(Skeleton Key) Princess of the Damned

by Wendy Knight

  "If you listen, you can hear the moans of the lost, trapped here with their greatest nightmares, too afraid to go to the ball, too afraid to go to hell. If your world saw this place, spent a day here, or even an hour, they would change their paths."

  Landon nodded. It was all he could do. He had no idea how long he'd been here, but it was far too long. "Tell me the rules."

  She had been keeping steady watch around the tree—something Landon didn't dare to do. He was sure he'd seen some weird sort of serial killer/werewolf combo the last time he'd searched the darkness. But Eiress did it fearlessly. "There's no time now. We need to move. Away from the castle. I think Vlad is sending his forces."

  Away from the castle seemed the most terrifying choice possible and going farther from the mirrors seemed counterproductive, but Landon said nothing. He was finally able to see straight, the blood clotting under Eiress's bandages. His mom was going to have a conniption if he made it back out of this hell hole.

  When. When. When.

  Not if.

  Eiress helped him to his feet. Kaida curled around his shoulder, blowing hot smoke against the wounds. Cauterizing them, Landon realized belatedly. Eiress looped his arm around her neck, supporting his weight, and they started moving. It was slow progress, but at least it was progress.

  It took all his concentration, all his will, to remain upright, so there was no time to talk. Eiress, too, seemed to be focusing entirely on the area around them, although what tiny little she could do against the nightmares in the darkness, Landon had no idea.

  Very soon, though, he realized that the monsters in the night steered clear of Eiress. They, like Mary, like Vlad, even like Elizabeth, seemed to realize that Eiress was very dangerous. Landon had known there was something that protected her—not an outside force, but Eiress herself—that kept her alive. Some inner strength or—or hidden power or something.

  "Do you know where you're going?" he finally panted.

  She grinned sideways at him, shoving her bright red hair away from her face. "Not really."

  Landon was so astounded by that smile that he forgot, momentarily, how frightened and hurt he was. He'd seen her smile a thousand times, but the mirror dimmed its brightness. Here, in this place, it was enough to chase away the very shadows. "I've…seen…lost souls talk at the balls, sometimes. About a solace in the mountains. Maybe a cave or something. I'm—" she panted, caught her breath, and continued, "—I'm searching for that."

  "Can you see in this?" Landon had to ask, because he could barely see her, and she was mere inches away.

  She nodded, dark brown eyes still scanning what Landon could only assume were mountains in the distance.

  Kaida puffed, and Eiress nodded. "Yes, there. I see it, too. Can you climb, Landon? With my help?"

  He wanted to ask her if she could climb, under his weight, but she'd just carried him through the forest on her shoulders, so there was little she seemed unable to do. Instead, he saved his strength and nodded.

  The ground was rough. It seemed a place made for those with a fear of height. Suddenly he could see, but only enough to realize they were walking across very thin mountain trails, trails that fell away abruptly on both sides, into the darkness hundreds—or maybe thousands—of feet below. He swallowed hard and hoped Kaida's little wings could hold them all up.

  "Don't look down." Her voice was soft, but he could hear the fear in it as well. Her hand on his tightened, and she trembled.

  "Right. Don't look down. But I have to watch my feet or I'll take a wrong step and—"

  "Oh! Yes. Watch your feet. Look down. Don't look up."

  Comforting.

  And then she was talking again. "I'll guide you. Watch your feet and I'll lead the way."

  His mirror angel was impossibly brave.

  He'd already known that, of course, but facing now what she faced—things unheard of except in nightmares on the other side of the mirror—it hit him harder. He'd been afraid of hard hits, ghost mothers, and bad grades that would stop him from playing football. His biggest fear, he'd thought, was going blind, because blind meant he couldn't see her anymore.

  "There it is. We're almost there. We'll get you cleaned up and you can rest. Just a little further. Can you do that, my frien—Landon?"

  "Yes, Eiress." The way her name felt against his lips, the way her bright red hair shone in the darkness, the determined tilt of her chin…if they weren't facing imminent death, he would ask her if he could kiss her.

  That thought was the last thing he remembered before his knees gave out and he fell, his screams echoing through the night.

  EIRESS FELT HIS HAND slacken in her grip as she reached stable ground. Instinctively, not willing to release the first warmth she'd felt in a lifetime, she curled her fingers tighter around his.

  And then he toppled sideways over the cliff.

  "Landon!" Eiress screamed. She dug in her heels, threw herself back, and grabbed his wrist with her other hand. No no no no no no! She would not let him go. She would not lose him. Not here. Not where he'd be lost to hell.

  As if propelled by some unseen force, Landon flew forward into her arms. She stumbled backward under his weight, felt the heel of her slipper slide against the edge of the abyss, and jerked them both sideways. They landed hard on the plateau, a tumble of bruised limbs. Eiress felt a rock smash her forehead and fought to stay conscious. "Kaida? Kaida!" she screamed, hands searching in the darkness.

  Next to her head, Kaida hissed weakly.

  Eiress sobbed once, curling on her side into a ball, her head on Landon's chest, Kaida tucked securely under her arm. "We're okay. We're okay."

  She wasn't sure how long she lay there, listening to her own raging heart beat and Landon's almost steady breathing.

  And then it started to rain.

  Of course.

  Rain on the Isle wasn't the beautiful pitter patter against a tin roof. It was the fury of a thousand storms, tinged with an evil unseen in mere forces of nature. Gasping, Eiress jerked herself upright, blinking to see beyond the fat drops that splattered against her face. The cave was only a few steps away, even darker than it was where she stood. Gathering her courage, she tugged Landon up, slid his arm over her shoulder, and pulled them both into the cave.

  It was small, barely enough room for the three of them. But that was good, that meant there were no hidden guests to spring out and devour them. She'd never built a fire and had no idea how to even go about it, so instead, she checked Landon for more injuries, pushed her hand to her own head wound, and then curled around him again and let her eyes close.

  They were safe.

  For now.

  "EIRESS. EIRESS? PLEASE, ANGEL—"

  Angel? No one had ever called her Angel before. Eiress's eyes fluttered open, and she immediately wished they hadn't. Pain throbbed against her temple, down the back of her neck and into her skull. She barely had time to groan before she rolled to her side and vomited.

  She'd not done that before. Never eating, it hadn't been necessary to throw up. It was a new experience, and not a welcome one.

  "It's okay. You—I think you have a concussion. Look at me."

  She whimpered and rolled back toward him. Toward his warmth. It wasn't until he'd pried her eyes open that she realized he'd built them a fire. A real fire, made for warmth, not for devouring everything in its path. Unassuming, but warm. Unaware of her preoccupation with the fire, Landon was still talking. "Your pupils aren't dilated. I'm not sure what other signs to look for. What year is it?"

  "What?" she asked groggily. Talking wasn't her friend.

  "Crap, yeah. You wouldn't know that. Okay…what—what's two plus two? Wait, do you know math? You've never been to school—"

  "Four, Landon." She smiled, despite the pain.

  He nodded, relieved, and sat back on his heels. "I think you'll be all right."

  She tried to raise an eyebrow, but it hurt. "I will."

  It was his turn to smile. "Of course you will. Always."
His hand reached out to brush her cheek, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. Self-consciously, she smoothed her hair. "No." His hand stopped hers. "You're perfect. Just like this."

  "I'm a mess."

  "Yes." His eyes sparkled. "And it's beautiful." He was still torn up, battered, bruised, bloody. But he was beautiful, too. His soul shone through the wounds, gold, just like she'd pictured it. In a world where everything was black, he was light.

  Landon ducked his head, seemingly embarrassed under the intensity of her stare. Maybe where he came from, girls were used to his beauty, and so didn't devour him with their eyes whenever they had the chance, but she was not used to his beauty, and she could not tear her gaze from his.

  He leaned against the wall of the cave and pulled her toward him, until she was curled in his arms. "Is this okay? You don't know me like I know you—I'm sorry. Should I—should I let you go?"

  "Definitely not." She would have giggled, if such a thing were even possible on this side of the mirror. "I never heard your voice, but I felt your soul. I know your soul better than you know mine."

  "But I know all your hopes and dreams. Your fears. That's gotta count for something." She could hear the smile in his voice, and her heart thrilled at it.

  "Yes. It does."

  They stayed that way for hours. Days. Years. She didn't know. It was dark in the cave, and the weak outside light couldn't reach them. It was warm, and she wished never to move, never to have to face the Isle again.

  But that, of course, was a stupid wish.

  "Eiress, tell me the rules."

  She'd assumed Landon was asleep. He hadn't moved for a while, and she thought he'd succumbed to exhaustion. Apparently not.

  "The rules. Okay." She nodded, and was pleased that the cave didn't spin around them this time. "I don't know them all. I do know the important one, though. If one person comes through the mirror, only one person can go back out. It's never mattered before," she rushed on, even as she felt him suck in a devastated breath, "because we were chained, and none of us could escape. And it has to be before the gate to hell opens again. So you see…" she trailed off, because he was dead silent now, holding his breath, but she could feel the bone in his jaw working where she leaned against his cheek. "So you see," she started again, sadly, "only you can go back out. I can't go with you."

  "But—no." He shook his head. "No. That can't be right. I unchained you. I did what your mother said. I came and set you free—"

  "My mother?" she gasped, whirling around and coming up on her knees so she could see him better. "You've spoken to my mother? You've seen my mother? How is she? Is she well? Did you see Kaida? Is he older now? Of course he's older. He'd be…I don't know!" she cried. "I don't know how old he would be now!"

  Landon swallowed hard. "Eiress, there's something I need to tell you."

  And Eiress knew. In that one look, she felt the pain from his soul, and she knew what he would say.

  "My mother is dead, isn't she?" Eiress whispered.

  Landon nodded, taking her hand in his unbroken one, his thumb running over the tattered skin. "I'm sorry, Eiress. But she's a fighter." He smiled, and it had a heartbroken tinge to it, but also pride. Pride in her mother. "She's the reason I could see you in the first place. And then she fought and fought until she could come back to tell me how to save you. She never gave up, and neither will we. We'll find a way out of that mirror." He nodded with finality. "I promise you, we will. I'm not leaving without you, Eiress."

  Her eyes widened as her heart raced. Yes, he'd come all the way here, but he couldn't have truly known what he was getting into, and she wouldn't have blamed him one bit if he'd gone back out to live his life as he had before.

  But he was staying. With her.

  In this hellish Isle.

  I'm not leaving without you, Eiress.

  She knew, in the coming months and years, when she'd be trapped in darkness, fighting not to succumb to the shadows, that those words, whether true or not, would get her through it. Those words would be her light.

  Slowly, he reached up and again brushed a stray curl off her cheek. His gaze dropped to her lips, and his hand followed, running his thumb lightly against her mouth. "I've waited so long to touch you," he said quietly, almost as if he didn't realize he'd spoken. "This is where I belong. Wherever you are."

  More words for her to cling to. More words to fight the darkness with.

  Terrified, heart pounding so loudly she couldn't hear the wind outside, she leaned forward, until she could feel the heat of him, until his eyes widened with understanding and then slowly fell closed, until her lips brushed his, and his hands came up to cup her face, fingers tangled in her hair.

  They were broken. Torn, tattered, wrecked.

  And yet that kiss lit the room, lit her spirit, with a light she hadn't seen for fourteen years. It was like it amplified all the good in his soul and all the hope in hers, and it threw it throughout the cave and chased away the shadows and the nightmares. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on for dear life, because nothing in the past could ever compare to this and she would not let it go.

  She would hold on.

  Except the Isle of the Damned had a wicked sense of humor, and it was then, when peace threatened to break the darkness completely, that the lost soul stumbled in. Attracted to the light and the warmth, maybe to the peace, it found its way to their haven. Sins writhed through its blackened heart like maggots. Gasping in fear, or in response to the rotten smell of it, she jerked away from Landon and scrambled to her feet. "Get back."

  Landon, too, had risen, and now stood next to her, holding a makeshift torch from the fire. "Stay away from her," he growled.

  Eiress almost smiled. After fourteen years, someone had come to fight by her side. She couldn't even imagine the happiness of it.

  The light shone brighter.

  So bright that, when she turned back on the soul with its writhing sins, hands like claws reaching for her, it took very little effort at all to make it implode into the blackest of ash.

  She did it.

  She'd blown up the door. She'd exploded the chains. She, in her desperation, had discovered a power she had all her own.

  She could chase away the nightmares.

  Landon blinked at the missing soul—or what was left of it, and then turned to her. "That's why they're afraid of you," he breathed.

  She could think of no answer to that, try as she might. So she stared stupidly at him while her mind spun around his words. "What?"

  And his eyes started to dance as a grin lit his entire face. "I knew there was something! When I started watching the balls, I could see their fear but I didn't know why—they knew you could do this before you did!"

  They knew?

  They knew.

  She remembered their conversations. Elizabeth wanting to kill her, Mary saying they needed her. Vlad always trying to protect her, even though his eyes betrayed how badly he wanted to kill her himself.

  They were afraid of what she could do.

  Now she needed to figure out why.

  LANDON HAD EXPECTED, WITH SUCH AN earth-shattering revelation, that she would change. Maybe become a fearless warrior who would rush into the darkness and kill everything that had ever hurt her or scared her, fight fire with fire. Wasn't that what super tough heroines did?

  Not all of them, apparently. Eiress had a smile of quiet wonderment. She sank to her knees and pulled Kaida into her lap, stroking his spikes and staring at the ground. "What does this mean?" she finally asked, her voice hushed like she was afraid if she spoke too loud, she'd wake up and this would all be a dream.

  He sat next to her, and she leaned her head on his shoulder. Without thinking, as if he'd done it a thousand times before, he kissed the top of her head. "I think it means that you can stop them. We just have to figure out how."

  She sat in silence for long, long minutes before finally saying, "I blew up a door once. And the chains, when you were being attacked. Elizabe
th tried to stop me, but—but I blew them up."

  Landon nodded. He'd heard the screaming, but barely. It had been drowned out by his own screams, and the howls from the thing attacking him. He leaned back against the wall of the cave, which was warm from the fire now and not icy cold. Or maybe it was warm from Eiress, because she seemed to be positively glowing.

  "I don't know what to do with this." She held up her hands, as if her gift was resting there in her palms.

  Landon absently played with a bright red curl and let his mind wander. "What do you do that none of the other princesses ever did? Or Mary or Elizabeth?"

  "I survived more than a few days," she murmured, tracing his casted fingers with her own. The pain in her voice nearly killed him, and the warmth in the room slid away.

  "Yes. You did. But what else?" He tried to drag the conversation away from the pain. Back toward the light.

  "Umm. I sit in my room and knit Kaida sweaters. I have a pet dragon. I go to the ball every night and sit on a hard throne. I open the gates to hell so the evil souls get sucked in." She lifted her head to smile at him. "And I talk to you."

  "Yes." He brushed his knuckles against her cheek, stealing the tear there. "You do—Wait. What?"

  She blinked. "I—I talk to you—"

  "No, before that. You said you open the gates? Mary and Elizabeth don't do that ever?"

  She shook her head, smirking. "No. They're the ones who close them every chance they get. They don't want the evil souls to leave them."

  "Eiress, that's it. That's what you have to do. I don't know what it was Mary wanted for you, but I know why they're afraid of you. You can explode the gate."

  Suddenly, she sat up, so quickly she toppled over backward and nearly crushed Kaida. "No, Landon. That's not it. And I know why Mary always protected me from Elizabeth. She said once—" Eiress shuddered, reliving those memories, "—that they couldn't let me die. My spirit would kill them all. If I die, Landon, maybe—maybe the whole Isle of the Damned dies with me!"

  Landon felt like he'd been punched in the stomach.