34
I run towards the entrance of the cave system as fast as my legs can carry me, but suddenly I hear the flapping of wings in the distance, like many small bats flying.
At the last moment, I hide behind a twisted marble column entwined with vines, as a dozen demons swoop through the sky above me like a lightning strike.
Only after they move further away, do I release the breath that had been caught in my throat.
I step out from behind the column and watch the demons. They are heading east.
I search my memories for what could be in that direction. The Hél Mountains. The fact that the demons are flying there in battle formation means their enemy is already close. Maybe the battle has already begun without me.
I close my eyes for a moment and shake my head.
I can’t let my focus wander or let fear drag me down.
Yet here I stand before the entrance of the cave system, and my legs refuse to obey.
The massacre will begin, and I know there are still human children here somewhere.
Angels and demons will fall, and if I don’t find the dagger, it will all be for nothing.
You only mean more to me dead if I see you on the side of the angels.
He’ll kill me. Darya will kill me if he finds me.
“Move, Lotte!” I whisper to myself. “That’s enough! You have to go!”
I throw open the gate and run into the cave system.
My blood should guide me, which I interpret as following my instincts.
Soon, though, I regret not asking Pandora for more specific directions, as the underground labyrinth is bewildering.
The tugging sensation in my chest isn’t as strong as before.
I try a sloping path, praying there are no demons here.
I’m grateful to the angels for the chaos they’re causing, diverting attention.
Eventually, I’ll have to occupy Darya in return, but I have no idea how to locate him, or if I’ll even find the dagger.
I glance back every minute, expecting someone to be following me, but I’m alone. I thought the cave would be full of demons, but maybe they’re too hungover from the ceremony. Or maybe they don’t even live here.
Jade-blue light mingles with the deep red-lit walls in the distance, and the air becomes clearer.
I slowly approach the light. The space is vast, with dark rocks hiding deep green secrets.
In the middle, two separate bodies of water sparkle from the light emanating from them.
Sharp stalactites hang from the ceiling, some merging with ink-colored rocks, many lost in the water.
Tiny drops fall from them, ringing as they hit the wet surface.
Their salty vapor stings the tip of my tongue.
The two rivers flow into two different lakes; one deep dark blue, the other a light jade blue. Small streams flow into the still waters from the crevices of the scale-green rocks, and the sound washes away my anxiety.
I step closer on the damp ground to where the two lakes are separated by diamond-white crystals.
There’s no need to explain which water is which.
The dark one is for forgetfulness, the light one for remembrance.
Léthé sprinkled the transformed souls with it, and I should touch that lake as well, but my heart is pounding in my throat.
I’ve seen too many films about monsters emerging from the depths when their millennia-old peace is disturbed.
I crouch by the water’s edge and cautiously pick up a pebble. I swallow hard, and my muscles tense.
I wait, expecting even the smallest stone movement to summon skeletal figures from the rocks, but nothing happens.
I count to ten. Only the echo of the stalactites responds.
Slowly, I exhale and throw the pebble into the jade-blue lake of remembrance.
As it hits the water, I jump up and put my hand on the dagger I took from Darya. My heart pounds in my ears.
I’m sure I heard something. I spin around, trembling, holding the knife in front of me. Nothing. Just deadly silence.
I look deep into the lake. The thrown pebble shines at the bottom. The water is so clear I can see it.
I snap my head up. I turn, holding my breath. I wait. The dampness spreads over my neck like the surface of the stalactites. I look back at the lake. The pebble I threw is no longer there.
There must be something in the water that I can’t see. My heart pounds in my ears, sounding an alarm. I have to pour the water on myself. I need to contact the river. I step closer and drop to one knee. My head darts around, waiting for a shadow to reach for me.
I don’t want to be here. Every part of me is shaking. The darkness overwhelms me. I’m alone in the depths of the Earth. The silence is palpable. I jump at the slightest noises, though they are just water droplets falling from the stalactites.
Drip. Drip.
Slowly, I extend my hand towards the water. I have to do this.
Drip. Drip.
My finger touches its surface. Coldness caresses my skin. I tense.
Drip. Drip.
Trembling, I immerse my finger in the water.
Drip.
I form a cup with my palm.
Nothing.
My underwater fingers freeze. I hear nothing. Everything freezes with me.
Then it bursts from the water. A damp, black, bony hand clasps my wrist and pulls me into the depths.
Water fills my lungs. I scream and kick as hard as I can. The naked monster wraps around me. It holds me at a distance, looking at me while grinning. Panic forces more water down my throat. I desperately try to break free.
Sharp nails slice my chest, and finally, I can breathe freely. I’m still underwater, but I’m getting oxygen as if I were on land. My cut-open chest moves like gills. My eyes widen.
Léthé wasn’t joking about her form. Ink-colored octopus tentacles sway around me and hold me captive.
Her crystal-blue mermaid tail digs into the lake’s depths.
Her gaze is twisted, two coral-colored membranes in place of ears pull her features upward.
Her coffee-brown eyes are swollen like an insect’s. She’s not in her best condition.
Blue bruises mar her bronze skin, her eyes are broken, and her mouth looks dry even though we’re underwater. Maybe she’s only just escaped Darya’s torment.
I want to say something to her, but one of her tentacles wraps around my neck, and when I open my mouth to speak, she tightens her grip. I cough, and small bubbles rise before my face.
“Shut up, bitch, or I’ll tear your heart out!”
I don’t doubt it for a second, but with a choked voice, I speak anyway.
“I can’t even imagine,” I croak, “what Darya would do to you then.”
The grip on my neck tightens.
“What in Diávolo’s fiery hell are you doing here?” she hisses between her teeth, swaying like a snake. I notice, however, how much effort it takes for her to straighten up.
“I want to remember. You offered it once. Of course,” I cough, “you were choking me then too. I suppose it’s a fetish of yours.”
She hisses.
“I know why he likes you,” she sneers, “but you’d better know he’ll never love you back. Darya is incapable of love.”
As best I can, I laugh.
“That’s the difference between us, mermaid,” I croak. “I don’t care about Darya. Unlike you.”
Léthé’s plump lips curl into a mocking smile.
“Oh, of course! Keep lying to yourself! You’d better know, bitch, that the mad always fall in love with their medicine! It won’t be any different with you!”
I relax in her grip because I can read between the lines. She’s talking about my future; she doesn’t want to kill me. Darya would never forgive her for that.
“Are you going to continue to lecture me, or will you finally let go?”
Léthé snarls, but her grip loosens, and she eventually releases me. The octopus arms ripple back behind the mermaid. I try not to show how terrified I am, though my heart pounds in my ears.
I float in Léthé’s water, where the mermaid rules.
If she wanted to hurt me, I’d stand no chance.
She could easily do it. Yet, I stare at her firmly, not allowing my gaze to falter with fear.
I haven’t fainted from Léthé’s true demonic form only because monsters like her have haunted me since childhood.
“What are you waiting for?” she asks, arms spread wide. A poppy-red membrane stretches between her fingers. “Remember!”
Her words make my eyes close, and when I open them again, I see my brother before me.