Endure (29 page)

There was little recovery time needed before we were on our feet, taking in the new dimension. Rocks were sharp and jagged, jutting from their peaks. We stood at the base of a mountain and a desert stretched around us. The ground was deep red and on one side of us, a single blue sun set in the distance. On the other, two yellow suns vanished beyond the horizon. The sky was no longer the green I had come to remember. Instead, each sun tinted the sky in streaks of color.

I took in a deep breath of the fragrant, refreshing world. I let it roam in my senses and I basked in the comfort of being free. There were no glassy walls, no piercing sand, and no decrepit-looking demons wanting to throw me in an arena. In all the glory that was my current independence though, there was an underlying stress in the back of my mind.

Marcus was at home and by now, possibly under duress. I didn’t know if he was safe or even alive. The pain in my stomach was slightly from hunger, but mostly from fear. It was a nervous ache that swelled through my torso and caught my breath in my throat.

“You okay?” Rayna’s hand touched my arm.

I nodded, but I couldn’t force any words out just yet.

“I’m worried too. He’ll be okay.”

“I am proud of you.” Tiki stood in front of me, his eyes wide and focused. “You kept your anger at bay and maintained a level head. My mother reasons with no one.”

“Thanks. Right now I just want to get this over with and get back to Marcus. He needs us.”

 
“We’re on a different level of Drakar. Much like when we first met. We must find the doorway that will take us to the market.”

“Does everything lead there?” I asked.

“Many of the gateways do. The market’s gateway is the main level in Drakar. Think of this world like a high-rise building. Each floor contains a different setting, and in some cases, different creatures. The market is the main floor, the floor in which all other floors are built. There are doorways to other floors here, but I do not know of their locations. From here, I only know the main entrance.”

We walked for more than an hour with Tiki leading the way. Vincent trailed behind us once again, but this time when I looked at him he had his eyes on the dirt. I didn’t bother whispering, it wouldn’t do any good with Vincent around, so I nudged Rayna and acknowledged the vampire with my eyes. Rayna looked back but only shrugged. It seemed she wanted to appreciate the silence as much as possible too. Rai nudged my face, staying glued to my shoulder, and I ran my fingers along her back.

“Here we are.” Tiki pointed out into a wall of darkness.

We stood on the edge of the world, literally. The red dirt ended in a sharp cliff that dropped off into the unknown. A pastel moon in the distance rose into a sky full of white dots. It floated on nothing like a massive planet hanging in the darkness. A stone archway hovered in the light of the moon, sitting on the black air below it. It looked to be easily three hundred yards away. There was no ground, only space, and it turned clockwise on an invisible axis.

“If you’re about to tell me to reach for the stars, it’s not funny,” I said. “How do we get across?”

“Our opportunity will come in the form of a narrow bridge. We will have but a short window of time to get on it and across before our chance is spoiled.”

“That’s a long way. How much time is a short window?” Rayna asked.

“I don’t know, but here it comes,” Tiki said. “It won’t stop for long, so it’s best if we get on before it stops.”

A long stretch of blue stone slid across the darkness with ease. Tiki ran toward it and Vincent moved right behind him. They disappeared in a blur and Rayna and I ran after them. I pushed myself as fast as I could and I hadn’t realized the added speed the gods’ souls had given me until I turned to see Rayna back in the distance. I stopped to wait but she waved me onward.

“Go!” she shouted.

Vincent and Tiki were already on the bridge. It was too narrow for them to run, but they moved at a steady pace, struggling to keep their balance. The platform moved alongside me and I let it go past. I wasn’t getting on without her.

“Don’t be an idiot. I told you to go,” Rayna snapped as I jogged beside the platform, waiting for her to get closer.

“Not without you.”

Rayna cursed at me and jumped onto the bridge, and Tiki and Vincent were nearly to the end. It glided over the dark space in a smooth and steady line and as Rayna started down it, I stepped on. It was wobbly at first, but with one foot in front of the other I moved forward. My heart thudded in my chest and I found myself holding my breath. I wasn’t halfway across the stony platform when it closed the final feet to the spinning arch. The archway slowed, finally stopping with a loud
click
as the two joined.

“Hurry, we only have a few moments,” Tiki shouted.

Neither Tiki nor Vincent hesitated. They stepped through the portal at the end and disappeared with Rai fluttering in after them. Rayna was nearly there and I was three-quarters of the way. My chest shook with anxiety, and sweat formed on my brow. I pushed myself faster: left foot, right foot, left foot, right foot, focusing on my steps. With my next step, my foot hit the edge and my body dropped. My heart flew into my throat and panic hammered against my ears. I caught myself with my hands, clinging to the side of the bridge. I pulled myself back onto the platform, steadying myself with my hands. Regaining my balance from this position was difficult. The bridge was less than a foot wide and there wasn’t much space to brace myself. Slow and steady breaths came through my lips and I pushed with my steady leg, using my hands to balance myself.

“Come on, Chase!” Rayna screamed.

“Go through, I’ll be right there.”

Rayna was at the end but she wasn’t walking through. I slowly stood, keeping my arms extended to balance myself. I progressed closer with slow and steady steps. My body trembled and I felt a countdown echoing in my mind. I tried to move faster but my foot slipped again, this time I caught myself before I fell. The pinholes of light that shone through the sky vanished below me, leaving nothing but an endless pool of blackness. I stayed focused, watching each step and trying to ignore the emptiness below. My feet were too big for the walkway and I wanted to stop and catch my breath and rebalance myself, but there wasn’t time. I was almost there when the
click
came again.

“Chase!” Rayna screamed.

“Go!” Adrenaline surged through my body and I forced myself to speed up. By the end, I was almost lunging forward, hopping from one foot to the other. My arms remained outstretched to keep my balance and the platform shifted away from the archway. “Now!” I screamed, and Rayna hesitated before jumping through the portal.

The stone archway began to move as I reached the end. The distance wasn’t much of a jump, but the doorway was spinning. I didn’t have time to prep or brace myself, the platform moved farther with every second I waited, widening the gap. I steadied both my feet as best I could and jumped. The archway rotated faster with each turn and I panicked, worried I wasn’t going to make it, but it was too late. I’d jumped and there was no going back. I was going to hit it and it would knock me into the black abyss below.

I braced for the impact when a pale hand shot through and gripped my arm, tearing me forward through the air. A tingling sensation slid over my arm, then my face, and finally my body as the doorway consumed me. I had almost made it through when the spinning arch smashed into my ankle from the other side. A searing spike of pain drove into my leg, and I pulled it against my body.

I hit the dirt and cursed between clenched jaws. My leg pulsed with flashes of heat and pain, and I wanted to drive my fist into the ground as though that would alleviate the pain. Vincent’s hand remained wrapped around my forearm, his yellow gaze glowing in the dark night sky. I think I was in shock seeing his hand on me. He would’ve been the last one I expected to do anything heroic.

“Thanks,” I said, trying to contain my surprise. Vincent didn’t respond, he nodded, released his grip, and walked away.

I rolled onto my back, clenching my fists. I stretched my leg out and pulled it back in, trying to keep it in motion. Motion distracted from the pain. When the sting started to subside I climbed to my feet, only to meet two bright green cat eyes and a furrowed brow that formed an angry glare.

“You need to learn to listen!” Rayna snapped. “If you’d have gone first like I told you to, we’d all have had plenty of time to make it!” She ended with a growl and punched my arm.

I didn’t bother with a response. I’d scared her, and this is what happened when she got worried. It was a trait I’d almost come to appreciate.

“We should find a place to rest,” Tiki said. “Drakar is one of the safer worlds, but at night it’s still best to stay together.”

We stood at the end of a long road I’d seen three times too many. Empty booths lined both sides of the street, an eerie silence roaming the market and striking toward me with a shiver.

A few demons crouched in the first few alleyways we past, but they didn’t move or speak. We walked halfway into the market when Tiki took a turn down an ally. It was dark and narrow with clay walls towering on either side of us. The ally ended abruptly with a small doorway on the left. Tiki pushed the wooden door that didn’t appear to have a handle and we entered a cold, dim-lit room. The air was damp and a few bodies curled up on the floor in the shadows. Square columns held up a ceiling decorated with holes. There were a couple of growls and squeaks from above, and the skittering of nails tapped along the floor.

“There are demons all over the place,” Rayna whispered. “How is this any safer than out there?”

“This is one of the regular spots for the creatures without homes. Many of the recently freed slaves of Drakar come here. I’ve stayed here many times. Nobody here is going to hurt anyone.”

We gathered around the glowing remains of a fire pit in the corner of the room. A small pile of wood lay to the side and I grabbed a few logs, throwing them onto what was left of the hot coals. I crouched down to blow on the embers in hopes of reigniting the flame before realizing that it wasn’t necessary.

My fire element channeled down my arm and sparked from my fingertips. With hardly any effort, a stream a flame shot into the pit. The fire rolled over the logs, swallowing the barky fuel and crackling to life. Flames snapped at the bark and in seconds we had a roaring fire.

“Nicely done,” Rayna said.

We sat next to each other and she stretched out her arms, letting the heat warm her fingers. Tiki sat crossed legged on the other side of the fire and Vincent lay down next to him. In the fire’s light Vincent didn’t look like himself. It wasn’t just his solemn expression and the lack of witty outbursts he’d had since we left Lavinos, he actually
felt
off. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it, but something wasn’t right.

“You okay?” I asked.

“We’ve gone from being kept prisoner in blistering heat, to being humid and cold in a half-condemned building. I’m wonderful. And now I’m going to sleep on this ever-luxurious dirt floor.”

A loud noise grumbled from within me, followed by an ache that spread through my core. My hands were already shaking and the tremble seeped into my body. It was as though my insides were vibrating.

“Was that your stomach?” Rayna sounded astounded.

I looked down and ran a hand across it. “I guess not eating for a few days is starting to catch up to me.”

Another sound came, but this time it was Rayna.

“Me too.”

“You should have eaten in Lavinos. I told you both this.” Tiki sounded like a father scolding his children. “I will get us food, but it will have to wait until morning.”

“We’ll be fine,” I said. My stomach grumbled again.

“We’ve got time to rest right now. I suggest you take it, Chase Williams. And you too.” Tiki looked at Rayna. “Tomorrow could be a very long day.” He lay back on the dirt floor and closed his eyes.

“He’s right,” Rayna said. “You should get some rest.”

“I will.”

Rayna’s eyes stayed fixed on me before she leaned in and kissed my cheek. “Goodnight.”

My stomach grumbled again and Rai fluttered off my shoulder, landing on top of Rayna. She pecked at her arms a few times before settling along her hips. I stared at the fire as the ember arms reached up to expel the darkness that bore down over it. I thought about Marcus and the others, hoping they were okay. I saw the small wall that surrounded Stonewall, the glowing eyes of pure bloods standing behind it. Their eyes blazed with rage, fogs of breath spilling from their lips. I shuddered and let the image fade.

Nervous tension seeped into my neck. I had so many questions and I whispered to the gods for help, but only silence followed. Drake Sellowind’s face drifted in my mind. He seemed to be the only person willing to give me answers. The problem was I didn’t want the answers he was giving.

A few moments after I thought it, there was a cloud crackling sound from outside. The wooden door at the back of the room creaked open and a beam of moonlight spilled in from the doorway. Inside it stood the very Dark Brother that had crossed my mind. Even in the dark I could see the blackness of his eyes. A shiny glint of reflected moonlight flickered as he turned and disappeared back into the alley.