Archer Lumen: Earth's Version of Hell (Unfinshed)[Edited Up to Escape]

Chapter 11 | Sister Plane of Existence

Chapter Eleven

Calder Had Been Preparing his nerves for this moment. Sitting in the lounge room with his fists clenched. He stared at the screen in that was on the far side of the wall. It was similar to Scrying technology, but it traveled between worlds. Not many of the reflective windows did that.

  Next to him, his brother slept. His movements were fitful and distracting, but Calder did his best to ignore him. The man couldn’t help how he was born, after all. The Scrying mirror showed a serene view of Tark Canyon. Calder focused on the shape of it. It was as if a god had brought down their hand and scooped out the earth, leaving a barren red pit. Ladders had been thrown down from the mouth of the canyon, falling down into the darkness. He imagined that they’d been put there by explorers. Though, he supposed that it could have been the barbarians that had populated the Realm before the Purge.

  He sighed and threw his head back, groaning loudly. Trea was supposedly waiting back home, so why was he worried? His family was safe. That was all that mattered.

  Calder knew why he felt so conflicted, though. It was because he was about to blackmail a boy. An innocent boy. Maybe he’s not so innocent, Calder hoped. Maybe he’s secretly an evil mastermind, like Kaden. No, don’t be stupid, Cal. Archer’s innocent. You’re the one who’s evil.

  His brother stirred, causing Calder to sit forward. He cast Roan a sidelong glance, his stone grey eyes analyzing the man’s lean form. He wore what he always wore. That damned leather vest and a long-sleeved shirt. The reason Calder hated the vest was because of what was etched into shoulder. A blocky C. Anyone from Merlt would recognize the symbol.

  Roan soon stilled again, prompting Calder to sit back again. As soon as he put his back against the sofa, the door to the lounge swung open. Calder leapt to his feet, his eyes meeting a muscled woman’s. She nodded sharply to him and he immediately grabbed his sword from the coffee table, making his way to her. The lounge had a lot of unnecessary furniture around it. The Elementals were a curious bunch, he decided. They’d been the ones to arrange it, after all.

  He pushed past the woman and entered the hallway. Calder didn’t glance at her once as he set off in the direction of the cell. The woman followed him easily, her strides matching his speed. “Slow down,” she muttered. “There’s no need to rush.”

  “I don’t remember asking you for your opinion,” Calder retorted. He began to buckle his longsword to his scabbard belt.

  “You didn’t ask for my name either,” she pointed out. “It’s Ally.”

  “What a pretty name for such a brutish lady.” Calder had never been one for manners. He rounded a corner and walked down a new corridor. This one was dark and had a deathly air to it. There was only one cell, and it resided at the end. Calder took a deep breath and took the key to the cell out of his pocket. Ally grinned, her brown eyes sparkling with mischief.

  “I like you,” she said playfully. “Wanna find somewhere private before we return?” 

  Calder didn’t even blink. “No, now shut up before I kill you. You know I’ll do it.” Of course, Calder would do no such thing. His other side, however, would tear her throat out without a second thought. Ally took the hint and fell quiet, watching Calder fit the large key into its hole. It fit perfectly, and with a mighty twist and pull, he wrenched the iron door open. He’d never thought about how Kaden had gotten the resources to build an underground base, but now he pondered it deeply. If the boy could do such things without raising red flags on Earth, that was troublesome.