Hall of Games [The Celestial Chronicles #1]

Chapter Twenty-Five: Hag down the Dungeons

"Anger is a brief madness."

-Horace-

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Chapter Twenty-Five: Hag down the Dungeons

Cady couldn't sleep. When she tossed to one side, she saw Lydia's faint silhouette against the wall.

She had tried repositioning herself, under the duvets, upside down and even on the floor, but nothing seemed to work. Her body demanded rest, but her brain spoke otherwise.

Riley's words were still ringing in her mind. They seemed to adumbrate something, something that she couldn't understand. She had nothing to do with Riley, and neither did he. But all the stalking and eavesdropping only shifted a major amount of suspicion to him; what did he want?

The room felt unbearably hot and stuffy. Restless, she rose and slipped her feet into a pair of soft slippers, pulled on a jacket and headed outside. With quiet fingers, she shut the door, leaving her snoring roommate behind.

The corridors were cool and deserted. All the Starlets were sleeping. Although Cady knew the penalty of wandering the Hall corridors at night, she was confident that she wouldn't get caught as the caretaker slept too much on his job (that was what you get for hiring a sleepy giant to patrol the Hall).

Cady had never appreciated silence as much as she did now. She slinked over to the large glass window and pushed it open. The cool air of Esvanira rushed in to greet her, easing away her headache.

She tilted back her head, taking in the great expanse of the night sky and the storm of stars scattered across it. It was as if God had poured an entire bucket of silver glitter across the skies for mere amusement, or for beauty. Either way, she wasn't going to complain.

Cady decided to head outside for a better view of the sky. She went down the stairs and into the parterre. There wasn't a soul to be seen. White blooms exploded over the wide garden, their petals catching the dim glow of the waning moon as it cascaded over the undisturbed lake.

As she sat down on one of the benches, a soft, melodic hum floated into her ears. Surprised, Cady whipped around, trying to locate the origin of the sound.

The voice hummed again, this time louder. Cady recognized it at once – the song of the Fair Necklace. It was calling to her again.

Cady couldn't resist it, no matter how hard she tried. Her inner shadows howled in delight at the Fair Necklace's call.

No one can hear me but you, last of my kin, last of the Walkers.

Cady rose to her feet. Her legs brought themselves forward. The song grew louder with every advancing step, reverberating though the entire yard although she knew she was the only one capable of hearing it.

The song beckoned her closer as she headed toward the dungeons. The doors were closed, but the heavy chain that ran across the metal bars was gone.

That is weird. Cady thought. No one should be down the dungeons at this time of the night.

She knew she should turn and run. But the hold of the Fair Necklace was too strong, its grip choking, forcing her to push the doors open and venture inside.

The corridor was pitch black, the usual source of flickering Celeslights absent. The haunting melody guided her as her arms flailed at the corridors, trying to find her way through the darkness.

You shouldn't be afraid. The song sung. After all, you are one of the darkness.

The metal door leading to the museum chamber was half-closed. A dim light crept up and she scrunched her eyes, staring into the chamber.

Stillness. Silence. Everything was far too quiet for her liking.

The song had ceased.

Cady's heartbeat soared. Unsure of what to do, she stared on, half-hoping the melody would continue to enthrall her.

A shadow flickered. The faint outline of a woman shifted about in the chamber, her hair awry. Squinting, Cady slipped into the room, hidden by the shadows.

It was an old woman. She seemed to be searching for something. For a heart-stopping moment, the old woman flipped her face toward the door, frowning. Cady felt her breath catch as the milky eyes wandered over her.

Nestled in the shadows, Cady knew she was invisible. The old hag released a low screech of surprise as she found the glass box that encased a glowing object: the Fair Necklace.

Cady stared at her.

What is this old hag doing down the dungeons? And why did the Fair Necklace lead me here only to stop?

There was a sudden glint of silver, followed by a shrill scream of pain.

A shadow materialized out of nowhere, spinning a sword that exploded into radiant hues of light. A stream of fair hair fanned out behind the shadow as he advanced upon the old hag. She scrambled out of the way, clutching her bleeding arm.

Time slowed to a halt as the shadow brought down the heavenly sword in a wide, deadly arc, ready to deliver the final blow.

"Firaun, NO!" Cady screamed at the top of her voice.

The shadow froze. He snapped around, his eyes widening when he saw her. The sword remained lofted, casting a mosaic of lights skittering across the floor.

The old hag released a pitiful wail. She barged toward the exit and disappeared into the night.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Firaun demanded, his voice burning with rage. "You are supposed to be in bed!"

"You too!" Cady shot back. "You were about to kill an old lady!"

Firaun raked his slim fingers through his hair in frustration. "Did she seem like a nice old lady to you?"

"Well, she wasn't doing anything! You tried to kill her!"

"You won't understand shit even if I tried telling you," Firaun spoke in between heavy breaths, as if he was struggling to keep his temper down.

"You mean if I will understand why you go around killing innocent people? No, someone should know about this."

Firaun lunged at Cady, pinning her against the wall. He pressed his Celestial blade against the soft skin of her neck.

"Tell anyone about what happened down here and I will kill you. Breathe a single word about it, and I will kill you, student or not," Firaun whispered into her ear. His breath was warm against her cheek, sending a faint flutter up her hair.

"And don't think of doing anything funny," Firaun continued, digging the blade deeper into the side of her neck. "I know more than you assume I do. Now go back to bed and pretend that you saw nothing down here. You were just taking a walk, happened to stumble and cut your neck on a rock. There was no one else here but you. Understand?"

Cady gave him the most defiant glare she could muster and Firaun released her.

"Go—and remember, mercy is nonexistent in my vocabulary."

Cady fled at once. She couldn't understand what was going on. Why did the Fair Necklace bring her to the dungeons only to see Firaun attempting to murder a strange visitor at night?

She ignored the route that led to dorms and took the one that led to the Master quarters—Mistress Tucana's living section.

Threat or not, Firaun had confused her enough.

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A/N

What do you guys think about Firaun? What and why is he doing down in the dungeons trying to kill the old hag? And who is the old hag? :O

Leave me your thoughts and don't forget to vote if you loved this chapter.

Burritos,

Stef