Magic Void, page 19
part #2 of Oz in Space Series
Kevvan switches his attention to Reo. His eyes are round, and his pupils contract to the max. “You want to shove me into a box?” he growls.
“It’s the only way, Furry Paws.” For once, Reo does sound like he cares.
Kevvan closes his eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply. “Damn it. I hope this last-minute plan works.”
“This might be our last chance. We all know Emerald City’s barrier won’t stand for much longer,” Reo continues.
I want to deny his words, but I know he’s right. The Raven Witch almost breached the barrier once. Now that we aren’t there to stop her, she will most likely succeed.
“Toto …” I switch my gaze to the floor, not wanting Reo to see my tear-filled eyes.
He drops his hand on my shoulder and lightly squeezes it. My body ignites of its own accord despite the sadness swirling in my chest.
“Robots have a keen sense of survival. He’ll be all right, Dorothy.” Reo’s voice is so soft and devoid of snark that I almost don’t believe he spoke. Lifting my gaze, I attest that he’s indeed next to me, watching me, as if he wants to say more but something is holding him back.
I swallow the gloom before it takes me over completely. “You’re right. Toto will be fine. Do you know who won’t be?”
“Who?” He raises an eyebrow.
“Every single Raven Witch minion working in the mines. We’re razing it to the ground.”
27
Kevvan
I’m not sure what’s worse—being confined in a small, dark box or hearing the familiar voice of my torturer as he exchanges words with my companions.
Right before we arrived at the mines, I hid inside one of the wooden crates, and Princess Esmeralda took another. Because of her hair coloring and age, she would draw suspicion.
My heart beats in a staccato rhythm so loud that I fear the overseer will hear it and demand to inspect the box. The few minutes of conversation at the check-in point is enough to push me down a spiraling descent into Panicville. I can’t even take deep breaths, afraid the exhale will give me away. The only thing I can do to abate the fear growing inside of my chest is to curl my hands and dig my sharp claws into the softness of my palms. While I focus on the pain, I’m able to forget everything else—at least partially.
“We weren’t expecting a shipment of equipment until next week,” the overseer says.
“I’m just as surprised to be here as you are with my presence. Yesterday, we were assigned to head to Emerald City, but today, I got the message you saw,” Prince Lennox replies, still posing as a pilot.
There’s a grunt, probably coming from the overseer. “Fine. Take those boxes down to level three.”
Level three? Shit. That’s not where we need to go.
To shut down the mines, we must head all the way to the deepest level, a place only those whose lifespan is about to expire are assigned to. The bulk of the raw blue crystals are down there, and continued exposure to them affects the body and mind of any living creature.
The sound of heavy footsteps fading away tells me the overseer must have left. Soon after, my box is on the move. No one outside is talking, and a quick whiff of their scents tells me why. Fear and apprehension are the overwhelming feelings among my companions.
The distinct ping of the elevator arriving should be inconsequential, but somehow, the noise triggers unpleasant memories that make my heart rate spike up. Uncontrollable shakes run over my body, and suddenly, I can’t draw air in. Without any self-control, I scratch the insides of the box, trying to dig my way out.
“Just a little bit longer, Kevvan,” Dorothy whispers close to one of the box’s holes.
Trapped in my panic, I honestly don’t know what a “bit longer” means. Dorothy and the others are talking in hushed tones now, but I can’t understand what they’re saying. When the top is finally lifted open, I leap out of the box, bumping into Reo and sending him down on his ass. I land in a crouch, taking deep breaths as if I had been denied oxygen for too long.
Dorothy jumps over Reo, who is still sprawled on the concrete floor and glowering at me. She drops onto her knees and touches my face with both her hands.
“Kevvan, talk to me.”
I focus on her worried face, taking in every detail. My heart is still on overdrive, and the urge to flee is almost impossible to control, but the longer I stare at Dorothy’s deep green eyes, the easier it is to breathe. The vise of the panic attack begins to slacken until it is gone.
Reo, who has already jumped back onto his feet, stands next to us and looks down. “Do you think you will be able to function?”
Dorothy whips her face in the cyborg’s direction. “Could you please give Kevvan a minute?”
“We don’t have a minute. We don’t even know where we are or where we need to go.”
“I’m better now.” I look over Dorothy’s shoulder, looking for Princess Esmeralda.
She’s standing next to her brother, picking pieces of lint from her hair and clothes.
“The next time someone has to hide in a box, it won’t be me,” she says.
“You can say that again.” I jump to my feet, and then I stretch my arms to get rid of the kinks while my eyes take in our surroundings.
We are in a large storage room with bare gray walls, and it’s partially filled with metal and wooden crates.
“So, do you know where we are?” Darius asks.
“Yeah. Nowhere near where we have to be.” I glance at the corners of the room, looking for the security cameras.
“Don’t worry, Furry Paws. I took care of them,” Reo says, as if guessing what I was doing.
“We’re on level three, and we need to head down to level eleven,” I say.
“What’s on level eleven?” Princess Esmeralda asks.
“The blue crystals base,” I reply.
“Have you ever been there?” Dorothy intently peers at me.
“No. The mining of raw crystals is usually done by machinery. Continued exposure to them decreases the lifespan of any living creature by half.”
“Are you saying we don’t have to worry about guards down there?” Prince Lennox raises an eyebrow.
I snort. “Of course we do. Do you think the overseer cares about the fate of his own men? Since I haven’t been to level eleven myself, the information I have might not be accurate. But the word on the street is that there are always at least four guards down below, and the shift changes every three hours.”
“Four guards, huh? I like those odds.” Reo rubs his chin while his eyes seem to go out of focus.
I can almost see the gears in his brain working.
“Don’t be fooled by the lack of guards there. All it takes is for one of them to sound the alarm, and we are toast,” I say.
“Besides the guards, are we likely to encounter any workers there?” Dorothy asks.
“Probably. Whenever a slave stops performing well, the overseer sends them there,” I say, and bile pools in my mouth. I’m sure that was where I would have ended up if Colonel Carmine hadn’t shown up to take me away.
“We took the service elevator here, but I noticed it only went as far as level eight,” Dorothy says.
“That’s right. The elevator to the lower levels is on the other side of the mines, near the overseer’s office, and it has tight security around the clock,” I reply.
“Are you saying there’s no other way down?” Darius asks.
“There are probably stairs, but I don’t know where they are and—”
“Let me guess. They are also highly secured,” Reo grumbles.
I nod. “Most likely.”
“So, that’s it? All the trouble to sneak in here and we can’t get to where we need to go?” Princess Esmeralda throws her hands up in the air.
“I never said there wasn’t an alternative way to get down to level eleven,” I say.
Reo looks at the ceiling. “For fuck’s sake. This is like pulling teeth.” He lowers his gaze to level me with an irritated glance. “Just tell us already, Furry Paws.”
“We can take the ventilation shafts. They run all around the mines. The problem is that they’re super tight, and to reach the lower levels, we have to get down ninety-degree chutes.”
“Oh, goodie,” Prince Lennox mutters. “I wish someone had told me that. I would have worn my special pants for acrobatics.”
Darius locks his gaze with mine. “Do you know the way, Kevvan? You said you’d never been to the lower levels.”
I rub the back of my neck. “Not exactly, but as long as we keep going down, we’re going in the right direction.”
“Once we are in the ventilation shafts, I can scan our surroundings and create a map,” Reo says. Then, he focuses on Dorothy. “Besides, I’m sure Witch Slayer here will be able to sense when we are getting closer to the crystals.”
Dorothy drops her gaze to her leather pocket, briefly touching it with her hand. “It’s odd. Usually, when I’m in the vicinity of other crystals, mine become warm. But I haven’t noticed any change.”
“It’s because special metal sheets were used to isolate the upper levels from the crystals base—you know, because of the side effects of crystal exposure,” I say.
Dorothy’s cheeks become a shade pinker, and the effect calls something weird in me—a feeling that’s almost primal.
“Oh, right. It makes sense,” she says.
“Okay, if we are all in agreement, let’s find the entrance to a ventilation shaft,” Reo says, commanding my attention.
He veers to the door and stops for a moment with his hand on the knob. “The hallway is clear. Let’s go.”
One by one, we file out of the storage room. Immediately, the horrifying memories from my time here assault me. Clenching my jaw hard, I fight to keep the memories and the feelings they evoke at bay. Dorothy, perhaps sensing the change in me, moves close to my side and hooks her arm with mine.
“Nothing is going to happen to you. I won’t allow it,” she says.
I close my eyes for one second, and then, when no one is looking our way, I lean down and smell her neck again. She inhales sharply, but the scent that reaches my nose doesn’t have one shred of fear. I smell pheromones of attraction. I quickly pull away, not knowing what to do with that information. It’s one thing for me to act like an idiot, sniffing her like that. But for her to feel any affection for me beyond friendship is almost inconceivable.
“Are we going in the right direction?” Princess Esmeralda asks, pulling me back to the here and now.
I look ahead and then up at the ceiling where exposed pipes crisscross in a maze-like manner. “In another yard, we shall come across a ventilation shaft opening.” I keep my voice low because the sound carries here. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end while cold dread drips down my spine.
I hate this fucking place.
“Is that it?” Dorothy points at the square shaft hanging from the ceiling by metal cables.
Crap. I never noticed that detail about them.
“You have got to be kidding me. There’s no way we can crawl in that thing without people noticing,” Prince Lennox says.
“It’s the only way, so we have to make it work,” Reo replies. “Just don’t make any sudden movements.”
Prince Lennox clutches his chest. “I’m not concerned about me. I’m as nimble as a cat. But you and Kevvan…” He shakes his head.
“You might think you’re as nimble as a cat, but I’m actually one, so shut up,” I say.
Darius chuckles while Dorothy and the princess stare at me, wide-eyed.
“What?” I ask.
“No offense, but we need to get out of this hallway. We might get company any minute now, and the moment they see Furry Paws, we’re fucked,” Reo replies.
I stop under the opening of the shaft, and with a jump, I grab the handle and yank it open as I drop down.
“Kevvan, you should go first. Let’s get you out of sight, pronto.” Reo stops in front of me and offers me his linked hands as a foothold.
I could make the jump, but accepting his assistance means I can enter the shaft without making so much noise. But no matter how slow I move, the entire structure swings, and the metal cables creak noisily. Never mind the loud echo of me banging my elbows on the metal walls.
On my hands and knees, I make slow progress forward. It’s pitch-dark at first, but gradually, my eyes adjust to the gloom. The feeling of claustrophobia returns with a vengeance, and the only thing that is keeping me functioning is the knowledge that my friends are depending on me.
A low grunt and more banging alerts me that someone else has joined me. I peek over my shoulder to find Dorothy right behind me.
“All good there?” I ask.
“Yeah. Wow, this is really tight.”
“It’s not worse than the box I came in.”
“Okay, it would be good if you guys could refrain from speaking,” Reo says from down below. “We can hear everything you say. And start moving.”
I shake my head but do as he said. Progress is sluggish and rocky. But once we move away from the entrance, the shaft stops moving. Maybe the metal cables were only used in that section. Let’s hope so.
After a minute, I stop to whisper, “Did Reo scan the area?”
“Yes. In another two yards or so, you are going to come up to the first drop.”
I keep on moving until I see the hole getting closer. Once I stop at the edge, my throat constricts. It’s completely dark down there, and I’m hesitant to go in. But since I’m ahead of the line and there’s no way anyone can crawl in front of me, I must go down first.
“What is it, Kevvan?” Dorothy asks.
“Nothing.”
I sit down at the edge, extending my legs until my feet touch the opposite side. Then, it’s a matter of getting my body into the hole and using my back and legs to get down.
The descent takes at least ten minutes before I land on a lower-level shaft. Sweat has covered my forehead, back, and hands. My heart is hammering inside of my chest, ready to take flight. I move from under the opening, but I don’t go far. My muscles are beginning to lock down as panic sets in.
“Kevvan?” Dorothy’s voice breaches through the terror haze that rendered me blind to my surroundings for a moment.
“Yeah?” I whisper, out of breath.
The metallic noise of her approach makes me wince involuntarily. I flatten my back against the wall and bend my knees, hugging them. She touches my arm, and I flinch.
“Kevvan, it’s me, Dorothy.” She applies pressure to my arm with her fingers.
In the back of my head, I know it’s her, and I have nothing to fear. But it’s hard to act logically when terror has me paralyzed like this.
“What’s going on with Furry Paws?” Reo asks.
“He’s struggling,” she replies.
She switches position, bringing her body flush to my side. Her arm wraps around my chest, and she lowers her face against my neck. My back stiffens, and only by biting my tongue do I remain in place. Dorothy brings her face close to my neck and kisses me right below my ear.
A growl unfurls from my throat, raw and primal. It’s not a sound stemmed from fear. It’s the rising of a feral instinct, the mating sign. It’s powerful enough to penetrate the panic bubble, to rescue me from the depths of despair.
“Dorothy, move away from him. He might lash out,” Darius says.
I hug Dorothy in a protective manner and peel my lips back. “I’m not going to hurt Dorothy.”
“All right, folks. It seems Kevvan is back in the game,” Reo says. “Let’s keep going.”
“Kevvan?” Dorothy whispers my name. “Are you okay to continue?”
Our faces are only inches apart. My instinct is urging me to claim Dorothy as mine, but reason holds me back. She’s not a hellioncat. She won’t respond to any mating bond. She’s human, and her heart is already split in two.
I release her from the tight hold. “Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks for helping me.”
“Always.”
She slides away, and a part of me feels bereft.
It is what it is, Kevvan. She doesn’t belong to you.
We continue our journey in the confined space. We soon come to another shaft going down. This time, the descent seems to go on forever. It must take at least half an hour to finally see the end of the tunnel, which is bathed in blue light pouring through the cracks of the closed hatch.
This is it. Level eleven.
“I can sense the crystals,” Dorothy says. “Oh my stars, they are so strong.”
“Raw crystals usually are,” I say.
With care, I open the hatch, and immediately, the blue glare of the crystals infiltrates our dark confine. The brightness hurts my eyes, and I can’t even keep them open.
Damn it. I didn’t even think about this problem.
“Shit. We’re going to need protective glasses, aren’t we?” Dorothy says.
“Too late for that. Just don’t look directly at the crystals,” Reo replies.
I jump out of the shaft, landing on soft feet on rocky ground. The moment I take a whiff of the underground air, I know something is wrong. I whirl on the spot, raising both arms and peeling my lips back.
There’s no time to shout at the others to stay back.
“Ah, the prodigal son returns,” the overseer sneers.
Behind him, several guards are pointing their weapons at me.
He knew all along that I was in that box.
Motherfucker.
28
Lennox
A trap. And we walked right into it.
There’s no time to warn the others before they jump out of the shaft. The overseer of the mines—a bull-man creature taller than Kevvan—is surrounded by soldiers, armed not only with special gloves, but also with glowing batons and blasters.
Not even a yard to our right, big pieces of blue crystal, almost the size of an elephant, pulsate with energy.
Damn it. We were so close.
Behind me, Reo lets out a curse, but that’s the only sound from the group. I trade a glance with Darius and then drop my eyes to his hands. Little tendrils of magic are beginning to escape from his fingers. I shake my head.
