The Escape
Warily, I looked up, just as something bright fell from the ceiling, flashing briefly as it struck the ground a few yards away.
Puzzled, I released Kenzie and stood, squinting as I walked up to it. When I could see it clearly in the darkness, my heart stood still.
My swords. Or one of them, anyway. Standing up point first in the sand. Incredulous, I picked it up, wondering how it got here.
There was a familiar buzz on the wall overhead. Heart leaping, I looked up to see a pair of smug, glowing green eyes. Razor grinned down at me, his teeth a blue-white crescent in the darkness. One spindly arm still clutched my second blade.
“Found you!” he buzzed.
Kenzie gasped, and the gremlin cackled, tossing the sword down. It soared through the air in a graceful arc and landed hilt up at my feet. Scuttling along the wall, the gremlin launched himself at Kenzie, landing in her arms with a gleeful cry. “Found you!” he exclaimed again, as she quickly shushed him. He beamed but dropped his voice to a staticky whisper. “Found you! Razor help! See, see? Razor brought swords silly boy dropped.”
“Razor, are you all right?” Kenzie asked, holding him at arm’s length to look at him closely. One of his ears was torn, hanging limply at an angle, but other than that, he seemed okay. “That Forgotten threw you pretty hard,” she mused, touching the wounded ear. “Are you hurt?”
“Bad kitty!” growled Razor, shaking his head as if he was shooing off a fly. “Evil, sneaky, nasty kitty! Boy should cut its nose off, yes. Tie rock to tail and throw kitty in lake. Watch kitty sink, ha!”
“Seems like he’s fine,” I said, sheathing my second blade. Relief and hope spread through me. Now that I was armed again, the future looked a lot less bleak. We might actually make it out of here. “Razor, did you happen to see Keirran anywhere? Or Annwyl?”
Before he could answer, a shuffle of movement up top silenced us, and we pressed back into the wall, staring up at the lip. A moment later, the old woman’s voice floated down into the hole.
“Ethan Chase. The lady will see you now.”
Kenzie shivered and pressed close, gripping my hand, as the gleam of the cat-faery’s eyes appeared over the mouth of the pit. “Did you hear me, humans?” she called, sounding impatient. “When we lower the rungs, only the Chase boy is to come up. He will be escorted to the lady. Anyone who follows will be tossed back into the hole, without a ladder. So don’t try anything.”
Her wrinkled face split into an evil grin, and she disappeared. I turned to Kenzie.
“When I get up there,” I whispered, “can you and Razor give me a distraction?” I glanced at Razor, hiding in her long black hair, then back to the girl. “I only need a few seconds. Think you can do that?”
She looked pale but determined. “Sure,” she whispered. “No problem. Distractions are our specialty, right, Razor?”
The gremlin peeked out from the curtain of her hair and gave a quiet buzz. I brushed a strand from her eyes, trying to sound calm. “Wait until I’m almost at the very top,” I told her, untucking my shirt, pulling the hem over the sword hilts. “Then, do whatever you have to do. Nothing dangerous, just make sure they’re not looking at me when I come up. Also, here.” I pulled out a sword, sheath and all, and handed it to her. “In case this doesn’t go as planned. This will give you a fighting chance.”
“Ethan.”
I took her hand, fighting the urge to pull her close. “We’re getting out of here, right now.”
With a scraping sound, the ladder dropped into the pit. I squeezed Kenzie’s arm and stepped forward, walking across the sand to the opposite wall. I saw Todd huddled in the corner, his head buried in his knees, not even looking at the ladder, and clenched my fists. Dammit, what they did to you was unforgivable. Even if I can’t fix that, I’ll get you home, I swear. I’ll get all of us home.
My footsteps clunked loudly against the rungs as I started up, echoing my pounding heart.
Six steps from the top, I could see the hulking, three-armed Forgotten, yawning as it stared off into the distance.
Four steps from the top, I could see the old cat-faery and a pair of insect fey, one holding a coil of rope in its long talons. Another two guarded the entrance, floating a few inches above the ground.
Two steps from the top, Razor abruptly dropped onto the three-armed faery’s head.
“BAD KITTY!” he screeched at the top of his lungs, making everything in the room jump in shock. The three-armed Forgotten gave a bellow and slapped at the thing on his head, but Razor leaped off just in time, and the huge fey smacked its own skull with enough force to knock it back a step.
I drew my sword and leaped out of the pit, blade flashing. I cut through one spindly body, dodged the second as it slashed at me, and sliced through its neck. Both dissolved into mist, and I went for the old cat-faery, intending to cut that evil grin from her withered face. She hissed and leaped away, landing behind the two guards at the mouth of the tunnel.
“Stop him!” she spat, and the Forgotten closed in on me, including the huge three-armed faery, a club clutched in his third hand. I dodged the first swing, parried the vicious claw swipes, and was forced back. “You cannot escape, Ethan Chase!” the cat-fey called triumphantly, as I fought to avoid being surrounded. The club swished over my head and smashed into the wall, showering me with rock. “Give up, and we will take you to the lady. Your death might be a painless one if you surrender no—aaaaaagh!”
Her warning melted into a yowl of pain as Razor dropped behind her, grabbed her skinny tail, and chomped down hard. The cat-faery spun, clawing at him, and I lost them both as the three fey crowded in. Battling Forgotten, I saw Kenzie pull herself out of the pit, sword in hand. Her eyes gleamed as she stepped up behind the hulking faery and swung a vicious blow at the back of its knees. Bellowing in pain, the Forgotten stumbled, lurched backward, and toppled over. Kenzie dodged aside as the big faery dropped into the pit with a howl.
Slicing through the last two guards, I lunged to where the cat-thing was twisting and clawing the air behind her, trying to reach the gremlin doggedly clinging to her tail. She looked up as I came in, made one last attempt to flee, but my sword flashed down across her neck and she erupted into mist.
Panting, I lowered my sword, stumbling back as Razor blinked, grinning as what had been the cat-faery rippled over the ground and evaporated. “Bad kitty,” he buzzed, sounding smug as he looked up at me. “No more bad kitty. Ha!”
I smiled, turning to Kenzie, but then my heart seized up and I started to shout a warning.
The hulking Forgotten she had dropped into the pit had somehow clawed its way out again, looming behind her with its club raised. At the look on my face, she realized what was happening and started to turn, throwing up her arms, but the club swept down and I knew I would get there far too late.
And then…I don’t know what happened. A dark, featureless shadow sprang up, seemingly out of nowhere, between Kenzie and the huge Forgotten. A sword flashed, and the blow that probably would’ve crushed her skull hit her shoulder instead. The impact was still enough to knock her aside, and she crumpled against the wall, gasping in pain, as the shadow vanished as suddenly as it appeared.
Rage blinded me. Rushing forward, I leaped at the Forgotten with a scream, cutting at it viciously. It bellowed and swiped its club at my head, but I met the blow with my sword, severing the arm from its chest. Howling in pain, the faery resorted to pounding at me with its huge fists. I dodged back, snatching the fallen sword from the ground, and stepped up to meet the raging Forgotten. Ducking wild swings, I lunged past its guard and sank both blades into its chest with a snarl.
The Forgotten melted into fog, still bellowing curses. Without a second glance, I rushed through its dissolving form to the body on the far side of the wall. Kenzie was struggling upright, grimacing, one hand cradling her arm. Razor hopped up and down nearby, buzzing with alarm.
“Kenzie!” Reaching her, I took her arm and very gently felt along the limb, checking for lumps or broken bones. Miraculously everything seemed intact, despite the massive green bruise already starting to creep down her shoulder. Badge of courage, Guro would’ve called it. He would’ve been proud.
“Nothing’s broken,” I muttered in relief, and looked up at her. “Are you all right?”
She winced. “Well, considering today I have been stabbed, poked, pummeled and threatened with having my throat cut open, I guess I can’t complain.” Her brow furrowed, and she glanced around the cave. “Also, I thought there was… Did you see…?”
I nodded, remembering the shadow that had appeared, deflected the killing blow, and vanished just as suddenly. It had happened so fast; if Kenzie hadn’t mentioned it, too, I might’ve thought I was seeing things.
“Oh, good. I thought I was having some weird near-death hallucination or something.” Kenzie looked at the place the huge Forgotten had died and shuddered. “Any idea what just happened there?”
“No clue,” I muttered. “But it probably saved your life. That’s all I care about.”
“Maybe for you,” Kenzie said, wrinkling her nose. “But if I’m going to have some sort of shadowy guardian angel hanging around me, I kind of want to know why. In case I’m in the shower or something.”
“Kenzie?” A faint, familiar voice drifted from the darkness before I could answer. We both jumped and gazed around wildly. “Ethan? Are you up there?”
“Annwyl?” Kenzie looked around, as Razor hopped to her shoulder. “Where are you?”
“Here,” came the weak reply, as if muffled through the walls. I peered along the edge of the cave and saw a wooden door at the far corner of the room, nearly hidden in shadow. A thick wooden beam barred it shut. Hurrying over, we pushed the heavy beam out of the way and pulled on the door. It opened reluctantly, creaking in protest, and we stepped through.
Kenzie gasped. The room beyond was full of cages—bronze or copper by the looks of them—hanging from the ceiling by thick chains. They groaned as they swung back and forth, narrow, cylindrical cells that barely gave enough room to turn around. All of them were empty, save one.
Annwyl huddled down in one of the cages, her knees drawn to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. In the darkness of the room, lit only by a single flickering torch on the far wall, she looked pale and sick and miserable as she raised her head, her eyes going wide.
“Ethan,” she whispered in a trembling voice. “Kenzie. You’re here. How…how did you find me?”
“We’ll tell you later,” Kenzie said, looking furious as she gripped the bars separating them. Razor buzzed furiously and leaped to the top of the cage, rattling the frame. “Right now, we’re getting out of here. Where are the keys?”
Annwyl nodded to a post where a ring of bronze keys hung from a wooden peg. After unlocking the cage, we helped Annwyl climb down. The Summer girl stumbled weakly as she left the cage, leaning on me for support. The Forgotten had probably drained most of her glamour; she felt as thin and brittle as a bundle of twigs.
“Are there others?” I asked as she took several deep breaths, as if breathing clean air once again. Annwyl shuddered violently and shook her head.
“No,” she whispered. “Just me.” She turned and nodded to the empty cages, swinging from their chains. “When I was first brought here, there were a few other captives. Exiled fey like me. A satyr and a couple wood nymphs. One goblin. But…but then they were taken away by the guards. And they never came back. I was sure it was just a matter of time…before I was brought to her, as well.”
“The lady,” I muttered darkly. Annwyl shivered again.
“She…she eats them,” she whispered, closing her eyes. “She drains their glamour, sucks it into herself, just like her followers, until there’s nothing left. That’s why so many exiles are gone. She needs a constant supply of magic to get strong again, at least that’s what her followers told me. So they go out every night, capture exiles and half-breeds, and drag them back here for her.”
“Where’s Keirran?” I asked, holding her at arm’s length. “Have you seen him?”
She shook her head frantically. “He’s…with her,” she said, on the verge of tears. “I’m so worried…what if she’s done something to him?” She covered her face with one hand. “What will I do if he’s gone?”
“Master!” Perched on Kenzie’s shoulder again, Razor echoed her misery, pulling on his ears. “Master gone!”
I sighed, trying to think over the gremlin’s wailing. “All right,” I muttered, and turned to Kenzie. “We have to get Todd and the others out of here. Do you remember the way they brought us in?”
She winced, trying to shush the tiny Iron fey. “Barely. But the cave is crawling with Forgotten. We’d have to fight our way out.”
Annwyl straightened then, taking a deep breath. “Wait,” she said, seeming to compose herself, her voice growing stronger. “There is another way. I can sense where the trods are in this place, and one empties under a bridge in the mortal world. It isn’t far from here.”
“Can you lead everyone there? Open it?”
“Yes.” Annwyl nodded, and her eyes glittered. “But I’m not leaving without Keirran.”
“I know. Come on.” I led her out of the room, back to the chamber that held the giant pit. Dragging the ladder from the wall, I dropped it down into the hole.
“All right,” I mumbled, peering into the darkness. Mutters and shuffling footsteps drifted out of the pit, and I winced. “Wait here,” I told Kenzie and Annwyl. “I’ll be right back, hopefully with a bunch of crazy people.”
“Wait,” Kenzie said, stopping me. “I should go,” she said, and held up a hand as I protested. “Ethan, if something comes into this room, I won’t be able to stop it. You’re the one with the mad sword skills. Besides, you’re not the most comforting presence to lead a bunch of scared, crazy people to safety. If they start crying, you can’t just crack your knuckles and threaten them to get them to move.”
I frowned. “I wouldn’t use my fists. A sword is much more threatening.”
She rolled her eyes and handed me the gremlin, who scurried to my shoulder. “Just stand guard. I’ll start sending them up.”
A few minutes later, a crowd of ragged, dazed-looking humans clustered together in the tunnel, muttering and whispering to themselves. Todd was among them. He gazed around the cavern with a blank expression that made my skin crawl. I hoped that when we got him out of here he would go back to normal. No one looked at Annwyl or Razor, or seemed to notice them. They stood like sheep, passive and dull-witted, waiting for something to happen. Annwyl gazed at them all and shivered.
“How awful,” she whispered, rubbing her arms. “They feel so…empty.”
“Empty,” Razor buzzed. “Empty, empty, empty.”
“Is this everyone?” I asked Kenzie as she crawled back up the ladder. She nodded as Razor bounced back to her. “All right, everyone stay together. This is going to be interesting.”
Drawing my weapons, I walked to the edge of the tunnel, where it split in two directions, and peered out. No Forgotten, not yet.
“Ethan.” Kenzie and Annwyl joined me at the edge, the group following silently. Annwyl gripped my arm. “I’m not leaving. Not without him.”
“I know. Don’t worry.” I shook off her fingers, then turned and handed a sword to Kenzie. “Get them out of here,” I told her. “Take Annwyl, get to the exit, and don’t look back. If anything tries to stop you, do whatever you can not to get caught again.”
“What about you?”
I sighed, glancing down the tunnel. “I’m going back for Keirran.”
She blinked. “Alone? You don’t even know where he is.”
“Yes, I do.” Raking a hand through my hair, I faced the darkness, determined not to be afraid. “He’ll be with the lady. Wherever she is, I’ll find him, too.”
“Master?” Razor perked up, eyes flaring with hope. “Razor come? Find Master?”
“No, you stay, Razor. Protect Kenzie.”
The gremlin buzzed sadly but nodded.
Dark murmurs echoed behind us. The group of former half-breeds were shifting fretfully, muttering “the lady,” over and over again, like a chant. It made my stomach turn with nerves.
“Here, then.” Kenzie handed back the sword. “Take it. I won’t need it this time.”
“But—”
“Ethan, trust me, if something finds us, we won’t be fighting—we’ll be running. If you’re going back, you’re going to need it more than me.”
“I’ll come with you,” Annwyl said.
“No.” My voice came out sharp. “Kenzie needs you to open the trod when you get there. It won’t work for humans. Besides, if something happens to you, if you get caught or threatened in any way, Keirran won’t try to escape. He’ll only come with me if he knows you’re safe.”
“I want to help. I won’t abandon him—”
“Dammit, if you love him, the best thing you can do is leave!” I snapped, whirling on her. She blinked and drew back. “Keirran is here because of you! That’s what got us into this mess in the first place.” I glared at her, and the faery dropped her gaze. Sighing, I lowered my voice. “Annwyl, you have to trust me. I won’t come back without him, I promise.”
She struggled a moment longer, then nodded. “I’ll hold you to that promise, human,” she murmured at last.
Kenzie suddenly took my arm. “I will, too,” she whispered as I looked into her eyes. She smiled faintly, trying to hide her fear, and squeezed my hand. “So you’d better come back, tough guy. You have a promise to keep, remember?”
The urge to kiss her then was almost overpowering. Gently, I cupped her cheek, trying to convey my promise, what I felt, without words. Kenzie put her hand over mine and closed her eyes. “Be careful,” she whispered. I nodded.
“You, too.”
Opening her eyes, she released me and stepped back. “We’ll be at Belvedere Castle,” she stated, her eyes suspiciously bright. “So meet us there when you find Keirran. We’ll be waiting for you both.”
Todd spoke up then, his voice echoing flatly over the rest. “If you’re looking for the lady, she’ll be on the very last floor,” he stated. “That’s where the screams used to come from.”
A chill went through me. Giving Kenzie and the others one last look, I turned, gripping my weapons and disappeared into the tunnel.