Chapter 38 #2
The single stair entrance into the chamber led to Gods know where.
I came in here with a bag on my head. Above is the town square.
I begin to lower the vice all of the way down and shakily climb atop the flat metal top.
Seeing the length of the spikes that now rest atop the stone slab puts into perspective how painful the death would have been.
My bare feet immediately burn and I jump down, blisters forming on the pads of my feet.
Cess metal. It has always hurt but they’ve altered it. Imbued it differently.
They’re smart, I’ll give them that. The gravel digs into my bare back and my gaze wanders over to the smaller guard whose throat emptied all over his uniform.
Sighing, I unlace his boots and slip them on, wincing at the roughness of the soles.
I take the coat from the other guard as it’s less blood-soaked.
Quickly, I climb atop the metal again and look up through the cavern that forms into a circular well. The ascent will be long, but it’s not very wide and I know I can scale this.
I have to scale this.
I will scale this.
Putting the baton in between my teeth, I slide my hands along the slick stone to find some grip.
If I can just use upper body strength to hoist myself inside the tube, I will be able to use both upper and lower body to climb up.
Finally finding a stone, I dig my nails in and pull my body up.
A foot and a half up, my legs press into the other side of the well.
Feeding charged me, so I stop to take a breath halfway up before attempting to reach Cedric again.
For the first time in weeks, the faint humming beat is there and I can visualize our delicate connection. We’re too far away.
“Come on,” I whisper to Cedric.
The bond tightens and he responds. Liv?
I gasp and almost slip, a few pebbles falling beneath me onto the metal below. Readjusting, I climb a few more inches where I can rest against a larger stone. I don’t have much time. A few coins fall past my shoulders and I pull on the bond again.
Cedric, are you there?
Liv, where are you?
The connection is shaky and distant.
I–I–I don’t know. Sawyer helped them capture me. Roland is here. Please find me.
The bond feels like fire now and I am nearly in tears. I knew he would be there.
Garreth is getting a cess to locate you. What are your surroundings? Are you hurt? Stay with me.
I’m in a well, I think. There’s a town above me. They toss coins down here to a goddess, Sylvine, and I think they have an accent.
The bond goes silent, but I know he’s there.
Don’t move. They’ve almost found you. I will never let you go again, Liv. I vow this to you.
My feet are slipping and my whole body is on fire. I need to move but this connection is my only chance… No, I can be my chance at survival. My fingers ache so I push up another stone, the light of the day refreshing upon my skin. Voices sound beneath me and I hold my breath.
They’re here, Cedric!
Abandoning the flighty connection because I cannot balance both tasks, I begin to climb, panic lacing as I hear more bodies fill the room.
“She couldn’t have left through that door! We had men out there with the carriage!” a guard bellows. Gravel crunches beneath more pairs of boots. I am a quarter of the way up.
“She’s in the well!” the Carver screams, his boots hitting the metal plate. I look down to see his feral face pull into a smile as he grabs the sides of the well.
“Hello pretty bird, trying to fly?”
“Fuck you.”
He smiles wider and begins to hoist himself up.
My feet slip as I pull and scrape my body up. The pads of my fingers are red and raw, blood staining every rock I touch. A stone loosens beneath the boots two sizes too big and I push it down, narrowly missing the Carver in his pursuit.
Cedric pulls on the bond, my temple throbbing. We’re coming, Liv. Run for your life. Fight for your life. I will find you. Do you hear me? I. Will. Find. You.
My hand grasps the edge of the well and I scramble my feet up the sides, the Carver only a few feet beneath me.
The sun hits my face even more directly now with no time to enjoy it.
He’s right beneath me. I wrap my arms around the sides of the well and kick my feet to push further out.
One final scream leaves my body as I throw myself outside of the tube, landing roughly onto the gravel below.
My eyes immediately flare white as I adjust to the brightness outside when a little voice says, “Sylvine?”
Blinking into focus, I see a little boy, not past the age of five, tugging on his mother’s dress.
They’re dressed in simple fabrics, the mother holding a basket of plants.
Her face goes white and she immediately drops her head into a bow.
The rest of the citizens in the square follow suit, all standing still in the most reverent bend.
They think I am the goddess, finally emerging to grant their prayers. The goddess whose body is barely covered by the coat of the dead guard.
Is this what they were expecting of their patroness?
It is then that the smell of humans fills the air, intoxicatingly tempting, but I can’t think past the thought of survival. My desire for blood has already claimed two lives today.
“Momma, she’s back!” the little boy screams.
It takes longer than I have, but I stand up on my wobbly legs, breathing slowly and determining my next move.
“Please, where are we?” I beg, sounding completely un-goddesslike. My voice grates, dry from my grating screams. The mother lifts her face and smiles motioning to the simple village behind her, beaming with the same sense of pride I have felt in a home before.
“You are in Adrian, beloved Sylvine.”
Feet hit the gravel behind me. And I wonder why he waited so long. The town center is surrounded by tall mountains capped in snow. The Rhydian Range.
Sylvine.
Sylvine is the goddess of nature and fertility. We’re in the Rhydian Range.
My senses heighten and I dash to the right, running for an arched opening between two buildings. The buildings here are pale colors of green, yellow, pink and blue. Their windows are shuttered and the sills are decorated with the most elaborate blooms.
I see elys and my heart lurches.
The Carver is gaining behind me as I turn a corner into the back alley of homes and shops, jumping over felled rocks and narrowly avoiding an elderly woman emptying a bin of compost onto the side of the mountain we are under.
“This little birdy can run!” the Carver bellows from behind me, his footsteps rough and erratic.
Townspeople, though scant, spread out as he barrels through them.
My feet trip over themselves in the boots, but I push from my knees to skirt around another corner.
I’m scanning to my right to find another opening but there is none.
My power tingles beneath my skin, beckoning to be released. I just don’t know how while running at full speed. Must’ve missed that lesson. The last time I released my power was at the outpost, which feels like years ago.
And that was just flame. The flame that almost burned out my lifeforce.
Quickly, I skid to a stop and throw my hands in front of me. A few sparks fly out, one striking a tree and setting it on fire. The Carver twists, missing the pathetic shot from my left hand. We both pause in disbelief.
That’s right, jackass. I have powers.
Throwing my hands out again, I will any and all of that energy within myself at him. To my surprise, I manage to strike him. The silver burst whips into his shoulder like a lasso so I yank my arms down, throwing him into the side of a building. Bricks crumble onto his body and he doesn’t move.
My raw magic came out to play.
Nothing moves in the pile. Surely it couldn’t have been that easy. A part of me wants to verify, but the will to survive surpasses my curiosity. He’s definitely not dead, no, a creature like that would go down with a fight.
So, I run.
A smaller alley big enough for a body or two opens on the left and I quickly pace down it. The townspeople are yelling in the square and I see people running by holding onto their bags and children.
I must not have noticed it, but a door in the right wall flies open, blocking the alley completely.
It’s tall and narrow, specifically built for this space.
I look over my shoulder and don’t see or hear my assailant, but that doesn’t mean I’m inclined to turn around.
Cautiously, I take two more steps forward towards the doorway.
A hand flies out, waving frantically and motioning inside. Pausing, I check over my shoulder once more. As far as options go, I have none. The doorframe is a foot above the ground with no step and the inside is completely blacked out. I take a step into the space, the door slamming behind me.
A trap.
I turn to open the door again but I’m met with a floral wallpaper. I feel around and it’s as if the door simply disappeared. No seam indicating a hidden one.
“It’s spelled, if you’re wondering.”
Whipping around, I see that the room is no longer a black void but rather a simple kitchen adorned with delicate arrangements and a small wooden table. Lace doilies adorn the counters and a few dishes are in the basin. In front of me is a woman who I could never forget.
A face full of safety, warmth and love.
“Ma?” I choke.
The woman stands up and crosses the small space, taking me into her arms. “Elivienne, my Gods where have you been?”
I pull back, inspecting her the same way she is inspecting me. Concern crosses her features. “I don’t know where to start.” I smile, a tear escaping down my face. Exhaustion and anxiety hit me again but my adrenaline is keeping me awake.
She’s alive. But how?