Seth couldn't remember much of what had happened after the Minotaur was killed.
He remembered the man - Morax- sneering at him before something hit the back of his head and the world turned dark. Someone or something had hit him in the end with something blunt; had it been sharp, he would either be dead or bleeding out.
When Seth came to, the first thing he noticed was the cold air around him. A soft, white light illuminated his surroundings, and in it, he saw his breath coming out as white steam. With his brain still fuzzy, he slowly took in the large cavern he was in. Walls rose high into the air, approximately twenty meters, but the ceiling grew darker so he wasn't sure. A black lake surrounded him and the small patch of land he was on. He was tied to a metal chair, by the looks of it, with shackles wrapped around his wrists and ankles, making it hard to move.
Seth tried turning his head around, but his neck was jammed and only then did he realize how long he must have been unconscious. Long enough for his neck to get stuck, at least. That wasn't what he should be worried about, was it? Something more important that he should be thinking about-
Panic surged in Seth as he realized that he had no idea where he was. He had never seen the cave before and was quite sure there weren't these kinds of caverns in Fablehaven. At least not known ones. He moved his limbs, pulling at the clasps, in vain trying to free himself. Gritting his teeth he leaned forward and grunted with effort. The shackles wouldn't budge.
It wasn't a surprise really. Seth wasn't sure what he'd expected. Did he think they would break?
Taking a deep breath, Seth assessed his surroundings once more. Baby steps, Seth. What do you see?
He was in a dark cavern. That meant he must be underground.
There was a black lake around him. There were two rock pathways on either side of him, leading to the walls of the cavern. That was most likely how he had gotten here. One of the pathways must lead to a door of entrance.
The light was coming from dimply glowing stalactites sticking out of the water, spaced sparsely. Were they glowing on their own, or was their light shining on them and reflecting? He didn't see a hole anywhere where light could be coming through.
Seth looked down at himself. Was he injured?
No. There was no blood on him and though his head was pounding and there must be a bump on the back of his head from where had been hit. A black and blue at least. But otherwise, he was unharmed, it seemed.
What did he remember from before being knocked out? Not much. Nothing that he did seemed to help him figure out where he was.
Fear ached in his heart. The Society was back. He had no way of telling the others. What was the object that had been in the box? Was it the box itself? What had Morax called it? The Phone-Bean? The Phobean? It must be a really powerful artifact if the Society had been looking for it for a long time. Could it be used to hurt his family?
A clanging and screeching of metal erupted from his left and his head snapped towards it, his neck cracking painfully. Down the rock pathway, a hooded figure was approaching, a large cowl covering its face. Seth found himself starting to shrink back against the chair but willed himself to puff out his chest and stare at the thing walking towards him.
The figure's steps echoed loudly in the cavern, rhythmic and slow. As the figure stopped in front of Seth, and the steps stopped, all sounds disappeared and all was silent. The pounding of his heart filled his ears, and he feared the figure might hear it.
"Oh, I can hear you alright." Seth flinched as the figure spoke. The voice was raspy and deep and it sent shivers down his spine. Had the figure just heard his thoughts? "I can hear everything you think, Seth Sorenson. There is nothing you can hide from me."
Seth instinctively leaned back against the chair. "Who are you?" he asked quietly.
The figure stood quiet for a moment, before leaning forward. From the sleeves of his cloak, two furry, clawed hands slipped out and grabbed Seth's wrists. Red eyes shone from the hood of the cloak and a putrid smell filled Seth's nostrils. "I am your worst nightmare, Seth Soresnons. I am the thing, that will send shivers down your spine the moment you think about me. I am the person who will make you wake up screaming from nightmares. I am your worst enemy. I. Am. Death.
