Dwellers of Darkness (33 page)

Holy shit! Did I just chop off someone’s head?

I hadn’t even finished the thought when there was a horrid scream from across the cavern. I turned to see more Strighoul entering. All the Dark Dwellers were in their beast form, tearing and slicing into the Strighoul. Lars was gone. Kennedy was, too. There were only a few of us left fighting the mass infiltration of Strighoul. Panic ebbed in my stomach when I didn’t see my mom anywhere.

I was working completely off adrenaline, and I needed to ride it until I collapsed. I couldn’t lose much more blood. Eli’s head nudged my leg, bringing me back to him and almost knocking me off balance. I looked down at the flaming red eyes belonging to him.

Run, Brycin. Get yourself and the sword out of here.
His eyes locked on mine.

I don’t want to leave you
... any of you. There are too many Strighoul.
Pure anguish of losing any of my family bolted my feet to the stone ground.

I need
... we need... you and the sword safe. Don’t let all this be for nothing. We can take care of ourselves.

I swayed on the soles of my feet, hesitating.

Brycin, run!

Run
? It was harder than I thought. I stumbled during the first couple of steps. The iron slowed me, as did the lack of blood. It dripped down from the curve of my shoulder and trailed the length of my arm. My sheer will to get the sword away from the Strighoul kept me going.

“Come this way.” Josh motioned for me to follow, his eyes wide and frantic. I faltered before heading toward him. He focused his headlamp and directed me toward a small hole on the far side of the cave. “Go.” He nodded toward the opening.

If it weren’t for the fact we were running for our lives, I would have laughed.

Yup, Alice is finally going down the rabbit hole.

Tucking the sword under my arm, I glanced back one last time and saw the small space filled with Strighoul. Dark Dwellers jumped through the air, slashing and biting. All the movement made me woozy. Right as I turned my head, I thought I saw out of the corner of my eye a small, reddish animal jump onto the head of a Strighoul, clawing at its face. I blinked, and it disappeared in the throng of bodies.

Great. Delirium is setting in, and I’m starting to see things.

Hands pushed at my spine, turning my attention back to getting through the hole. There was only enough room to crawl. Single file. It went for about fifteen feet before it opened into another room. All sounds of the battle were blocked by the thick cave walls. I pushed myself up, and Josh caught me as I wobbled to the side.

“I really hope there is an exit here.” I glanced around the room. The only light came from his headlamp.

“Yeah, me, too.” He let go of me and started walking the perimeter of the new chamber.

“I’m so glad you’re all right.” I watched him investigate. He had several cuts and was developing bruises over his skin. Other than those injuries, he seemed okay. “How did you fight off the Strighoul? I could barely do it. Impressive.”

Josh snorted. “With a father like mine, you learned to fight and survive.”

I knew I should be helping him, but it was all I could do to keep upright. I leaned against the wall, breathing heavily. “Yeah, but Strighoul are quite a different enemy.”

Josh swung around. “Are you upset I survived? That a human boy could actually hold his own against a Fae?”

“No
... that’s not...” I shook my head. I had no energy for this. “Ignore me. I’m out of it right now.”

He took a breath. “Yeah, sorry
... me, too. Come on. I think I found a way out.”

I bit into my bottom lip with wave of determination. I took a step.
You have to keep going, Em. For your family... for the ones being held prisoner
. This now included Kennedy. Revenge and anger burned enough in my veins to keep me moving. Josh lit the way, and I slid through a narrow crevice and entered a long tunnel.

“This has to lead out.” Josh pointed his flashlight down the corridor and took off at a brisk walk. “Up or down as long as it takes us out of here.”

I couldn’t argue. Keeping up with his pace took a lot out of me. As blood trickled down one arm, the sword became heavy in the other.

I felt a pull on my arm. “Let me carry it for you.”

“No!” The response was quickly out of my mouth.
Protect the sword at all costs. Don’t let anyone else touch it.

Josh’s eyes slanted down. “I was trying to help. You’re injured and slowing us. Now let me carry it for you.”

I stepped back. “No.”

“Let me have it.” He lunged for it.

A growl came from my throat as I put my body in front of the sword.

Josh pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. “You’re being stupid. Let me carry it.”

I didn’t move. Everything in my core told me not to let go.

“I really didn’t want it to happen this way. I really didn’t.” Josh shook his head. He unsheathed his dagger, pointing it at me. “Let me have the sword.”

What the hell?

“Josh
... Josh, what are you doing?”

He charged forward, slamming me into the wall, his knife to my throat. The lamp on his head blinded me. I could only see the outline of his face. “What I was sent to do. To take you and the sword back to my Queen.”

“Your Queen? What are you talking about?” I sputtered. The utter deceit knifed into my back like the steel at my throat.
Oh, God, no.
“Sh-She is not your Queen, Josh. You are human.”

His expression darkened. “You don’t understand. You never did. You pretended to care and be my friend, but you’re not. You never have been. Deep down you really consider me a lowly human. I’m beneath you. Everyone has made me feel inferior all my life. No one thought of me for much of anything. My own family considered me worthless.” Sprays of anger spit from his mouth as he spoke.

“That’s not true. You are my friend. You’re anything but worthless.”

“Shut up, Ember. I’m not stupid. Don’t you think I couldn’t sense how all of you felt about me at the ranch? How I was a nuisance? And Eli and the others really wanted me gone. I was below them. Even back at
Silverwood, Eli treated me like I was a parasite.”

“Don’t take it personally. He treated me like that back then, too,” I retaliated.

“But you are special. You are something. I’m still a pitiful human.”

“Is that what you think? Why you are doing this? To be something more?”

“The Queen saw something in me. She wants me to be her First Knight. I
am
something worthy to her.”

The knot in my throat moved down to my stomach. Her First Knight? I knew what this meant, what it entailed.

“Josh, you can’t. You have no idea what it means. She’s only using you.”

Wrong thing to say.

The edge of the dagger whipped back up to my throat. He moved in closer, pressing it to my jugular. “You must really think me stupid. Poor dimwitted, gullible Josh.”

When we were at
Silverwood, I had learned as sweet as Josh seemed to be, he had a temper. His dad had been the same way and had beaten Josh excessively growing up. Josh used to hate his father for it. Now he was becoming the same person.

“You are not dumb.” I was trying to defuse the situation, but everything I said seemed to only enrage him.

“Shut up! Just shut up! What’s funny is I was the one fooling you. Even when I slipped up and showed you I could handle a sword, you still believed me helpless. Don’t you think she trained me? The whole time I was with you, I was getting information for her. How easily you gave it, never thinking I was the one thing you should fear.”

That bitch did it again. She took someone else I cared about. Josh was susceptible. Aneira didn’t need to glamour him. He only needed someone to tell him he was special. He fell happily into her web. What better way to get to me mentally and physically than to use someone I trusted and cared about? A spy in the nest.

Pricks of fear shrouded my skin. “Oh, Josh, what did you do?”

He pressed the knife deeper. “I’m helping to create a better world.”

It was almost as if her voice came out of him. She had done a good job of brainwashing him.

“Please, see what is right in front of you. She is trying to take over and render humans the inferior race. She will destroy Earth.” I rambled on, trying to break through to him. “She is using
you and will kill you as soon as you’re no longer helpful. Please, Josh, don’t do this.”

He shook his head. “Believe me I am not worthless to her. She cares about me and wants me to be great. She and I are a team and will make things right again.”

My lids fell shut. I swallowed the huge lump in my throat. The edge of the blade pierced my skin. She had gotten her hooks in him. She had wrapped Josh in a powerful blanket and had given him everything he needed, all he craved and lacked.

“How long have you been working for Aneira?”

“After you left the Otherworld, my Queen graciously took me in. She didn’t see a lost or helpless boy. She saw a future warrior and trained me. We came up with the plan to let Torin go, but to have him think he escaped. For appearances she had a guard beat me and put me in the room with him. It was
me
who planted the idea in Torin’s head on how to escape. Here was this all-powerful First Knight, a Fay, and he gobbled up my subtle hints. It was so easy.” Josh’s eyes glinted with pride and giddiness. He relished knowing he had tricked a Fay and that he was smarter and better than them. Josh was being the exact thing he hated.

“My Queen and I set up the ‘escape.’ We knew Torin would lead me straight to you. She was so pleased with me when she learned you were going after the sword, and I knew every step you guys were taking. You did all the work.” Smugness vibrated off Josh.

Fear must have shown on my face because Josh smirked. “That’s right, Ember. The Queen knows all and has been with me almost every step of the trip.” With his free hand he tapped at his head.

Of course. Torin told me the Queen had the power to
dreamwalk and connect to her First Knight’s thoughts. A solid block of ice slithered down my back.

Dammit!

“So your job was to let us find the sword, then separate it and me from the group.” His deceit hardened my heart.

“
Gold star for you. Let’s go. The Queen would prefer us to be outside the cave walls. Funny, for beings so strong and powerful, a little iron, and you’re helpless. Guess the human wins here.” He grabbed my shirt with one hand and pulled me forward.

Keeping the sword to my throat, he clamped down on my good arm and tugged me forward. I didn’t know why I hadn’t noticed earlier how much he had filled out. He was not the scrawny, clumsy kid I’d met at
Silverwood. He had changed. I had been so caught up in my own shit I overlooked what Josh really had needed. Someone to notice him. A friend. Now it was too late.

I was more trained than him, but the iron and loss of blood caused me to stumble and trip over the smallest pebbles in the cave. All I needed was to reach the mouth to get away from the iron and let the earth fill me with its healing power. Then my strength would come back. That would be my opportunity. The sword and I needed to stay out of the Queen’s hands by any means possible.

Josh’s headlamp bobbed down the dark cave, giving us only enough light to see a few feet in front. My eyes followed the light, but I didn’t need it. The path and space mapped out clearly in my head.

The passageway suddenly ended, leading to what appeared to be a dark, endless drop. The path picked up on the other side of the fissure about one hundred feet away. A thin rope-bridge suspended in between. I gulped and paused at the approach to the bridge.

“Ladies first.” The sword nudged into my back.

“Now I can say you have literally stabbed be in the back.”

“Funny.” He responded with another shove. “I said go.” He pushed me toward the thin, twined rope. There was only one cord to walk on and one to hold. I took a deep breath and stepped onto the twine. It wobbled and swayed, and my one arm held on with everything I had. When I got my balance, I slid my feet and inched across the bridge. The rope creaked with protest. Josh tucked the sword into the back of his pants and stepped out behind me.

“No, Josh, don’t!” The instant the words were out of my mouth I knew it was too late. The cord unraveled and snapped under our combined weight, causing us to plummet into the dark abyss.

Fa
lling, with no idea where you are going or how far the ground is from you, is bizarre. When you can see the ground, you know when the end will come. You can anticipate it. But this was a sickening loop of “Is it now? Now? How about now?” All you know is your death is at the bottom, and you will meet it faster than you want.

It was only a split second before I splashed when I perceived what was below us. The speed and force with which I struck the water was like hitting a brick wall. My skin burned on impact, and the water scraped me raw. It was only a few seconds after I immersed when I felt a disturbance next to me which had to be Josh. The chilly water wrapped around and closed me in its deadly clutches. The darkness penetrated so deep it didn’t seem to make a difference if my eyes were opened or shut.

Air!
My lungs screamed. I started to swim, hoping I was going the right way. Kicking and thrashing, I finally breached the surface and gasped for air. I blinked and wiped the water from my eyes. A splinter of light far in the distance cast ghostly impressions through the cave. Light meant a way out.

Realization that nothing moved next to me twisted my gut. “Josh?” No response.
I can’t let him die. No matter what he’s done.

Taking a panicked breath, I tried to map the space around me. I detected a mass floating near me. Blindly, I headed for the object.

“Please, don’t be dead.” My hands felt the back of his head, and I rolled him over. The sword was still tucked deep into his pants, weighting Josh down and pulling him below the water.

“Shit.” I grappled for his clothes and tugged him. Terror caused my breath to falter; the edge of the underground lake was quite a distance from us. I couldn’t do CPR here. I hooked him under my bad arm and side-stroked toward the water’s edge. Between him, the sword, my bad arm, and depleting strength, it was touch and go to keep my own head above water.

Finally, my feet brushed up against something solid. I thought being able to stand on the ground would be better, but getting his weight on dry land was still difficult. A wave helped push us enough so I could lay him on his back. Water lapped, bobbing his body back and forth.

Using all my senses except sight, I tilted back his head and started CPR. I compressed his chest and blew repeatedly into his mouth. “Come on, Josh,” I wailed. “Breathe.” Frustrated with the lack of results from my efforts, I thumped my fist into his chest with as much force as I could gather.

Josh sputtered and choked. I could hear water erupting from his mouth as he turned to his side, spitting up. He vomited, but at least he was alive. I sat back on my heels, shaking.

“You saved me?” His voice was raspy.

“Of course.”

He didn’t respond, but rolled on his back with a groan. “Are my eyes playing tricks on me, or do I see a little light in here?”

I turned to look at the glow. “There is some kind of opening over there. It’s enough to let water out. Let’s hope it’s suitable for us.”

Josh pushed himself up and stood, which started another bout of coughing. With his hand he pulled me to my feet. “Let’s get out of here.”

I nodded and turned toward our sliver of freedom. Both of us moved slowly, hobbling with pain. I was surprised neither of us had broken anything, though Josh clutched his chest as though he had cracked a few ribs. If that was all, it would be a miracle.

We eventually rounded a corner, and the splinter of light turned into a gaping hole, enough for us to hike out. Josh let out a sigh of relief.

As we climbed over the rocks and moved closer to the exit, Josh grabbed my elbow. “Em, wait. No matter what... thank you for saving me.” The expression on his face was pinched, whether due to pain or guilt, I didn’t know. He turned and crawled over the boulder through the exit to the outside.

I had no choice but to follow.

The hot, glaring sun blinded me as we ascended from the dark, cool cave. Instantly, the heat encased me. My strength was depleting rapidly with blood loss, and the temperature only aggravated it. The earth called to heal me
, but there was still too much iron around. Josh grabbed my arm and dragged me across the threshold. The oppressing iron that had been in the cave lightened, but it still wasn’t enough. My power only tapped at the soles of my shoes, not breaking through.

“Keep walking.” Josh hauled me forward. Guess our truce was over. The Sword of Light glimmered in the sunlight against his back.

“Seriously, I save your life, and you’re still going to turn me over to her?”

Josh’s eyes narrow. “Oh, should I be eternally grateful to the all-powerful Dae?”

I shook my head. Just a minute ago he was like the Josh I had known. That boy was gone, again.

With every step away from the cave, I felt better. Blood clotted, trying to heal my open wound, although I was still too drained to fight Josh. Sleep and a complete day lying in the woods would help, which was not an option. My brain was full of cobwebs; I couldn’t even plan an escape.

I lost track of how far or how long we walked. The unrelenting heat sucked our energy before it even started to dry our clothes and hair.

We stumbled down the mountain, and his grip on me tightened. When we reached a forested area, the shade felt like heaven. The relief did not last long, as a new sensation hit me instantly. Magic. It was so thick and powerful my lungs clenched, and I felt woozy.

A dozen guards suddenly appeared and positioned themselves around Josh and me. Aneira stepped from behind them. She was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. Probably the most extraordinary Fay who ever lived. She stood tall and elegant with deep red hair that fell to the middle of her back. She had pale violet eyes and alabaster skin. Breathtaking. Ruthless.

I shook my head. Her glamour usually didn’t work on me, but I was weak and susceptible.

“Your Majesty.” Josh pulled the sword from his back, laid it flat across his palms, and kneeled in front of her. “I have done what you asked. I have brought you the Sword of Light.”

“Thank you, Joshua. Once again, you have proven you will be a great First Knight.” She touched his shoulder gently. “Please rise.”

Josh stood, his hands still displaying her awaiting gift—the precise thing I had fought so hard to find and keep from her. Everything we worked to achieve for was now gone. It was as if someone gutted me from the inside out, tearing out my heart. My legs shook under me as a whimper escaped my lips. It was gone. All gone.

Aneira’s fingers extended to touch the carved markings on the blade but stopped. Her hand only hovered over it. Her eyes flickered bright, and her face showed both desire and dread. She
had wanted it for so long, but perhaps she feared it even more. When Josh stepped closer to her, she stepped back. She was terrified of the blade. And she should be; it was the one thing that could kill her.

She stared at it greedily before she snapped her fingers. Guards rushed to her side. “Three of you please escort my remarkable First Knight back to the castle and see this is properly sealed away.” Her gaze never left the sword. Josh didn’t seem to notice, and he continued to stare at her in awe. Her praising words only made him stand taller, happiness etched on his features.

“You honor me, my Queen, with this task.” Josh bowed his head. Every word he uttered sounded like it came from his video games or some movie. He was living his fantasy and blinding himself to the truth around him.

Aneira finally looked at him and gave him an adoring smile. “I trust you completely, my knight.”

“Ugh. I am gonna vomit listening to this artificial crap.” I couldn’t stop myself. It was such bullshit. How could Josh not see through her? Unfortunately, this brought Aneira’s unwelcome attention my way, and she glared at me with a look of hate.

“J
oshua, please go.” Like an overeager puppy, he bounded forward so fast the three guards had to run to catch up. About three hundred feet away, he disappeared into what seemed like thin air. Humans, unless they were seers, could not see the Otherworld doors. Josh did not hesitate. He had known it was there.

“You look astounded, Ember.” Aneira mocked, moving closer to me. “You wonder how he knew the door was there. Once humans go to the Otherworld, it changes them. Their minds open, and they see things they never allowed themselves to imagine before. Humans like to be ignorant of us. We scare them.” Her smile widened. “Like they should. They are weak and stupid.”

“Tell me how you really feel?” I crossed my arms. Every minute I delayed her, my powers grew stronger.

“You may be Fae, but you are exactly like them. Actually, you are worse
... a Dae who thinks like a human. What did I expect? Lily raised you,” she sneered and turned to her guards. “Cuff her.”

Two guards clutched my arms, pinning them in front of me. Another pulled on gloves as he took the iron handcuffs from his belt. I was having a
déjà vu
moment: another country, on another hill with a different guard but otherwise it was the same. That recollection brought back awful memories. Trepidation ate at the lining in my stomach. I could not afford to lose more strength.

I bit down hard, grinding my teeth as the guard placed the cuffs on me. The arms hooked around mine and kept my legs from collapsing. I tried to swallow back the pathetic moan that came up my throat, but I couldn’t. My lids fell, my body wanting to join them.
Sleep. I just want to sleep.

“I know you have been keeping something from me, Ember. Shame on you.” She shook her head like I was a naughty child. “To think your little Druid friend was a prisoner in my castle. She may have gotten
away, but I already have men tracking Lorcan. It is only a matter of time before she is mine again. Having both a Druid and a Dae?” She trailed off, her eyes flickering with excitement. “The possibilities are endless. Then, after I’m through with you, I’ll have the sweet pleasure of killing you both.”

I bared my teeth, “Leave her out of this.” Strangely, I was suddenly glad Lorcan had Kennedy away from here.

“I think you know me better than that, my dear girl.” The Queen laughed giddily. Now she knew about Kennedy, she would not rest till she captured her.

“I know you are also aware of your family connection to Lars. Do you see now why I enjoyed using you against him? Utilizing his niece to destroy his kingdom bit by bit. Ripping him from his throne, destroying everything he and his brother built. It would have been even better if it was the prior Unseelie King. Not that it matters. They are both the same to me, and their blood runs in your veins. Lars was in love with your mother as well. He was her first love, but his need for power pushed her into Devlin’s arms. Knowing your disgrace of a mother, she slept with both. Who knows? Lars
could
be your father. Either way, this has been most enjoyable for me to use you against what they created.”

The thought of Lars possibly being my father had crossed my mind, but I had quickly shoved it away. Now it was in my face. Images of Lars and Lily being together slammed into my brain. She had been with him before she fell for his twin? Everything I had seen between them seemed to dispute it. Even when I had first thought Lars was my father, the thought of them together seemed wrong. Time and anger did funny things to people, but it still didn’t seem right to think of them as an item.

“Like Lars, you are all talk. You speak and devise plans to overpower me, but when it comes to actually putting up a fight, you crumble at my feet. ” Aneira looked thrilled as she revealed this to me. “Lars was here earlier. He came to stop the big bad Queen from taking the sword out from under him.” She opened her arms, gesturing around. “You can see how well that worked for him. He is gone now.”

“Gone? Did you kill him?” The thought of my uncle dead tightened my chest. Not the Unseelie King or the Demon, but my uncle. I had barely learned the truth about him being family when he was taken from me. He had come here by himself to stop Aneira. That was why he ran from the cave earlier. Not because he was deserting me, but because he wanted to stop the Queen from getting me. I was ashamed of myself that, as usual, I thought the worst of someone. I hadn’t believed the Unseelie King as someone who would run from anyone, but my trust in people was so low it made it hard to automatically think the best of them.

“He thought he could beat me. What a fool. I am the most powerful Fae. No one can defeat me, especially now I have the only weapon in my possession that can conquer me.”