Angelica scowled and pinched Kayne’s arm before turning to Mia with a smile. “We’ll join you guys.”

  “But it’s dangerous, Angie. I don’t know what will happen. And I—”

  “We’re friends, Mia. Friends follow you through all dangers.”

  The door cracked open, letting narrow shards of light into the room. A soft shuffle of footsteps approached the large dark mahogany desk beside the curtained window. As the curtains fluttered in the wind, moonlight slipped through and landed on the triangular silver nameplate on the desk. In black gothic lettering, it read ‘HUBERT SEVERO’. Right beside the nameplate laid a ghastly white card. There was no name or portrait photograph. Only ‘ASPHODELUS’ in a flawless mechanical font was printed on the card. But there was no doubt that the card belonged to Professor Severo. Mia swiveled to scan the room and she exhaled a sigh of relief when there was no one else, beside the four of them, in the office. They had chosen Professor Severo’s office as it was the nearest; being only on the fifth floor unlike the other professors’ office which were much higher. Probably so they wouldn’t have to climb many stairs when returning to their dormitory at the tenth floor.

  Four pairs of eyes gleamed in the darkness—emerald, glacial blue, amber and pale gray. All four of them nodded their heads simultaneously. Then, they spread out and groped their way around the room. Rummaging through anything they could get their hands on: the cabinet of books that lined the wall, the high back leather sofa at the corner, the sleek black coffee table that blended with the darkness.

  Mia had ransacked the desk. But aside from the nameplate and card, the desk was merely piled with stacks of papers. The documents had tumbled into one another while others had flown to the ground in the midst of her search. Frustrated, she moved on to the drawers. She pulled them open one by one as her hands explored the contents. Yet, the exploration only led to more files of documents. And she banged the drawers closed again. Just then, a muted thud rang in her ears. Distinctly softer than the usual squeaks of the drawers. With her ear pressed towards the desk, Mia drew open the drawer. Slowly each time until she heard the muted thud. When the thud sounded again, her hands dove into the second drawer. Her fingers grazed the smooth reddish-brown wood, only coming to a rest at the tiny indentation in the very back corner. She pressed the hidden spring and a secret compartment sprang open. Exposing the cotton drawstring pouch that shone cream white in the shadows. A smile hovered on her lips as she took it out and pulled the cords. Gray-white powder swirled inside.

  Four heads peeked out from behind the marble pillar. Mia looked up at Angelica, who in turn looked up at Kayne, who subsequently looked up at Colt. Colt, however, stared ahead and the three of them followed his gaze. The backs of two guards armored in black leather came into view as they stood motionlessly in absolute silence at the bottom of the spiral staircase. Colt tapped on Kayne and the rest of them looked up at him. He gestured with his hands, pointing at Kayne and himself then at the guards before his fingers splayed out and the palm faced Mia and Angelica. All of them gave him a silent nod, completely understanding what he meant to say. With his knees bent low to the ground, Colt hunched as he approached the guard on the right. Kayne followed closely behind, sneaking up on the other guard. They descended the stairs with noiseless stealthy steps while the guards stood stationary, still focused on watching the empty lobby. But just when they were three steps away from the armored men, the latter pivoted.

  Surprise flitted across their faces before the guard on the right swung his huge black scythe. And Colt, with his lightning-fast reflexes, dodged the blade by a hair’s breadth when he swiftly sidestepped to the side. His hand shot out and struck the guard’s neck. Too fast for the eyes to follow. But strong enough for the guard to collapse on the ground with a yelp. The other guard, who barely registered Colt’s attack, stood paralyzed with his mouth agape. And then he fell with a thud beside his fallen comrade. Kayne stood behind with a victorious smirk as he dusted his hands. Angelica rolled her eyes at him, shooting him an it-wasn’t-you-it-was-all-Colt’s-credit look. But Kayne shrugged anyway and beckoned them to come over. After glancing left and right, Mia and Angelica stepped out from the shadows of the pillar and approached the two bodies crumpled at the bottom of the stairs.

  Colt and Kayne knelt on the ground as their hands dug into the pockets of the guards’ pants. When Mia trotted to the guard near Colt, she kicked the scythe away and it skittered across the marble floor. She then stooped down and frisked his chest pockets. But they were empty and held no trace of what they were searching for. She looked over at Angelica who was examining the chest pockets of the other guard. However, the flicker of hope was dashed when Angelica shook her head. No, it couldn’t be. They were just one step away from—

  “Here, I found it!” Colt raised his hand, his fingers clutching a card that burned with a vermilion blaze.

  XIII

  FORBIDDEN AREA

  Traveling to the Gates had been a breeze. The cemetery was enveloped in utter silence as an eerie calm pressed down on them. Bleak and desolate, there was no need for them to check the surroundings. But still, they did. They weren’t able to shake off the nagging feeling that someone might have stirred from his sleep due to the commotion they’d caused. Or that the guards might have woken up and have called for reinforcements. Colt, had walked ahead of them, keeping a lookout for anyone in the vicinity. The whole journey had been silent, except for the rustling of tall grass in the night breeze as he led the way to the lone tombstone in the clearing. Mia quickly scattered the powder which glimmered like pixie dust under the moonlight. They plunged into the tombstone and within minutes, arrived at the cemetery near the Gates. Their jackets fluttered in the gust of wind that blew into the lobby. All of them, except Mia, were dressed for the occasion: shirt, pants and jacket that kept them warm and comfortable. Best of all, designed for easy movement. Even Colt had worn his hooded black leather jacket. He had one hand on each hilt of the two black scythes at the belt around his waist, secured by leather loops.

  They crouched low to the ground and pressed tightly against the wall as they made their way to the forbidden area. Ducking every few minutes to hide under the watchful gaze of the guards that were changing shifts. A sigh of relief escaped Mia’s lips when a long sinuous tunnel that stretched into darkness greeted them. For a brief moment, relief flowed through her taut body and her shoulders relaxed before she stiffened with tension again. They entered the tunnel, one by one, with Colt at the front to guide the way. They groped their way through the pitch-black interior with one hand on the wall and one hand on the shoulder of the person ahead of them. Fifteen minutes crawled by in silence as the tunnel stretched on and on.

  A shrill shriek pierced the air. And Mia jumped, turning around to Angelica. Her stomach knotted with anxiety and worry as her gaze swept Angelica from head to toe before looking around for any suspicious person or object near her. “Calm down, Angie. What’s wrong?”

  “T-There’s something on my head.” Her amber eyes quivered as she looked up.

  Kayne, who stood behind Angelica, lifted his hand from her shoulder and brushed the crown of her head. The stroking of his fingers paused. With narrowed eyes, he pulled back his hand and examined the fingertips. Then, an amused chuckle bubbled up his throat. “It’s just water.”

  And the sound of water dripping rang in their ears. Its regular drumbeat-like rhythm was like the ticks of a clock that marked the countdown to their arrival at the mysterious place, hidden in shadows, at the end of the winding tunnel. The noise of a single droplet of water hitting a small puddle beside Angelica bounced off the walls and echoed faintly back to them.

  Angelica exhaled a long deep breath and slumped against the tunnel wall. “Oh sorry guys.”

  A small smile hovered on Mia’s lips as she patted Angelica on the shoulder. After a minute, they resumed their journey. Walking deeper into the cold dark tunnel. Where the hollow echoes of their footsteps were thrown back at them. Seeing nothing, only feeling the jagged uneven walls. Engulfed in streaks of black, their sense of touch heightened. And Mia could feel the rough edges of the rock that jutted out, a stark contrast to the smooth concrete walls of the castle. A rushing passage of air roared in her ears. Strung together in an unearthly melody. Towering rock walls hemmed her in on both sides, high and relentless. The tunnel grew narrower and the ceiling grew lower as they moved forward. Closing in on them like an iron trap. Ready to pounce and devour them at any minute.

  As they rounded a curve, dim light filtered through a thick veil of white mist that loomed in their path. Colt stopped in his tracks and pulled out the card. A sizzling flame burst forth from the card in his hand, twisting into ribbons of scarlet blaze that ripped the mist apart. A gaping hole opened up in the center with swirling colors of red, black and white. Sweltering steam billowed out from it in surging waves that smashed against them.

  With his mouth set into a rather grim line, Colt passed through the gap and waved Mia over urgently. She followed his lead and strode through the opening that was big enough to only allow one person to pass through at any time. As she waited for Angelica and Kayne to cross over to them, blistering heat fanned her face and beads of perspiration trickled down the nape of her neck. She wiped the rivulets of perspiration that streamed down from her temples to her flushed cheeks. Unable to withstand the rapid rise in temperature, Mia took off the cardigan and tied it around her waist instead. Shuffling footsteps neared her and when she looked up, the mist had reformed itself. Back into the white haze of fog. Angelica and Kayne stood still beside her, observing the mist as if it was an alien object.

  They were now past the point of no return. All that was left for them was to trudge ahead—to the uncharted territory that laid at the end of this tunnel.

  Great chandeliers of immense stalactites hung pendant from the roof above like icicles while long spikes of stalagmites rose like blunt knives from the floor. The marvelous rock formations were scattered randomly in the tunnel at various corners: lining the walls as well as growing in the middle of their path. Though the mineral deposits weren’t uniform and were of varying size and shape, they mimicked scores of canine teeth that had been pushed out of alignment. Their pointed sharp tips, eager to pierce them, gleamed in the dim light.

  Colt nimbly evaded each of them—crouching from the hundreds of delicate straw stalactites suspended in fluted curtains and sidestepping the clusters of large stalagmites that rose from broad sheeted masses and then, tapered into single sharp folds. Completely avoiding the pillars where stalactites and stalagmites met and joined. And only stepping on areas devoid of stalactites overhead reaching for stalagmites growing below them.

  Mia followed the path he had opened for them. Her emerald eyes darting up and down, left and right as she looked out for any impending icicle-shaped formation that headed her way. After a few minutes of skillfully dodging every stalactite and stalagmite that came her way, a small smile slid across her face and confidence swelled inside her. To the point where complacency seeped in. And she gasped when her foot tripped over an infant stalagmite hidden in the shadows. As she stumbled forward, a hand shot out and grasped her wrist. Helping her regain her balance until she found a footing in the solid ground.

  “Be careful.” Colt’s voice rang crystal clear in the silence—sharp as a dagger and yet, soft as velvet.

  “T-Thanks.” Mia clung onto him as they meandered their way through the stalactites and stalagmites.

  Footsteps reverberated behind her and a glance to the back revealed that Angelica and Kayne were also caught in the same predicament as them. Kayne, however, offered his hand for a few seconds before pulling it back just as Angelica reached for it. Deliberately teasing her as he oscillated between a gentleman and a playful boy. Causing Angelica to slap him hard on his back.

  Mia turned, refocusing her gaze on Colt who had plodded ahead. His hand remained clasped on her wrist while his broad back faced her. He turned every now and then. His eyes gentle, his grip tender as he watched her and uttered words of caution every once in a while when a stalactite or stalagmite protruded from the ceiling or floor at a lethal angle. Despite the warmth in his actions, Mia felt a twinge of jealousy—of the interaction between Angelica and Kayne, of the jokes and pranks they played on each other. This closeness. This intimacy. It was missing in her interaction with Colt.

  Emerald eyes stared at his retreating figure. At the invisible wall between them. A wall that could only be shattered by familiarity. A tight bond built on shared experiences. One day, they would close that immense distance between them.

  XIV

  THE BOOK OF DEATH

  After a few bends and turns, the tunnel opened to a large circular chamber. And they were enclosed by rusty red basalt walls of dark hardened lava. Light flickered against the walls from crimson flames that blazed in the air. They drifted and danced in mid-air like fire torches but without the holder. No matter how strong the gust of wind was, the bursts of fire didn’t abate. Instead, they burned even more ferociously than before. These flames flanked the numerous archways scattered around the chamber. Cutting into the walls at intervals of a dozen yards apart, in every direction and angle. All of them looked the same—framed by cooled lava walls with no sign above them to indicate where they led to. Shooting a glance behind her, Mia couldn’t tell which passageway they had come from. The twisting passageways stretched away into gloom as they connected the chamber to undiscovered places. She swiveled back to the flames that had lined a red-hot bubbling lava pool. It spewed forth a stream of lava that ran the length of the chamber from one end to another end, cutting the chamber into two. An elevated rock platform was situated at one end. Atop stood a fiery throne with legs of blazing fire. Even the cushion and high back were devoured by a ravenous inferno. Tongues of crimson flame flared up in all directions, making it impossible for anyone to sit on the throne.

  The four of them warily approached the steady boiling stream where large bubbles rose—red and orange—and upon bursting, emitted clouds of dense white smoke. The heated surface was in violent agitation, as if to deter them from advancing further. Mia stopped a few steps away and peered at the stream. Her honey brown hair, now damp, plastered to her sweaty forehead as the temperature climbed up to a new high—of lava hot degree. And her nightgown hugged every curve of her petite body, clinging to her like a layer of skin.

  “We’re in a lava tube.” Kneeling beside the lava stream, Kayne stated matter-of-factly. “And it seems like it’s still active. Which is kind of weird, considering that we just walked through a tunnel where the rocks have cooled and hardened—an extinct lava tube. Hmm…” As he rubbed his chin in deep thought, a flame sputtered weakly beside him. He jerked back with wide eyes like a startled rabbit and stayed frozen to the ground. His breathing accelerated and his hands trembled slightly before he quickly stood up. “We should go.”

  “This way.” Colt took a few steps back, ran and catapulted over the stream to the other side.

  Kayne leaped too. Landing beside Colt with a loud stomp. Mia and Angelica, however, strolled along the stream and headed to the narrow section. Kayne watched them with folded arms while Colt cast a sweeping gaze across the numerous archways ahead.

  An image of burnt skin slithered into Mia’s mind. Of the grotesque patches on Kayne’s arms. And the way color leached from his face a moment ago. The way fear had gripped him. It was evident that fire was his nemesis. She turned to Angelica, her voice falling into a whisper. “Angie, is Kayne, did he…” Her sentence trailed off as she glanced at the flames hovering in the air.

  Angelica followed her gaze to the flames. Hesitation flickered in her eyes before she broke the silence. “Yes, h-he committed suicide.” Mia sucked in a deep breath, shocked by her words. “He had lit the house on fire when no one else was inside, except himself. Crushed by stress. Family pressure to follow in his elder brothers’ footsteps. To attend Oxford and Harvard.”

  “He’s so smart. How—”

  “Yes, he’s top in his school. But he’s not smart enough to be on par with them. So he was forced to study every day. Deprived of time to rest or play.”

  “And time for fun.” Mia’s last word lingered heavily in the air. Sympathy washed over her as she glanced at Kayne. Tired of living life like this, he had made the choice to end it at the young age of nineteen. A victim of expectations.

  Mia let out a groan and rubbed her forehead as she knocked into Angelica who had come to a halt in front of the stream. The stream here gurgled pleasantly, narrow enough to step across. They crossed it in one stride and headed to where Colt and Kayne stood.

  “Don’t move!”

  Mia snapped her head back. Across the stream were two guards who brandished their scythe in a threatening stance. Long strands of her honey brown hair fluttered in rhythm with the sudden gust of wind, just as hurried footsteps sped past her. Colt. He dashed towards them with blinding speed and swiped his vicious-looking scythes at them. Engaged in a fierce battle, their weapons clang sonorously against one another. Colt blocked the incoming assaults that came at him from all angles and directions as he swung his scythes vigorously. Easily countering each assault with a swing of his dual weapons. Spinning them in a deadly arc. And then, he locked on one of them. Nicking the guard’s neck and drawing blood before revolving it around and slamming the back of his head with the snath. Hit with the long shaft of Colt’s scythe, the guard fell limply onto the ground. Colt then rapidly spun around and swung his scythe in a sweeping motion from left to right. Again, striking the other guard’s head with the hilt of the scythe. His every move was imperceptibly fast and made with extreme precision. Calculated attacks not meant to kill, but to knock them unconscious.

 

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12