The Underworld (26 page)

the ladder.

“I’m not sure…I lost track of time,” I said stupidly.

“Not too long…I don’t think.”

Another shriek ripped through the air, and this time I

knew what it belonged to.

A Death Walker.

Alex’s eyes practical y bulged out of his head. He

ran over to the smal little trunk in the corner and threw

open the lid.

“What are you doing?” I asked, watching as he dug

around in the trunk. “We need to do something—

Laylen’s out there.”

“I am doing something.” He took a smal pocket

knife out of the trunk and flicked open the blade.

“Why would you ever hide a knife in here,” I asked,

gaping incredulously at the knife.

“Why wouldn’t I,” he replied, brushing passed me.

Wel , look at him, al Mr. Prepared.

I fol owed him over to the ladder. “Yeah, but that tiny

things not going to help us much if there’s a Death

Walker out there.”

He stared up at the top of the ladder with his

thinking face on. “You got a better idea.”

“I…no.”

“Wel , then.” He placed his hands on the ladder and

then said, “Stay here.”

“No,” I told him firmly. “I won’t. There’s no reason for

you to go up there alone. And besides, even if I stay

down here, it doesn’t mean I’m going to be safe.”

He shook his head, and I suddenly felt the prickle. I

was sure what emotion was trying to surface, but a

voice inside my head whispered,
take the knife
. So I

did, quickly snatching it out of his hand.

“I’m not staying here,” I said, moving the knife

behind my back. “You’re stil weak from being in the

City of Crystal, and I can help.”

He looked surprised by my sudden take charge

attitude. But then he just looked pissed.

“Let’s go.” I tried to sound confident, but I was

scared, and it showed through my voice.

Despite my lack of confidence, Alex climbed up the

ladder, and I fol owed, wondering what would be

waiting for us outside.

After we climbed out of the hiding spot and slid

down the hil , I gave the knife back to Alex because,

let’s face it, I was no Keeper.

Another shriek rang through the forest, and out in

the open it sounded louder and more terrifying.

“If you’re scared, then you can go back in there,”

Alex told me, his voice urging—begging me to please

go back.

I eyed him over. His skin was so pale. The little

holes dotting across his body looked like they had to

hurt. He also had shadows under his eyes, and

although he did look a bit better than when we’d first

found him in the City of Crystal, he stil wasn’t his

strong, normal self. And the voltage of electricity

flowing off of him was stil so muffled.

“No, I’m going with you,” I told him. “You need my

help. You’re not strong enough yet.”

“I’m fine,” he snapped. “I don’t need your help.”

“Yeah, you do.” My voice shook a little, but I stood

firm. “I can
feel
that you’re not okay.”

He held my gaze powerful y, like he thought if he

stared at me for long enough, I’d back down. And you

know what, a week or so ago I might have, but today I

wasn’t. It was like I had this adrenaline pouring

through me—this inner strength.

“Fine, come with me then.” He pointed his finger at

me. “But I swear to God, Gemma, if anything happens

—”

“I know, I know. Run. Hide. Save myself.”

His mouth quirked and an amused smile started to

show, but then another shriek fil ed the air, and we ran

into the trees.

Most people wouldn’t run toward a shrieking

monster that could quite possibly end up freezing you

to your death. And normal y we did run. But this was a

different situation because Laylen could be in some

serious trouble. The further we dipped into the forest

without seeing Laylen, the more concerned I became.

My gut was tel ing me something was wrong with

Laylen, and that maybe this was a trap. And yes, the

thought did cross my mind that Alex might be a part of

it.

I almost turned back.

But then another shriek reverberated through the

forest, and I thought of Laylen, and how the Death

Walker might be trying to hurt him.

Then came the fog. It moved across the forest’s

damp ground like a snake, icing everything in its path.

Alex stopped as the fog reached our ankles, staring

down at the ground, while holding his knife out in front

of him. “Stay by me,” he whispered and I nodded.

The fog gradual y seeped through my damp clothes

and onto my skin, chil ing my body to the shivers. I

clenched my jaw tight to keep from chattering.

I’ve had nightmares of being chased by Death

Walkers in a forest that have come true. And here I

was again, in a forest with Death Walkers, only I

wasn’t being chased.

Not yet anyway.

Alex scooted us behind the trunk of a very large oak

tree and put a finger to his lips. We stood as stil as

people in paintings, and that’s when I heard it. A

voice. A very familiar voice that I was absolutely sure

belonged to a half-faerie, half-Foreseer, who might be

working for the dark side.

“I can’t believe this,” Nicholas was saying. “I can’t

believe she managed to drag al of us into the present

time.”

I looked at Alex, and I knew he was thinking the

same thing; that I’d brought Nicholas and the Death

Walkers here with us. But if that were so then where

had they been hiding.

“Wel , it would have been a lot better if she hadn’t

dropped us in the middle of the lake,” Nicholas said

irritably.

Who the heck was he talking to? Himself?

Alex must have been thinking the same thing,

because he took a cautious peek around the tree

trunk. When he moved back, he looked completely

mystified.

Who is it, I mouthed.

He shook his head and shrugged. Huh, so maybe

faerie boy was talking to himself.

“I know, but where are they?” Nicholas asked, and

the more he spoke, the more I wondered if he had lost

his mind or something.

Another shriek rattled the air and shook at the

trees, causing leaves to break off their branches and

float to the ground.

“Would you stop doing that!” Nicholas exclaimed.

My eyes widened. Was he talking to the Death

Walkers? No, that wasn’t possible…was it?

“Wel , stop smel ing the blood then!” Nicholas’s

voice cut sharply through the forest.

Blood?Blood! Oh, no, please, please, don’t let the

blood he’s referring to belong to Laylen.

“He tried to attack me first” Nicholas snapped. “It

was self-defense. Besides, you would have frozen

him to death anyway.”

There was a pause where al I could hear was my

heart thumping erratical y.

“So what if he created Laylen,” Nicholas said,

annoyed. “Creating another vampire isn’t that hard.”

Vampire.
Vampire
. Oh my God, they were talking

about Laylen.

Without even thinking about what I was doing, I

started to move around the tree, but Alex grabbed me

by the arm and pul ed me into him. He shook his

head, and I glared at him, trying to wiggle my way free

without making too much noise. He intensified his grip

—apparently some of his strength returned to him—

and met my gaze, his eye begging me to stop.

It hurt. It actual y physical y hurt to stay behind that

tree and know Laylen was injured, while Nicholas

chatted away.

“I’m not messing around,” Nicholas insisted. “I know

what has to be done.” Another pause. “I know, but it

might be a little difficult to find her. She’s very powerful

and getting more powerful by the day. She can do

things normal Foreseers can’t.” A shriek, and then,

“Fine. Let’s go back to the City of Crystal, and I’l see

if I can get an exact location on her.”

There was a
swoosh
, and then silence.

Alex peered around the corner of the tree trunk,

before letting me go. And then we were sprinting

though the lingering fog that was starting to tint my

skin a bluish-purple. But at the moment I didn’t care.

Al I cared about was that Laylen was laying on the

ground, on top of the scattered leaves and twigs, with

a stick stabbed into his chest, blood covering his

shirt.

I’d never felt anything like it before. Panic, rage,

fear—it al crushed through me.

Alex muttered something incoherently as he bent

down to Laylen’s lifeless body.

“He’s not—he’s not,” I was on the verge of tears,

“dead, is he?”

Alex examined the stick poking out of Laylen’s

chest. Being a huge science fiction freak, I’d read

enough vampire books to know that a stake through

the heart meant death for a vampire.

The stick was so close to his heart.

“He’s not dead,” Alex final y said, putting his hands

on top of the stick. “Not yet anyway.”

“Not yet anyway,” I repeated, horrified. “Does that

mean he’s going to die?”

“Not if we can get him some…” Alex yanked out the

stick, and I tried not to gasp at the sight of the very

large hole in Laylen’s chest or at the blood that was

pouring out of it. Alex pressed his hand onto the

wound, putting pressure on it.

“Get him some what?” I asked, ful y freaking out. “Is

there a cure?”

Alex avoided my eyes as he said, “”Yeah, blood.”

“He has to bite someone?” I asked, remembering

the first day I had met Laylen and he had told me he

never brought out his fangs.

Alex hesitated, and I could see it in his eyes, “No,

he needs another vampires blood.”

“Is that the only kind of blood that wil work?” I

asked.

He nodded, and even though I didn’t believe him, I

took a deep breath, placed a hand on Laylen’s cold

arm, and then shut my eyes, hoping I was strong

enough to take us back, since what I could do with my

extraordinary Foreseer ability was stil a huge

question mark.

“Take us to the Black Dungeon,” Alex told me.

Keeping my eyes shut, I replied, “Why there?”

“Because there’l be vampires al over.”

I nodded, thinking how Laylen wasn’t supposed to

go near vampires, but feared if he didn’t, he would

die. I pictured the al ey, damp, scary, and covered

with garbage. I envisioned the bright red door, and the

flap at the top. I saw al three of us there.

I tried my hardest to focus on the details I’d seen

when I was there, and when Alex took hold of my

hand, I felt a surge of electricity, and the weakness I’d

been feeling left me. I knew I’d get us there.

I had to.

I didn’t have to open my eyes to know I’d gotten

us to the right place. The smel of garbage and musty

air gave away our location.

I opened my eyes and saw Alex was kneeling on

the ground beside me, stil holding my hand, his other

hand on Laylen’s wound. It was the smoothest travel

I’d ever pul ed off and it couldn’t have come at a better

time.

“Okay, I’m going to go inside and get someone

who’l help—hopeful y someone who doesn’t know

Laylen was responsible for Vladislav’s death. ” Alex

took my hand and placed it on top of his hand that

was covering the hole in Laylen’s chest. “Put pressure

on it, okay.”

I nodded, and he moved his hand away. Very

quickly I replaced it with mine. The blood seeped

warmly against my fingers, and Laylen’s skin felt

colder than it usual y did.

“Hurry,” I cal ed out to Alex as he started for the

bright red door. “Wait,” I suddenly cal ed out. “Can you

go in looking like that?”

Alex stopped and gave a glance down at his

shirtless chest. “Gemma, I don’t think it’s real y going

to matter whether I’m dressed appropriately or not.”

“Yeah, but it’s going to matter if that’s showing.” I

pointed at the Keepers mark tattooing the side of his

ribcage.

“Crap,”” he said. Then without saying another word,

he took off in the opposite direction.

“Alex,” I hissed. “Where are you going?”

He didn’t answer as he vanished around the corner.

I sat there, with my hand pressed to Laylen’s

bleeding chest, listening to dogs howl in the distance.

The sky was beginning to shift from a bright blue to a