Page 118 of Demonic Cage
“Just go deeper into the tunnel system. Your blood will show you the way,” she says softly, her voice returning to normal.
My blood surges, hot air rapidly filling my chest. I nod quickly and turn to leave, but Pandora’s hand grasps my wrist.
“Memories are dangerous things, Lotte. Go too deep, and you’ll be lost in them forever!”
She doesn’t let go until I nod slowly. I know what I’ll find, or rather who, and my heart clenches, but Mathys’s eyes flashbefore me. No. No one will go through what I did. No one will lose their sibling again.
“I have to do it,” I whisper, and for one last time, I look around. Now I know what’s missing from this garden.
“You don’t have a green apple tree.”
Pandora’s eyebrow arches on her sunlit face.
“They don’t grow here.”
“Pity,” I say. “Their fruit has a beautiful color.”
I turn away from her, but Pandora stops me again.
“Lotte! When you’re there, pay attention to the details!”
She says no more, and although I want to ask what she means, the mirror expels me.
I run towards the entrance of the cave system as fast as my legs can carry me, but suddenly I hear the flapping of wings in the distance, like many small bats flying. At the last moment, I hide behind a twisted marble column entwined with vines, as a dozen demons swoop through the sky above me like a lightning strike. Only after they move further away, do I release the breath that had been caught in my throat. I step out from behind the column and watch the demons. They are heading east.
I search my memories for what could be in that direction. The Hél Mountains. The fact that the demons are flying there in battle formation means their enemy is already close. Maybe the battle has already begun without me.
I close my eyes for a moment and shake my head. I can’t let my focus wander or let fear drag me down. Yet here I stand before the entrance of the cave system, and my legs refuse to obey. The massacre will begin, and I know there are still human children here somewhere. Angels and demons will fall, and if I don’t find the dagger, it will all be for nothing.
You only mean more to me dead if I see you on the side of the angels.
He’ll kill me. Darya will kill me if he finds me.
“Move, Lotte!” I whisper to myself. “That’s enough! You have to go!”
I throw open the gate and run into the cave system. My blood should guide me, which I interpret as following my instincts. Soon, though, I regret not asking Pandora for more specific directions, as the underground labyrinth is bewildering. The tugging sensation in my chest isn’t as strong as before. I try a sloping path, praying there are no demons here. I’m grateful to the angels for the chaos they’re causing, diverting attention. Eventually, I’ll have to occupy Darya in return, but I have no idea how to locate him, or if I’ll even find the dagger.
I glance back every minute, expecting someone to be following me, but I’m alone. I thought the cave would be full of demons, but maybe they’re too hungover from the ceremony. Or maybe they don’t even live here.
Jade-blue light mingles with the deep red-lit walls in the distance, and the air becomes clearer. I slowly approach the light. The space is vast, with dark rocks hiding deep green secrets. In the middle, two separate bodies of water sparkle from the light emanating from them. Sharp stalactites hang from the ceiling, some merging with ink-colored rocks, many lost in the water. Tiny drops fall from them, ringing as they hit the wet surface. Their salty vapor stings the tip of my tongue.
The two rivers flow into two different lakes; one deep dark blue, the other a light jade blue. Small streams flow into the still waters from the crevices of the scale-green rocks, and the sound washes away my anxiety.
I step closer on the damp ground to where the two lakes are separated by diamond-white crystals. There’s no need to explain which water is which. The dark one is for forgetfulness, the light one for remembrance. Léthé sprinkled the transformed souls with it, and I should touch that lake as well, but my heart is pounding in my throat. I’ve seen too many films about monsters emerging from the depths when their millennia-old peace isdisturbed. I crouch by the water’s edge and cautiously pick up a pebble. I swallow hard, and my muscles tense.
I wait, expecting even the smallest stone movement to summon skeletal figures from the rocks, but nothing happens. I count to ten. Only the echo of the stalactites responds. Slowly, I exhale and throw the pebble into the jade-blue lake of remembrance. As it hits the water, I jump up and put my hand on the dagger I took from Darya. My heart pounds in my ears.
I’m sure I heard something. I spin around, trembling, holding the knife in front of me. Nothing. Just deadly silence.
I look deep into the lake. The thrown pebble shines at the bottom. The water is so clear I can see it.
I snap my head up. I turn, holding my breath. I wait. The dampness spreads over my neck like the surface of the stalactites. I look back at the lake. The pebble I threw is no longer there.
There must be something in the water that I can’t see. My heart pounds in my ears, sounding an alarm. I have to pour the water on myself. I need to contact the river. I step closer and drop to one knee. My head darts around, waiting for a shadow to reach for me.
I don’t want to be here. Every part of me is shaking. The darkness overwhelms me. I’m alone in the depths of the Earth. The silence is palpable. I jump at the slightest noises, though they are just water droplets falling from the stalactites.
Drip. Drip.
