SACRIFICIUM (THE UNDERGROUND Book 1)

by Allie Doherty

  “She’s right, T.” Maeve grabs me by the arm. “Look, it’s pretty obvious that you and Knox like each other and I’m sorry, but he’s gone in a permanent sense of the word, and we’re not going to follow him!”

  I open my mouth to protest and say something along the lines of ‘I’m not losing another person on this mission’ but I’m cut off by the sound of a pain fuelled groan.

  “Theo did you hear me?”

  “Shh!” I put up a hand. “Did you hear that?”

  Another groan sounds out.

  “It’s coming from the bushes!” Zhavia starts running and we follow her.

  There’s a patch of greenery outside of a big, posh looking house. It’s untrimmed and overgrown; a stark contrast to the bushes in front of the rest of the houses in the sac.

  “Knox, is that you?”

  Another wounded animal sound is my response.

  I begin pulling the branches of the shrubbery back to see inside and I throw my hand up to cover my mouth in horror.

  There he is, covered in blood; with a face that barely resembles him. It’s ballooned to at least three times its size and decorated in hues of purple and blue.

  It takes two of us to lift him from his bristled prison and get him to his feet. One arm is over my shoulder and the other is over Zhavia’s. He goes in and out of consciousness and every time his body drops, it’s like my knees give out from under me.

  His right leg is bent inwards and looks broken and every time he coughs, sputters of blood shoot from his mouth. There’s a stab wound to his left shoulder, and another to his right hip.

  My ribs feel like I’m being punched in them again and again, trying to keep him up.

  Maeve pulls up to the curb in a blue Mercedes. Hopping out of the driver’s seat, she opens the car door to the back and we slot Knox in on his side. I go around the other side and get in beside him, pulling his head onto my lap and stroking his hair.

  Zhavia takes shotgun and Maeve drives us like a bat out of hell as fast as she can from Omaha.

  Knox is bleeding all over the leather interior and all I can do is massage his head and hope he lasts the drive.

  It’s an urgency to get a passed-out Knox from the back seat to Katia and Max, and Maeve takes every shortcut that she can. We almost crash a thousand times, but somehow we manage to make it to Denver in half the time that it should take to get from Nebraska to Colorado.

  We burst through the doors of the underground, holding him up and the whole place is in disarray, tending to the wounded.

  Amalie’s stab wounds are closed and she’s already on a drip when we get to them. They take Knox off our hands, rushing to fix him up in any way they can.

  Katia reaches out and places her hand over him.

  “He’s not internally bleeding.” She lets out a relieved sigh.

  “Not like Amalie,” Max states. “The knife hit a major organ.”

  “Is she going to be okay?” I ask.

  “She needs surgery,” Katia tells me, over the book in front of her. “I’m studying for it, now.”

  “You’re going to perform surgery on her?”

  “It’s either that or we take her across town to the hospital where any hunter can walk in and shoot her dead without any effort.” Her tone is harsh, but it’s less than I deserve.

  “Do what you have to do,” I say, leaving them to it.

  I’m filthy with blood, sweat and dirt. My next stop is to head for the hotel across the street for a much-needed shower, but I don’t get that far.

  “What happened to you keeping him safe, huh?” Tavis’ voice echoes across the main room as he storms towards me. “He was fourteen, Theo, and now he’s dead because of you!”

  There’s an edge of heartbreak lacing his voice and his face is red and puffy, streaked with the burning hot tears coating his cheeks.

  “Tavis, I’m so sorr—”

  “Oh, you’re sorry? Save it! I don’t want to hear how sorry you are just so you can feel better about your decisions,” he bites. “People are dead! Mateo is dead! Amalie is dying! And Knox is mess! So you can keep your sorry and anything else you ever want to say to me, because as far as I’m concerned, you’re dead to me too!”

  He turns his back on me and I feel the cut of his words lacerating me. Mateo is dead because of me. Amalie is dying because of me. Knox is beat up and bruised, because of me.

  The tears make my eyes sting and I run out of the doors without turning back. I don’t even bother getting a room key from the reception desk. Instead, I head to the fifth floor.

  There are paint canisters and tools everywhere for the renovations to begin and a sign letting visitors know that this floor is off limits.

  I ignore it. I can barely see it through my tears, anyway.

  Some of the rooms don’t have a door but the ones at the end of the corridor are yet to be touched and so I unlock one of those and head for the bathroom.

  Stripping down, I observe the damage. My whole abdomen is black and blue and my face is pretty messed up, but I guess I got off easy.

  One or two of my ribs are cracked or broken, I can’t tell which, but at least I’m still standing and not lying on the lawn of a hunters house, or on a makeshift bed, getting amateur surgery to save my life.

  I’m alive!

  I’m selfish, horrible, merciless and guilty… but alive.

  Looking myself in the face, I try to pretend that if I could go back, knowing how it would turn out, I would do it differently or not at all… but the truth is, I would do it all again, the exact same way for the pay off.

  That insight is sickening to me and I want to kill the part of me that feels it.

  Lunging out, I attack my reflection with my fist. I punch and punch until the glass shards imbed themselves deep in my skin and blood pours down my arm. I scream and cry and punch again, not stopping until I’m completely lacerated.

  Why are you doing this?

  “Because I deserve it,” I tell myself, stepping into the shower. I let the water run over me and sink to the floor; watching the blood – mine and theirs – wash down the drain. Dropping my head into my hands, I pull at my hair and sob. “Because I let them die… and I don’t care.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  I peel the protective plastic covering back from the red, silk donned bed and crawl in, not ready to go back over the street. I pull the comforter over my tender body and settle into a much needed sleep.

  That familiar pull makes me groan, but I’m too weak to fight it. It’s like a vicious wave, swallowing me whole… I’m pulled in and unable to get out.

  Karelia stands facing me and I look around, expecting to see the scene of another witches murder but we’re not in the past anymore.

  The background is as familiar to me as my own face. It’s the underground and everyone is bustling around me, trying to find order amongst the chaos.

  “Why are we here?” I ask. “Is this another vision?”

  “No… It’s a warning…” She tells me. “Not all around you can be trusted, Theo. There is a snake in your camp and their blood is tainted with hunters’ blood. Jacobian’s descendant lies among you, and when the time comes, they will betray you. Be careful of the ones you trust!”

  I jolt awake with an unsettled stomach. It’s dark outside of the window, but a brush of light paints the skyline, telling me the sun is about to rise. Hours have passed since I fell asleep, but somehow, I feel more tired than before.

  I drag my body from the sheets and get dressed. Karelia’s warning makes me feel like I have bugs on my skin and I can’t shake them off.

  When I get back to the underground, it’s like the scene replays itself. People bustle around in panic and Tavis stands at the top of the stairs. His eyes collide with mine and it’s like being shot. His sharp hatred is so much to bear, but it’s well-founded and if I could, I would look at myself that way, too.

  Maeve is at the front and she waves to me to join her.

  ‘Be care
ful of the ones you trust.’

  I stay where I am, offering her a small smile when she questions me with her eyes.

  Finally, Tavis addresses the crowds.

  “We suffered devastating losses yesterday,” he starts and every eye in the room turns to look at me. “But I’m happy to announce that Amalie isn’t one of them! According to our resident doctor and her nurse, Amalie is going to make a full recovery and Knox will be up and at em in a day or two. Let’s all give a round of applause to Katia and Max because since their arrival, they have saved lives and so far, haven’t risked anybody’s safety…”

  That feels like a dig at me but I lend my hand in the applause, anyway.

  When he’s done speaking, I head to see Knox and find him awake.

  “Hey,” I say, hovering by the door. “Do you hate me, too?”

  His mouth upturns and he winces. “Of course not! Tavis is taking it hard because of Matt but most of us know that you made the right call. They hid that knife for a reason and they freaked when they realized you had it. That tells me all I need to know… I trust you and I trust your judgement.”

  I want to smile, jump for joy, and thank him for his words, but I can’t because they make me feel worse.

  “What’s wrong with me, Knox?” My voice breaks. “Why don’t I feel like I should? I feel bad about what happened, but only because I don’t feel bad. I should feel like the world’s worst person and all I feel is anxious that I don’t feel anything!”

  I don’t give him the chance to respond. Turning on my heel, I run away, clutching my mouth as the sob escapes, and the tears roam free.

  Crawling into my bed, I let the exhaustion take me once more and I’m thankful for the release of being out of the world, if only for a few more hours...

  ***

  A small shake on my shoulder brings me back from the sweet abyss of sleep. I groan and flutter my eyes, getting them used to the light of day.

  “Hey,” he whispers. “Wake up, we’ve got things to do…”

  His face comes into focus and I sigh. “Knox...”

  He smiles as wide as his swollen cheeks will allow. “Come on! Get up, gorgeous…”

  “Why?” I groan.

  “Because we’re going for a walk – or a limp, as it would seem – outside,” he tells me and nudges me again. “You can’t just lay here all day, Theo.”

  “Why not? It’s better than getting up and coming up with more idea’s to get everyone in this coven killed.” I sigh. “This way, everyone stays safe and I don’t destroy any more friendships.”

  I pull the blanket over my head and turn over.

  In one quick swoop, it’s ripped from me. Knox winces for a second, reminding me once again how much of a bad leader I am.

  He brushes it off and smiles.

  “Please, come with me!” He whines. “I have something cool to show you…”

  Intrigue worms its way into my body and I hate it because I can’t resist the bread crumbs he’s throwing me.

  I look at him and he wiggles his eyebrows, teasing me.

  Pushing myself into a sitting position, I swing my legs around and stand up, letting out a growl of protest, but persisting enough to get my ass over to the hotel for a shower and back.

  Knox is dressed in a nice pair of jeans and a cotton sweater when I get back. I take a second to subtly check him out before he limps his way over to me.

  I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve made somewhat of an effort in getting dressed for our little outing. My hair is braided to one side with a loose curl hanging on the other and I’m wearing figure hugging jeans and a tight-fitting top that belongs to Maeve. It’s purple with a skull in the middle – not my usual style but laundry day for the underground is still two days away and I have nothing else – and I’ve tucked it into the jeans and paired it with a black leather jacket – also Maeve’s – and ankle boots.

  I didn’t do much with River’s make-up kit, just light foundation and some mascara but it makes me look infinitely less tired, thank the gods.

  For once, I don’t look like I’ve had my ass handed to me after being dragged backwards through a hedge.

  Knox smiles and nods his head to me. It seems like he approves of my look and even though I wasn’t searching for his approval, it makes me feel like warm, melted caramel and cotton candy on the inside.

  “Are you ready?” He asks and I nod, biting my lip. “Then let’s get out of here!”

  He takes my hand as we walk out of the door and I let him.

  Tavis glides by us with freshly wet hair and acts as though I’m not there. His red, puffy eyes briefly glaze over our joined palms, and because of me, Knox gets the cold shoulder too.

  “Morning, man…” Knox lifts a hand up but Tavis says nothing in return, keeping his back turned to us.

  We walk ahead, through the doors and out into the world of the mundane for the day.

  “Where are we going?”

  “There’s a train station a little way up here…” He smirks. “I have a day planned.”

  “A date?” I almost choke.

  “I said day,” he laughs and I want the world to open up and swallow me whole. “…But we can make it a date, if you want to?”

  One train ride later and we come up to a place that I can hardly describe. It’s a rustic cabin made of dark wood, but it’s not for staying in. There are people everywhere and a path that leads down to a dirt track where there are… Actually, I don’t know what they are.

  “ATV’s,” Knox says, appearing at my side with two helmets. He hands me one. I watch him put his on and follow suit.

  “What’re ATV’s?” I ask.

  A small smile creeps on his face and he plays a laugh off as a cough. “All-terrain vehicles…We’re going to drive them and possibly injure ourselves in the process.”

  “Sounds fun,” I say with a grin. “I’m always up for injuring myself…”

  And other people.

  I freeze.

  “Are you okay?” He asks, taking my hand again.

  I swallow. “Yeah, I’m f-fine. Are you sure you’re up to this? You took a beating.”

  “Kat patched me up pretty well. All bones are where they’re meant to be, which actually hurts more than when they weren’t. But I’m good to go…” He puts his arm around my shoulder and hovers there, unsure of himself. I smile, and wrap my arm around his waist, pulling myself in. Finally, he commits and his skin touches mine. I jump slightly as a volt of electricity shoots through me and Knox lays a kiss atop of my forehead. I feel warm, even in the cool air. It’s nice to feel like somebody wants me… or at least, wants to be around me.

  Tavis’ heartbroken eyes rip through my mind like a searing hot knife and my blood runs cold. I caused that.

  I separate from Knox as we follow the trail down and join a group of twenty-or-so people, awaiting instruction. A guy with copper-red hair and a blue helmet is addressing the crowd, standing on of a thick, cut log.

  “Gather round!” He shouts. “Okay, listen up. Stick to the damn trail, alright? A few people in the past have ignored my warning and went off on their own into the woods, and trust me, it never ends well. Some have ended up stranded for upwards of two days, others have crashed the ATV’s into a tree and killed a family of squirrels… That one stuck with me so bad, I have nightmares! It was a bloodbath.”

  Bloodbath… Like the mission I took the coven on.

  “Ok,” he continues with a stoic face. “Pair up, and stay with your partners! Let’s ride out.”

  Knox and I mount our vehicles and get ready. I just hope that I’m better at this than I am at driving.

  We’re off at lightning speed, bouncing over mountains of dirt and narrowly missing rocks on the trail. My heart is in my mouth, but I can’t stop smiling. Knox is behind me, fighting to keep up. I’m like a race-car, speeding down a track.

  … And for a moment, I forget.

  I forget that Mateo is dead. I forget that I led my coven into a warzone
for my own selfish needs. I forget that Tavis hates me.

  But like any brief interlude of happiness, it all comes crashing down around me. I lose control of the ATV and veer off path, down a hill of twigs and dirt. Each bump I hit, my body thrusts in the air and lands back on the barely padded seat with a bang.

  I holler out as sharp pains shoot through my hips and legs. My hands grip the bars tightly and I close my eyes on impulse.

  Mateo’s body dropping to the ground after the hunter shoots him. The red staining on his V-neck as the blood pumped thick and fast. His last words…

  I try to force the images away, but my conscience won’t let me. In pain and scared, I’m vulnerable, and now is the time my humanity decides to strike. It’s searing to my mind and my heart drops, as though weighted down by a tonne of bricks.

  I should never have taken him with me. I should have died alongside him. He was just a kid. I got a kid killed...

  Sobs escape my throat as I wait for my journey to end. The ATV hits a rock and tumbles, and I’m thrown through the air. Everything seems to move in slow motion. I have enough time to protect myself from the impact pain, but I don’t. Instead, I let myself go, ready to feel the slashing cuts of my body hitting a boulder or a log.

  I land in a patch of thick twigs and one plunges itself through my hand. I cry out and my body continues to roll down the hill until I hit a rock and tear the skin on my knees and back.

  My head is ringing and I’m dizzy. I pull myself up from the ground and my heart beat pounds in my ears. I still haven’t opened my eyes and my legs feel weak. I hold out my arms, feeling for trees as I stumble my way through the woods. My foot hits something hard and I fall in three stages: the initial trip, the trying to stay on my feet and the long drop down another hill.

  I finally open my eyes, just in time to see the body of water I’m about to be immersed in and brace myself.

  The cold, running liquid freezes me to my core, but I don’t try and fight the tide. I let my body be dragged under and hit the pillars. I think maybe this is my penance for being such a bad leader. I deserve the pain for the agony I’ve caused.

  My eyes close again, and I prepare to let the water take me to my grave.