Forever Yours

Chapter Seventeen

They landed in a dark and bleak wasteland, bare of trees and any plant life. The wind blew mounds of dirt and debris around, carrying wails of pain and anguish with it as they echoed throughout the cavern. Water smelling of brimstone dripped from upside down hanging pillars, creating puddles that were painful to the senses. Darkness surrounded them, making the wails of lost souls sound even more terrifying. The building Ian had landed in front of was dark, foreboding, and of a massive size. It protruded from the cavern walls as if it was carve from the jagged rocks, giving the palace a ragged and decaying look. Colossal black doors were hidden from view, the shadows engulfing them in their hold. Chandeliers, the color of midnight, hung from every corner. The shadows that hung around every bend giving a sense of unease creepiness to the trio. Kaethe and Makaria felt as if something or someone was watching them, while Quinn turned around to take in the dark and decaying landscape behind them before he turned to look at the building once more.

A scream rose up in the air, echoing from somewhere beyond. Quinn looked at Ian before looking at the girls, worry in his eyes. "Yeah, no... Not doing it," he said as he turned to leave. Another scream rose up from somewhere deep in the cavern, making Quinn yelp before he ran back to the group and jumped into Kaethe's arms.

She promptly dropped him on the ground before looking down at him with one eyebrow raised. "Think you can hold it together until we get some answers?" She asked him, annoyance riding in her tone. Quinn stared up at her from the dirt floor before nodding his head and standing up, brushing the dirt off the back of his jeans.

"Didn't have to drop me... geez, woman...." He muttered under his breath. Standing next to her, he leaned towards her and whispered, "Aren't you even a little bit frighten?"

"No," she answered. He knew right away that was lie. Kaethe's eyes gave her away, fear radiating from them.

"Well, c'mon I guess," Ian said as he walked towards the shadows, the darkness embracing him. "Might as well get this over with.... Oh man, he's gonna kill me.." His voice drifted back to them from the dark, a whisper on the wind that swirled around them.

Makaria stepped away from her friends, following Ian into the darkness and leaving Kaethe and Quinn to tag along. She caught up to Ian and grabbed his hand, intertwining their fingers together. "You worry too much," she told him before softly kissing his cheek.

Ian glanced down at her as they walked through the doors, tightening his grip on her hand as they moved through a massive foyer. Their footsteps echoed on the dark colored garnet floor as they walked across it to the grand staircase with its oak rails and blood red carpet, it was the main feature of the room. Bright lights flooded the area, making it hard to see at first before the eyes adjusted and one could see the beauty of the room. Large, overstuffed sofas lined a wall to the left of them, while on the right a baby grand piano stood taking up the surrounding area. Colossal paintings covered the walls, each a different scene from the painter's perceptive of the kidnapping of Persephone.

Ian lead them through the foyer, towards the staircase. The trio followed him glancing at the paintings as they passed by them. It was at one such painting that Makaria let go of his hand and stared up at the scene. In it was a beautiful girl laying in the grass as she laughed with the two other women with her. Spring surrounded them with flowers blooming from both tree and ground. Light was the fore point of the painting, with a hint of darkness hiding in the background for just beyond the trees, behind the trio of women was a man. He stayed in the darkness, watching the girl as she laughed. The picture next to it displayed what happened next, but it was wrong from what the stories told. In it it seemed as if the girl was reaching out for dark man's chariot, her hand wrapping around the wrist that came from the ground. She doesn't seem frighten of what's happening but more worried that someone will find her. That someone is off in the distance, looking as if they're calling for her.