Cassandra rose to her feet as she stared at the five fawns who were shackled to the wall. Bound with iron around their wrists and ankles, the women were dirtied with soil and some remnants of dried blood. The areas around their bindings were bruised to a deep purple, signifying the considerable amount of time that they had been imprisoned.
The brunette's breathing was shallow as she carefully stepped forward and picked up the torch between the two parties. Holding it out in front of her, she continued to gaze at the painful display. All of the fawn's eyes were wide with desperation, as if she was the last bit of hope that they had left in this life.
"What happened to you?" Cassandra whispered to them, concerned that her voice may be detected.
Shackled to the right of all her fellow sisters, was a fawn with short, dark hair that ended just around the bottom of her ears. She appeared to be the oldest of the bunch; aged to her late twenties, if not early thirties. While the others seemed more afraid, this one managed to find her voice.
"She brought us here," the fawn whispered back as quietly as she could. "One by one. Captured after having to watch others die. Please, you need to get us out of here!"
"Narratha?" Cassandra moved closer to her, taking a knee as she assessed their shackles.
The fawn nodded as the brunette searched for a way to undo the restraints. There were no holes that a key could unlock. The chains connected to them were thick and heavy. It seemed that these cuffs were permanent.
"Yes! You know Narratha?" She replied.
With a short glance to break her focus, Cassandra nodded back as she moved to check the shackles around the woman's ankles. "She attacked a town, killed a lot of poils, and took a young fawn – who I am here to save."
The shackles around her ankles were just the same. There was not a single avenue for them to detach.
Damn it! These will never come off!
As soon as the fawn heard what she had to say, a look of sadness grew upon her face, as did the others.
Another fawn in the middle, thin with light brown curly locks, tearfully shivered as she turned her attention to the one with the short hair. "Do you hear that?" She whimpered. "An entire town!"
The other fawn hushed her immediately, fearing that she was too loud, "Quiet, Gennia! She will hear us!"
"I'm sorry!' The fawn lowered her head to weep in silence.
Sighing at the thought of more death growing in the wake of Narratha's crusade, the short-haired fawn cast a firm stare at Cassandra. "You said that she has taken a child?"
"Yes," Cassandra answered. "A fawn, named Leta."
"We have heard the faint cries of a little girl up above."
The brunette cupped her hands and shook them in front of her. "Please, tell me that she is still alive!"
The fawn's gaze dwindled back to the others. She seemed unsure of what the facts were, and that did not help Cassandra's stress by any margin. "I don't know. They've gone silent, but Narratha may have moved her around. If she brings someone back here, she doesn't kill them upright. She keeps them alive for as long as she needs to."
Cassandra stared at her and the other fawns. The more she looked at them, the more she noticed the signs of torture that were present on their bodies. Small burns, bruises, and cuts in various places. They reminded her of the maids that she used to terrorize down in the dungeons of her castle.
It was not uncommon to see those young women strung up in painful harnesses. Flailing and wailing as they tried to escape their agonizing arrangements. Others who were not actively being abused would be thrown away in their cells, some in small cages. Forced to live in darkness, the only time they got to observe light was when one of the sisters would come down to visit them.
Cassandra frequented the prisoners the most, and she had reveled in the hell that she could place them in. Now, seeing the sins of another murderous woman, the only thing that she could feel in her heart was utter despair.
None of these fawns were soulless toys.
They were mothers, daughters, sisters, and friends to others – who may or may not still be alive.
They had personalities, hobbies, fears, and emotions. It took a cold death and a trip across realms for her to finally see things for the way they were, but that change was irreversible. Standing at the forefront of this unending madness, she knew she had to find a way to stop this horror and free them.
"How –" She gulped as she tried to form her sentence. "How long does she keep someone for?"
The fawns looked at one another again, before the one with the short hair continued to answer her, "Weeks? Days? We don't know. We ask the newest prisoner what date it was when they were taken, and that's how we guess how long it has been. Look, if she hasn't been brought down here, then she must still be up there."
"What does it look like up there? Where could Narratha be keeping her?" Cassandra sought all the information that she could get. A plan had to be formed, and it needed to be created fast.
"There are torches to light the way, many of them," the fawn said, pointing her chained hands upward. "Above this ceiling may be a kitchen or dining room, but neither of us knows for sure. She likes to keep some there for a while before she moves them down. Others are brought elsewhere, and I do not know what happens to them."
I need to get to Leta as soon as I can! If I could just get these shackles off them, maybe these fawns can help me!
The brunette placed her hand on the woman's shoulder. "Can any of you disappear and re-form elsewhere? Maybe that would remove these from you?"
"No…" The fawn held up her hands to her face. Her fingers and knuckles were horrifically bent and broken. They had been lined up decently enough, and in her frantic state, Cassandra had not noticed them as she inspected the bindings. "We cannot perform such an action without using our hands. Narratha knows this, and she breaks them so that we remain here. Some surges can shift with just their minds, but she kills them immediately. We're too weak, and the more she harms us, the weaker we get."
Cassandra parted her lips with a tear as she gazed at the woman's injuries. As she looked over at the other fawns, all of them were revealed to have shattered bones in each of their hands. The cruelty that the redhead enacted was vast, and she feared what may have already happened to Leta in her absence.
The girl was a young surge, who barely even understood the capabilities of her powers. Surely, Narratha would have no reason to believe that she could escape on her own. There would have been no need to cripple her in such a way.
Yet, when did a killer like her ever need a reason to harm someone else?
Please don't tell me that she did this to Leta. I need to get up there! Argh! I should have gotten here sooner! Damn it! Why?! Why is this happening?!
The fawn picked up on her inner turmoil. "What is your name?"
"Cassandra."
"Yiverria," she identified herself. "How did you find your way here?"
"An elder fawn, Olisha, her name was. She brought me here."
One of the other fawns spoke out, "Olisha? Where is she? She was an elder of my commune! If she is here, she may be able to get us out!"
Cassandra's eyes lowered as she shook her head. "Olisha died getting me here. She had nothing left. She told me about Narratha, and what she did."
The fawn drew tears as her chest buckled with a short sob. "I…"
Yiverria turned to comfort her. "Iatenna, it is okay. Olisha sees things that we do not. She was a great elder, and if she has sent this woman to Deas, therein lies purpose!"
Purpose?
Cassandra interjected, "What 'purpose?' I need to know more, otherwise, I am going to die here. You need to tell me anything that can help me!"
"I cannot speak for Olisha, rest her soul," Yiverria admitted. "She would not have sent anyone to Narratha's castle, that I know. Narratha is dangerous, and she has lost her mind. When you make it upstairs, you need to be quick. She will sense you in no time. We can try to draw her down here to distract her, but she might just send Falena down, instead."
"The shorter woman with the blonde hair?" Cassandra asked.
"Yes," she answered. "She's not as strong, or as insane as Narratha, but she is loyal to her, and she won't think twice about killing you. You may be able to elude her. She gets tunnel vision. She loses focus, sometimes. Narratha is too paranoid. She is always listening."
A plan was slowly beginning to form together. Falena seemed to be the less challenging enemy, but that status did not carry much weight. The brunette had witnessed firsthand how easily that fawn tore a poil's jaw out from his skull. She barely waved a finger by her side, and if that wasn't a staple of her much of a killing machine she was, then Cassandra didn't know what could be.
There were no second chances at play here. One screw up and it would all be over. Cassandra banked on the snippets of information that these fawns were able to provide her with. Understanding her enemy would be the best shot at defeating them. The goal right now was to secure Leta and get her out of this nightmare, but the more she thought about it, the more revelations began to emerge.
Narratha was not going to simply let the child get away. Even if by some miracle Cassandra did manage to succeed, she would just come after her – in force.
Her shifting abilities seemingly allowed her to traverse great distances. Gibbin had made a mention of how some fawns could accomplish that, but only if they had previously been to the area itself or had some strong connection to it. Narratha would have no problem finding them, and it would be a violent end for the two when she did.
I can't just sneak past her. Even if I did, we're as good as dead. This would all be for nothing. I'm going to have to face her, regardless. Leta will never be safe until these two fawns aren't a threat any longer.
"If I wait here, and they sleep, do you think they will see me if I try to attack them?" Cassandra weighed her options.
"Narratha is up most hours of the night," said Yiverria. "She hardly sleeps. Even when she does, it is random. I hear her walking around, shouting at things that aren't there. Falena may be more normal, but she is still sharp. Make one noise, and her eyes will open. I know because I almost escaped. Why she did not kill me, I do not know."
Cassandra's amber eyes glanced at the risks that stood above the stone barrier of the ceiling above. The odds were stacked against her at every turn. With each thing that she learned, the likelihood that this would be a success grew slimmer. She shut her eyes and pressed her lips.
You can do this, Cass. Give it everything you got. Leta is counting on you.
The brunette spread her eyelids and looked at Yiverria once more. "What did she do –"
The opening of a door and the sound of footsteps near the stairs stole her attention, throwing the entire room into a dead silence. A muffled voice, that of a young woman, could be heard from afar, but nothing that was spoken arrived in an audible form. The door shut again, and the footsteps moved away, back to somewhere on the upper level.
Someone is going to come down here! I have to move!
Yiverria was already thinking the same thing. "Hide! If they come back and go down here, we'll try to keep them away from you. Do not try to sneak up on either of them. Just go!"
"I'll come back for you!" Cassandra hurriedly whispered as she retreated to the opposite end of the room.
With the darkness now engulfing them again, Yiverria and the other fawns could only sit and wait. The potential of a savior heightened their anxiousness, but the onset of realism diminished their hope. They had spent such a long time down here, and to think that someone would just be able to free them seemed impossible.
They could only cling to their faith and each other.
Yiverria mumbled under her breath, "Please, don't die…"
Dashing through the shadows, the torch in Cassandra's hand lit her way as she maneuvered through the rubble that lay across the ground. More bits and pieces of the stone walls had cracked and came apart. This must have been the sight of yet another fight, she thought. The presence of age-old chains and shackles inside this location had only added to the mystery of what went down in this place centuries ago.
Narratha's diaries had shed some light on this world's dark past, and the more Cassandra navigated this dungeon, the clearer it became. The irony of the truth was profound.
Poils kept fawns down here, and then the others came to rescue them. Narratha is trying to avoid the past, but she is repeating it. Those poor women. I have to get them out of here too!
The air grew wretched as she delved further down into the room. The pungent smell of rot was hot in her nostrils. She had smelled this scent before – too many times to count. It reeked with the flaky odor of degradation, mixed with the gas of death.
Her feet kicked up some more stray bones, and as she looked down, the brunette stopped and covered her mouth. "Oh, no…"
These bones still had bits and pieces of dried-up flesh on them. As she held her torch in front of her, more collections of them began to reveal themselves. Some were older than others, but not by centuries – but likely months. Others were fairly fresh; still tinted in the dull dye of crimson.
That was when her eyes looked further ahead, and she saw the three dead bodies that were still intact. What was left of them was the bloodied mess of a gory end. Two of the women were nude, their skin molted like old paper. Sections of cuts had lined up the chunks of flesh that had been removed from their extremities. Every torso had been cracked open, hollowed out from either the decay of time, or the desire of their killer to consume their hearts.
All of their necks had been chewed down to the bone, leaving the thin, red branch between the shoulders and the head. One had been decapitated, and while her cervical spine was still exposed, her skull was nowhere to be found. Each of their hands had been shattered, just like those of the fawns that she had encountered on the other side.
This was the fate that awaited them if she did not do something about this.
Cassandra stared aimlessly at the remains of the slaughtered fawns, sighing as she lowered her head and closed her eyes.
This has all gone too far.
She kept her ears open so that she could listen for the sounds of whatever was going on above her. Footsteps could still be heard from upstairs, and she prepared herself for what seemed like an impending arrival. Her sickle flashed under the torchlight, and the rush of adrenaline in her heart implored her to be ready to use it.
Leta remained still as Narratha stared at her from the entrance to the room. The child's face was still sore from the relentless beating that she had suffered from the two women yesterday. Despite the redhead's decision to heal her wounds and pull her away from death, the recovery process had not been too successful. She could still taste the blood from the several cuts that had been pressed into her gums. Her jaw was still in pain, and her left eye socket ached with every movement of the orb within it.
It felt deliberate, as if Narratha wanted her to know that her kindness came at a price.
The killer kept her green eyes centered on the disheveled girl, shaking her head as she pulled up a chair and sat down in front of her. With their faces only a foot apart, Leta found her too close for comfort, but there was nothing that she could do. The only thought process that could go through her head right now was to hope that the woman would spare her further beatings.
She was starving and tired – and Narratha could see that.
"When will you finally understand that I am only trying to help you, my child?" Narratha spoke with an almost nurturing tone. It was a change up from the snarling, hateful growl she often bellowed whenever her anger rose. This side of her was almost foreign, in some ways. It was like she was trying to play the role of a mother.
Leta quivered as she breathed, peeking up at her. Her left eyelid was tinted to a light purple, which caught the attention of the woman. Narratha tilted her head, and with an expressionless face, she hummed before she reached out and pressed her two fingers against it.
A warmth came out from their tips, and a string of blue energy blocked all of Leta's vision on that side of her face. Within seconds, the redhead had withdrawn her hands and peered closer to inspect the damage. The pain that the child felt when she moved her eye around was gone, and when she looked around, she could see Narratha's glare fixated on her still.
The woman spoke again, "Better?"
Leta nodded, then responded as soon as she envisioned her lack of words to be perceived as a blatant act of disrespect. She had never been in an environment where she had to tip-toe around an adult who would brutalize her at a moment's notice. The love that Milo and Lia had shown her was nothing like the torture that Narratha cloaked in the guise of care.
"Yes."
Narratha's hand gravitated toward the ends of Leta's hair. She clasped it inside her palm, gently pulling down on it as she sorted through each end. "If I could have changed things, I would. I saw you when you were but an infant, when our lives as fawns were as it was. Had you grown up in that commune, you may have known me in a different light."
"I'm sorry for crying," Leta tried to stay on her good side. "I got scared."
Narratha's brow furrowed as her hand moved back to Leta's tiny cheek. Her finger and thumb gently pinched and caressed her skin, circling toward the lobe of the girl's ear. "I know fear very well. You think I am some monster, but you judge me for my anger. Believe me, I do not want to harm you. Children like you are Locwitary's future. That future was stolen from us, years ago, by men like Milo, and the other poils that he had brought to our home."
Leta's teary eyes turned to her, and as soon as she saw them, the corners of Narratha's mouth pulled into a fraction of a grin. The redhead sighed as she adjusted her expression. "Oh, do you not know? Did anyone ever tell you of what happened?"
"No…"
"Poor child." Narratha gave a quick tug on the bottom of Leta's ear, right before her hand moved to the young fawn's jaw. "You have been lied to your entire life. I understand why. The past dies when we stop remembering it. All is right with the world at that point, is it not? Fawns like Falena and I remember the past, and our anger is righteous. You fear me for the way I express it, but you did not witness what Milo had his men do to girls your age. Fawns were murdered and violated, and our elders gave you and your sister to him as…a reward? I still don't know. All I do know is that they failed us, and I paid the price."
The redhead leaned in. "I spared the other fawns the torment they would have endured, sacrificing my innocence for the greater good. I did it because of the love that I have for fawns like you. I understand that I have put my hands on you, and I promise that it will not happen again. I have things about myself that I must correct, and as sisters, we are here to help each other."
Leta's whimpering picked up, and Narratha's eyes lit up with a brief gaze of scorn. A second after it emerged, the fawn quelled her ferocity and resumed her calm approach. "Your mother was stolen from you, dear child. But, all is not lost, for I am here. I will strengthen your powers. You have such a beautiful life to be lived, and the poils were nearly successful in taking that away from you as well. You are a fawn, and I will raise you as such – if you would allow me."
Her demeanor was cause for unease. Leta could not forget the abhorrent actions that she had witnessed during the massacre at Acomb. Narratha may have acted like someone who was loving, but the level of apathy that she had displayed before now could not be erased. As much as the child wanted to appease her, and therefore, spare herself more violence, her fear continued to pilot her responses.
She instinctively pulled back, afraid of what was going to happen to her next. The redhead's touch was invasive – predatory, even.
With a low groan, Narratha withdrew her hand and slowly set it down on her lap. The corners of her eyelids pinched with frustration, but she kept her venom to herself, for the time being. Leta was just able to notice how the woman's fists clenched for a short span before they released themselves.
Narratha's lips parted as she breathed in. "You do not want to live in this world alone, dear child. It's okay to be scared. I will stay patient, and when you are ready, I will be here for you." She stood up from her seat and made her way out of the room. "Until then, you are making the wrong choice. Think about my words, Leta."
She then stepped out, leaving the girl space to quietly cry and sort through her emotions. She wanted nothing more than to be free of this hell, and with each passing hour, her heart sank deeper into her chest. It felt like she was going to die here, and that no one was coming to save her.
With the map in her hand, Cassandra had retreated out from the room where the fawns had been held captive. She was back inside the hallway and was now on her way to the other side of the castle. The map appeared to show a longer path toward the stairs, and without the sections drawn in being accompanied by any sort of notes or images, she figured that these rooms were of little to no importance to either of the two upstairs.
If so, then she could hide there, if one of them were to descend to this area. Surely, they would be going to visit the prisoners, and if the brunette could sneak past them, then she would have a better shot of finding Leta. At the very least, she could hide the girl while she dealt with them.
Her plan still felt like a death sentence, but it was all that she had. The more time she spent here, the more the illusion of success had begun to unravel. She felt confident that she had made the right decision in sending Gibbin back to his people. Part of her doubted that man would have made it this far.
He would not have been able to fit through the small cracks in the walls, nor would he be able to run as fast as she could. A heavy swing of a sword meant nothing to a woman who could kill a man with a single thought and a twist of her hand. She may have been the better option, but it was like trading a goat for a pig, when the animal was going to be sent into the wolf's den.
She was way in over her head with this, and she had to keep thinking on her feet if she was to survive.
Cassandra crept through the next long, winding hallway that she found herself in. The narrow corridors appeared to tighten as she ventured further. Maybe it was claustrophobia setting in, no one could be sure. Something about this castle was evil. It was like a zombie – still alive and killing, even after the end of its days.
She stumbled over what she thought was a rock as she moved forward, nearly tripping before she caught herself. Cassandra spun around to check what she had just kicked, as it appeared lighter than any stone. The walls kept the torch close to her face and she could feel the heat as it radiated onto her skin. Peering down, she observed a skull that had been pushed across the floor.
Like the bodies, it was fresh – with remnants of a fawn's hair still clinging to the scalp.
Another?
Cassandra was too focused on the remains to pay attention as she walked back. Her feet caught along a discarded bone that lined the edge of the wall and the floor, tripping her up again. This time, she couldn't stop, and she fell to the ground. Her torch landed in front of her, clouded by dust that had been kicked up along with it.
The brunette pushed herself onto her feet, hoping that nobody else had heard her. As soon as she regained hold of her torch, her eyes turned back to the end of the hall, and that was when she saw the faint silhouette of another corpse – this time, hanging from the ceiling.
With a raised brow and parted lips that illustrated her rising sense of dread, Cassandra gazed upon the mummified remains of a fawn whom Narratha had killed. Chained by her neck and arms, the deceased woman's decayed face carried the expression of pain and terror that she must have had in her final moments. Her blue gown was still worn on her body, but it had been stained so deeply in blood and dirt that it was a dark brown.
The smell of death was all around her, and as the brunette stepped around from the body, she discovered yet another on the ground just a few yards ahead. This fawn was chained by her neck to a post that had been secured to the ground. By the looks of it, the length of the chain was only about a foot; not even enough for her to sit up. Her arms were twisted like a snake's body, rendering them broken in so many places. She was just as mummified as the one above, but her gown was cleaner.
Cassandra did not stop to inspect either of the bodies. She just assumed that the second fawn was left there to die. No flesh removed, or anything like that. It was like she was just killed for the hell of it.
Breathing heavily, Cassandra tried to keep herself calm, but each step was like walking into a cemetery full of open graves. She could taste the remains in the back of her throat. It burned her tongue, making her want to vomit. Even in her days of cannibalism at Castle Dimitrescu, death never felt like this.
Further down the hall – another corpse.
This one had to have been just a week old. A small, dark-haired fawn. She couldn't have been any older than eighteen or nineteen. Her throat had been slashed wide open. She had no broken bones in either of her hands. Paler than the brunette herself, the lady had been completely drained of blood.
Narratha must have just taken her to this spot strictly to kill her. The girl must not have lasted a single day here.
"Ugh…" Cassandra covered her mouth and moved faster. She speed-walked through the rest of the hall, spotting two more putrefied corpses with their faces pressed into the dirt. The two fawns were piled onto one another, surrounded by the bones of what may as well have been older victims. This hallway was a dumping ground, and she had to get out.
You've got to be joking. All of this…
Almost at full speed, Cassandra ran through the exit to the hall, and into the next room filled with nothing but darkness and bloody secrets.
Falena sat in front of the mirror as she brushed her long, blonde hair. The day had been a tiring one for her, as dealing with the aftermath of Narratha's assault had crippled her emotional state for a while. She had been so ashamed of herself that she did not want to function. She hardly ate, let alone drank anything. The chalice of water that she kept beside her and the small plate of bread and fruits would be enough for the night.
When the redhead had called for her, so that the two could reconcile, she felt a release from some of the bindings that had weighed her down today. Life had been rough for the last couple of weeks. Narratha had been overly fixated on what she had sought to achieve, and that affected their relationship.
The blonde fantasized about the earlier months, when the two of them would go for walks together around the edges of Tyillioum, talking about life and the world around them. Narratha's waves of anger were nothing new, even then, but they were more spaced out. There were times when they would laugh and share food under the bright skies.
Stories about the future often brought up excitement between the two of them, as Falena's hope had assimilated with the redhead's goals. Their mutual appreciation for nature allowed for afternoons of watching the animals frolic around the grass, or birds flocking around in droves.
Ever since those three poils crossed their path on that one afternoon, things had changed. Killing was something that Narratha had believed in, and she saw the poils as monsters. When those young men and their female companion approached the two fawns, Falena took notice of the way Narratha acted.
She greeted them with warmth and offerings of fruit. The men happily obliged, while the woman simply smiled and looked on. All of Narratha's teachings had seemingly faded away, but as the poils collected their food, the blonde could sense the rise in the redhead's powers as she channeled them.
Her kindness – it had all been a farce.
In a split-second, chaos had broken out, and Narratha was already slamming the first poil into the ground, just like she had killed that man in Acomb. When the others scattered, Falena remembered herself being instructed to help. The eruption of violence had taken her by total surprise, and she could hear the demands that the redhead screamed as she slaughtered the poil with her magic.
"Falena! Do not stand there, you useless rat! Kill them!"
By the time Narratha had folded the man's spine and released him, all the blonde could do was give chase to whoever was next. She acted without thinking, driven only by the instinct that had been instilled in her.
Narratha was already pulling the second poil in by his legs when Falena had caught up with the female. As she listened to the young man screaming and gurgling behind her, she set her eyes on the tearful face of a woman that she never knew, but was now harming solely because she had been told to. Her companion's orders were firm, and the blonde used her magic to vacate the back of the girl's skull.
A bloody mess, and when all was said and done, the lovely afternoon in that field was over. She did not want to return there, even though Narratha had offered to do so. It had been a month or so since that day, things just didn't feel the same.
She just wanted to enjoy some time near the forest. As much as she hated poils, they didn't need to die, but Narratha thought otherwise. Now, all she could think about from then on was the way her friend had easily changed her act to lure them in.
It was all played so well, and Falena was left wondering if the only friend that she had left in this life was one that she could not trust. It was a terrible thought, and she wanted to bury it in the dirt and walk away.
Huffing a displeased sigh as she ran through brush through her knotted ends, the blonde gazed at her reflection. "I can't wait for this to all be over," she said to herself, yanking the brush out. "I'm tired of this."
Her bruises had healed, but she still felt like she deserved them. "You have to do better, Falena."
She set her brush down and gave her face one final look through. Her pointed, freckled nose was sharp underneath her flat eyelids. She remembered her mother calling her 'beautiful' back in her earlier years. One of her biggest regrets was the choice to explore the rest of Locwitary by herself. She never returned to that commune in Joulin, nor would Narratha permit her to.
Deep down – she didn't want to have to choose between one or the other.
"There have to be fawns who believe," Falena muttered to herself as she turned around and hopped out of her chair. "It cannot be just us. Please, if it is, then may I be permitted to at least be good enough for Narratha? I just want somebody in my life."
She was just about to remove her fur cape and hang it up, but the sight of the book on her nightstand caught her attention. She had already read it plenty of times, but it beckoned her for another go-around. It was an occasional routine before she would retire and go to bed. Slipping her sandals back on, Falena went over and picked up the old batch of writings, cracking it open with another sigh before she used her magic to snuff out the candles in her room.
She stared at the darkness that her room was now enveloped in, arms crossed around her chest, with the book at its center. Particles of light were still trailing off from her fingers by the time she lowered her eyes to them. Her thoughts morphed into those of Leta and what the child represented. She wondered if Narratha's newest potential sister would create a bridge between the two of them.
When the blonde had her hands on her, she could sense the girl's connection to that brunette woman that they had seen beside Lia. Something about her wasn't right, and Falena felt it. That tall lady with the long claws couldn't have been the only one to have crossed realms, and ever since Narratha had sensed that presence, her mind had been wild with hunger and desperation.
"Who are you?" Falena said to no one. She expelled the rest of the air that was in her lungs, before turning around and shutting the door. Her concerns would be put aside, for now, as there was reading to be done.
She made her way down the hall, using the glimmering light from her free hand to guide her along the way. The handwritten text in front of her was just as legible as ever, though her eyes merely gazed upon it aimlessly for a minute before her mind began to process it.
They were words that she had read over so many times that she could recite them to herself at a whim. It was only the physical incarnation of them that drew her in.
The blonde stopped in her tracks, seemingly for no reason. She inhaled a slow breath, noticing her anxiety creeping up on her, yet again. She wanted to shut the book, but her mind wouldn't allow it. She'd have to read on for a little while longer as she ventured through the castle. Narratha would often stalk the upper levels, for whatever reason.
The redhead's paranoia knew no bounds.
Falena would have to return to her preferred area of solitude. It was the only place where she could read her book in peace. As she stepped forward to resume her routine, she suddenly paused again.
The torch's light would only carry so far. This new room was way larger than Cassandra had anticipated. She could barely see more than twenty feet around her. From the way things appeared, it was an extension of the previous dungeon segments that she had traversed. The ceiling and opposite walls had to be at a considerable distance away, which made her feel small in this void of shadows.
Unsure of where she was now heading, the brunette withdrew the map once again, taking a look at the layout. The hallways had brought her further toward the right side of this castle. Just like she had read before, the rooms were unmarked. There were no staircases drawn nearby, which signaled a dead end. However, the map did appear to show the presence of exits, some of which led back to the room where the fawns were being held.
It would be a longer walk back if she were to take them, but she was happy to know that there was more than one option to get out of here.
There must be a door right in front of me. I had to have gotten in through this south entrance. It looks like that, anyway. Hmm…is this even drawn to scale? I'm in the correct room, right? It comes off as small on the map. Ugh, I'll have to take it for what it is. There should be another door to the right, with another hallway that goes around. I'm going to have to find the wall and move around. If I can do that, I can get out of here and have a route back to the stairs.
She pocketed the map, right before pointing her torch in front of her again.
I need to get familiar with the layout of this section. If I get caught, I'm not going to have time to check this map again. I must know where I am going.
Cassandra moved further along into the room. After a couple of minutes of searching, she began to notice that the large environment supported various columns that lined up the interior. Squared off and roughly six feet in width, each structure looked like it did a great job of supporting the castle's weight.
This room is indeed quite large. Too large…
Approaching one of the columns, Cassandra held her torch to the stacks of bricks that it was composed of. She was just barely able to glimpse the seam of the ceiling at its end, but the height of the wall was at least fifty to sixty feet up. There was no way that Narratha would have drawn this in such a small proportion compared to the other rooms that she had been to.
It just didn't make sense.
She whipped out the map in a bid of frustration. Her fingers clenched the papers as her brow pinched. She hated running in circles, and the one thing that was supposed to guide her only led to more confusion. Cassandra gazed hard at the room that she was in, noting nothing of significance.
Why is this map even here if it isn't accurate? Narratha wouldn't want herself to get lost down here! So, why would –
A terrible thought popped into her head.
No…she could just vanish at a whim. She'd never get lost down here. She wouldn't live in darkness, not as long as she had her fire. But, the fawns didn't.
That was when Cassandra glanced back up at the column. It was one of six that she had seen during her time inside here. She finally separated her focus from the right side of the map and moved back to the left.
There were six X's drawn there.
The hallways all look the same. I thought I was already in the room with the X's, but it was the smaller rooms, instead. Narratha drew everything backward. This map wasn't for her…
She stepped away from the column, realizing that she had just made a critical error.
The staircase is at the end of the room. I'm right next to it!
Before she could turn around and venture back, she saw the faint flash of blue particles as they dwindled in the dark background. She wasn't alone. Not only that – but she had unwittingly just crossed paths with one of Locwitary's most vicious inhabitants.
From the pitch-black shadows, obscured completely, except for her natural, fiery hands, Falena's voice called out to her.
"You're the one who caused this mess…"
NOTES:
Beware the blonde in the dungeon.
Cassandra has just hit a very dangerous roadblock in her rescue mission. Despite her shorter stature, Falena is not a force to be taken lightly. We've seen the horrors that have taken place in this castle. Death is no stranger to this domain. Rest assured; the next chapter is going to be an intense one – and you won't be expecting what it has in store.
September 30th will see the release of the next two chapters. That's right, another double along the way!
After that, only two more chapters left before this story is finished. We may be close, but there is still so much left to happen.
How does this story of redemption end? Anything is possible and all bets are off the table as the plot draws to a close. As always, expect the unexpected.
Thank you all so much for the constant support that this story has been shown since it first started! I can't believe we are almost done, but we have all made it here together. Four more chapters left to go, and I look forward to each and every one because of you! Hope you have all been well and safe since last time, and may this weekend be an enjoyable one!
You're the best, and I couldn't be happier to have you! 😊