Fairy Tale: Winter's Bite

Chapter 6: Expect the Unexpected (Part 3)

Chris watched in awe as Cassie ran from cell to cell, using the keys to free the prisoners, pointing to the other end of the hall, and simulating a couple of turns with her hand.

Some of the freed fairies gave her embraces with tears in their eyes. Singles, doubles, clusters then scurried away and disappeared into a passage on the left just before the guard station.

"She's crazier than you are!" Joe said as he relit their torches with the final torch on the wall. "It's a full-time job around here trying to rein in the crazy."

"I resent that." Chris set Morgan down and kicked a loose stone from the wall. He positioned it to keep the gate ajar. "She asked us to start along the tunnel; let's go."

Cassie was already heading back in their direction, when suddenly she stopped, her eyes wide. She whirled, drew her sword, and stood motionless.

"What is she doing?" Joe asked.

"I'll find out. Why don't you go on with the kids?"

"No, I'll get her." Joe blocked Chris's motion with his hand. "They're your kids!"

"Joe, just go!"

They glared. They tensed.

Chris couldn't believe Joe was challenging him. Joe may have wanted to be the hero, but Chris doubted his brother had the skills to substantiate the gesture.

Joe's good sense must have kicked back in because he stepped aside and took Ryan's and Morgan's hands in his. "All right! Fine!"

As Joe left with the children in search of the tunnel, Chris jogged to Cassie and grabbed her arm. "We have to go."

She kept her gaze straight ahead and her body went rigid. A loud boom echoed above them. It shook rocks and debris from the decrepit ceiling. Chris crouched and lifted his arm above his head. Once the dust had settled, his eyes zoomed in on the guard station. Still empty.

"She's very angry," Cassie said, her voice spacey and haunting.

"I bet. C'mon!" Chris attempted to pull her away again.

"She knows and she's coming."

"How do you know she's—"

Andromeda emerged at the end of the corridor, formidable and wild with fury, some kind of long stick in her hand. At first he wasn't sure what it was, but as she flew closer, it looked like a scepter. It had a glowing orb and jewels arrayed like stars around it.

She slammed the scepter on the ground, and a ball of light shot forth with an accompanying boom. Chris's and Cassie's weapons flew out of their hands.

"Chris, run! You'll never make it unless I stay and fight!"

"Cassie, look at me." He twisted her shoulders in his direction. Her terrified face was still fixed on Andromeda.

"Look at me!" he urged, and she finally did. "You're either going to run with me or I'm going to die right here standing next to you."

Cassie's gaze flicked back to her mother. Andromeda hovered forward slowly and deliberately; her black wings made the air tremble.

"Please," Chris urged again. "C'mon!"

When Andromeda was almost close enough to touch them, Cassie finally spun toward Chris.

Together, as one, they launched into a run. They made it to the end of the corridor and slipped behind the gate. Chris slammed it shut and snatched the keys from Cassie's shaking hands.

"Go!" he yelled, to snap her out of her trance. She picked up the torch Joe had left for them and ran into the darkness.

Chris wrapped his hand around the bars and stuck a key in the gate's keyhole. He flinched when Andromeda landed in front of the gate, but he regained enough composure to glare into her black eyes with equal vehemence. And he cocked his head defiantly as he snapped the key in two.

Then he ran like hell.

Meanwhile, Andromeda rattled the jammed gate. Stride by stride, the noise followed him.

After what sounded like a fit of her temper, a silence fell. And then, in a voice that seemed to reach through the growing distance, clutch him, dull and pain him, coiling through space not meant for a voice to go: "She'll unravel you, and your brother, and lead you to your demise. You'll see. . . ."

⭐️⭐️⭐️

END OF PART I

~

Breaking Benjamin. Breath.

~

"You take the breath right out of me

You left a hole where my heart should be

You gotta fight just to make it through

Cause I'll be the death of you. . ."