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Chapter 19 (Haunted)
Ekanli
stretched out by the fire, leaning a bit on her side after riding so hard for a
week. The city of Feerstor was visible in the distance, but with how dark it
was and how hard they’d been riding, none of the group seemed able to ride even
five more feet. Plus, the horses were tired, and the city gates appeared to be
locked from this distance. Though, there was a large, haunted-looking white
tower about half way to the city, a remnant from the time of war.
With the
rolling hills all around, the woods behind them seemed like a dark shadow on
the land.
Igu sat on
the other side of the fire and wrung her hands, muttering something about Tima.
Beside her, Modaj thumbed through a book, squinting as if that would make the
firelight brighter. Weron rewrapped some bandages around Orshis’s middle over
by the horses then put feeding bags over their mouths to quiet them.
The muggy
air made each breath feel like drinking a glass of water, and the three moons
which were out tonight—the blood moon, the infection moon and the virus moon—and
cast their red, yellow and green lights across the land, making it easy enough
to see.
Weron
strode over to the fire and placed some skewered meat over the open flames. “Once
this is done, we have to put this fire out.”
“Why?”
Ekanli put a hand on her hip as she turned her head to stare at him, her other
hand holding her up in the lounging position. She stretched but held her
indignant posture, as much as one could while lying down at least. “Didn’t you
say we lost those Regime Hunters chasing after us?”
Igu perked
up, looking between Ekanli and Weron. Modaj buried himself deeper into his
book.
Slowly,
Weron shook his head. “The explosion allowed us to escape, and the traps slowed
them, but there is no way they would give up that easily.”
“Says you.”
Ekanli scoffed then laid herself out flat. She closed her eyes. “We’re so close
to the city; there’s no reason to bear it tonight.”
“You don’t
get to make that decision.”
“And who
does? You?” Ekanli scoffed.
“What about
Tima?” Igu asked, speaking loud enough for others to hear for the first time
since the explosion that engulfed Ayuhod. Her voice was hoarse and heavy bags decorated
her eyes like black purses. “When can we go after him?”
“That’s
impossible,” Weron said in a solemn voice. He bit into his lower lip. “We just
have to hope he makes it to—”
A branch
snapped in the woods behind them, and their horses began whinnying despite the
feedbags.
Weron held
a hand out to the fire and snuffed it out with his power. “Quiet.”
Wind roiled
just outside the tree line and whipped through the air above their camp. A bolt
of lightning streaked down and blasted the fire pit, charring their food and
sending a spray of dirt into the air. The blinding light and explosive sound
stunned everyone in the circle; though, Modaj with his eyes squinted as they
were, recovered first.
“Get ahold
of yourselves,” Orshis said from beside the horses. Unable to heal herself and
without a real healer despite Ekanli’s attempts, Orshis moved like a
spiderchicken without wings and only one good leg. “We have to go! Now!”
Weron
patted at his ears while Modaj tucked his book into the pocket of his robe. He,
unlike Weron, seemed completely unaffected.
Ekanli
shook her head as Orshis led a pair of horses over towards them. Modaj helped
Ekanli and Igu onto the same horse then got onto the second horse, whispering
something to Orshis.
Twelve
Regime Hunters burst from the woods.
Orshis
spanked the horse Ekanli and Igu were own, sending it into a gallop towards the
creepy white tower in the distance. It looked more unused than Old Betty’s
Beauty Salon.
Modaj
pointed forward, away from the wave of elements sweeping over their former camp—away
from where Orshis and Weron still were. “We,” Modaj said, voice high-pitched, “have
to get to the tower no matter what.”
“What good
will it do us?” Ekanli asked as she crafted a barrier of wind around them.
Despite using this before, it felt thinner than before, proven so when bolts of
fire and stone crashed into the barrier, nearly shattering it.
Igu went
back to muttering under her breath for a few heartbeats then quieted.
The beating
of hooves on hard-packed dirt came from behind. Orshis and Weron were holding
their own, but the Regime Hunters, like the smell of ozone that had erased all
other smells, were getting away from them. Of the twelve, two were down and
four were engaged with Weron and Orshis. Four were riding hard to catch up, and
the last two were headed off to the sides as if to cut off any escape.
Ekanli
swallowed. “I don’t think we can hold the tower doors, if they even work in
that old thing.”
“But we
delay them.” Modaj crafted shields of stone to cover their backs just before
Ekanli’s barrier shattered. But like hers, it was thin.
Also like
before, Igu snarled and started muttering under her breath. It was something
about Tima and not being able to live without him. But this time, she just
complained over and over again.
The riders
closed in and hurled elemental bolts, blasting Modaj’s shields into dust. Ten
feet away and closing.
The tower
was still a good twenty feet away.
Igu gritted
her teeth and held a hand above her head, gathering a ball of fire that could
have shaded them from the moons’ light.
Each of the
Regime Hunters’ horses whinnied as they pulled on their reins and scattered.
Igu flung
her hand towards them, but the blast of fire shrank upon leaving its perch
above her, and the Regime Hunters easily avoided the stream of fire. She began
muttering again.
They passed
through the outer gates around the tower, which were broken pieces of scrap
metal. A creepy howl rang through the air. Modaj leaped off his horse and
placed both hands on the ground. Jaw set, he closed his eyes, and the ground
began to tremble.
Ekanli
climbed down then glanced between the closed doors of the tower and Modaj. “Hurry
up.”
“I’m
trying.” His voice was strained. “Get Igu inside, and hide.”
Igu,, still
on the horse, shook her head. A convulsion rippled through her as Modaj’s wall
came up to block the entryway, the shaking ground knocking Ekanli from her
feet.
Ekanli
scrambled to her feet and pulled Igu from the saddle then hurried to the door,
towing her along.
The ground
trembled again, and Modaj growled.
Ekanli
pushed on the door, but it didn’t budge. “We have a problem!”
“You think?”
Modaj said.
“I mean the
door is locked!”
“What?” He
glanced over his shoulder at her, cracks forming in his crafted wall.
Ekanli sent
blades of wind into the lock, but nothing happened. Like most things of war
before the Regime took power, this door was power-forged.
Igu pried
her wrist free. “We have to hurry. Find a way to escape and find Tima.”
“Tima’s the
least of our problems right now.” Ekanli took a deep breath then ingested her
link, the glow of her eyes intensifying and bathing the door in yellow light. “Step
back.”
Igu did so.
With
everything she had, Ekanli blasted the door with a rush of wind. The gale
howled, and the door groaned. Her knees grew weak as her stomach grumbled, but
she only pushed harder, ripping the door from its hinges. The light in her eyes
died.
Igu nodded
the sprinted inside, disappearing into the flickering lights mounted on the
walls inside the tower.
“Wait!”
Ekanli glanced back at Modaj. “The door is open, but Igu ran off.”
Modaj stood
and stumbled over to her. After taking one step inside, the created wall
exploded in a spray of stone. “Move.”
The two of
them slammed the doors behind them and bound the doors together with a slate of
granite wrapped in wind before working their way in through the maze of rooms,
each connected to others by a series of doors as if the idea of hallways was
foreign to the original architects. The place smelled of mold and cobwebs, and
the walls of every room were a dusty, gray-green to match.
A low hum
came from the ceiling.
Ekanli
swallowed then forced herself to grin. “You here that?”
Modaj shook
his head.
Boom! The explosion came from behind.
“Up the
stairs.” Modaj pointed to the incredibly dark room in the distance.
Ringing
footsteps came from behind.
Ekanli only
hesitated for a moment then ran into the stairwell, Modaj on her heels. Despite
the untold number of floors this tower had, this particular stairwell only went
up one flight. Room after room, she ran, saying Igu’s name after each door smacked shut behind her.
The last
room, covered in red, led to another stairwell. The temperature dropped with
each step closer to the stairwell, and silence turned each breath into a
scream. No footsteps followed.
Ekanli spun
on her heels, chest heaving.
Modaj was
nowhere to be seen.
The eerie
hum started up again, and the hairs on the back of Ekanli’s arms stood on end.
She stifled
a scream by covering mouth.
“Did you
hear that?” an unfamiliar, gruff voice asked from one room over.
“Don’t let
your guard down,” another said.
Ekanli
eased into the stairwell on her tiptoes and made her way to the third floor.
Without access to her powers and no weapons, she’d be hard-pressed to defend
herself, but with the speed of wind, she could get the jump on them, so she
made her way a few rooms away from the stairwell into what looked like a dining
hall.
Like the
rest of this tower save for the crimson room, this place smelled like old
people with the moldy-colored walls to match. Rows and rows of tables filled
the expansive room with a kitchen in the back and a few toppled tables by the
door.
“Perfect,”
she whispered to herself as she made her way over to one of the turned over
tables.
“This way,
right?” the gruff voice asked.
“Yeah, I’m
sure—”
A gurgling
screech cut off whatever the second Regime Hunter was going to say.
Rather than
crouching in her position, ready to attack, Ekanli huddled, arms wrapped around
her knees, her entire body trembling.
Long
moments passed and there were no sounds.
Ekanli took
a deep breath and stood. There was no reason to be frightened since it didn’t
sound like the Regime Hunters had caught either of her friends.
No hum. No
voices. Just a cold silence.
Knees
shaking, Ekanli tiptoed to the door into the other room and peeked through it.
The once
gray-green room was now crimson with gore and blood creeping down the wall, A
pair of heads rested in the center of the room, one with a beard and one with
a pig nose. If they were whole, at least. The heads had been split in two and
put with the opposite half of the other, creating a pair of odd creatures.
Ekanli
screamed.
Next: Chapter 20
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