AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He noted their joint hands. “You and your circle’s silence. This place is sacred, and only those who need it should reach this place.”
She gave her assent, happily so. “What’s your name?”
“You don’t need it, either.”
Daria nodded once more and took a step back.
“Wait. Child.”
“Yes?”
“Fight it. Fight it to the death, because if it gets out, so will I. I will not allow your evil to stain my gift.”
“My evil?”
“Your ancient line. Everything you asked me to unlock.”
“What?”
“Remember my words. The answers will come, and the time will come. Fight it.”
But you are not giving me answers!She wanted to yell, except everything was happening in fast motion: the key floating away from her pocket and into his palm, his vision fading. Her body was flying away, too, before landing on a solid object and hearing the grunt behind her. Familiar hands wrapped and tugged until she was looking into…a blurry face. She let out a sound of dazed frustration.
“Did you get what you needed?” Charlie asked, holding on to her tightly.
She started shaking her head, but the color of Sona’s dress—brilliant green and blue hues—distracted her. The brightest of hope came to mix with the dread of the man’s words. “I think so. But in stages.”
“So, can you still not see? Is he not going to get us out of here?” Riva asked. Her body lines were agitated, her loose shirt making her appear smaller. Daria imagined tanned, smooth skin, but only the clothes popped out.
“He took my key.” And then she felt it. “The temple’s disintegrating.”
“What?”
“The clouds are crumbling, too. We need to leave.”
No sooner had she said it that the ground shook, a small vibration building up. Everyone froze.
“But how?” That was Sona, calm as ever. “There’s no key, and there’s nowhere to go. How are we going to do this?”
“Follow me.”
Cracks appeared, one under her palm. She pushed off it and was running, pulling on Charlie’s hand and another she had snatched—Sona’s. No one argued, but perhaps that was because there was no time for argument as a column collapsed and more followed.
“Over here!”
Diego’s voice was faint among all the crashing sounds, but they shadowed it and his figure as he streaked across clouds and helped them find the thicker ones to stand on. Soon, Charlie joined in and the two men were making way for her to keep going as her heart thudded. There could be a hundred exits or there could be none. All she knew was the one she read.
“Big Blue walked away with a smile after he got his wish. He left the path and lived happily ever after!” she recited in a shout.
“What?” Riva shouted back. “What does that even mean?”
“It means we leave this goddamn place,” Daria shot back. Her gaze locked on a hole, growing and growing, different from the crumbling of the rest of the clouds.
Then she was jumping head-on towards it, with Sona’s hand still clasped in hers.
“Malifeskos! Come with us!”
Oscar’s excited yelling was the last thing she heard before a great roaring swallowed them whole, and they were tossed into nothingness. They tumbled into it, floated into it. They felt the darkness blanket them. Then the colors appeared one after another, illuminating the number of figures who had made it into the jump—six. It spread and sparkled, a feast in her newfound eyes. They dimmed.
