“You can leave now,” I said to Yuri, “But take this woman with you.”
Derek and I tore down the door to her cell. Yuri scooped her up in his arms and hurried out of the dungeon with Claudia.
We followed immediately afterward. We both knew that the chances of finding Anna were practically nonexistent.
A wave of déjà vu hit me. We were in exactly the same position now as when Ben had been trapped in Aviary as a newborn. The chances of us surviving and returning in time with our son had been practically nil then too. But we had taken the chance anyway.
Can lightning strike us twice?
We parted ways with the others and raced across the marble floor, praying that we wouldn’t bump into anybody. Apparently, the lights had been knocked out not only in our dungeon, but throughout the castle. Thankfully, the woman’s instructions had been accurate. In no time at all, we found ourselves in a chamber near the main entrance with an ornate carpet in one corner. We slid it away and ripped open the trap door. We descended the steps until we found ourselves in a pitch-black dungeon.
My breath hitched as I caught sight of a circular crater in the center of the room. Approaching it, I stared at its swirling blue-tinged translucent walls, its endless depth, the glitter of stars beyond… It brought back so many memories, I was stunned into silence for several moments.
The flicker of electricity returned all around us.
I gasped. If this meant that Annora’s influence over the castle had returned, I hoped that the others had managed to get out in time.
I said a prayer and gripped Derek’s hand.
We leapt into the abyss.
All was a blur as we hurtled downward. I could barely gasp for breath, the force pulling us downward sucking the air from my lungs.
As we reached the other side, I landed in a heap on a stone floor. Derek stirred a few feet away from me. I sat up and looked around.
We were in another dungeon. Only this wasn’t as cold as the one in Caleb’s island.
Now we were back in the world of supernaturals. A place I’d sworn I’d never venture again after the ordeal we’d gone through retrieving Ben.
I spotted an oak door in the corner of the room and Derek and I rushed over to it. It was locked, so Derek had no choice but to rip it from its hinges, despite the noise.
We crept up a set of narrow stairs and reached what was clearly a kitchen. High-ceilinged and dark, the room was surrounded by steel counters upon which lay an array of black cauldrons, carving knives and other sharp-looking utensils. The scent of burnt blood lingered in the air. Human blood.
I shuddered. “Where do we start?” I whispered to Derek.
“If Anna’s here,” he replied, still scanning the room, “it would make sense that she’s being kept with other humans. There must be a dungeon, or room of some sort…”
I sniffed the air again. If this kitchen is where human blood is prepared, it would make sense for the humans to be kept nearby somewhere.
“There,” I said, pointing to the far corner of the room. We hurried over and looked down at another trap door.
Unbolting it, I lifted open the hatch. It creaked open and the smell of hot human blood emanated from the hole.
We descended the steps and found ourselves standing inside a dungeon filled with humans trapped behind bars. Waves of screams echoed around the walls. I rushed to slam the trap door shut, hoping that the noise hadn’t already been heard.
We split and ran about the dungeon, scanning each of the cells for any signs of Anna.
“We’re not going to hurt you,” Derek hissed. “We’re looking for a pregnant woman. Have any of you seen her?”
They hushed a little, but looked at us blankly.
“Any of you?” I asked, looking around at their pale faces.
After five minutes, it was clear that Anna wasn’t in here. I turned to the nearest human—a tall young man with protruding cheekbones. “Are there any other places other than this dungeon where humans are kept?”
“I-I don’t know,” he stammered.
I breathed out sharply and raised my voice, repeating the question to all of them. None of them seemed to know.
“We were just thrown in here. We have no idea what this place even is,” a young woman said.
I locked eyes with Derek. It meant more exploring.
We hurried out of the dungeon and returned to the kitchen. Although still haunted by the state those humans were in, I had to focus. We headed to the exit of the kitchen and emerged in a large entrance hall.
I was struck by how similar in architecture this place seemed to Caleb’s castle. The same grand staircase, the thick curtains, stained-glass windows… I ran from window to window, looking out. Dark ocean as far as I could see. We were in a castle—that much was clear now. And we appeared to be on a tiny island. There was no sign of vegetation, not even a single tree. The castle was built upon black rocks. A pathway ran the circumference of the building, and a dozen feet beyond that, a steep drop down to the foaming sea.
“What is this place?” I breathed.
“I don’t know,” Derek said, catching my hand and pulling me back. “But we don’t have time to stop and admire the scenery.”
We searched hall after hall, trying to remain in shadow, traveling as noiselessly as possible. We failed to find another trap door or dungeon on the ground floor, so we headed up the staircase toward the first floor. This floor seemed to be residential. The corridors were lined with doors—most of which were strangely open—leading into apartments. All far too luxurious to hold humans. The whole castle seemed deserted.
My stomach sank as we searched level after level without luck. As we hurried along the final corridor of the top floor, I stopped short outside a blood-red wooden door. I caught hold of Derek’s arm and pulled him back, pointing at it. Carved around the door’s border were letters of a strange, ancient language.
“I wonder…” I reached my hand out for the doorknob and turned it.
It was stiff at first, but as I applied pressure, it gave way. I was a split second from pushing the door wide open when a voice pierced the corridor.
“I wouldn’t go in there if I were you. Unless you’d like a more painful punishment than you’re already in for.”
We both whirled around in time to see Annora outstretching her palms.
My legs folded beneath me and my vision faded.
I should have known that this time we wouldn’t be so lucky.
Because, after all, lightning rarely strikes twice.
Chapter 19: Sofia
Derek and I came to in another dungeon.
I looked around in horror to see three of our companions in the cell opposite us—Ibrahim, Aiden and Zinnia.
“What happened?” I gasped, crawling to the bars and gripping them.
“Annora’s influence returned before the three of us could escape,” Ibrahim muttered, rubbing his temples. “But the others made it out in time.”
I stared at them more closely. Their clothes looked more tattered than before, fresh bloodstains soaking them.
At least Rose got away.
My relief didn’t last long as the memory of our failed attempt to retrieve Anna came flooding back.
“Annora brought us down here?” Derek asked.
Ibrahim nodded, and the three of them looked at us worriedly.
“What happened to you?” Aiden asked.
“We found the gate,” Derek said. “But we failed to find Anna.”
“What was on the other side?” Zinnia asked.
“Another castle,” I replied. “Similar to this, except it was on a much smaller island, without this frozen weather. There was a dungeon with humans… much like this dungeon. But Anna wasn’t there.”
They all fell silent.
“What do you think disrupted Annora’s power over this place?” Derek asked.
They looked as clueless as I felt.
I recalled Annora’s last words and shivers ra
n through me.
“Unless you’d like a more painful punishment than you’re already in for.”
I looked up at Derek and muttered, “What do you think the witch meant by punishment?”
“No idea,” he said, clenching his jaw.
As it turned out, we didn’t need to wait long to find out. Barely ten minutes passed since we had come to when Annora strolled into the dungeon. She stopped outside our cell and glared at the two of us.
The door to our cell clicked and swung open.
“I suggest you don’t try anything,” she said. “Just follow me.”
We followed her out of the dungeon. I considered making a run for it as we emerged from the staircase, but Derek gripped my waist and held me in place.
He was right. We’d get nowhere with this witch. Attempting escape would only make matters worse. Annora reached out and touched our arms. We vanished from the spot and reappeared in a corridor, outside a door. When I glanced out of a window, it appeared we were on one of the highest floors of the castle.
She pushed the door open and we entered a comfortably furnished apartment. She led us along the hallway and through a number of rooms. We stopped once we reached a study.
Derek and I stood by the entrance, watching as she made her way to a table in a corner. She drew up a chair and sat down.
“What do you want with us?” I asked, fighting to steady my breathing.
“I want,” she said, her voice dangerously low, “to teach you a lesson for wandering around without my authority.”
Derek and I barely had time to realize what hit us. An excruciating pain exploded in the base of my spine and spread throughout my nervous system. I collapsed, and Derek landed next to me a moment later. The agony blinded me. I couldn’t even find the strength to open my eyes. My limbs shook, teeth chattering. My brain felt like it was on fire, as though it might explode against my skull.
Each second that the agony lasted, I prayed that Anna’s fate hadn’t been as painful.
Chapter 20: Ben
Rose’s disappearance sent tremors through the island. When she didn’t return that night and still hadn’t returned by the morning, I’d suspected that I might find her in the lighthouse again. But she wasn’t there.
Griffin had no idea where she was. He’d claimed that she hadn’t visited him that night. Nobody had seen her—it turned out that I’d been the last one to lay eyes on her.
I could only assume that she had sneaked onto the submarine without Eli or Adelle knowing. The timing of her sudden departure, the way she’d lied to me about going to see Gavin, everything pointed to this.
Of course, Corrine was hysterical. I cursed my sister beneath my breath for leaving the island without me. If things had been uncomfortable before, they were now ten times worse.
It felt like being stuck in a pot of simmering water, slowly boiling alive from worry. Sleepless night turned into day, hours passing in a blur. I was unable to concentrate on anything. I ended up pacing up and down along the shores of the island, looking out to sea as if I would see the shadow of their submarines beneath the water. But I never did.
I returned to Corrine’s chambers in the Sanctuary. She was sitting at the table with her head in her hands, poring over a large black book. She looked up as I entered and slammed the book shut.
“What are you doing?” I asked, eyeing her trembling hands. Ignoring my question, she stood up and shoved the book into her bookcase. “What’s that?”
Her bottom lip quivered as she looked at me. I thought she was about to answer my question, but then she shook her head. I walked over to her and clutched her shoulders. She brushed me away. “I need some rest, Ben. Leave me alone.”
Reluctantly, I cast one last glare at her before acquiescing.
Without bothering to ask permission, I shut myself in the spare bedroom next to Corrine’s. I too hadn’t slept for two straight nights, but I didn’t want to return to the penthouse that evening. I wanted to keep an eye on the witch. Something was up with her, and if there was even the slightest chance that whatever she was hiding from me had something to do with the disappearances, I was going to get to the bottom of it.
* * *
Soon after midnight, I sat up in bed. I left the room and crept along the corridor, stopping outside Corrine’s door. I placed my ear against it. She was talking. Her voice was low, monotonous.
Through the thick wood it was hard to make out her words. It wasn’t clear whether she was talking to herself, perhaps in her sleep, or to someone else possibly in the room with her.
I pushed the door open. I winced as it creaked, expecting Corrine to come to the door. But when she continued to talk, I slipped into the room. My eyes fell on the bed.
She lay beneath the covers, her eyes shut. She continued to mutter to herself. Her face was contorted in pain and her head rolled from side to side. I crept closer, straining my ears, but I couldn’t make sense of her words.
I stood at the foot of her bed and stared down at her. “Corrine?” I whispered.
She continued muttering for several minutes. Maybe she’s just having a nightmare.
I was about to turn and leave when her eyes shot wide open. She began lifting her head off the pillow and throwing it back. Slowly at first and then more violently. Her breathing grew heavier and she began chanting a single word over and over. At first it was indistinct, like the rest of her mutterings, but the syllables became distinct.
“Mikau,” she said, her brows furrowed. “Mikau.”
“What?”
“No!” she shrieked.
My jaw dropped as she began to levitate above the bed. Her body lay flat as she lifted off the mattress, the covers sliding off her. She floated in the air toward me. I ducked as she passed over me. Once she was about a foot away from the table, she fell to the floor.
Even after her fall, she didn’t seem to wake up. She scrambled to her feet and ran to her book case. She threw open the glass doors so forcefully one of them shattered, and her hands fell upon the black book I’d seen her reading earlier. She staggered back over to the table and slammed it down. She drew up a chair and picked up a pen. I hurried over and looked over her shoulder.
Her fingers flipped through the pages so fast, their contents were a blur. She stopped finally about a quarter of the way through the book. That was when I realized what it was. An atlas.
Her finger began tracing a map. I leant down closer as her pen hovered over a black circle that was obviously hand-drawn. It was so thick, she must have traced over it with ink at least a dozen times.
“What is this place?” I breathed, gripping the back of her chair.
She scraped her chair back just as I was trying to read the small text, and I was forced to step away. She climbed back into bed and pulled the covers over her. She closed her eyes and began snoring.
I stared back down at the atlas, finally able to get close enough to read the writing. This whole page was a map of Waianae, Hawaii. The black circle surrounded a tiny dot along a beach. I squinted to read the minuscule writing next to it.
“Mikau Cave.”
I was still mystified by what had just happened. But it was clear that something—or someone—had just possessed Corrine. And whatever it was, I was damn sure it had something to do with the vampires and witches’ disappearances.
I reached for the atlas, tore out the page that contained Corrine’s mark, and tucked it into my jeans pocket.
I replaced the book in the bookcase. Walking over to Corrine, I touched her forehead. She was burning up. I shook her shoulders until her eyelids flickered open. And when they did, it was clear that Corrine was back. Her face was lined with fear, panic in her eyes. She gasped, clutching her throat.
“What just happened?” I asked, gripping her shoulders.
Wiping sweat from her brow with the back of her sleeve, she swallowed hard. “I’ve felt it only recently,” she said. “There’s something… something out there.”
??
?What?” I urged.
“A power unlike any I’ve experienced before. Trying to communicate with me. I’ve been trying to figure out what it could be. But I’m still uncertain.”
“Corrine, whatever this is, it’s responsible for stealing them, right?”
She looked at me, her lips quivering. She nodded slowly. “I believe so, Ben. Whatever it is, it’s certainly powerful enough to have overcome all those witches and vampires…” Her voice trailed off and she clasped a hand over her forehead.
That was all I needed.
It seemed that she hadn’t remembered marking the atlas and leaving it on the table. At least not yet. And by the time she did remember, I would already be gone.
I left Corrine’s bedroom and returned to my own. Sitting down on my bed, I reached into my pocket and unfolded the map.
I smiled bitterly as I recalled the words Rose had spoken not long ago.
“Hawaii, here we come.”
Chapter 21: Ben
I returned to my bedroom in the Residences and packed up whatever few personal belongings I could think of in my hurry to leave. I ran to my father’s library and, pulling open one of the cabinets in the corner of the room, withdrew a couple of stakes and two UV ray guns, along with a supply of bullets.
I had to be fast, because I had to be gone before Corrine woke up and tried to stop me.
I didn’t know what I was thinking going alone. I had no plan. I was walking into this blind, with just the conviction that the little circle on the map was where my family were being held.
I knew that I couldn’t start recruiting others to come with me. Corrine wouldn’t allow anyone else off the island, least of all myself, after we’d already lost three batches of recruits.
But even if it meant being caught along with them, I refused to stay on this island a moment longer now that I had a clue as to their location.
After I’d bundled the few items into a backpack, I grabbed my cloak and ran out of the penthouse. I descended in the elevator and rushed through the forest as fast as my legs could carry me. I paused now and then, convinced that someone was following me in the shadows, but they didn’t show themselves, so I assumed it was just my imagination.