No one peered out the windows.Most had their curtains open, but a few still had drapes pulled over the glass.
In some sections of the road, wagons lay abandoned in the middle of the street.It was as if the horse hauling them had simply vanished, and the vehicles had fallen where they stopped.
“What the fuck?”Tucker breathed again.
As the color built toward that deep red hue again, so did the thrum of power on the air until it vibrated against me.Beside me, Ellery’s hand tightened on mine.
When the pulse happened, a wave of power emanated outward.My skin prickled, and while I didn’t understand what it was, something about it felt oddly familiar.
“Did that feel familiar to anyone else?”I asked.
“Yes,” Ellery breathed, and the others nodded.
No one offered to reveal where they’d felt it before.I suspected they were like me and couldn’t quite place it.
The answer was there, niggling at the back of my mind, but it wouldn’t click into place.We stood there, waiting, but nothing stirred, and no answers revealed themselves as the changing light gradually deepened in color again.
“We have to go down,” Ellery said.
She was right, but I’d far prefer to keep her away from this.I had no idea what was hiding amongst the town and castle.
“How do we get down there?”Scarlet asked.
I leaned over the ledge to examine the wall beneath us.If one of us fell off, it was at least a hundred-foot drop to the ground.Unlike the cavern with the gargoyles, there was no pathway to the village below.
I leaned back to survey the land, but only one option existed.“We have to climb down.”
CHAPTERFORTY-SEVEN
Ellery
The climbto the bottom wasn’t as difficult as I’d anticipated; the numerous rocks jutting from the wall provided plenty of foot and handholds.One time, my foot slipped off a rock, but it was mostly an uneventful descent.
Putting my feet on the ground, I tipped my head back to peer at the opening above.It wasn’t difficult to climb down, but it wouldn’t be so easy to climb out again, and if there was something sinister down here, it wouldn’t be a simple escape.
Once on the ground, I turned to survey the colorful town.Despite the many cheery colors of the buildings, a somber air hung over the place.
Shifting my attention, I studied the homes around us, but as far as I could tell, the opening above was the only way out.Out of curiosity, I tried to open a portal and failed.I wasn’t surprised by this as we couldn’t open one in the tunnel or the chamber with the gargoyles either.
“How did all of this get down here?”Scarlet asked.“Did it belong to some secret society who lived beneath the earth?”
“How would they survive without sunlight to grow food or to feed the animals?There are wagons in the street; I’m assuming there were horses,” Tucker said.
I studied the ceiling again.No tree roots poked through the domed structure.Wherever this place was, it wasn’t located beneath the trees that brought us here.
“Well, since we’re here, we might as well explore,” Ianto said.
“We should find out what’s causing the pulsing,” I said.
Everyone’s attention shifted toward the castle as the red light deepened in hue.
“Shouldn’t we explore all the buildings first to make sure there isn’t something here that would like to eat us?”Callan asked.
He was right; we should check for a threat first, but I was extremely curious about the light.What’s causing it, and why does it feel so strangely familiar?
“We’ll search as we head toward the castle,” Ryker said.“This place is big enough that something could be lurking between the buildings right now, and we’d never know it.”
I gulped at his last words, but he was right… anything could be out there, stalking us and waiting to pounce.Wiping my sweaty palms on my pants, I wished I could see through the buildings toward what lay beyond, but I hadn’t been blessed with that ability.
