Chapter 10
A maze of mirrors. That's what DG awoke to find. She stood into the center of the maze, staring at herself. She slowly looked around, only seeing herself. There was a faint feeling that someone was near her.
"Cain? Azkadellia?" DG called.
"Mommy!"
"Aislynn!" DG cried. Her heart sped up at her daughters' voice.
"Mommy help me!" Aislynn cried.
"I'm coming Aislynn!" DG called. She started through the maze. Not once was she fooled. Allowing her magic to guide her through the maze.
Too quickly, DG found herself standing on a marble balcony. The marble stairs were to her left; below her was the mirror maze. A suddenly uneasy feeling hit her.
"Mommy!" Dg spun around. She stared at two large black doors. Te feeling grew ten times stronger.
The doors slowly opened. The interior was completely black. DG took a single step forwards. There was something in the room, but it wasn't Aislynn.
"Where is she?" DG whispered.
"What do you mean mother?"
"Where is my daughter?" DG demanded.
"I'm right here mommy. Can we find daddy now?"
DG raised her left had swiftly. The room burst with light. The floor was green marble. Etched into it were four circles. Each one larger than the last etched one outside the other. The smallest one was red, the next green, then blue, and finally white. Inside the center was a hunched figure. She wore a black cloak, covering her face.
"Where is my daughter?" DG demanded.
The figure laughed wickedly, "Oh, she's safe. You should be more worried about yourself!"
The woman lunged at DG. DG quickly brought her magic to protect her. The woman stopped, and laughed again. DG could see her face now, disfigured and pale blue skin. Her eyes were a heartless grey.
"This only helps me." The woman said.
DG's magic quickly depleted. The woman raised her hands at DG. Her nails dug into DG's cheeks. Dg felt her entire body burn fiercely. She felt as if the woman had driven a knife through her body. DG used all her willpower not to scream.
"You precious daughter was just the bait to get to you! And you have no idea what awaits for you!" the witch said.
"No!" DG screamed.
DG sat straight up screaming. She sprang from the ground and burst from her makeshift tent. Outside she was met with a icy shower. The rain had started again. DG stood in the rain and tried to calm herself. Her chest heaved in her unsteady breathing. She was hardly getting enough air, causing her to grow dizzy quickly. Her head spun and every sense nearly lapsed.
She could hear a faint call, "DG!"
Her eyes blacked out briefly. She could feel herself falling again, but not unconscious. Suddenly she was halted from her fall. A scent of familiarity told DG that she was safe. She concentrated on staying conscious. Her heart rate began slowing, but not enough. Her terror melted away into panic as she was gently laid back on the ground.
DG opened her eyes slowly and inhaled deeply. She met with a terrified Cain above her. She sat up quickly and took his arm. Her breathing was still erratic. Cain felt DG's hand shake as she held onto his arm. His eyes fell on her bleeding cheek. He gently touched her opposite cheek, trying to calm her down.
"DG. DG, listen to me. You need to calm down." Cain said.
DG nodded shaking. She tried her best, but she couldn't calm herself enough.
"DG focus." She heard Cain say. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She felt herself inhale and exhale. Slowly she began regaining her breathe. DG opened her eyes as her breathing finally steadied. She stared up into Cain's relief filled eyes.
"Are you alright?" DG whispered.
Cain nodded slowly. "Everyone's been worried over you for hours. But we're all fine."
DG sighed and nodded. She looked at her bandaged hands. "I guess they all know now."
"Yeah, and they're not happy you still here." Cain replied.
"That doesn't surprise me. At least now you have an army of volunteers who are more than willing to drag me back." DG pointed out.
"I can't send you back now even if I wanted to." Cain stood and turned in fury. He took a few steps towards the mouth of the tent. "We lost our horses and our reinforcements won't arrive for another day or two."
"So we're on our own. Again." DG stated. She knew their argument was just beginning. Any second and Cain would say something the spark to ignite the flame. But she couldn't take the silence between them; it only made the argument more unsuspecting.
"I should've sent you back when I had the chance." Cain said.
Spark and lit. DG felt the spark light up in anger. "Do you really think I would've stayed behind?"
Cain turned and stared at her. "I would've made sure you didn't leave the palace."
"I wouldn't have even made it to the palace before I returned." DG replied.
Cain didn't answer. He turned from her and walked to the mouth. He placed his hand on the flap, but didn't leave. In his mind he knew to leave, but if he did, he knew it would end worse than staying. So he stayed. He stood in silence.
DG closed her eyes, regretting her last few words. "Please say something." She whispered, nearly inaudibly.
Cain turned so quickly in fury that DG flinched. However, it wasn't nearly as bad as when Cain began yelling, "What am I supposed to say DG? You were nearly killed because of your presence here!"
Despite his furious tone, DG held her ground. She stood and met him on the level. "What would've happened to Azkadellia, had I not been here? What would've happened to all of you if I didn't have that book?"
"For one thing you would be covered in venomous bite marks and lacerations!" Cain replied.
"And all of you would be unconscious in a field filled with those creatures!" DG retorted. Her hands balled into fists. She could only imagine how quickly her knuckles were turning white. DG had no idea how long she could keep up the argument without crying. She could already feel herself coming close. And knowing Cain, he would find the statement to make her tear up.
"Why couldn't you for once think about your own safety?" Cain snapped. Direct hit.
DG felt like she'd been slapped. Her eyes widened in utter shock. She tried her best to keep her tears down, but they rolled down her cheeks nonetheless. They stung her cheek for an unknown reason to her, but she didn't care.
Cain watched DG's composure shatter with his last sentence. She turned her back from him, but she couldn't hide her tears from him. He watched her slowly sink back onto the ground. She wrapped her arms around her body as she began to shake.
Cain stood his ground for a few minutes, listening to DG's silent sobs. His anger subsided and his concern took over. He grabbed DG's jacket, which had been thrown off her body, and walked behind DG. He placed his over her shoulders, slightly startling her. Kneeling beside her, Cain kept a firm grip on her shoulders so she couldn't shrug her jacket off, but DG wasn't in her rebellious mood.
Instead, DG turned, facing him partially. "I-I couldn't leave. N-Not w-w-w-when…I kn-n-ne-e-w-w th-th-tha-a-at…s-s-some-one c-c-could d-d-die."
And now it made since. DG had known something that no one else did. She had kept it from them, hoping it would keep them all safe, and it had been plaguing her mind since. Now she was paying for it.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be trusted." Cain whispered.
"It…it wasn't a m-matter of trust." DG chocked. "But whether I could accept the consequences of what will happen."
"Can you?" Cain asked.
"I'm still here, right?" DG replied. Her mind raced to her dream "I think we're running out of time."
"What do you mean?" Cain asked.
Before she could answer, Jeb burst into the tent. He was completely drenched from the rain. He looked as if he was trying to calm down, "Longcoats."
DG stood quickly. Cain grabbed her upper arm lightly and pulled her back. She looked at him in confusion, "Stay here."
"Cain-"
"DG, please. Stay here." Cain ordered. DG couldn't deny him. After all, she had promised to follow his orders.
She nodded reluctantly and watched them rush out of the tent. Sighing, she pulled her jacket on her body and waited. The rain made any other sound nearly unheard. DG couldn't even make out Cain and Jeb's footsteps.
DG bit her bottom lip and looked around the tent. Her bag sat in the corner where she had been resting. Quietly, she walked across the tent and knelt next to her bag. She opened the top, revealing no less than seven pistols. Three of them were average sized, while the other four were smaller. DG loaded two of the smaller one and slid them into her ankle holsters. The two average sized pistols fit into her hip holster, while the third went behind her back. She looked at the two left in her bag. Looking from the pistols to her bandaged arms, Dg realized that she could place them in her arm holsters. If they hadn't been damaged by the creatures.
However, Longcoats were coming, And DG may not have time to reach for any of her guns, so she pulled out one of the remaining guns and slung the bag over her shoulders. She waited anxiously, hoping she wouldn't need her guns just now. She held the pistol firmly in her hands DG prayed she could still fire it decently.
Suddenly the air erupted in gunfire. DG stayed still in the tent. Despite wanting to rush outside and help everyone else, she listened to Cain. The gunfire rang out all around her. She could tell who's shots were Longcoats and who's were her friends. Thankfully only the Longcoats shots were lessening.
A stray bullet shot through the tent, inches from DG's face. DG gasped and laid on the ground. No more bullet's tore through the tent, but she wasn't going to risk it. DG crawled to the edge of the tent and slipped out under it.
Immediately, DG was drenched by the downpour. She carefully pushed through the bushes she crawled into. Keeping her ears open for anyone that moved around her. DG froze when she found herself looking at a pair of black boots. Looking up, she realized that they couldn't see her.
The Longcoat moved quickly and began shooting over the bush. DG shifted enough to see who he was shooting at. She caught a sight of Jeb's jacket behind a tree. DG bit her bottom lip. She moved as quietly and quickly as she could. More Longcoats passed her without seeing her. DG emerged from the bush. The Longcoats had surrounded everyone.
DG looked around frantically. She had to help them, but if they saw her… DG looked up, finding a long branch haning over her head. She smiled at an idea. DG jumped and grabbed onto the branch. Quickly she pulled herself up onto the branch and began climbing quickly. She ignored the pain searing through her body as she climbed higher.
Settling herself against the tree, sitting on a higher branch, DG aimed her pistol. She fired at the Longcoat closest to Cain.
The Longcoat fell to the ground dead. A second one fell near Az. The commander looked around for the sniper. Cain looked as well, still shooting at the incoming Longcoats. Several more fell near Raw and Glitch. Cain caught sight of a black coats in the tree.
The remaining Longcoats were taken out by Jeb and Cain. Raw and Glitch began hiding the bodies. Azkadellia dispatched their weapons. Cain walked under the tree where he had seen the jacket and looked up. Sure enough, DG was sitting in the tree. But she was looking out at the city.
"What do you see?" Cain asked, trying to keep the anger out of his voice.
Without looking DG replied, "A way into the city."
Before Cain could start the argument, Azkadellia interrupted, "DG, when did you learn to shoot?"
DG looked down at her sister and smiled, "You think a queen shouldn't know how to protect herself?"
"So where did you get the guns?" Cain asked.
"Purchased them years ago. Hoped I'd never need them." DG answered. She emptied her gun and placed it back into her bag.
"what about the way into the city?" Azkadellia asked.
DG slung her bag over her shoulder and began climbing down. "It's a small gap in the wall. In the more, ruined, part of the city. We should be able to slip through unseen."
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Oh yeah, this is where it gets good.