Silent Orchids (The Age of Alandria: Book One) (23 page)

Startling her out of her moment, Daegan whispered, strangely shocked but pointing to the stick-turned-sword. “Kaeleigh? Do you know what that is or what it could mean?” 

Kaeleigh frowned at him. “It’s a sword,” she replied sarcastically, but without a reaction from him she continued, “As for
whose
it is or
where
it came from... I have no idea. How would I know? I barely know anything about this place.” She then looked at Finn to gauge his reaction as he remained silently observing.

Daegan regaining his usual stoicism that Kaeleigh was beginning to believe to be a facade, squared his shoulders, and began to head toward the crevice in the wall. “I’ll explain as we go. We must get to Chel. Quickly.” 

They couldn’t have agreed more on anything. Daegan led their way into the dark cave while Finn brought up the rear, leaving Kaeleigh right in the middle of her two warriors.
At least I have a sword now too
.

Chapter Twenty-four

“Kaeleigh, stay close. You never know what might be in the darkness,” Finn cautioned as he held out one of the sticks that they had picked up to light. Daegan had used magic to give flame to his own and to Kaeleigh’s but when he started to light Finn’s he smiled wickedly at him and added, “No, you never know what might be in the darkness, do you, Finn?” Then he turned his back and kept walking into the dark cave, leaving Finn’s torch unlit.  

Kaeleigh turned to Finn and spoke loudly. “Well, that was just rude! Here, Finn, light yours off of mine. What was that all about anyway?” Finn shrugged without looking at Kaeleigh but staring blankly after Daegan ahead of them.  

“Come on, we don’t want to lose him... Well, actually, I do but not in here,” Finn added with a smirky smile, pushing Kaeleigh on ahead of him.

Kaeleigh sighed. “Ugh, another dark, dank cave. I hate the dark. I hate caves, especially this one.  It feels... dark.”

Finn replied with a lighthearted, “Um, that’s because it is dark.”

“Nice,” she said as she rolled her eyes at him. “No, I mean it actually
feels
dark... like evil dark. Can’t you feel it?”

Both Daegan and Finn answered, “Yes.”

But Daegan continued, "This is one of the caves at Vuldün. There have been whisperings of darkness—evil—here.”

“I think it’s more than just a rumor,” Kaeleigh said as she held herself and tried to look around.

As they walked, the light from their torches bounced off the compacted dirt walls. Above them dangled tangled messes of roots that had broken through their earth’s boundary. A musty smell attempted to choke Kaeleigh, and she tried to breathe as little of the air as possible. She had brought the front of her shirt up over her mouth in attempt to squelch the noxious odor. Where the light hit on the tunnel around them, it sent creatures scurrying back into the darkness behind them. Kaeleigh tried to shake off the chills that kept running up and down her spine. The creepy-crawlies did not help. 

“Daegan?” Kaeleigh asked quietly. She wasn’t sure if it was okay to be talking or not, but she needed a distraction as well as answers.

“What, Kaeleigh?” he replied. She couldn’t help it, she smiled when he said her name. It made her feel wrapped in warmth even in this dark cold place. For the briefest moment she was grateful that it was more dark than light. She felt safe with him—well, with both Daegan and Finn—there with her. In her heart, Kaeleigh knew that she would have braved this darkness to find Chel on her own, but she was extremely grateful she didn’t have to now.

“Who do you think took Chel?” Kaeleigh asked, trying to get him talking again.

There was a long silence, a sigh, then, “There are evils in this land. You must understand, most are not heard from much. Recently, there was a shift in the stars and all things evil and dark began stirring in different parts of Alandria. Something is happening, but we don’t know what yet. There was a rift in the earth magic that protects our realm.” 

While Daegan paused, Kaeleigh interjected impatiently, “But what does that have to with Chel? And
who
are they?”  

“There are many different forms that come out of darkness. But who I think took Chel, and is holding Chel, is someone who works for or is a part of the Droch-Shúil.” Daegan stopped talking when Finn gasped and dropped his torch.

Kaeleigh spun around. “Finn?” she asked, concerned.

“I’m here, Kaeleigh. Just dropped my torch.”

“Who or what is this Droch-Shúil?” After making sure Finn had his torch she looked at Finn suspiciously and questioned him before Daegan could answer her. “Do
you
know what it is?” 

He paused. “I was shocked to hear that name. It’s a name I haven’t heard in quite some time.” Numbly, Finn had just admitted to knowing something about this world that he shouldn’t know. He looked to Daegan expectantly, as if to say that because he hadn’t been here in quite some time, Daegan should take the lead.

“Daegan, what do they want with her?” Kaeleigh looked at Finn for a second longer than comfortable and turned to hear Daegan’s answer. The information more pressing than Finn’s secret knowledge at the moment. 

Daegan, however, was staring back at Finn. Then he shrugged his shoulders, not caring about Finn’s issue, and answered, “I don’t know, but it’s possible we are walking into a trap and we must be prepared for anything. The Droch-Shúil is an ancient enitity of darkness that is a host for souls that went bad—thus the name—of the unforgiven dead. Some even say it is a kind of demon.” It was eerily silent for the next several minutes while Kaeleigh tried to process what Daegan had just told them.

Dun dun dun
, Kaeleigh’s inner monologue couldn’t help but insert in response to her already frayed sanity.

“They usually employ others to do their dirty work as they reside in another realm for the exiled. Their venom is poison; you do not want to get bit or scratched by one of them,” Finn said quietly.

Kaeleigh looked back at Finn, confused. He shrugged and replied, “I’ve read some ancient histories of Celtic myths and legends. I read about the Droch-Shúil, but apparently here myths might also be real.” Finn’s voice and tone belied truth but something in the color of his aura caused red flags for Kaeleigh. 

“It is true,” Daegan jumped in. “The Droch-Shúil have been around forever, and they are known to many different times and places as different things. Before the souls that have been taken there get consumed into the desolate land of the realm of Exhile, and if they are enslaved by the demon hosts, they become part of the Droch-Shúil. The lost souls and the souls of the damned are taken to Exhile by the Ferriers. But it is rumored that some have chosen a side and become part of the darkness.”

Daegan paused, then continued, “The concerning part is why now and why here are they choosing to focus their efforts?” Though he spoke out loud it was clear it was talking mostly to himself, as he knew there wasn’t an answer to be found among them. “We need to seek counsel after we have found Chel, assuming she is still alive,” Daegan said matter-of-factly and without any heart at all.  

Kaeleigh inhaled at his bluntness. “She most certainly will be alive! You could try to be a little sensitive,” she stated shakily. “I can’t lose her. I won’t lose her,” Kaeleigh whispered to herself.  

Finn’s hand found her shoulder and squeezed. “We’ll find her in time,” he said, trying to reassure her. Not saying anything else, she reached up and squeezed his hand.

Daegan lowered his head and stopped. He looked Kaeleigh straight in the eye with awkward, but genuine humbleness. “I am sorry, do forgive me.” 

Taken aback by his quick vulnerability toward her, she gave a brief nod.

“Listen,” Daegan cautioned. They all stopped and listened intently.

“It’s the slithering. We must be getting close,” Kaeleigh whispered, knowing he could hear her.

“That—or it’s getting closer to us... Have your swords ready,” Daegan said as he drew his weapon out in front of him. “Kaeleigh, can you wield that weapon?”

She glared at him, but nodded. “Well enough,” she replied, remembering how she could feel something within her directing her movements outside of the cave. It gave her strength. 

Suddenly, slithering noises seemed to be on all sides of them in the dark tunnel. The same snakelike vines that were outside the cave were now burrowing their way out of the walls, flailing about as they broke from the dirt seeking purchase on their victims. Kaeleigh inhaled a screech as one grabbed at her ankle and then again at her arms. All three of them sliced and hacked away at any that got close to them as they kept trying to push forward through the tunnel. The walls began to shake as vines kept breaking through. Dirt was falling in their hair and their eyes. They had to get to Chel at all costs. This would definitely slow them down, but they were determined and continued on, hoping it wasn’t much further.

✾✾✾

In a cavern, at the end of the tunnel not far from where Daegan, Finn, and Kaeleigh battled the unrelenting vines, Chel was chained to the only part of the wall that had stone. Not only was she chained by the black metal shackled about her wrists and ankles, but she was also held captive by thick, thorny vines jutting out from holes in the stone and wrapped around her torso. Weak from having struggled with the vines and those vile creatures, she let the vines hold her weight as she tried to regain some strength.  

On the ground and on her skin were trails of dried blood where the thorns had originally pricked her flesh, joined by fresh blood tracks from wounds that kept reopening when she moved and kept her weak. Her flesh would heal then start the process over again each time she wiggled too much.
Best not to move, Chel
, she chided herself. Welts and bruises had formed in multiple places, but overall she had not been injured too badly, considering she had been kidnapped. 

Chel thought that perhaps one of her wrists had broken when they tried to wrench her into the black cuffs that burned her skin, but she couldn’t feel it anymore. She was, however, pretty sure that the thorns had some kind of poison or drug in them as she felt strangely delirious when she was coherent. Other times, she would wake up groggy, not knowing where she was, how long she had been there, or how she had even gotten there. A couple times she opened her eyes to see a large, ugly, beastly face inches away simply staring at her. She would scream until she passed out again. They never said anything to her. Trying to figure out why she was here, she would yell and scream at them hoping for something—anything—until she finally realized it was a futile attempt.   

In a rare moment of clarity, she tried to listen to her captors. They must have thought she was unconscious because they were mumbling amongst themselves not only in a foreign tongue but also without words. Chel thought that they must have been some kind of animal, or at least part animal, as she was able to pick up their thoughts or mental images with her newfound gift. Unfortunately, she didn’t seem to be able control it and it only seemed to work when they were communicating, which was hardly ever. What she did picked up, though, was disturbing, evil, and dark. It included a girl that they were supposed to capture, and at first Chel figured they’d accomplished that part of the plan. The image was blurry, but right before they stopped “talking” she saw the image. Hanging her head, she realized this was a trap and she was the bait. She didn’t know why, but she knew who they wanted. 

Chapter Twenty-five

Daegan, quickly scanning the two-story-high cavern filled with stalagmites and crystals as he slashed through his last vine obstacles, spotted Chel chained to the back stone wall. She struggled profusely against the vines when she saw him enter the cavern. Her eyes were big and frightened, but determined. She looked weak, but not damaged too much from what he could see. There was hope and relief in her eyes as well as fear as she looked at Kaeleigh. Chel was trying to say something. Just as she slipped into unconsciousness, he heard her barely audible whisper warning them of a trap, as he had expected. 

Kaeleigh had immediately seen Chel when she came around the corner and started to run toward her friend. Daegan grabbed her and shoved her behind him. Struggling, she frustratingly ground out through her teeth, “What are you doing? It’s Chel!”

“It’s a trap,” he said.

“I don’t care! I have to get her. Make sure she’s okay,” Kaeleigh practically hiccupped out, swallowing the despair that threatened to take over as she still struggled with Daegan. Finn came up beside her and grabbed her arm. She relaxed, glad to have him on her side, just to be held back again.

“He’s right on this one. Just wait and listen,” Finn whispered.  

Kaeleigh gasped in horror. Outraged that Finn was siding with Daegan, she shrugged them both off, squared her shoulders, and started scanning the cave for would-be attackers.  

“She’s alive. She warned me about the trap before she passed out,” Daegan said, then paused briefly before saying, “I can feel them in here.”

“What are they waiting for?” Finn mused.

Daegan replied, looking around the room, mentally strategizing, “They are waiting for us to make a move.”

Swords drawn and eyes constantly scanning the room, they waited. Impatiently, Kaeleigh mumbled, “Then let’s make one.”

“How many, can you tell?” Finn asked.

“Seven,” both Daegan and Kaeleigh answered to everyone’s surprise, even herself. “I don’t know, it just came out,” Kaeleigh said in response to their questioning expressions.

“It must be your instincts. Don’t ever doubt your instincts, Kaeleigh. Trust yourself,” Daegan instructed.

“Okay, Obi Wan,” Kaeleigh said. Although the sarcasm was lost on Daegan, Finn snorted.  

“Now can we take ’em so we can get Chel and get out of here?” she said, anxiety getting the best of her while she watched her best friend hanging unconscious and trapped by those vines injecting God knows what kind of evil into her system.