Page 29 of Beyond the Darkness

“This way,” Azazel called out as he headed closer to one of the mountains. She felt small the closer they became. The mountains were taller than she had pictured, it made her feel like she was nothing in existence to the world around her. She stayed silent, walking near Everett as the group followed Azazel who led them. She could see an opening at the bottom of the mountain that led into complete darkness before them.

The cave stood like an open mouth ready to swallow them all whole. There were no signs of hounds or any other life form for that matter. Even then, the cave still called out danger in a way she couldn’t quite explain. It felt as if her very being was screaming at her to turn the other way and never look back. The guards began to head in first the moment the request rolled off of Azazel’s tongue. She was timid. Usually, Aerilyn felt brave and was able to put on a mask that showed no fear. But something about the place was too terrible for her to explain. She glanced at Everett who had been silently studying her, his eyes locking withhers. “Do you feel that too?” He murmured, keeping his voice low so that the others didn’t listen in on their conversation. “It feels like the universe is telling us to get the fuck out of here,” she kept her voice quiet, agreeing with Everett.

“You coming?” Azazel called out to them not too much further ahead. She debated telling him no, she debated walking in the complete opposite direction, but she knew that wasn’t an option here. She still refused to show any weakness around Azazel. If he knew she was weak, he’d take advantage of that like every other royal prick of a man would. “Right behind you, bastard,” she flashed him a smile that even included teeth. It was terribly forced, but she knew he would understand from the sarcasm laced in her tone. She grabbed onto Everett’s hand, squeezing it tightly before she walked at his side into the cave.

The moment they entered the dark space, the temperature dropped drastically. Her body had been warm from the beating sun but was now covered in goosebumps as a shiver ran down her spine. The guards ahead of them were busy lighting torches to bring some light into the darkness so that they knew their way. Her bones still hummed against the energy in the air, whispering for her to go back. She tried to ignore her body’s attempts to convince her that she was afraid and continued deeper into the darkness.

The air became heavier the deeper they ventured into the unknown space. Her eyes didn’t stop moving, trying to examine her surroundings. She didn’t like the feeling that ran down her spine, the chilling voices calling out to her. She hadn’t even felt that form of fear when facing a hound. Something wasn’t right and she knew it. Even some of the guards walked timidly, most of them having their hand on their hip right beside their swords. The silence of their surroundings was enough to make anyone feel uncomfortable. The only sound was their soft stepsmixed with the heavy breaths that escaped them as fear traveled through the group.

Azazel moved to the front of the group, nudging a guard who held a torch to move quicker beside him. The rush in his pace was enough to tell Aerilyn that he also didn’t feel very comfortable in the space. His demeanor never showed much emotion, but something about his body language was different than usual. The sight of it made her debate turning back, but they’d already traveled deep into the cave. If she turned back, she would be walking out on her own. The others would easily laugh at her for being so weak.

Instead, she squeezed Everett’s hand before walking past him towards Azazel. Her pace quickened until she stood by his side. She clenched her fists at her sides, drawing whatever confidence she had left within her. “What the hell are we doing? There’s nothing here,” she looked sideways at the man who didn’t even look at her.

“It’s here. I can feel it.”

“How can you be so sure?”

“I just know. Don’t question me,” he snapped, his tone becoming harsh with frustration. She wanted to trust him, but something in his voice seemed to lack the confidence from before. She let out a heavy sigh, rolling her eyes. This finally got his attention. He glanced at her, raising a brow in challenge. “You can always turn back and wait outside while the rest of us do something useful. Aren’t you the one who’s supposed to be finding this sword?” The challenge in his tone made her debate shoving her dagger into his ribs.

“You’re such an ass,” she mumbled under her breath which only made him let out a soft laugh. The silence between all of them fell once more and she slowed her pace to get back to Everett. He didn’t say a word, only moving closer to her side. The entire situation was too eerie for her to process. She wanted toprotest the entire thing but continued her walk deeper into the cave.

It wasn’t long before people began to slow their pace. It was obvious that exhaustion was beginning to weigh on all of them. That was her initial assumption before she saw Azazel’s hand lift, making them all stop. Her eyes tried to adjust to what was ahead, unsure of what she was looking at. There was a dark pit before them. A few more steps and they would’ve all fallen into it.

The entire group was frozen in place as they saw what lay ahead. There were hundreds of hounds below them. The massive pit was full of vile creatures. Many of them were sleeping, but several awoke at the sound of them. The heads of the creatures began to lift, their attention locked directly on them. Before any of them could breathe, the cave came to life along with each slumbering hound. All of the creatures heading straight for them.

Chapter Forty One

Aerilyn

The hounds all stood, some even taking off with their large wings spreading behind them. When Aerilyn turned to run, she froze as a glimmering light appeared before them. The hounds didn’t move then. It was like they were frozen for a moment. Her entire body screamed for her to turn and get the hell away from whatever was about to happen, but she couldn’t as she watched a figure step out of the light.

The woman who stood before them had jet-black hair that hung around her waist and curled at the end. It contrasted heavily with her pale skin and pink lips. She was beautiful in every aspect. She looked like a painting that had been perfected with hours of brush strokes. Nothing about her seemed real. From her looks to her flowing red gown that pooled around herfeet. The only thing that bothered Aerilyn was the expression that consumed the woman’s face. She looked out of place in the darkness of the cave, but she also seemed to suck the life out of everything around her.

No one in the group moved. The woman’s lips curled into a smirk at their sudden silence. Aerilyn felt an odd coolness run down her spine, leading to her skin breaking out in small bumps. It felt as if death had passed through her if that were even possible. She noticed Azazel in her peripheral vision, his entire body frozen. He was just as surprised as the rest of them. She could hear the howls from the hounds that weren’t too far behind them, but the woman was blocking their only escape.

“Well well… What do we have here? I haven’t seen so many faces here in far too long,” the woman’s icy voice filled the space. Her tone was laced with an emotion that Aerilyn couldn’t quite explain. Her voice was like a melody that could command a room full of people. “I didn’t expect to ever see either of you” she lifted one of her thin fingers, gesturing to both Azazel and Everett. “The prince and the king of enemy kingdoms both together. How strange,” she licked at her lips. The two men stood on either side of Aerilyn, but she could feel them both tense at the words.

“Who the hell are you?” Azazel’s cold voice cut through the group.

“I’m sure you’re questioning how I know you, but you have no clue who I am,” she examined her nails as if she were already growing bored of the conversation. Aerilyn wanted to step in, but she was unsure of what to say. This stranger radiated a form of evil that she could feel deep within her bones. It was the same feeling that had overcome her when they’d arrived at the cave. The universe seemed to scream to her that something was wrong.

“Then why don’t we cut to the introductions and not play games,” Azazel tilted his head, his gaze moving up and down the length of the woman. She was unphased by the primal glare, hardly bothered by any of their presence. Even with all of their weapons. She didn’t seem to portray any fear. “Oh, but games are so fun. I truly do enjoy the company,” she pouted her lips before taking a step closer to them.

“Mortianna, Queen of Escadia,” she gestured to herself, letting out a beautiful laugh as the confusion flashed across all of their features. “Escadia isn’t on your maps, it isn’t even within this realm,” she provided little explanation. At her closeness, Azazel’s hand moved to his sword that rested on his hip. She seemed to notice the movement and almost looked offended. “I tell you that I’m a queen and you decide to go for your weapon? How unfortunate. I was hoping we could be friends,” she directed her statement to Azazel, tempting to take a step closer to him.

The cave only seemed to grow darker as she held her palms out at her sides, wiggling her fingertips. The black fog began to roll from her palms, slowly filling the space around them. Everett took a step closer to Aerilyn, his shoulder directly in front of her as if to put himself between her and the queen. Azazel drew his sword then, holding it before him. This caused the queen to finally take a step back, her eyes flaring with an anger that hadn’t been there previously.

“How dare you!” She snapped, and the fog rolled out of her hands much faster. “Just get out of our way. I don’t want to harm you, but I will to protect my people,” Azazel’s voice matched her anger, his eyes narrowing at the woman. “You were all dead the moment you entered this cave. There’s no coming back from what you’ve done. You’ve awoken all of them. You summoned me and that is quite a problem,” she looked directly at Aerilyn with a smirk on her face. “You brought her here. That is whatsealed all of your fates,” she made eye contact with Aerilyn. Her stomach began to do flips, suddenly feeling weak under the queen’s gaze.

“What does she have to do with anything?” Everett spoke up, drawing his own weapon as he attempted to protect Aerilyn. “She is the key to everything. A key that I cannot let wander this realm and ruin everything,” the queen replied. Aerilyn wanted to understand what any of this meant, but her mind was drawing blanks. There was no explanation for any of this. She’d never seen the queen before, nor did she have a single idea what the woman was referring to.

“You look so confused my dear… They never told you. How ironic. I’m glad they kept you so sheltered,” Mortianna laughed, the sound much more cruel than before. “Who are you referring to?” Aerilyn pushed past Everett, keeping her chin lifted as she approached the woman. It seemed that she wasn’t going to simply let them go, but Aerilyn had an idea running through her mind that might be enough to get her companions out of the cave.

“The thieves who raised you,” the queen lowered her voice, the conversation becoming more directed towards Aerilyn instead of being announced to the entire group. “They stole you away from where you belonged, making my life much more difficult. I didn’t realize you were still alive. I can sense the power that courses through your veins. I know exactly who you are, child. I can provide you with every detail, but you must return with me to Escadia. I will let all of your friends go if you just come willingly,” she put the offer on the table and Aerilyn truly did debate it. She only cared about getting everyone else out safely.

The black fog now filled the entire cave, obstructing most of her view. She turned to look at Azazel over her shoulder, giving him a look she hoped he’d understand. “You promiseto let them go?” Aerilyn whispered, finally meeting the queen’s eyes once more. “You have my word” she nodded her head once.

With those words, Aerilyn finally let the power that she had been building release into the cave. The bright light was blinding, but the heat that she allowed to scorch the women before her was much more terrifying. Her mind went back to the night when she’d killed her attackers with the power. That time had been an accident that she hadn’t had control over. This time, there was full intent behind the fiery heat that blasted the queen.

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