Briar Rose (27 page)

Briar found herself holding her breath, becoming dizzy. Forcing herself to breathe, she called out, keeping her voice low. ‘You’re doing great!’ And he was. She’d never
known he was capable of this.

Joshua had just reached halfway up when suddenly he cried out.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘Something bit me!’ he said, waving his hand. He examined it, and moved another notch up.

‘Go on, you’re OK,’ she urged. ‘You’re almost there.’

He’d climbed another few feet when he cried out again, and this time he slid down the wall of the pit, desperately trying to grasp on to something. It proved futile and he hit the ground
hard.

‘Oh my God. Are you OK?’ she asked, kneeling beside him.

When he looked up and found her so close, he shied back. It’d been reflexive on his part, but the message was passed. He still feared her, feared that the curse could claim him even if she
wasn’t dying.

Briar stepped away, trying to contain the hurt. ‘So that’s how it is, huh? Even now?’

‘I’m sorry. It’s . . . hardwired.’ He lifted his hand. It was bleeding and starting to swell. ‘Something was in one of those holes. I thought I saw it just for a
second.’

‘It was probably just a bug. Take a rest. You’ll get it. You were doing great.’

‘No, we need to get out of here.
Now.
’

A dry, metallic rustle began just as Joshua regained his feet. To Briar’s ears it sounded as if someone were pouring a truckload of nails on a concrete highway, in slow motion. The rustle
continued and then grew in volume.

Joshua whirled round in an effort to pinpoint the source. ‘Where is it coming from?’

‘Everywhere?’

The first rust-coloured creature poked its head from a hole near the top. It slithered out, wriggling like a girl trying to pull on a pair of tights that were one size too small.

‘What is it?’ Briar asked, squinting in the gathering darkness.

Before Joshua could answer, a dozen more of the things began to descend the pit wall.

‘Centipedes,’ he said, his voice registering surprise. Curiosity claimed him and he moved closer to check one out. It returned the scrutiny by arching up, displaying its sharp
mandibles and snapping at him.

‘These things are metal!’ he exclaimed.

‘Then get away from it, you idiot!’

There were more of them now, undulating down the wall like copper snakes as the rustling noise grew. When one of the creatures headed directly towards Briar, she squealed and stomped on it. It
twisted to right itself, unhurt. Then it came after her again.

‘Oh God, why did I wait?’ Joshua batted at one that had climbed up his trousers, then tramped it hard with a boot heel. It stopped moving.

‘Joshua!’ He whirled round to find Briar encircled. She was jumping on the creatures as hard as she could, but it wasn’t slowing them down.

He yelped when one sliced into his flesh. Even after he’d destroyed that one, hundreds more closed in, eager for blood. They crushed the creatures as fast as possible, but it was no use.
The tide of centipedes scrambling over each other to get a taste of human was overwhelming.

It was ironic. All her mother’s protectiveness had been a waste of time: her daughter was about to become supper for a ravenous family of magical arthropods.

‘I am NOT dying in some damned pit!’ she shouted. ‘That is not going to happen!’

Something clipped the side of her head and Briar almost went down. The something was the rope ladder.

‘Go!’ Joshua called out. He was about to push her towards it, then checked himself.

She didn’t take time to think it out, but grabbed the ladder and began hauling herself upward at a frantic pace. She felt the rope go tight below her and knew that Joshua was following
right behind.

Though she was off the ground, the danger was still present as a wave of their attackers followed them up the walls. Briar kept climbing, sometimes having to slap one of the things off the rope
so it wouldn’t bite her. Beneath her she heard Joshua cry out again, but he kept moving.

A hand pulled her out and she landed hard on the ground. As she rose to thank her rescuer, she gasped. It was the guard who’d taken too much of an interest in her. His knife was now busily
sawing on the rope, a move that would send Joshua to an agonizing death.

‘Wouldn’t want him to get free, would we?’ he wheezed, grinning at her.

Blind, murderous fury catapulted Briar forward: she kicked the man hard in the side causing a rib to snap. He swore and dropped the knife. Off balance, his arms windmilled, his hands seeking
hers.

‘Help me!’ he cried. Then he was gone, tumbling over the side of the pit with a hoarse scream.

Briar dropped on her knees at the hole’s edge, fearing the guard had hit Joshua on the way down. To her relief, he was still climbing towards her. A centipede scurried up the ladder ahead
of him and as it reached the top, she smashed it with her fist. It rolled over on its belly, legs quivering in the air.

To her horror, the weakened rope began to unravel where it’d been cut.

Briar offered her hand without thinking. ‘Hurry,’ she called out as one side of the ladder broke free. Joshua’s eyes went wild with panic as he swung in the air.

‘Take my hand!’ she cried out.

‘Move,’ a voice commanded, and when she rolled away she saw Ruric reach over and yank Joshua out with almost superhuman strength. Joshua fell on his side, panting, his hands
bleeding.

From below them came an unholy shriek, high pitched and frantic, the plea of a man who knows he has no escape. The screams suddenly cut off, leaving only a thick gurgling noise as the metallic
rustling intensified.

Ruric pulled her away from the edge. ‘Don’t look,’ he said.

Joshua sat upright, staring at her with wide eyes. She’d let a man die for him, and they both knew it.

‘Thank you,’ he said simply.

With a quick slice, Ruric cut the other side of the ladder and let it fall in the pit.

‘We must go,’ he said.

When he turned towards them, Briar clamped a hand over her mouth.

Half of his face was solid metal.

Something brought Reena out of her slumber: a low murmuring noise. She sat up to find a cluster of fata talking quietly among themselves. Their posture and gestures told her
they were agitated.

‘Hey, wake up,’ she said, shaking Pat. He mumbled for a bit and after another good shake he finally awakened, groggy and confused. His hair fell over his face and he had sleep
wrinkles in his skin.

‘I’m
still
in this dream?’ he said. ‘God, won’t it ever end?’

Reena pointed at the fata. ‘Something’s up. They’re spooked.’

‘You woke me up for that?’ Pat rolled over on his side, and then he was sitting up again, running his fingers down his injured arm.

‘What’s going on here?’ He cautiously moved the limb and then blinked in surprise. ‘I thought you said it was broken.’

‘Let me look.’ Reena gently checked the area where the bone had fractured. Then she smiled. ‘I’d say you’re in good shape, dude. Magic. Better than a cast any
day.’

He yanked his arm away from her. ‘You’re messing with my head, right? This is all some sort of trick.’

‘Why would I bother doing that?’ she asked.

‘You’re pissed off at me because of Briar. I know you’re a witch. They talk about it at school.’

Reena rolled her eyes. ‘I’m a rootworker, not a witch. There’s a difference.’

‘Not to me. I don’t know how you got me here, but I don’t belong in this nightmare. You need to fix this, now.’

The arrogant jerk was back now that he wasn’t hurting.

It was so tempting to do exactly as he wanted, to get this thorn out of her side. Except she didn’t dare. If she sent Pat back on his own, then she and Joshua might be trapped here
forever. Or until the curse killed them. Given that it’d been making life rough for them, that was a definite possibility.

‘I know your ego isn’t going to believe it, but this
isn’t
about you, Daniels. Not even close. So think of other people for a change, OK?’

‘You can be a real bitch, you know that?’ he said, his words coated with acid.

She leaned closer, narrowing her eyes. ‘When it comes to protecting my friends, yeah, I am. Trust me when I say this, you’re
not
one of them.’

‘Like I care,’ he said, but she noted his eyes were at chest level. Checking out her breasts, no doubt, even while he was dissing her. It was only then she realized the skeleton key
lay outside her clothes. She tucked it away, Pat watching her every move.

The tension was broken when a fata approached and placed her canvas bag on the floor in front of them.

‘It’s my bag.’ Reena opened it to find her herbs and roots. But there was more inside now and she pulled bread and cheese. ‘How did you get this food?’

The fata pointed upward and then retreated.

‘They sent someone for takeaways?’ Pat asked. ‘That’s crazy. They know what happens if they get caught.’

‘I’m guessing hospitality is a big thing with them, like it is with my great-gran. You don’t disrespect your guests,’ Reena said. She broke off a hunk of the bread and
handed it to Pat, their fingers touching for a brief moment.

‘Do you think we should eat this?’ he asked, quieter now. ‘I mean, what if it’s poisoned?’

‘If they wanted to kill us, they could have done it while we were sleeping.’

‘Unless they’re really sadistic and want to watch us die in agony,’ he retorted. At her frown, he shrugged. ‘I watch a lot of horror movies.’

‘Really? I think we’re good here.’ She took a munch of the bread and found it to be filling, at the very least.

‘Just how do we get home?’ Pat asked.

His conversational tone spiked her scepticism. ‘I do some magic and we’re gone. At least the three of us. Briar will have to fix the curse somehow or I don’t think she’ll
ever go home.’

‘Saralyn told me she’s a vegetable. Is it true she can’t wake up?’

‘That’s a jerkwad thing to say to her best friend,’ Reena snarled.

‘Whoa, tone it down. Are you like PMSing or something?’

‘You don’t want me as an enemy, Daniels. Not ever.’

‘What are you going to do? Turn me into a frog?’ he jested.

‘No, but I can leave your ugly ass here.’

‘You can’t do that,’ Pat retorted, the piece of cheese in his hand forgotten. Then he must have realized he might be wrong. ‘Tell me you wouldn’t leave me
here.’

Reena barely heard him, caught by the dark emotions seething just under her skin. Lily had warned her about this, how there would always be a temptation to use the magic for harm, especially on
a loser like Pat. She closed her eyes, trying to clear the anger, and then she blew most of it out in one long stream of air. When she opened her eyes, Pat was staring at her as if she’d
sprouted horns and breathed fire.

‘I’ll get you home when the time is right,’ she said, working to keep her tone even. ‘Not before. You understand?’

There was a nod of the head, almost respectful. Except that his eyes tracked to her chest again, but this time she knew it had nothing to do with scoping out her breasts. He’d figured out
the skeleton key was important in some way. She’d have to guard it more closely from now on.

Was this the curse at work? Was it trying to drive them apart, leave them isolated, so it could pick them off one by one?

That was not a comforting thought.

The next fata to come near them was shivering, glancing upward at every few steps.

‘What’s wrong?’ Reena said, rising to her feet.

You must go.

‘Something’s here, isn’t it? Something . . . bad.’

A nod
. Come. Now. Hurry.

Reena clutched on to the bag as they retraced their steps down the long corridor towards the well. The hair on her neck began to rise.

‘What is that I’m feeling?’

Darkness
, the fata said.
What we are, after . . .

‘After what?’

After the metal changes us. We burn. We kill.

Reena shot a glance over her shoulder to ensure that Pat was following. He wasn’t. Instead, he’d halted along the way, an expression of total bewilderment covering his face.

‘Daniels? Come on!’ she called out.

His expression remained unchanged, as if somehow he’d lost the will to move.

‘Pat? What’s going on?’

The fata tugged her arm, pulling her along.
Go now!

Before Reena could break her grip, a wave of the small beings fled past them. Each was toting one of the flowers and talking in agitated tones, their movements frantic.

Using the confusion to her advantage, Reena broke free and worked her way back towards Pat. He still hadn’t budged.

‘Hey, guy. Time to go.’

His eyes tracked to hers and his mouth opened slowly, as if it were a monumental effort. ‘Help me!’

Reena sprinted down the corridor, which was devoid of fata now. What were they running from? Could the regent’s guards have got into the caverns somehow?

Just as she’d reached Pat, a low wail echoed through a tunnel, like the keening of a hungry soul.