Page 12 of Torn Ivy
“Move!” Tate yells, shoving us forward.
We run, dodging between the pillars as more of the creatures emerge from the shadows. Their shrieks echo off the cavern walls, a racket of death and hunger that chills me to my dark core.
The orb pulses frantically in my hand, guiding us through the maze-like cavern. I have no idea if we’re running towards safety or deeper into danger, but we don’t have much choice. The creatures are gaining on us, their bony hands reaching out to grab at our clothes.
“What the fuck are these things?” Bram pants as we run.
“Lost souls,” Tate grunts. “The ones who never made it to their final rest.”
“How do you know all this shit?” I demand, ducking under a grasping hand.
“I read,” he snaps back. “Now shut up and run!”
We sprint through the twisting paths between the pillars, the shrieks of the lost souls growing ever louder behind us. The orb in my hand is vibrating, pulling me forward with an urgency I can’t ignore.
Suddenly, we burst out of the maze of pillars into a wide-open space. In the centre stands a massive structure that looks like a cross between a temple and a fortress. Black stone walls rise impossibly high, carved with the same eye-hurting symbols as the pillars. A set of enormous doors stands open before us, darkness spilling out like a physical force.
“In there!” I shout, pointing at the open doors.
We make a mad dash for the entrance, the howls of the lost souls right on our heels. Just as we cross the threshold, there is a blinding flash, and we are tumbling out onto the Thornfield campus around the back of the car park.
For a moment, we just lay there, gasping for breath and trying to process what just happened.
“What the actual fuck?” Bram groans, pushing himself up to sit and testing to see if his magick has returned. Dark swirls surround his hands, and he breathes out with relief.
I sit up slowly, my head spinning. The orb is still clutched tightly in my hand, but it’s gone cold and dark. The voices in my head have faded to silence.
“Are we back or in some sort of parallel universe?” Tate asks, looking around in disbelief.
I nod, taking in our surroundings. It’s still night. The car park is dimly lit by flickering streetlights. Everything looks normal, but after what we’ve just been through, I’m not sure I trust my senses anymore.
“How?” Bram demands. “How did we get from the Underworld to here?”
I hold up the now-inert orb. “I think this thing brought us back somehow. When we went through those doors...”
Tate frowns, reaching out to touch the orb. As soon as his fingers make contact, he jerks back with a hiss. “Fuck! It’s ice cold.”
“Yeah,” I mutter. “It’s like all the energy just drained out of it.”
We sit in silence for a moment, trying to process everything that’s happened. Finally, Bram speaks up.
“I don’t like this.”
“Me either.”
“So what now?” Bram asks, pushing himself to his feet and brushing dirt off his clothes.
I stand as well, pocketing the now-useless orb. “We find Ivy. She’s still out there somewhere, and Death is after her.”
Tate nods grimly. “Agreed. But where do we even start looking? She could be anywhere.”
I close my eyes, focusing on my vampire senses, but there is nothing. I shake my head.
“Could be Death’s influence,” Bram suggests. “If he’s got her...”
“He doesn’t,” I growl, not wanting to even consider that possibility. “We’d know if he did.”
Tate huffs out a breath. “So we’re back where we started. No idea where Ivy is, Death after her, and now some mysterious organisation that wants her too.” He glares at Bram.
