26. Chapter Twenty-Five
I had to follow him. How could I sit at camp like some frightened little child, waiting, while he put himself in danger?
What if he died out there while rescuing Ryker for me ? I couldn’t live with that. I grabbed a small backpack without giving it much thought, and while Mary washed out some dishes in the stream behind our camp, I made my way down the dirt trail and continued all of the way to the opening of the cave. I knew that the closer I came to Shad, the greater the chance was that he would sense me—hear that my melody was close, so I tried to be as quick as possible. I hoped that he would be distracted enough by his task that he would not focus on my melody.
Just as I approached the opening to the cave, I saw Shad duck inside of its mouth, disappearing into the dark depths within. I held my breath. There were two large men, guards I assumed, standing on either side of the cave. They wore black, leather uniforms. I watched them as they stood there, masks covering their faces and gloves on their hands, holding large guns.
I gulped.
During the split-second when Shad darted into the cave, the guards had turned away. They stood near the cave opening for a few minutes; then they made a circle around it. For about a minute, then, their backs faced the cave. That was the opportunity. Shad had used that weakness in the guard’s defenses. He had timed it perfectly, and I would do the same. I watched the guards double-back, and I was ready to take advantage of their flaw. I watched for a few minutes as they circled and came back around, making sure they did the same thing each time. I crawled closer to the opening and hid behind a bush. Shad’s voice entered my thoughts:
I am inside the cave. I am traveling down a corridor now to see where Keil and Ryker are.
I was silent on my end as I broke from the bush to take my only shot at getting into the cave. I was quicker and quieter than I thought I would be, and as I descended into the dark, damp cave, I leaned against a wall and tried to steady my breathing. My breaths came in rapidly, and I was afraid that they would give me away.
You there, Emma? he asked.
Here, just fine, I responded back into his mind, trying to hide the spike of adrenaline that I felt within me.
Emma, you didn’t— His voice was angry, and I knew that he had heard the nearness of my melody. It was only a matter of time until he would have found out anyway. But, I'd made it inside, and I couldn't turn back. He could not send me back.
I am not letting everyone go looking for Ryker without me.
Stay where you are. I am coming back. We should, at least, stay together. His voice was sharp. I knew he wasn't thrilled with me at that moment, but I needed to be there. I needed to help.
I am a bit past the mouth of the cave. I just got past the guards.
You saw their blind spot? he asked, impressed.
Yes, only a brief opening .
Impressive—okay, I am coming. It took only a few minutes to feel Shad at my side. We still need to talk like this—just in case. His hand found my shoulder, and I could see him only a little in the light of the opening. His face buried itself into my hair, and I reached for him. He turned me to face him, and he smiled at me. His melody sang within me, along with my own. He pulled away too soon, and I breathed in slowly, and the fear and the desire was still pulsating between us.
“You, really, should not have come,”
his voice came to my mind, and it seemed to ache with pain. I hated that I'd made him feel that way. I knew I was at risk and that he was trying to avoid that, but I couldn't let them all put themselves in danger for me, without me.
I have to try .
He stroked my cheek.
I understand why you are here; I just hope that whatever happens, you will stay close to me.
I nodded, unable to argue with him.
Let’s go.
Yes, okay, I replied to him through our bond. If Ryker had found the man who killed my parents, it was more about me than anyone else. Let's go save them. I pushed off from the wall.
Wait, Emma, I’ve had training in these sorts of missions as has Keil. Promise me that you will follow my lead?
I won't slow you down, I promise.
I am not worried about that. I am worried that you will get hurt—or worse—
I could see the look of pain in his eyes. I touched his hand, trying to assure him that I could, indeed, stand my ground.
Let’s go, Shad.
He nodded, took my hand in his, and we made our way through the cave.
As we wound around and through the twists and turns of the seemingly never-ending, cool, wet, and rocky passages, Shad navigated us by sensing Keil’s melody. He explained that there was a lack of melodies in the cave, which surprised him because of the number of guards that we had already slipped past—none of them had discernible melodies.
They must be Soulless, Shad said, as three guards marched past us. We slipped into a small alcove so we wouldn’t be seen. The cave seemed to channel the melodies that it held; however, from what Shad told me, it was making Keil easier to find. I only hoped that we would end up at the right place. The right place, however, was probably some sort of dungeon, which, let’s be honest, I wasn’t excited to enter.
What is a Soulless, exactly?
A Soulless is someone who had a soul’s melody, and it was stripped away.
So, how can a melody be stripped away?
I know two ways. One way is if a person guards or shields their melody for too long, and it becomes corrupt as a result. Eventually, the corruption strips away the notes of the melody, and it can never be replaced.
I shuttered. That sounded horrible. Everyone keeps using that word, what does that mean exactly: becoming corrupt?
It just means that they let the Corruptor entice them. We believe after someone loses their melody in this way, the Corruptor gains a new soul. Footsteps sounded down the tunnel, and Shad pushed me to the side of the cave, listening.
Who is this Corruptor? Like the Devil? I tried really hard not to shiver, but I was finding it extremely difficult.
No one really knows who he is. There are rumors that he came from the traitor, King Falcon–May he rot in the mountain. I have heard humans here talk about this ‘devil.’ He is a dark being, yes? Shad looked at me as we finally heard the guards’ footsteps soften, and then, eventually, they fell silent.
The Devil—uh, he lives in Hell; he’s the opposite of God—the bad guy; evil, I replied through my soul as he took my hand and led me from our hiding place back into one of the main tunnels.
Yes, humans here have different names for the Ancients and the Creator, I remember. Yes, the Corruptor would be like the Devil if he was the opposite of the Ancients and the Creator—or I mean, God. Every realm calls them by different names.
The cave was pitch black, and our way of navigating without face-planting in its blackness was by feeling the jagged walls with our hands. The walls of the cave were sharp and coated with dirt and grime. My fingers were soon raw, and I left blood on everything I touched, but because it was so cold, I felt more numb the deeper we traveled into the passages. Our melodies were silent for a time as we weaved in and out of the tunnels and passageways, but dread started boiling up within me, and I needed to talk to make the situation that we were in seem less dire, even if it was just a distraction.
What is the second way?
What second way? Shad asked as he stopped, and listened—I assumed, for Keil’s melody.
The second way—to become a Soulless, I answered as he pulled me along with him to the left.
Oh, yes—someone uses a crystal and takes it from you. Those crystals that can remove souls are very rare, however, and are only found on Soul’s Island on Terra. Only a ruler from one of the Ancient Heir kingdoms can even step foot on the island, however. It is sacred ground to the Ancients. I kept one hand in Shad's and the other on the wall, needing his comforting touch.
We were silent for a few minutes as Shad kept navigating us.
Just as I was letting terror interrupt my thoughts again, Shad stopped abruptly, placing a hand over my mouth, probably in case I might have gasped.
We leaned against the wall as two guards walked past us.
I tried to ignore a drip on my shoulder and something crawling on my arm as we stood there against the wall.
The two guards who walked past us held small lamps, unlike the others, and my eyes ached as the light reached us.
Shad looked at me with a playful smile as he made me crouch down beside a large boulder so that we wouldn’t be spotted.
I could see his face in the lamplight, and I wondered why he looked so happy at that moment.
He moved his gaze to my arm and picked up a large brown spider.
I tried not to lose my breakfast as he tossed it across the cave floor, winking at me.
Are you okay? he asked in my mind and soul.
No! A huge spider almost just killed me, I growled into his mind and soul as Shad moved away from me.
That spider would not have killed you. He grabbed my hand, pulling me up from the ground. We quickly went in the direction from where the two men had come, weaving through a passage which did not break off in different directions. We could make out a light, a yellow glow in the distance as we walked through the tunnel. We finally made it to a wide opening and ducked back, checking out the space before proceeding forward. I shivered, realizing that without the constant movement of us walking and running through the tunnels, it had become increasingly cold.
Ice had formed on the ground and even above us, also around the spirals of jagged rocks which were above the room’s massive opening. Frozen icicles hung down from those massive rocks. The cavern was a large space with two other entrances, or exits , on the walls opposite of where we stood.I scanned the room; it was dimly lit by only a few lamps. But there—in a far corner—Ryker lay on his side, his shirt stripped off, and blood and cuts covered his entire face and body. Keil sat beside him, mumbling something that I could not decipher. Shad looked around the room and then signaled to me that it was safe to walk over to them. We walked to where Ryker and Keil were.
The room looked like a torture chamber from some horror movie, and I hated to think about not just what had been done to Ryker—but, perhaps, also to countless others in that space.
Five old, rusted, metal shelves lined one wall and were full of odd shaped boxes and containers.
Near those shelves stood a metal examination table, similar to ones found in hospitals.
I thought I could hear the screams that must have been induced upon that table, echoing off of its shining surface, and the howls from the souls who had once lain there.
I tried not to cry as I saw metal chains attached to the table, no doubt in order to force people to remain still while unspeakable things were done to them.
I cringed, taking in a small operating room cart beside it, created for the very purpose of holding instruments for surgeries, surgeries meant for healing and saving lives, and I was sure, down there in that deep, dark, horrible cavern—they were used to hold devices that inflicted pain and agony upon their victims.
In the corner of the room where Ryker and Keil were held captive, walls rose up with more chains on them, and there was one large cage, a prison of some sort. It looked like a new addition, as its metal bars were shiny and clean, unlike every other piece of metal in that room; it was as if it had not yet held any prisoner within its clutches. I shuttered wondering who it was for.
I dropped to my knees as we reached Ryker’s side. He moaned, and I shushed him as I took out a thin towel from my backpack and started cleaning his face. He grabbed my wrist.
“You should not be here, Em,”
he mumbled, spitting out blood onto the damp ground, his entire body trembling. I wanted to cry, but I knew it wasn’t the time for that. I was so happy to see him—and he was alive! I wondered how severe his injuries were, but they seemed to be mostly surface wounds, or so I hoped. I wrapped the towel around his shoulders and rubbed at his arms, attempting to create warmth for him, anyway that I could. It was so cold down there.
“Of course, I should be here—as if I cannot help to rescue people, too. Honestly, you boys are all so ridiculous,”
I replied, slightly irritated.
“Emma, please. He will, he will—”
he stopped speaking as his voice went hoarse.
“Please, Ry, don’t talk. We will take you back and get you all cleaned up and feeling better soon. I was so worried about you. I love you, Ry. I am so glad you are alive.”
I looked into his blue-gray eyes, the only part of him which seemed untouched by the horrors of that cave, but they had seen enough horror to devastate anyone. I touched his cheek, and his hand came up to cover my own.
“It is so good to see you, Em. I didn’t think I would—”
“Shhh—I am here, and we will get you out of here; no one will hurt you anymore.”
I caressed his arm. Feeling the coldness of his flesh made me sick—and angry. “Can someone tell me why, or better yet how, our secret weapon, that is our undefeatable-warrior-Keil was bested? I am not sure I buy into this ancient warrior thing.”
“I was not bested, and besides, Ryker isn’t an honorable cause anymore,”
Keil spat.
“What does that mean? I thought you were fighting for me?”
I questioned.
“Ryker can fill you in when he is feeling better, but I was chained up rather quickly, and we have been left here for hours. Ryker says their leader is Cade ,”
I heard Keil speak but didn't take my eyes from Ryker, my worry for him outweighed my curiosity. Then, in my peripheral vision, I saw Shad stand quickly from where he was working to break Ryker’s bonds.
“Cade? Are you sure? How is that even possible?”
Shad’s voice seemed dark and worried.
Ryker nodded, agreeing with Keil that someone named Cade was there.
Was Cade the one who killed my parents? I wondered. “Who is Cade? Did he—was he the one who caused my parents—did he cause the crash?”
I gulped and looked at Shad.
“We should not have come,”
Shad said, as he finished with the chains around Ryker’s ankles and moved to Keil, ignoring my question as he slipped his silver and black sword back into its sheath.
“Who is Cade?”
I asked again in a whisper, that time irritated as I tried to prop Ryker up and then get him onto his feet. His head rested upon my shoulder, leaving bloody smears on my gray shirt.
“He is the prince who has been searching for your melody,”
Keil answered, sadly.
“The Dark Prince? He's the one who killed my parents.”
I looked in horror toward Shad, but he looked at Keil. I followed his gaze to Keil, who nodded.
“And, unfortunately, this is all a trap. We are not going to make it out of here alive.”
As soon as the words left Keil’s mouth, an iron gate that seemed to appear out of nowhere slid over the opening where we had entered and another iron gate appeared across the room. We all looked, all three of us, and a feeling of dread pulsed through my bones. A trap. How did he know we were coming? What is he going to do with me ? I felt sick.
From across the room, the only part of the cave not barred was a man. He appeared as if out of nowhere and walked over to us, four guards flanking him on either side. His face was dark, but as he came closer, with each step, I could see more and more of his features and realized that it was him . It was the man who Ryker had been searching for, the black-eyed, black-haired, crooked- nosed man from my nightmares and from the sketch Ryker had shown me.
“Welcome, welcome,”
he said with a sick grin.
I wanted to vomit onto the floor. Seeing my parent’s murderer in person was more than I could bear.
“It has been a long time, has it not, brother ?”
I looked around the room, and Shad stood beside me, placing an arm around me, pulling me away from Ryker as Keil took my place, holding Ryker up for me.
Shad held me protectively against his body, as that man, apparently his brother —my parents’ killer—came closer to us.
I looked to Shad—then to that man, and I recognized the physical similarities.
Both of them had the same rich, dark hair that looked almost blue in the lamplight; they both had defined cheekbones and jaw structures, symmetrical faces.Shad’s eyes held gold within them, which was different from the pure black eyes of the Dark Prince.
I could still see the resemblance.
It was uncanny, and even with the man’s crooked, broken nose, I was surprised at how alike they looked.
They were brothers.
Why hadn't Shad told me? Why would he keep something like that from me? My head was spinning as I looked at Shad, who only looked at his brother, hatred in his eyes as he answered my question.
“I thought you were dead, Cadian,”
Shad spoke rather calmly, but I felt my insides squirm.
I am sorry, Shad sent me a message.
Is he going to kill us? I responded.
I will not let him harm you.