by Dahlia Lu
Nala managed to get away from him and make it to the other end of the circle. The demons growled anxiously and rushed into the arena. They surrounded her, protectively shielding her away from the Lycan King.
“Stay out of this!” She commanded the demons.
“My princess, you are hurt!”
“How dare you disregard my order?”
Against their will, they reluctantly obeyed.
Her hands traveled from her hips to her ribcage and up her neck. She dangerously smiled at the sound of broken bones piecing back together. She licked the blood away from her lower lips.
“Is that all you got?” She taunted the Lycan King.
“Oh no, I’m just beginning to have fun,” the Lycan King replied.
“Good,” she said as she straightened her shoulders. “Come at me anytime.”
The Lycan King stood and roared loudly in excitement. Just as he was about to charge at her again, he became distracted with the cry for help. “One moment,” he said to the female. He left the arena and shoved the crowd away from his path.
“Let me go!” A young girl with light pink hair and amber eyes cried out as she tried to yank her wrist back from the male standing next to her.
“Look what we have here,” the male said. His eyes were fixed on her neck. “You shouldn’t be here, but now that you are…”
The Lycan King snatched the girl by the waist and held her possessively against him in the palm of his hand. “She’s with me, bloodsucker.”
Clearly intimidated, the male said, “Ah, yours… my mistake.”
“Don’t make any more mistakes,” the Lycan King warned. He then turned his attention to the girl. “He was right. You shouldn’t be here.”
“Oh, but I want to,” the girl replied. “I have rights.”
“What rights?” He bellowed. “Do you know that you can get killed by any of the creatures here?”
“Then they would be doing you a favor.”
He growled.
“That doesn’t frighten me anymore,” she said and then she stuck her tongue out at him. “Since you refuse to acknowledge me as your mate, I will do whatever I want. And for tonight, I want to stay here. Oh my…” she gasped as she scanned the room. “Immortals are certainly different, aren’t they?” She fanned herself as she looked up at him. “They are so eye-catchingly gorgeous!”
He growled at her. “I’m taking you home.”
“No!” She protested.
“I am not asking, Artemis.”
The Lycan King looked over his shoulder and said, “We will continue this another time, Nala.”
The girl was still protesting in the Lycan’s arm.
“You are such a buzz-kill,” Nala said as she waved a bored hand as if dismissing him.
The crowd booed as the Lycan King and his mortal headed toward the exit. He turned around, shot them a threatening look and they all clamped shut.
“Anyone else want to play with me?” Nala asked the crowd.
No one volunteered.
“You guys are so boring,” she complained as she eyed Noctis sitting casually with his drinks. “I see a new face.”
She shifted to his side and seated herself next to him. Both of her hands anchored on his shoulder. She had a cheerful smile on her face, as if she hadn’t broken almost every bone in her body only minutes before. He was sure that her ribcage had collapsed into her organs. Most immortals would need at least three days to recover from that.
“And who might you be?” She asked. She snatched the drink from his hand and emptied it in a single gulp. “That tastes terrible!”
“It does,” he agreed. “They don’t make alcohol like they used to.”
“I wouldn’t know, but I will take your word for it.”
He smiled. “How are your injuries?”
“I’ve been through worse,” she replied and he sensed that she was honest. “It’s a shame. I was expecting to be KO’ed tonight.”
“You want to be?”
She dropped the glass on the floor. “Alcohol doesn’t do it for me. It’s no more effective than water. You don’t suppose you want to…” she eyed the arena.
He shook his head. “I’m not into battering women. I won’t do it unless it is absolutely necessary.”
“Could I… somehow… provoke you to?”
“Why are you so keen on this?”
“Well you see, if I get hurt badly enough…” She frowned. “Why am I telling this to a stranger? Well, enjoy yourself.” She patted his shoulder. “I’m out for the night.” Then she vanished.
Beautiful and peculiar...
“Night…?” Noctis turned to the balcony. Time slips by far too quickly. It was time to get back to his little mortal captive.
“I’m lost,” Amara finally admitted to herself. “I should have chosen the sunroom. Boring and safe instead of boring and… lost.”
At first it was a simple path, and then it opened up to a circular chamber with eight different tunnels to choose from. After going through one of those tunnels was another chamber with eight other choices. She had been trying to find her way out since the third chamber, but she had an eerie feeling that she was moving even deeper into the catacomb.
She leaned her head back against the wall and resumed counting the old, smoke-colored bricks on the tenth row. She could be in her room about now trying on the things she bought a second time. She could be having a lavish meal and curled up into a warm bed, instead of sitting in one of many interconnected chambers designed to trap unsuspecting visitors. But then how did the people who built it get around? There has to be some kind of clues or markings.
Cold and thirsty is a small price to pay for adventure…
Amara looked up at the ceiling and observed the astrology chart. She noticed that other chambers had the same chart. The only difference was the star placements.
She had one of two options. She could wait here for Noctis to come and fetch her or she could try to solve this maze on her own.
She snickered at the choices.
And be the damsel in distress? Never!
She would have this wrapped up and returned to the dinner table before he even know she was gone. Perhaps it was too late for that, but she will have this wrapped up. This will be another chapter in her diary of misadventures and she will have it published one of these days before she’s dead and buried. According to the Oracle, that would only be a few more blocks down the road.
“Enjoy your mortal life while you still can,” said the beautiful Oracle, “before it ends at twenty-three.”
Amara frowned at the prediction. Her knuckles flew to her mouth. “And you have never been wrong?”
“Not even once.” The Oracle shook her head, “Never. I’ve lived over three thousand years and have never had a misreading.” Then the Oracle shouted over her shoulder. “Turn down that horrible music, Bunny! We have guest!”
“Don’t call me ‘Bunny’!” A female voice shouted back from another room. “You named me Artemis, remember? It’s on my birth certificate!”
“One day you will understand my humor,” the Oracle said as she returned her attention back to Amara. “It’s not that bad, I mean, you can do a lot in five years.”
And she did. Her thick diary was filled with sixty-three misadventures, which included some notable mentions and still counting. If one of her friends, and she doesn’t have many, were to read her diary, they would call her foolish or even crazy. She gambled her life one adventure after the next. But the fact that remains was she didn’t have much to bet on. Choices came at impulse. It had always been that way even before she knew she was going to die. The Oracle only made her aware of her short comings and gave her inclinations a little push.
No biggie, especially when Amara knows what happens to people once they die. Their souls will col
lect in the realm of the dead, destined to relive their memories over and over again, like a bad replaying film. She was determined to have as many good memories as she could accumulate. She wanted her life to be one of those movies that she would enjoy watching over and over again. There were a few and they were mostly classic cartoons. One of the things on her to-do lists was to break out in song in the middle of a conversation and not have it turn weird. She should really consider having that one crossed out.
Amara picked up her pace when she saw thin, green smoke floating about in the next chamber. She peeked into the chamber and smiled when she found the man she saw earlier. He was standing in the middle of the chamber over another jeweled sarcophagus. This chamber was much bigger than the others, with shelves upon shelves of bones stacking against the wall. The green smokes were not smokes at all. They were spirits and they were circling him.
Amara seated herself on the steps and watched him collect the spirits into a decorative blue jar. He briefly eyed her and acknowledged her presence, but he did not move from where he stood, until all of the spirits were sealed in the jar.
Amara gave him a golf clap. “I’ve heard of Necromancers before, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen one in action. Impressive, sir.” When she noticed he was observing her, she answered his question before it was asked, “mortal.”
He grinned, clearly amused. “What do you know about Necromancers, little girl?”
“Necromancers are sorcerers that specialize in summoning and most harvest their powers by collecting the souls of the dead. Oh, and there aren’t that many of you around, because your practice is considered unorthodox and Death is on the hunt for you. Did I get everything?”
“Almost,” he replied. “How did you come know about us?”
“I read,” she answered straightforwardly. “I have this big book that has almost every creature in existence on profile.” She met his eyes. “You know that this is private property right?”
“Are you the owner of this place?”
“No, I’m just a captive here. I’m just wondering, why not the cemetery?”
“I already scoured every cemetery within a fifty mile radius of the city.”
“Oh,” She nodded understandingly, “So you’re a powerful Necromancer.”
“I didn’t mean to boast.”
She chuckled.
“What are you doing down here, little girl?”
“I was following you, because you were suspicious looking. I got a little lost along the way, but here I am. I don’t suppose you would let me follow you out, since we’re both heading toward a common exit?”
“What makes you think you will get out of here at all?”
“Since you put it that way…”
“I am one soul short today. Do you want to help me reach my quota?”
Amara moved her forefinger back and forth as a sign of disapproval. “Not nice, Mr. Necromancer... It’s one thing stealing souls from the dead, but it’s another to steal from the living.”
“Since you are so curious about my powers, I will make an exception just this once and show it to you, so you can die without regret.” The Necromancer waved a hand at the piles of bones on the shelves. Skeletons began to rise.
“Oh…” Amara whimpered, as they surrounded her. “Not the skeletons. They are so creepy. Please don’t let them touch me.” She backed up against the wall. “I’m having goose bumps!”
The Necromancer shrugged as if saying ‘deal with it’.
Sound like a challenge.
Amara called upon a protection spell. “Scrutum!”
The skeletons could not move closer than a meter of her. They began to claw on the invisible shield.
“Ha!” She laughed at the Necromancer.
“You said you were mortal,” the Necromancer said with frown.
“I am,” she assured him and then she shrieked when a skeleton broke through the shield and grabbed her ankle. She yanked her foot back, severing the arm from the skeleton. “Oh gross!” she exasperated. She shook the bones from her ankle.
“Scrutum!” She reinforced the existing shield.
The Necromancer waved his hand at the skeletons and they stilled. He shoved a set of skeletons aside so he could stand face to face with her. “You know, girl, I kind of like you.”
“Is this a love confession?” Her eyes darted from skull to skull. “Not very romantic...”
“No, you idiot…!” He retorted and then he shoved more skeletons aside so that they would not distract her. “I was thinking about making you my apprentice.”
“Apprentice to a Necromancer?” She shook her head immediately. “I don’t think I would be very good at it. Besides, I am… unavailable.”
He bypassed the protection shield and reached for her hands. “You have raw potential and I can polish you into a powerful sorceress. You should feel honored. I’ve never offered this to anyone before.”
“Oh, joy,” she said sarcastically. “I would love to but…”
“But…?”
“I’m already booked for the next millennia.”
He scowled.
“I’m not joking. Remember…? I said I was a captive of the master of this place?”
“Is that the only obstacle in the way of you saying ‘yes’?”
The other obstacle is that I don’t want to. She nodded.
“I will kill your captor and you will agree to be my apprentice. Do we have a deal?”
If you can kill a god... “Yes, wonderful deal.”
“Consider it done.”
She forced an awkward smile.
“Where is this captor of yours?”
“Well, we can go to the house to find him or we can wait here until he comes for us. Oh, speak of the devil and he doth appear…” Her eyes smiled when she saw Noctis appeared in the middle of the chamber. “Hello, there.”
“Trying to run again, mortal?” Noctis asked. “Is that your new accomplice?”
“I wasn’t trying to run,” she replied. “If that was my intentions, I would have planned it a little better.”
“You would have,” Noctis agreed. He leaned to the side to avoid a black fireball coming at him. “I take that as hostile declaration.”
Amara nodded. “He wants to kill you, so he can take me.”
Noctis raised a brow. “Whatever for…?”
“That’s insulting.” She folded her arms in front of her chest. “I’ll have you know I have a lot of admirers.”
Noctis dodged another fireball and said to the Necromancer, “The girl is mine and no one takes what is mine.”
Amara fanned herself. “That almost made me swoon. If only I didn’t know about your plan to murder me. But then again, that’s just details, isn’t it?”
The skeletons were rising again. Amara dashed to Noctis and hid behind his back.
“Please don’t let them touch me,” she cried, as she tugged on his sleeve.
Noctis held up his other hand, and sent an invisible shockwave through the chamber. The skeletons were allowed to take three more steps before they crumbled into a pile of dirt.
The Necromancer appeared puzzled. “What did you do?”
He sped up the time, but I’m not going to tell you that.
“You got to try harder than that if you want me to be your apprentice,” she teased.
Noctis stared down at her. “Apprentice…?”
“He said I have potential,” she said, beaming a sweet smile up at him. “At least somebody appreciates me.”
The Necromancer grinned. “Harder you say?”
She winked at him. “Oh, yes, much harder!”
“Mortal?”
“Yes?”
“Shut the fuck up. Now.”
“Is that a spark of jealousy I sense?” the Necromancer asked.
Amara bit back a hysterical laugh. “No, he just learned modern vulgarity and he is making the best out of it.” She saw the threatened look in his fierce blue eyes. “I’ll shut up now.”
He yanked his sleeve from her grip and ignited two balls of white flames in his hands. He threw the one on the right hand first and then the left one. The Necromancer barely escaped the attack. The flames embedded into the brick wall, burning without any sign of waning.
The Necromancer summoned beasts from the ground - ugly unholy creatures, part-beast, and part-man. She gasped in horror. They were even more disturbing than the moving skeletons. The white flames came at them, ripped holes through their flesh, but they kept coming as if nothing had happened.
She clung onto Noctis. “Please teleport us away,” she begged.
He did not. She looked up and saw a menacing look in his piercing, blue eyes, as if he had just accepted a challenge. A crimson circle began to draw itself on the ground. Ambiguous inscriptions danced around them. She shrieked and closed her eyes shut when a monster reached for her. Nothing came. She opened her eyes and saw Noctis had caught the monster by the wrist. The next moment, the monster was incinerated it into ashes.
She swallowed. “Remind me not to get on your bad side.”
An arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer to him. The circle beneath them had reached completion. White flames burst out from every line. The inscription that was dancing around adhered themselves to the monsters. They howled in pain before they became ashes.
She scanned the room and the Necromancer was gone. She wondered if he had been cremated as well. Weird as he may be, he didn’t deserve to die.
“They’re gone,” she said to Noctis, who didn’t seem to be hearing her. “Noctis…?”
His blue eyes were staring blank.
“Hello? Anybody home…?”
Nope.
She attempted to free herself from his arm and failed. He was built like a boulder.
“I’m hungry, I’m cold, I’m thirsty, and I’m stuck,” she mumbled to herself, and then to him, “You’re lucky you’re eye candy.”
Chapter Nine