We made our way down the levels, passing noticeably smaller rooms. We continued walking until we reached the bottom floor, where there was a dining hall and what appeared to be a kitchen area. Then I suggested that we take a walk outside. I made excuses to stay out until we finally came across what I’d hoped to see. A cluster of boats washed up on the beach. Old roughed-up boats that probably hadn’t been used for many years, but boats nonetheless.
After that we returned inside. She stopped when we reached the kitchen again and said, “We’re done!”
“That’s it?”
“That’s it! Oh, wait. There’s also the dungeon, but that’s a dirty stinky chamber you wouldn’t want to see. Really nothing interesting down there.”
“The dungeon? What do you keep in there?”
“Humans.”
“I see.” I nodded. “But what will we do for dinner? We may as well get a human from down there while we’re at it.”
Her eyes lit up. “Why, yes, of course! It really is a shame you only drink blood, you know. I make a delicious eyeball stew.”
She continued blabbering about her cooking abilities until we reached a trapdoor located in a corner of the kitchen. She fumbled with the heavy bolt and pulled it open. Hanging on the wall just beneath the trapdoor was a large set of keys. She pulled it off and staggered down the steps, indicating that I follow.
Screams echoed all around the chambers as soon as we entered. I was right to not assume that the witches had brought all of their humans to The Shade.
The state these humans were kept in was about as dismal as the dungeon back in The Shade. Tiarni lost no time in unlocking one of the cells where a group of at least a dozen men were kept.
“Guard this gate,” she said. “Don’t let any of these pesky little things get out.”
I did as she instructed while she reached for a young man nearest to her and pulled him out. He struggled against her, but not for long. She cast some kind of tranquilizing spell on him, after which he immediately became docile.
She locked the gate again and handed me the keys to hold as she led the boy up the stairs back to the kitchen. I followed and placed the keys back on their hook, then bolted the trapdoor behind us.
She chained the boy to a corner of the kitchen and muttered something about looking for a knife.
“You know, Tiarni, I’ve changed my mind. Why don’t we go back to your bed first before eating? We might be hungry afterwards…”
She nodded and smiled broadly.
“Anything you say, Novalic.”
She vanished us both up to her bedroom. We undressed and got into bed, where I stayed until she passed out from exhaustion.
Once she was snoring, I dared get out of bed, pull on some clothes and leave the room.
I sped down the levels of the dark deserted castle and didn’t stop racing until I’d reached the kitchen. The boy chained to the wall was sleeping. I unbolted the trapdoor, reached for the keys and shook him to consciousness.
“Boy, listen to me,” I whispered urgently.
He whimpered as soon as he saw my red eyes staring at him.
I covered his mouth with my hand. “I’m not going to hurt you. I’m going to help you escape. All right?”
Overwhelmed and bewildered, he nodded. The spell Tiarni had placed on him was still heavy upon him. Still, he at least seemed to be able to comprehend what I was saying.
“Follow me.”
Predictably, as soon as I reached the bottom of the stairs, the whole dungeon erupted in screams.
“Silence!” I shouted. I gripped the boy’s shoulder and pushed him in front of me. “I’m here to help you all escape. Do exactly as I say.”
I rushed around the chamber unlocking all the cells. Once all of them were free, I ordered that they follow me up the stairs.
I gathered them all in the kitchen and looked around at their skinny frames and hollow faces.
“Now, you mustn’t make a sound. Follow me. Move as fast as you can.”
I led them all out of the main entrance and hurried along the rocky shoreline. It took much longer than I was comfortable with because they were terribly weak from lack of sun and nutrition. But we arrived eventually.
I pointed to the creaking boats.
“Climb aboard. The strongest of you must take the rowing positions. Organize yourselves.”
I waited while they scrambled to board the boats and decide on their respective positions. It was a sorry sight to see. They were all so weak, I wasn’t sure how they’d survive more than a day at sea. And even if they made it to a mainland somewhere, God knew what creatures would be waiting for them there. Still, hope sparked in their cloudy eyes. And that hope was enough to give them the strength to row those old vessels away from the witches’ island and out into the deep dark ocean.
I hoped that whatever lay in store for them would at least be better than what would have befallen them should they have stayed under Rhys’ reign.
That I didn’t find hard to believe.
Chapter 29: Kiev
I returned to Tiarni still snoring in bed. I removed my clothes, lay back down next to her and woke up with her hours later.
She rubbed her forehead and grinned at me.
“I drank too much last night… But, oh, was it worth it.”
She reached over to kiss me, but I got out of bed before she could wrap her arms around me.
“We should return now.”
She sighed and nodded. After we’d both dressed, she transported us back to her bedroom in The Shade. She managed to steal a kiss from me before I left her.
I exited the castle and ran to the beach. I sped around the circumference of the island until I saw The Black Bell in the distance, moored in the harbor. Behind it, I was relieved to see several other smaller ships. And beyond that line of ships was an enclosed area of sea water where dozens of dolphins swam about.
Good, there are plenty here.
I boarded the second largest ship in the harbor other than The Black Bell and looked around. Everything seemed to be in good shape. And most importantly, there were ample harnesses for dolphins.
Satisfied that everything was in order, I returned to my room.
Rummaging around in a drawer, I found some parchment and a quill. I sat down at the desk, and in a handwriting as much unlike my own as I could manage, I wrote:
“You work so hard, Damion.
You deserve a break.
Drink up,
Your secret admirer.”
I spent the rest of the day in my room. When evening fell and it was nearing the ritual time, I folded up the note, grabbed the bottle of rum from beneath my bed, and hid them both beneath my cloak.