Vowed (47 page)

‘Dungeon,’ Aiden and I answer at the same time.

Aiden grimaces. ‘The guy who lived here wasn’t exactly Prince Charming, was he? I mean, I expected more ugliness than this from him.’ He points to the still vivid murals of
pastoral landscapes. ‘Seeing as this was the guy who supported the crazy Elder Gods, and we all know they were more about eating their followers than ruling them.’

A shiver tracks down my spine and I step into a shaft of sunlight to counter it, but even that doesn’t warm me.

I frown at him. ‘Okay, smarty pants, let’s go find ourselves some stairs that go down.’

He takes the lead and I bring up the rear with Dante between us. We move cautiously. In some places the roof’s fallen in completely and we have to skirt rubble. There are some rooms that
are utterly untouched by time and it’s as if the occupants have only just left. Tapestries hang on the walls, defying age and time. Some floor tiles crumble to dust beneath our feet. My blade
brushes a stone set in an archway as we pass through and gouges a chunk from it. I hurriedly step forward, concerned that the whole arch will crumble, but it miraculously stays up, keeping the
remnants of the ceiling above us where they belong.

What I find strange about the whole place is how there are no birds or any other creatures to be seen or heard. After the living forest we walked through during the night, the absence of animals
feels peculiar.

‘Is it just me or does it feel like we’re going to stumble into Sleeping Beauty’s bower any second now?’ Aiden asks over his shoulder. ‘Also, can this place be any
creepier?’

‘There could be zombies,’ Dante says apparently without thinking. Then: ‘Zombies aren’t real, are they?’

Aiden shrugs. ‘Well, I’ve seen some ugly things crawl out of Milton’s some nights, so I can’t be sure.’

He catches my eye and I point with my sword. Surprise registers on his face when he sees what I’ve spotted. We’ve come to a passage and there are sets of stairs going up and down. He
gives me a thumbs-up and starts heading downwards. Dante and I follow him closely. There is so much light that it’s not necessary to bring my magic out to play just yet.

We wind down the stairs and, whereas the floors above still seemed in good, although derelict, order, the places we pass as we descend are less well kept. It’s as if whatever keeps the
palace standing has no hold here in the dark musty depths.

The palace had been built on a rocky outcrop, not unlike the main city of Alba, the Citadel. The further we descend, the more it feels that we’re descending into the hill itself, and I
wonder uncomfortably if we’ll be facing trolls again.

The last time I faced trolls in a cavern things had gone badly wrong and someone had lost their life. My thoughts are interrupted by Aiden coming to a halt.

‘I think we’re here.’

I edge past Aiden and spot the heavy iron gate blocking our way. Once upon a time it had been locked with a thick iron chain. Now that chain lies in brittle pieces on the floor.

‘What are the chances,’ I say, ‘that we’re walking into a trap?’

‘Of course we’re walking into a trap. We’ve not exactly been subtle about walking through the palace or about our intention to come here.’

I shrug. Aiden’s right. ‘Okay then, let’s go.’

Dante uses a piece of wood from the corner and pushes the gate open until it swings wide enough for us to pass through. Aiden and I follow him along the passage.

It’s darker here, more damp. I call my magic, creating two balls of softly glowing light. I tether one above and to the right of Aiden’s shoulder and do the same above me. That way
they are giving light but not blinding us.

We move on, and once we’ve checked the first floor of cells (gross damp places full of rubble and glowing fungi), we move further down still.

I’ve lost count of how many floors we check over, cautiously stepping into each cell, expecting the worst, but there’s nothing. The fact that there’s nothing to fight or hurt
is more tiring than I can actually explain. My nerves, already on edge, are drawn tight – so when we come to a halt, within what feels like the very basement of the palace, my hand holding
the sword is sweaty and I’m breathing fast.

I dry my hands on my jeans. ‘I’ll take point,’ I say to Aiden, aware that I’m falling into Jamie’s military speak. ‘You bring up the rear. Keep Dante
safe.’

It looks for a moment as if he wants to argue, also remembering a time when we had a third party to our duo and how we were instructed to keep him safe. The memory of Thorn makes me realize how
much I miss him. The ache is unexpected and sharp but I push it aside, knowing that now is not the time for a mini-breakdown.

I hold back a sigh and gesture. Onwards.

There are no cells here. The passage is narrow and the ceiling is high. My light glints off thousands upon thousands of gems stuck into the basalt stone. I remember seeing similar stone in the
trolls’ cave and wonder if we’ve somehow slipped between worlds again, and if the next door we’re going to find will lead us to London.

Aiden hears it before I do. He makes a barely audible clicking sound at the back of his throat and I stop. He brings a finger to his lips and taps his ear.

Above the sound of water dripping somewhere, is the sound of something moving. The sound is laborious and slow. I close my eyes and imagine scales and possibly a chain. A dragon? Could the
palace be built on top of a dragon? I shudder. A giant snake, like in Conan? Or, my imagination reaches, the world serpent from Norse mythology?

Dante touches my arm lightly and shows me the palm of his hand. I frown in surprise. Ink-black marks have crept along his arm, winding their way around his wrist and onto his hand. I recognize
sharp points as looking like the ivy we passed earlier.

‘My tattoo seems to be growing,’ he says, lifting his shirt and turning sideways so I can see the rest of it. I’m not even distracted by his abs because the tattoo is so
absorbing, and I don’t remember it stretching over this much of his skin before.

Aiden mutters something and grabs Dante, turning him so he can look at the marks. ‘Bloody hell, Dante, what’s that?’

‘I have absolutely no idea. It doesn’t hurt at all, but I can feel it shifting and growing.’ Dante presses his hand against the almost imperceptibly moving ink. ‘It
almost tickles.’

‘I don’t like this,’ I say, looking at Aiden. ‘Maybe we should get Dante out of here. We don’t know if his magic is reacting to this place or to whatever’s
down here.’

‘Don’t be stupid, Kit. I’m your partner – we’re seeing this through together.’ Dante’s grumbling makes Aiden grin and he nods towards the
changeling.

‘The man has a point.’

I give Aiden a filthy look before I turn to look back at Dante. ‘Don’t come crying to me if you turn into a hideous beast monster or something, okay?’

Dante rolls his eyes. ‘Lead the way, Blackhart.’

The passage narrows considerably for about a hundred metres before widening again. The steady sound of dripping is closer now and I wonder if we’re going to find another
cavern at the end of this tunnel. What might there be in such a cavern?

‘I really don’t like being underground,’ Aiden admits unexpectedly. ‘It makes me think about weight of the earth above me. I can’t breathe properly.’

‘We’ll be out of here soon. Can you feel it? The path is going uphill now.’

Dante’s right and the gradient’s increasing too. I’m already puffing and out of breath when the passage opens wide and we spill out into a large room held up by stone arches
and solid columns. I stop to catch my breath and turn to check that Dante and Aiden are okay. As I do, I spot the man sitting casually on a small chair, watching us with interest.

His features are pleasantly bland, almost unremarkable, and he’s dressed in boots, a tunic and comfortable-looking trousers. He watches us without alarm and seems unsurprised by our
presence, but even so I can almost feel the weight of his regard. The guys notice him too and Dante murmurs something ugly but I grab hold of his arm before he can run at the guy.

‘You actually found us,’ the man says, sounding impressed. ‘I wondered when you would. I have been waiting to see you for a very long time.’ He nods at me and I know he
has to be Brixi; I recognize him from my weird little time-slip adventure at the estate. ‘I didn’t think you had it in you, but then you sent my men packing and I had to reassess your
abilities.’

I glance around as casually as I can as I move towards him. ‘What have you done with the kids?’

‘They are here, sleeping, of course.’

‘We are here to take them back.’

At my words both Aiden and Dante walk forward so that they flank me. It’s a neat move but it doesn’t seem to impress Brixi at all.

‘You can try, but I don’t think you’ll be able to.’ He stands up from the small chair. ‘Come, let me show you. I know you’re dying to see what this is all
about.’

Both Aiden and Dante shoot a glance at me and I can practically hear them telling me it’s a trap. But I nod anyway and we follow him.

Brixi makes sure his hands stay visible as he walks ahead. We soon come to another room, smaller than before, but we don’t stop. It’s a labyrinth down here and all the rooms look
alike, with vaulted ceilings and archways.

However, the atmosphere is fresh rather than musty, which means that there’s enough air getting in here from somewhere. This cheers me up because it means that if air can come in, we have
a way out.

We don’t go far at all, even if the journey is a confusing one. Brixi pushes open a massive wooden door banded with silver and beckons us in. He enters the room without
waiting to see if we’re following. Aiden puts his shoulder to the door and pushes it all the way open while Dante blocks the door from shutting on us with a small boulder.

The room looks like the outer chamber to a wealthy noblewoman’s room, but everything is on a larger scale. When I say larger scale, I mean very big. Gossamer curtains stir in the air and
flutter towards us in the softest of breezes. Brixi puts his finger to his lips and leads us through the curtains into the chamber beyond.

It isn’t possible to miss the sleeping giant dozing in the middle of the room. Nor is it possible not to notice the thirteen beds spaced around her, each one holding a sleeping child. A
soft haze hangs over the scene and there’s a silence to this place that reminds me of being alone in a large cathedral.

The figure at the centre of the room is female and draped with soft cloths. I can’t see her features because the slab she’s lying on is raised too high, so all I can make out is her
sleeping form. There are steps that lead up to the dais; if I could climb these, I’d be able to look down on her.

Aiden nudges me and frowns questioningly at the scene.
How would I know what’s going on here?
I mime back in annoyance before moving forwards. A soft pressure prevents me from
getting too close, no matter how much I try to push through. The haze looks like watery mist but it doesn’t feel damp or unpleasant against my skin. My magic buzzes happily, not at all
alarmed by the shield in place. The way it pushes me back reminds me of when I tried to gain access to little Tia’s apartment but couldn’t. Dante’s next to me and he presses his
hand into the barrier before pulling back.

‘Is this what you felt back on the estate at Tia’s parents’ flat?’ he asks me, looking surprised. ‘So, it was you, all along?’ His gaze finds Brixi,
who’s watching us with a watchful expression. ‘Then it was you who prevented Kit from gaining access to Tia’s home . . . Were you also responsible for making me sick?’

‘I might have been overzealous with my offensive spell, but look how that turned out,’ Brixi said, gesturing at him. ‘Although you were waking up to who you were already. Lady
Blackhart had already triggered the demise of your glamour. It was interesting to watch, but then kisses from maidens always carried the utmost power and intent.’

Dante’s clearly burning to have a throwdown with Brixi, so I jump in with questions of my own. I’m not really flushing at the implication of maidens and kissing, not at all.

‘What is going on here? Who is she?’ I ask him, turning back to the sleeping figure and mentally ticking off the names of the kids lying like satellites around her. ‘What are
the children doing here?’

‘Step away, please.’ Brixi’s eyes drift anxiously towards the figure in the middle of the haze and he reaches for my arm but I jerk back. Annoyance shifts across his features
and as it does, they change. For a moment his face looks different, and I recognize someone else: Officer Briggs, the policewoman in little Tia’s parents’ lounge, her electronic
equipment hooked up to the telephone as she waits for the kidnapper to call.

My mind is quick to make sense of it. Brixi had impersonated a police officer and had been in Tia’s and her mother’s home all along. He’d set up the spell so that I
couldn’t enter; only when Marvin invited me in could I walk freely into the flat.

‘Who is she, Brixi?’

‘She is a living goddess,’ he answers after a beat, tracking Dante and Aiden as they prowl around the room, peering at the sleeping children. ‘We have been looking after her
for an age, making sure she stays alive.’

‘By stealing children whose parents you trick into god knows what?’ I can’t help the revulsion in my voice or finish the accusation, because – really, does it need
acknowledging again? ‘What about their families, the people who care for them? How can you do this to them?’

Brixi shakes his head, pressing a finger to his lips. ‘No, no. You don’t understand. The children want to be here, they need to be here, to look after their mother.’

Actual waves of crazy are coming off Brixi now. There’s something about the way he’s staring at the sleeping figure in the centre of the room that makes me want to run and hide. How
can the word ‘mother’ be even remotely appropriate here? Both Dante and Aiden are standing closer to me now. They look worried and Aiden’s pale beneath his tan. Dante’s
rubbing at his hands; the tattoo markings are far more vivid than before.