Down here, on the damp stone, her shoes made a dull, echoing sound. The vault in this corner was dark and moist, with only a few fires lighting up the gloomy darkness. It didn't stink like in the depths of the catacombs, but the air was thick and stuffy. Whimpering could be heard from some of the cells and pleading from others, where the prisoners perhaps had even more strength. They flitted past like shadows without giving the poor souls a second glance.
"This way," whispered Geryon. The scratching of stone sounded with every step he took as the gargoyle led them through the dungeons. The animated statuette of a handsome young man with a flowing toga had once come from ancient Greece and had been an exhibit in the Louvre. Today, he serves as the auction house's silent observer and guardian. As annoying as these stone eyes might sometimes be, they had their uses.
"There ... in the furthest cell," the stone lips whispered to her, and the head of light-colored alabaster turned alertly to peer into the darkness behind them. "You won't have much time," he continued, and Myreille nodded in understanding.
"That's all right. Thank you. Hurry back to your place before someone notices you're gone."
For a moment, Geryon stood so still that you would have thought he really was just a statue. But then Stein cringed as he nodded. Where his eyes usually stared blankly, the narrow brows drew together in concern this time.
"This thing is spreading far and wide ... Something is still hiding in the darkness. Something we can't see. The stone ... it trembles and whispers ... Take care, Myra," he murmured, turning away and hurrying back the way he had led her.
The undead sighed softly. All those vaesen with their habit of speaking in riddles, rhymes or strange sentences were an incredibly annoying. The fae, in particular, loved these games, and the gargoyles were no exception. But she didn't have time for that now.
She overcame the last few steps with long strides and stopped in front of the small cell with a mesh of thin iron bars. This dungeon was ideal for holding vaesen and humans captive. Each of these cells had its own unique features, and the one where the Cait-Sith now sat was no exception. Cold-forged iron blocked his way... the same rare material that had been used to forge the damned dagger she had been looking for. The only material that could not only imprison Fae but also kill them.
Her gaze pierced the darkness, the sharp eyes of the nocturnal huntress pushing aside the gloomy veils and revealing the view. The night was a part of her; it was her day, and the moon was her sun. It hid nothing from her but presented itself in all its beauty, which not everyone could recognize. Down here, however, the darkness had little of this splendor.
And there he sat. Huddled like a criminal, his head bowed and lost in thoughts of an uncertain future.
"Fratricide, traitor, scum, and butcher of the clan, some call you..." her voice wafted over to him like a soft rush of wind as she took a step towards the cell. The fabric of her dress rustled softly, and the veil wrinkled devoutly as her gaze fell on the slumped figure. "White ghost, savior, and hero, others call you."
She could see him jerk his head up.
"What do you want?" it rumbled darkly. The glowing eyes of icy blue stung her, reminding her of will-o'-the-wisps that lured unsuspecting souls to their misfortune.
"Maybe your name to start with," she replied.
But when she didn't get one from him, she just kept talking. She raised her hand, and the light of a distant torch scanned across the golden color of the sun mask that Zane had lost in the heat of battle. A crack gaped in the once beautiful porcelain, desecrating its former beauty.
"He never spoke of a brother," she whispered as her fingers stroked the cracked porcelain almost tenderly. "But I don't think he mentioned me either..." she added quietly, shaking her head slightly. It was clear what she was trying to say: 'I believe you, that it wasn't you who killed him.'
Her fingertips felt over the crack as if it were a reflection of the pile of broken pieces in her chest. Because her broken heart was beating with all its fragments - and it still wanted the same person.
"We met in a battle in the second cycle ... The battle raged around us." Her eyebrows drew together as she tried to remember the details. When you lived that long, eternity was no longer a blessing but a curse. Everything was so ... repetitive. The days passed like sand trickling down the neck of an hourglass.
"He was in my way, and normally, I would have killed him on the spot. I had an order and always carried it out with no questions asked. But he looked at me and ... I couldn't."
She let out a snort that sounded almost bitter.
"He spoke of some connection ... Of fate, soulmates and destiny." She laughed rough, her gaze broke away from the mask, and her silver-white eyes slid into the darkness to... his brother.
Humans were different from shapeshifters and shadow creatures even more so. She knew little about these things then. Of companions or the bond Kaye spoke of. And she didn't care either.
"I sent Kaye away and told him we could never be together. And many times. I even threatened to kill him if he didn't stop turning up again and again. But he kept coming back anyway."
Myreille closed her eyes as the shards of these memories dug into a heart that should have been dead long ago. And yet she felt the pain as if the damned muscle in her chest was still beating.
"Kaye was ... different..."
There it was again. The sound of her voice wasn't like morning frost on her words or reminiscent of the cold earth in a grave. "Many years ago... I was just a human being. A girl with dreams and hopes... And full of faith." She spoke the last word in particular as if she had a nasty bug on the tip of her tongue.
No wonder. At the latest, many people had lost their faith when the worlds collided. Fairy tales and myths suddenly came true, and monsters flooded the world. But no gods rushed to help, and no angels descended to protect the faithful.
"A long time ago, my greatest fear was the monsters in the darkness. The last thing I expected or wanted was to become a monster in the darkness myself..." A bitter smile curved her lips. "But Kaye... he touched something in me that should have disappeared long ago. Being around him almost made me feel... alive again. And at some point, I accepted his visits."
The bright eyes swept over the figure of the man sitting there in the darkness.
"You're a lot alike, you and Kaye." Kaye's brother... Yes, they were somehow similar, yet they were not. They didn't have the same stature or charisma. And yet... there was something familiar about this man.
"No doubt you have the same stubborn thick skull."
Yes, that was a little dig. But it was true. Why else would this fool have come here in this state?
"Watch out, doll..." it growled from the darkness, but the threat had no harshness.
So she continued to speak without being stopped.
"I have very observant friends ... Friends who sometimes hear things they shouldn't. Obviously, they intend to frame you for this murder ... Although I don't yet understand to what end."
She sighed as if it was a great effort that she had to bring herself to do as she gently slipped the mask between the folds of her skirt.
"Even if Kaye is gone, I can't let people kill his brother ... So, what do you think about some kind of ... temporary truce?" she suggested, tilting her head as her eyes measured his every move.
"I'll help you. I'll get you out of here and to a safe place. Yes, I'll even help you lick your wounds," and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly. Of course, it was just a bit of teasing, which she knew he wouldn't take anyway. They both knew too well what their peers thought of each other... didn't they?
"You're going to tell me everything you know in return, not just disappear." Myreille reached into the folds of her skirt and lifted her hand. There on her index finger, dangling from an iron key ring, hung the cell keys...
"We have the same goal, you and I. We both want revenge and to repay blood with blood. So, let's find the filthy murderer together. What do you say, kitten?"