems simple enough to get to. We just need to keep going straight.”
“No argument? Are we making progress already?” he questioned with a partial grin, letting me know he was joking.
I planted a hand on my hip and half-shrugged. “I thought I’d ‘suspend reality’ and stop being so emotional.”
“I didn’t say anything about not being emotional. On the contrary, a little fear might do you some good.”
“I’ve yet to see anything I should be afraid of. Someone shooting an arrow doesn’t really invoke fear, it just pisses me off.” Wait. “Unless you’re implying, I should be afraid of you.”
He tilted his head to the side, a cool smirk replacing his smile.
“A little fear would never satisfy me, puppet. I prefer copious amounts of terror.”
There was that word again, accompanying a rather odd yet intriguing admission. I swallowed and took a step away from him. If that was meant to seriously frighten me, he’d failed. Nothing could scare me more than I scared myself.
He managed to pique my interest even more, though, which was almost worse. And now that our whole group had just heard what I’m sure was a semi-concerning conversation to their innocently unaware minds, I began to walk towards the exit, nearly dragging Melantha and Gracelyn with me.
“Blight House?” Mel asked as soon as we were back outside, thankfully playing off that she’d heard any of my and Ciaran’s discussion—if that’s what it could even be called.
“Either that, or we stand here and hope some other sign gets sent our way.”
“Blight House it is then,” Grace avowed.
“We still don’t know who the crazy bastard is that’s toting arrows. Let’s not give them a reason to help us to find out.”
Selena exited the Visitor’s Center a few steps ahead of all the others, offering a timid smile and tucking a strand of red hair behind her ear.
“I’m going to stick with you three, if that’s okay.”
I’d already assumed this. “You don’t need our permission. We’re all going to the same place.”
“What if we don’t? Maybe some of us should stay here, just in case,” Abby proposed.
“In case what?” Charon asked. “Do you think some gallant white knight is going to come swooping in here to save us?”
She gave him a dirty look. “Someone will come across the shuttle eventually, if they haven’t already. And I can’t be the only one here with a family that will start to worry.”
“Eventually could be hours, hon,” Margo pointed out.
“For us to be found, someone would have to take the same path we just did,” Gracelyn said, twisting her long hair into a messy bun.
“I don’t have the patience to stand around and hope for shit to happen.
“You wait here if you’re so inclined to, we’ll be going.” With that put as bluntly as possible, Ciaran turned and began walking up the street.
I was with him on this one. She could do as she pleased.
I was going to keep moving until my ass was safely back home with my girls.
“Come on,” I said to them.
Abby started to protest, but no one paid her much attention. Not a minute later, the clicking of her heels began to echo behind us.
CHAPTER FOUR
This had to be how Alice felt before she descended into madness. Perhaps I’d surpassed that and gone straight to insanity. It wouldn’t surprise me.
The unknown reality of this situation had my nerves
winding so tightly there was a physically painful ache in my gut. I did my best to focus more intently on what was in front of me, the things I could control.
With a small sigh, I ran my fingers through my hair for the millionth time, tugging on the ends.
“Picked the wrong day to wear sandals,” Mel grumbled.
“At least you’re not the girl in heels,” Gracelyn consoled.
I made a sound of agreement in my throat, taking in our surroundings as we walked. Whoever had done this, built such a place entirely off the grid, they’d spared no expense. The city was a collection of opulent buildings with roads clean enough for a queen to walk barefoot on.
A few store fronts were all set up like they were waiting to be open for business. Cars were parked on the sides of the street, all newer models. I had to go with what Kyrous said to do, suspend reality, because this kept making less and less sense to me.
My gaze went to the guy at the head of the group.
His movements were confident with a hint of caution, lacking all traces of fear. Dressed in predominately black—a V-neck T-shirt, dark jeans, and high-tops—he looked both criminal and powerful. His friends were dressed somewhat similarly, but I only had eyes for him.
We hadn’t said a word to one another since leaving the Visitor’s Center, but every so often he or one of his friends would glance back to check on us.
“Anything you’d like to share?” Mel prodded, gently bumping my shoulder with hers.
I tore my eyes off Ciaran and gave my attention to her and Gracelyn. For a moment I thought she was referring to the text I hadn’t told them about yet, which I needed to do. One toss of her silver eyes proved me wrong. They’d gone right to our unanimous leader.
“I have no clue what that was supposed to mean.”
“She’s wondering why you keep looking at Ciaran likes he’s the moon in the sky,” Gracelyn supplied, rather unhelpfully.
That was so majorly off the mark, I almost snorted. “I do not look at him like that.”
Their expressions said they disagreed—even Selena quirked a brow. This was not the time for a conversation of this caliber, but I needed to convince myself as much as I did them that my interest in him wasn’t anything more than natural curiosity and a terrible case of insta-lust.
Periculum: Unus (Devil's Playground Book 1) Page 4