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It felt like I was dreaming...only it was a dream that never stopped.
Or more like a nightmare.
Evie’s eyes fluttered open, then fluttered closed. It made little difference. The world had changed somehow, glassed over with a surreal kind of sheen. It clung to the edges of everything, brightening yet dulling at the same time. If one tried to see through it, their eyes would slip right past. If one tried to think through it, they’d realize they had fallen asleep once again.
Thoughts became sensations, became temperatures, became another part of the dream.
No sooner would one of the young friends become aware of it, sitting up in a burst of sudden fear, than it would take hold of them once again, deadening their muscles and glassing over their eyes as they, too, became part of the hazy picture. Their heads would bow with a quiet breath, their shoulders slumping as they fell limply against the bars of the cage. When they awakened again, however long later, they would have no memory of the incident ever happening.
There were some sharper moments, points of clarity that pierced through. The princess was having one of those moments now, watching as the door slid open and a blurry figure entered the cage. It paused a moment, as if debating between them, then took Ellanden by the arms and dragged him silently across the floor, laying him on one of the benches beside the fire.
Evie’s head tilted to the side. Asher stirred faintly, then sat up beside her.
The sorcerer was moving quickly now, sprinkling small pinches of herbs across the floor as he muttered under his breath. At one point the fire itself leapt as though startled, flashing a sudden shade of green, but the captives never noticed. They simply watched as he finished his preparations then knelt on the stone beside the sleeping fae.
The muttering was softer, almost like a lullaby. Ellanden shivered involuntarily then opened his eyes. For several moments he lay blinking in a daze, those dark eyes reflecting the dancing light of the fire. Then the old man leaned close and he leapt suddenly to his feet, gasping in surprise.
“Hush, child. Hush.”
A wrinkled hand rose in front of Ellanden’s face. Not touching him, yet gripping all the same—as though the two were connected by some invisible force. The fae shook his head, but there was nothing to be done. His body froze in a state of suspension as he stared in terror at the wizard, breathing fast against his palm. For a moment, there seemed a kind of struggle. The fae’s skin paled as his hands clenched by his sides. Then he made a small defeated sound, the kind of whimper Evie hadn’t heard since they were children. His eyes closed as the feeling washed over him, surrendering completely as he sank into the man’s arms.
Evie and Asher watched with their faces pressed against the bars of the cage, caught in a paralytic trance and unable to move. It might have been hours, it might have been days. There was no way to keep track of such things. No sooner had the princess latched onto the thought than it drifted right out of her head. Even now, looking at Ellanden, she sensed something was wrong. She sensed she should be doing something about it. But she was as powerless as the prince himself, staring in silence as he was lowered slowly onto the cold stone floor.
“Landi.”
The name flew unbidden from the vampire’s mouth. The sorcerer and the princess looked over in surprise, but no one looked more surprised than Asher himself. They stared for only a moment before returning their gazes to the fae—lying prone and broken upon the ground.
The sorcerer knelt beside him, lifting his head high enough to murmur something into his ear. Ellanden shuddered, but didn’t open his eyes. When the man murmured again, he shook his head with a low groan. Therias looked on patiently, as if this was to be expected.
Then, with shockingly little effort considering he was an old man, he lifted the fae and carried him back to the cage. Opening the bars with a flick of his fingers before gently setting him inside.
“That’s it, dear one. Try to sleep.”
He stroked Ellanden’s hair affectionately before sweeping briskly across the room—setting a kettle over the flames and bustling over a drawer of spices. Asher was kneeling beside Ellanden, though he seemed at a total loss what to do. But Evie was still rooted in the center of the cage, lips falling open as she slowly pushed to her feet.
Because Therias forgot to do something when he was finished. He forgot to close the door.
“Run,” she whispered. “We have to run.”
The cage was still open. The boys didn’t notice. The sorcerer didn’t notice. The princess was hardly aware that she’d said the words out loud, her shining eyes still focused on the open door.
The fog was closing in on all sides, there were just moments to act. Then something moved in her periphery, and Evie glanced down to see her own hand reaching desperately through the air.
She caught her breath, staring down at it.
How long had it been there? Why wasn’t anything else happening? Why couldn’t she seem to move? She’d been trying for the last few seconds. She had a strange suspicion that she’d been trying for a lot longer than that. And still...nothing.
Her freedom lay waiting but, as always, it was just out of reach.
There was a noise in the corner as Therias set down the kettle and glanced over. Perhaps she’d said something again? His eyes fell upon the open cage before he quickly walked over, brimming with a sense of energy and grace that reminded her so much of Ellanden himself. The man gave her a sweet smile, as if she was a treasured pet, before closing the door with a wave of his fingers.
“Thank you for reminding me.”
The bars rattled shut with a loud clatter.
The princess blinked, then took a step back. The boys were still on the floor. The fire was still burning. The old man was still bustling away in the kitchen—perhaps he’d never left.
Nothing ever changed, from one moment to another.
But the door. I could have sworn the door...
A sudden fatigue took hold, silently lowering her to the floor.
...was open.
* * *
DAYS PASSED, OR IT might have been weeks. The door opened, and it shut. The old man came for the princess twice, or it might have been a hundred times.
She lay flat on her stomach, red hair spilling around her, cheek pressed against the frozen stone. The bars had rattled, but they were still now. There had been a shuffling sound, followed by a gentle thump, but all was quiet. Her eyes fluttered open, taking a moment to adjust to the dark.
Asher was lying just a few feet away, still as a corpse, his face bathed in shadow. A large spider was slowly crawling up the length of his arm. The princess watched without blinking.
After a few seconds he opened his eyes, like he could feel her watching. They stared for a long moment, then she quickly pulled herself to a sitting position. For whatever reason, the world felt a little steadier. Lines were sharp, not blurred. Thoughts were coming into focus.
Ellanden was fast asleep, curled with one arm thrown across his face. She realized now that he’d been taken and returned; that was the noise that had awakened her.
We always sleep longer after being taken out of the cage. I think I remember...
She trailed off with a blank expression, realizing she didn’t remember anything at all.
“I’m cold,” she announced suddenly, startling the sorcerer as Asher looked up in surprise.
Therias took a long look, his eyes drifting from person to person around the cage, before he promptly pulled three glasses down from a nearby cupboard, filling them with a steaming brew.
“I’m cold,” Evie said again, more insistent this time.
Asher was frowning, as if realizing the same thing himself. He glanced down at his fingers, flexing them slowly before tilting up his chin to examine the bars of the cage. A flash of some uncertain emotion swept over him. He opened his mouth as if to speak.
But then Therias was there.
“You’re not cold, darling.”
And suddenly she wasn’t. Her hands were still shaking. Her skin was still shock white. But she wasn’t cold. Just the way Asher wasn’t hungry. Just the way Ellanden wasn’t waking up.
“What’s wrong with him?” the vampire mumbled, nudging the fae with his foot.
“He’s just a little worn out,” Therias replied cheerfully, levitating the three steaming mugs across the cave. “He’ll be right as rain in no time.”
Evie followed his gaze with a frown.
...doesn’t look like it.
Therias, on the other hand, was practically glowing. While he still might technically resemble an old man, there was a charisma about him that was impossible to deny. Reflexes had sharpened and the glaze over his eyes had disappeared, as if some inner part of him was coming back to life.
“I have to admit,” the sorcerer continued, “he’s my favorite. Makes me feel almost...young.”
Evie looked again at the fae, suddenly aware her heart was pounding away in her chest. The ethereal glow that usually haloed around him, the one she found so obnoxious, that made strangers stop in their tracks, had almost vanished completely. The man lying beside her was beautiful, but strangely flat—as though he was a mere breath away from becoming a part of the cave itself.
Her eyes flickered past the sorcerer to the faded sketches hanging on the wall, suddenly wondering if any of them were his. Past the pair of detached fangs collecting dust in the corner, past the knapsacks and mementos of previous tenants, withering away under decades of rot.
I know a lot about people. She remembered Therias saying that, sitting around the fire what felt like lifetimes ago. Each one is a little different. Immortals are prized above everything else.
“You’re like a spider,” she whispered, eyes widening in a detached sort of horror as her mind finally grasped the long-awaited truth. “A spider.”
Draining us dry.
“You need to let us go,” Asher said quietly, one hand wrapped bracingly around the bars. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re used to playing, but I can promise this isn’t the same thing.”
Therias’ eyes twinkled as he offered out a mug of tea. “Is that right?”
Evie took the cup without thinking, sensing they’d maybe had this conversation before.
“People will be looking for us,” Asher insisted, swaying slightly where he sat. “The kind of people you don’t want on your trail. It’s only a matter of time before they find this place.”
The sorcerer actually chuckled, extending the remaining mugs between the bars. The vampire glanced at them but stayed where he was, looking suddenly depleted.
“An admirable speech,” he applauded, sloshing the tea back and forth. “It gets more and more convincing every time.”
...every time?
Evie closed her eyes as the steam wafted up around her. Already, the room was getting dimmer. The words that Therias was saying were getting harder and harder to hear.
There was a sudden snap as he pointed to the ground in front of him. The vampire paused another moment before pushing robotically to his feet. He took the mugs of tea a second later, not seeming to notice when they began to burn the skin on his hands.
“My dear young friend, I have no doubt that your parents looked for you. Given their reputation, I’m sure they even came close. But we don’t need to worry about that anymore.”
Asher stared with his mouth slightly open, incapable of speech. It was impossible to know how much he was taking in. When the sorcerer pointed to a mug, he startled slightly but kept it at a safe distance. When the sorcerer pointed again, he lifted it reluctantly to his mouth.
“That’s it,” Therias coaxed, watching as the two of them choked it down. “Drink up.”
The princess’ head swam as the empty cup fell from her fingers, shattering. She sank down beside it a moment later, watching the pieces roll back and forth.
“Now him,” Therias instructed, pointing to Ellanden.
Asher followed his gaze then shook his head sharply, trying to back away.
“He’s had enough,” he mumbled, hardly understanding the words coming out of his own mouth. “Let him be.”
The sorcerer’s eyes flashed, but he smiled sweetly—pointing a curled finger at the center of the vampire’s chest. “Asher...give him a drink.”
Every instinct was in violent rebellion, but the tea had already worked its way deep inside the vampire’s system, clouding out all rational thought. He stood there a second longer, his dark eyes begging for a silent reprieve. Then he knelt beside the fae and opened his mouth, pouring the steaming liquid inside. Ellanden moaned again but didn’t fight it, coughing weakly as his head rolled to the side. A moment later the vampire was lying beside him, drifting in and out of consciousness.
And then there was one.
Evie blinked groggily as the sorcerer departed, resting her cheek against the freezing ground once again. The fire was roaring and curls of smoke were filling the cave. A storm was raging in the forest, but she and the others would never be able to hear it. With her last bit of strength she crawled forward dizzily, nestling down between her two friends.
Maybe to dream of what might happen tomorrow.
Maybe to pray the dream would finally come to an end.
