A Flight of Souls
Page 36
I caught sight of the copper-haired Sherus at the front of the group, his sister noticeably absent. His mouth was set in a grimace, his face surprisingly ashen for one who had a natural aura about him.
The same thing happened as last time; they transported the coffins along the tunnel, and then returned without them barely a minute later. They shot out of the tunnel—which was not far away at all from our hiding place—and zoomed into the base of the vortex. Watching the fae during this second visit, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was any way… any way at all… that we could tag along with the next crowd that exited and somehow pass through with them.
It seemed like an insane idea. The moment we tried to approach, the fae would grab us and hand us right back to the ghouls—after all, we were part of their bounty quotient, and the fae would not want any of the numbers reducing.
Still, I wanted to discuss the notion with Lucas and Kailyn. But I didn’t want to speak anymore in this chamber. We had already pushed our luck enough. Catching their attention, I gestured toward the tunnel. They followed after me along the winding canal, and as we emerged on the other side, I dove deeper into the water, where the three of us could converse in greater safety.
“Those fae…” I began.
“They’re the only means of escape,” Lucas finished for me, a stoic expression on his face. It was quite uncanny how much he resembled my father in that moment.
But how? The question whirled behind all of our eyes.
I was surprised that Lucas didn’t look more terrified at the mere notion of such a harebrained idea. After all he’d been through, he should be utterly petrified to get caught again. Then I reminded myself that he was, after all, still a Novak. And tenacity—or perhaps just downright bullheadedness—ran in the Novaks’ blood, no matter how much somebody tried to beat the life out of them. Now that I thought of it, maybe that was why he’d been in a better state than all the other ghosts in his pool. They’d all given up long ago by the looks of it, but there had still been a spark in Lucas that had separated him from the rest. It had just taken my appearance in his pool to remind him what he was, that he still had things to survive for.
Kailyn interrupted my thoughts. “I just don’t see how that could ever be possible. I mean, if those coffins the fae bring with them were penetrable by ghosts, we could make a wild attempt to pass into one as they shoot from the tunnel toward the roof, but they leave the boxes behind.”
Apparently, they had a massive supply of them to keep leaving dozens behind each time they visited.
The three of us fell silent for a while, none of us knowing what to say.
I was about to suggest that we return to the entrance cavern and continue observing when a thought struck me.
“What if,” I began, looking from Kailyn to Lucas, “just one of us tries to escape?”
The two of them furrowed their brows as they eyed me.
“What are you saying?” Lucas whispered. “Each of us has already tried to escape on our own.”
“Yes, on our own,” I replied. “But we are not on our own. There are three of us. What if two of us caused a distraction, a big enough distraction for the ghouls to divert their attention from the exit? Whichever one of us managed to escape would promise to get help and come back with reinforcements to free the rest of us.”
“What kind of distraction?” Kailyn murmured.
“I don’t know. Something. Anything.”
Lucas let out a deep sigh. “This kind of thing has been tried before.”
“I don’t care if it’s been tried before,” I said, turning on him. “We could try it. It’s not like we have any better ideas.”
There was a pause as the two of them considered my words. “Then… who would be the one to escape?” Lucas ventured, and I could see in his eyes that he was volunteering himself.
I looked at Kailyn. It seemed only right that she should be the one—ladies first, after all. I trusted her enough to know that she wouldn’t desert us. She could hurry back to The Shade and try to communicate with someone via a dream, the way I had. Maybe the dragons could even help to storm the place, break through the opening and free all these lost souls. We also had witches, and I was sure that they could be of help against ghouls. I recalled that the ghouls who’d once trespassed on our island had been the slaves of witches.
“I was thinking you, Kailyn,” I said, looking steadily at her.
She looked uncomfortable about accepting my suggestion, though it was obvious from the look in her eyes that she was leaping inside at the thought of escaping this place. Who wouldn’t?
She nodded, still looking uncertain. “If… that’s okay with the two of you.”
She eyed Lucas hesitantly. His face was stony, but he nodded stiffly. I found his reaction interesting. I’d half expected him to protest, the old Lucas rising to the surface, but he didn’t. He had been here longer than Kailyn—far longer—and should be ten times more desperate to escape, but he remained a gentleman, at least on the outside.
Kailyn caught my eye again. “But how exactly are we going to do this? You two would get caught again and—”
“Yes, we would almost certainly get caught.” I shot Lucas a pointed look. “You don’t have to try this,” I said to him, a part of me feeling oddly protective of him. I’d seen what state he’d sunk into, I didn’t want him to return to that… or something even worse. “I’ve only had one visit to the coffin room so far,” I went on, “I can’t say it’s something I’d like to repeat, but… I will run the risk if there’s a chance of Kailyn escaping and making it back to The Shade to fetch help for the rest of us… But you, Lucas, you’ve visited the torture chamber several times before. I would not expect you to volunteer for this. You could go back and wait in one of the ponds, and I could ask for some other volunteer. Perhaps Nolan would—”
The same thing happened as last time; they transported the coffins along the tunnel, and then returned without them barely a minute later. They shot out of the tunnel—which was not far away at all from our hiding place—and zoomed into the base of the vortex. Watching the fae during this second visit, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was any way… any way at all… that we could tag along with the next crowd that exited and somehow pass through with them.
It seemed like an insane idea. The moment we tried to approach, the fae would grab us and hand us right back to the ghouls—after all, we were part of their bounty quotient, and the fae would not want any of the numbers reducing.
Still, I wanted to discuss the notion with Lucas and Kailyn. But I didn’t want to speak anymore in this chamber. We had already pushed our luck enough. Catching their attention, I gestured toward the tunnel. They followed after me along the winding canal, and as we emerged on the other side, I dove deeper into the water, where the three of us could converse in greater safety.
“Those fae…” I began.
“They’re the only means of escape,” Lucas finished for me, a stoic expression on his face. It was quite uncanny how much he resembled my father in that moment.
But how? The question whirled behind all of our eyes.
I was surprised that Lucas didn’t look more terrified at the mere notion of such a harebrained idea. After all he’d been through, he should be utterly petrified to get caught again. Then I reminded myself that he was, after all, still a Novak. And tenacity—or perhaps just downright bullheadedness—ran in the Novaks’ blood, no matter how much somebody tried to beat the life out of them. Now that I thought of it, maybe that was why he’d been in a better state than all the other ghosts in his pool. They’d all given up long ago by the looks of it, but there had still been a spark in Lucas that had separated him from the rest. It had just taken my appearance in his pool to remind him what he was, that he still had things to survive for.
Kailyn interrupted my thoughts. “I just don’t see how that could ever be possible. I mean, if those coffins the fae bring with them were penetrable by ghosts, we could make a wild attempt to pass into one as they shoot from the tunnel toward the roof, but they leave the boxes behind.”
Apparently, they had a massive supply of them to keep leaving dozens behind each time they visited.
The three of us fell silent for a while, none of us knowing what to say.
I was about to suggest that we return to the entrance cavern and continue observing when a thought struck me.
“What if,” I began, looking from Kailyn to Lucas, “just one of us tries to escape?”
The two of them furrowed their brows as they eyed me.
“What are you saying?” Lucas whispered. “Each of us has already tried to escape on our own.”
“Yes, on our own,” I replied. “But we are not on our own. There are three of us. What if two of us caused a distraction, a big enough distraction for the ghouls to divert their attention from the exit? Whichever one of us managed to escape would promise to get help and come back with reinforcements to free the rest of us.”
“What kind of distraction?” Kailyn murmured.
“I don’t know. Something. Anything.”
Lucas let out a deep sigh. “This kind of thing has been tried before.”
“I don’t care if it’s been tried before,” I said, turning on him. “We could try it. It’s not like we have any better ideas.”
There was a pause as the two of them considered my words. “Then… who would be the one to escape?” Lucas ventured, and I could see in his eyes that he was volunteering himself.
I looked at Kailyn. It seemed only right that she should be the one—ladies first, after all. I trusted her enough to know that she wouldn’t desert us. She could hurry back to The Shade and try to communicate with someone via a dream, the way I had. Maybe the dragons could even help to storm the place, break through the opening and free all these lost souls. We also had witches, and I was sure that they could be of help against ghouls. I recalled that the ghouls who’d once trespassed on our island had been the slaves of witches.
“I was thinking you, Kailyn,” I said, looking steadily at her.
She looked uncomfortable about accepting my suggestion, though it was obvious from the look in her eyes that she was leaping inside at the thought of escaping this place. Who wouldn’t?
She nodded, still looking uncertain. “If… that’s okay with the two of you.”
She eyed Lucas hesitantly. His face was stony, but he nodded stiffly. I found his reaction interesting. I’d half expected him to protest, the old Lucas rising to the surface, but he didn’t. He had been here longer than Kailyn—far longer—and should be ten times more desperate to escape, but he remained a gentleman, at least on the outside.
Kailyn caught my eye again. “But how exactly are we going to do this? You two would get caught again and—”
“Yes, we would almost certainly get caught.” I shot Lucas a pointed look. “You don’t have to try this,” I said to him, a part of me feeling oddly protective of him. I’d seen what state he’d sunk into, I didn’t want him to return to that… or something even worse. “I’ve only had one visit to the coffin room so far,” I went on, “I can’t say it’s something I’d like to repeat, but… I will run the risk if there’s a chance of Kailyn escaping and making it back to The Shade to fetch help for the rest of us… But you, Lucas, you’ve visited the torture chamber several times before. I would not expect you to volunteer for this. You could go back and wait in one of the ponds, and I could ask for some other volunteer. Perhaps Nolan would—”
