Page 32 of A Sea of Secrets
After a moment of crisis and Kendra having to literally shake me like a ragdoll to snap me out of my hysteria, I’d taken a deep breath, wiped my tears, and silently taken a look at the chamber we were in. Nothing but an unremarkable square room with a ladder placed in the centre. And so, it began all over again. Another trial, or at least a segue to one. My heart sank a little deeper in my chest. They weren’t kidding when they called this a Trial of the Mind. Combat and magic? I’d take those any day. They relied as much on gut instinct as on survival skills. Taking charge of my destiny and deciding on my own path, I could handle, but this… Having no choice of what to do or whereto go, and being thrown into one room after another… Maybe the Masters’ real test was seeing who broke before they got out of here, if ever. Seeing who could hack the pressure and the heartache.
And oh, how my heart ached. I thought of the guys again, never needing anything more in my life than one of Zane’s warm hugs, a cocky comment from Kayden, or a kind word from Noah. Heck, I’d jump at the opportunity to exchange verbal blows with Ace. If I died before I found out what we really were to each other, I’d come back and haunt the Overseer until her last breath.
I sighed, a small smile curving my lips. That thought made me feel mildly better.
The ladder seemed to extend forever. I’d offered to climb last, not wanting to show my back to anyone eager to put a knife in it, but Kendra had wanted Lou safe and snug between us, so I’d become the guinea pig lead instead.
Eventually, the lights guiding our ascent twinkled out altogether, until there was nothing but darkness and the surety of my palms on cold metal. Only the sounds of my friends’ breathing and the steady clang and scrape of shoes kept me from spiralling all over again.
Clunk, clunk, clu—
My hand met no resistance, and, with a sigh of relief, I palmed the surface and hauled myself over the top, turning back around to help the others fumble their way into the pitch black.
“Is everyone out?” I asked, wincing as my voice broke loudly through the stillness. It echoed back to me like we were in a large chamber.
Before anyone had the chance to answer, a loudthunksounded, followed by a humming akin to electricity when it buzzes to life. A generator, perhaps? Cold air gushed over me seconds later, and I shivered under the breeze.
“Is everyone out?”a voice whispered back suddenly, seemingly from all around as the sentence repeated. The hair on my arms and legs stood on end and I instantly backed up a few steps. Then, the words—even the echoes—fell instantly silent. Goosebumps formed over my skin at the abrupt loss of sound.
Perfect, because starring in a horror film was at the top of my to-do list today.
“Whoever is doing that,” I said weakly, “it’s not funny.”
“Is everyone out?”
I shuddered as the voice whispered from behind me and a cold plume of air travelled down my neck. Whatever was in this room with us was not something I wanted to party with.
“Get away from me,” I gasped, scrambling back in a semi-circle. My arms thrashed wildly around me, but no one came within reach.
“Fallon!” Kendra called. I knew she was reaching for me, but she sounded farther away now. Did I risk wandering blindly into some creature? But it was so cold, and the chamber seemed vast, if I didn’t get back to my friends I might be separated for good.
“Fallon, Fallon, Fallon.”
More voices. A lot fucking more.
“Stay away from her,” Dick yelled, his voice surprisingly steady. Steadier than I felt that was for freaking sure.
Fuck it. I needed to find them. Needed them around me, if only to feel grounded by the warmth of a hand or shoulder. We could get through this together if we stayed close. I just needed to retrace my steps and—
“FALLON.”
My name on that otherworldly tongue blasted down my ear, so close I could smell the putrid rot on its breath. And the way it said my name… fear cleaved through whatever remained of my courage. If I’d drunk anything in the last twelve hours, it wouldhave trickled down my leg as I whimpered. My body quivered like an arrow as every bone in my body locked down.
The voice… I could only describe it as demonic. Inhuman. And right beside me, judging by the sound. I tried to open my mouth to tell the others torun, run, run,but nothing came out.
The room seemed to grow impossibly darker, as if whatever lurked nearby was sucking all the life out of it. I could sense it circling me, eyes latched onto my skull, yet my feet would not move.
It was so suffocatingly dark in here. I couldn’t even see my own hands as I spread them before me. I wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing, so afraid that something might very well bite them off.
Shit, if I made it out of here, I’d have trauma for life.
“Kendra,” I croaked. It took all my strength to muster that one lovely name.
“I’m coming,” she assured me, and gods dammit her voice was the sweetest I’d ever heard. That voice was one of many reasons to survive and get the hell outta dodge.
Thethinggrowled in the darkness—probably pissed Kendra was about to interrupt its lunch.
I swallowed the lump in my throat and licked my lips. “Girl, I’m gonna need you to hurry now.”
