Labyrinth of Secret Tunnels
A scream builds at the base of my throat as I fly straight up into a sitting position. When I realize it’s as quiet and dark as when I fell asleep, I quickly stop the urge to scream. My breaths were coming out in short gasps and my body had broken out into a sweat at some point. I couldn’t remember dreaming, but obviously, it seemed that was for the best. I toss the blankets aside and stand, pacing the length of my room. I call on my dragon, feeling her strength rush through me as she springs to the surface. It calms my racing heart instantly and immediately I slow my pacing.
I hold my hand out letting my water magic flow through my fingers, over my hands, up my arm to my shoulder, until it encompasses my body. The water cools me down and silences the world around me, calming me even further. After a little while, I let the water fade away and sit in one of the chairs on the other side of the room. It’s been a while since I’ve done that. I think it’s a nightmare, but when I wake up I can’t remember it. I kinda wish I could though, at least then maybe I could figure out how to stop it.
After a few minutes, I stand and decide to practice changing the direction of my ice projectiles. I couldn’t really focus in class, but here in my cell, there’s nobody else in the room. I make smaller versions of what I made in the laboratory and send them flying through the air, focusing on their movement. With the smaller size of the projectiles, they turn out easier to control. I keep practicing until I can send them anywhere in the room and stop them at a moment’s notice. Then I settle the water dancing playfully along my skin. A thought crosses my mind, making me sit back down and look over at the books on my desk.
I grab one of the history books from the stack and open it to a random page. Creating a small orb of water, I illuminate it into a soft blue glow. This particular history book spoke about the beginning of the dragon shifter race. An oracle had given the first queen of the dragons, when the dragons were one, a vial given to her by the Goddesses Leviathan and Tiamat. It contained the essence of their water magic. If the vial was poured into a pure untouched spring, it would grant any the ability to turn at will. The sea dragon queen followed the oracle’s advice, finding a spring deep within the mountains. She did as instructed, pouring the contents of the vial and becoming the first shifter. Then her people drank, until all the dragons could shift. The oracle had told the first queen a prophecy, but it seemed to have been lost over the many years. No one had been able to recreate it, the words forever with the dead. Afterwards, the queen built a palace and town near the springs. Their village, living in peace for many years.
I had always wondered why the queen would decide to just go along with what the oracle said. It had to be important or why would an entire race make a leap of faith based on an oracle? I mean they are considered very important in our community, but so little information was written about them. I often found myself wondering about the prophecy. It felt important somehow, not necessarily because it was important to our history, but because somehow it felt important to me. In all the history they allowed me to learn, I’d never come across anything else that spoke about the prophecy or the first queen. Just the wars relating to the dragons afterward. It had been pretty frustrating, knowing there wasn’t information on things I felt I needed to know. At least none that was allowed to me anyway.
Silence drags me from my thoughts. Normally when I connect with my dragon, all the sounds outside of my room are amplified. I can hear guards in the training room and cafeteria most nights. It’s how I keep myself entertained when I’m awoken in the middle of the night. Tonight however, other than the breathing from the two guards outside my door, all I hear is silence. Curious now, I close my eyes and concentrate on hearing anything in the facility at all. Suddenly I hear a commotion, near the labs from what I can tell. A large fire had started in a lab and everyone was working to put it out. Interesting, I wonder why they didn’t send for me. I don’t have to wonder why for long, when I hear there’s an intruder in the building. I guess that means not everyone was putting out the fire. I hear chatter slightly different from the guards, and focus on the sound but I don’t hear it again.
Suddenly, I hear a soft thud much louder than the rest of the noise and it draws my attention closer to home. It sounded like it came from outside my door but I couldn’t be sure. That is until I hear a muffled curse.
“Dammit! Of course they needed biometric recognition and a reinforced iron door. Why make it simple anymore? Not only that, but it needs an eye to scan. This is going to take time to get through.” A very feminine, very annoyed voice filters through the door. However, the masculine reply causes me to pause.
“Now I feel just a little terrible about killing these two. Who would have known they might have had a use.” A snort adds a pause to his words before he continues. “We’ll just hit it with everything we have. Get ready. The target might not be very happy to see us at first.” I feel magic stir in the air moments later. Opening my eyes, I see the door beginning to turn a bright red. Not really knowing what the plan is after the door heats up, I stand. I grab the one thing I was told was left with me from my biological parents and think of anything else that I might need. My parents left me a silver necklace with a small sea glass vial pendant. The vial contained a liquid that so far, no one had been able to explain. I fasten it around my neck and throw on a pair of socks and the tennis shoes I wore earlier, feeling I’m going to need them. Then I’m quickly moving away from the door. My dragon is eerily calm but I can feel her just beneath the surface, ready if I need her.
In the next few moments a gust of air blows in as the door flies in, slamming into the wall parallel. Two figures stand in the doorway, outlined by the light pouring in from the hallway. They each take a couple steps inside and my eyes adjust enough to make out their features. The woman I’d heard earlier was young with short dark ruby red hair and bright gold eyes that seemed to watch everything with keen interest. She seemed to be a lot taller than my five foot four height but I could just barely hear the click of heels against the concrete when they’d walked in. Which brought my attention to the male at her side.
I freeze, my eyes the only thing moving as I take him in. His square jaw coated in a short beard and full lips, and his bright lime green eyes drew me in. When his scent hits my nose, a heat I’ve never felt before begins to spread through my body. Fresh mountain air mixed with the smell of fresh rain. I’m not sure how I knew what that smells like, but an image of a mountain, everything covered in rain drops appeared with the scent. His dark blue, almost black looking, shoulder length hair glinted in the light and I had to resist the urge to run my fingers through it. He looked about the same height as the girl next to him but maybe a little taller, I couldn’t really tell from here.
I mentally shake myself, stopping myself from outright drooling over this man and refocus on the situation. I’m not sure why, but since my dragon feels no threat, I feel I can trust them.
“Hello. We don’t have a lot of time to explain properly, but we’re from the Asylum. It came to our attention that you may not be here of your own free will and we’ve come to bring you back with us. That is, if you’d like to go.” The man’s voice flows through me like a calming river, causing goosebumps to break out along my skin.
Snapping out of the trance I found myself in, I tilt my head slightly, focusing back on where he said they came from. The Asylum? They had intel on me? When I’ve never been outside this building, this should be interesting. Actually, it works well in my favor too. I take a few steps forward, letting the dragon mark on the right side of my body glow a bright seafoam green color. The mark glows every time I use my water magic, or when my dragon pushes to the surface. It’s a symbol of a royal bloodline, but none of the marks are recorded anywhere. I have no clue what royal line I’d be from, however, I’m sure I wasn’t supposed to be here. My dragon and I seem to be on the same page about getting out of here at least.
“Yes, I think I would. Thank you. Though you should know, I won’t be a ton of help with fighting our way out. They’ve documented all of my abilities and created provisions against them. You were correct though, we don’t have a lot of time. They are regrouping in the cafeteria near the hallway leading to the exit. I can show you the hidden passages. Most run around the main areas of the facility. I remember hearing they’d been built as an emergency exit.” I pause, running the areas through my head again. If I’m right, the door we need is down this hall, but there are several doors throughout the passageways. It’s still going to be difficult, although the passageways aren’t as secure as the rest of the facility.
“Do you have a plan then? We were going to create a distraction, which so far is working, and escape under the guise of the distraction. Maybe bash a few heads in along the way when needed. However, if your plan is better, then by all means.” The man states this as if he’s partly expecting my plan to fail, but also as if he’s curious about the outcome. They both take a step away from the door to clear a path for me to get through.
“I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily better, but they’ve already discovered an intruder. Otherwise, given that my specialty is water, I’d have been summoned to put out the fire. We stand a better chance in the tunnels. If it gets too out of control, everyone will begin to get out through them. They’ll come for me then. Once they realize we aren’t in any main areas and I’m no longer in my cell, they will head into the tunnels. The passageways are linked to every room, minus the cells of course. By the time they rush the passageways, we’ll be most of the way through. They won’t expect me to be working with you.” I shrug then walk out of the room and notice two, very dead guards on either side of my door. The sight should repulse me, but I couldn’t find a reason to be upset when I was constantly punished for simply being.
“It’s a narrower passage which should give us an advantage. However, outright bursts of power could cause the passageway to crumble in certain areas. They aren’t as reinforced as the rest of the facility and no one has maintained them for thirteen years at least. Just a slightly off topic thought, but does anyone have a bow by chance? Or any gun could work, really.” I turn to them both, a questioning look on my face. The woman lets out a chuckle, but after taking the bow and arrow pouch from the man, hands them to me. I give her a bright smile, sling the arrow pouch strap over to cross my body, and grab a hold of the grip on the bow better.
“Perfect, thank you.” I turn away from them, place a hand on the right wall of the hallway, and begin walking.
There will be a pressure plate about chest high, if I remember correctly. Several paces down, my hand runs over an imperfection in the wall. I push it and a section of the wall swings inward. A small sigh of relief escapes me and I create a small water orb, using magic to make it glow.
“We’ll have to walk through, single file. A dimmer light will work better than a fire, especially since you’ll be able to reach out in either direction and touch a wall. The last one to enter will need to close the door back.” I say nothing else as I duck in, moving the orb overhead, rather than in front. Once everyone is inside, the door shut firmly behind us, I begin moving.
“So, what the hell are you?” The man asks crassly. The woman follows quickly with a hissed response. Almost seeming agitated with his question.
“Nikolai!” So Nikolai is the mystery man’s name.
“What Ayla? I–” I quickly interrupt the rest of his sentence to avoid further argument.
“No, it’s alright! I mean you’re both risking your lives, so it’s only fair.” I make a left when the tunnel turns that direction.
“My name is Cybele, and the short answer is, I’m a sea dragon shifter and also part fae. If you want the long answer though, I really don’t know. The guards and scientists here always kept expecting more from me. As if that wasn’t all I am. I’m assuming they are under the impression I’m something more, as to what that could be, I don’t have any theories. I’ve felt and done nothing that would indicate I’m more than a fae or shifter. Honestly, it seems I’m not very good at being that either. My magic is a very slow learning process, even though I seem to be of royal descent. I don’t know what bloodline though.” I pause, listening ahead, then I take the right heading further down the tunnel.
“We’re going to have a bit of an issue at this upcoming left.” I stop before turning to face them both.
“Well, that’s very specific.” Nikolai dryly states and Ayla snorts. I roll my eyes and cross my arms over my chest. For some reason, I felt very outnumbered and a sort of numbness started creeping in. My defense mechanism for pretty much anything that hurts. Not healthy, I’m aware and all I can say is, it’s a work in progress.
“Oh? Because showing you the way out of here isn’t specific enough?” I place my hands on my hips, before continuing on without waiting for a response.
“You know, I think you can figure out for yourself what’s up ahead. I’m sure you can already hear them too. Let’s not keep them waiting.” I recall the orb, plunging the tunnel into darkness.
Turning, I continue down the path. Just before I get to the left turn, I take out an arrow and notch it. Five men. That’s all I hear down the next stretch. I turn the corner and draw back the bow. Then I encircle the arrow with magic and let it fly. It hits the first guard through the neck just as the second is suffocated, and a third is set ablaze. The last two are quickly dispatched with another magic arrow and suffocation. Listening further down the tunnel, I hear silence and relight the orb to cast dully overhead.
“Thanks for the assist.” I throw the words over my shoulder as I quickly begin walking in the direction we were going. I had just made the next right when I heard Ayla pipe up from the back.
“How did you know there were guards that were close to that particular spot? Nikolai and I have enhanced hearing too, but I definitely didn’t hear them. Nikolai?” She directs her last question at him.
“No, I actually didn’t.” I hear what sounds like a twinge of disappointment in his voice as he speaks. I wonder if he’s disappointed he didn’t hear them, especially since the Keeper must trust them a lot to have sent them on this mission.
“They wear armor enchanted with a noise canceling spell, given by a supernatural someone that is helping them. When all you can do is practice using your senses for years, you tend to get good at it. If you focus enough at just the right spot, you can barely detect a heartbeat. There is a gap at their necks where the armor doesn’t cover. You don’t really notice it unless you know to listen for it.” I make a quick left and then right as the tunnel zig-zags a little.
“There are guards in the armoury doing a search, don’t make any unnecessary noises until I say so. If you’re loud enough, they’ll hear you.” I receive whispers of acknowledgement in response and move a little faster through this area. We make a left, another left further down, then a right and final left in the same zig-zag we did earlier before I let out a sigh.
“Alright, we’ll be okay for now, but be prepared to come out swinging when we exit the passageway. I can only hear about a dozen men, and most are a little further in than where we will come out.” I begin slowing down just a little to give more time to prepare. We travel down the passage in silence for a bit, until I hear Nikolai’s voice almost in my ear.
“How did you manage to get captured and sent here? You seem to know your surroundings extremely well, which makes me think you’re smart enough to stay hidden in the first place. You don’t seem very powerful though, unless you’re just toying with everyone.” I suppress a shudder as his breath grazes the shell of my ear and my eyes close briefly. It felt nice to sense him that close, even if I won’t willingly admit that to him right now.
“I guess in a sense I was captured, but really I wasn’t the one captured. I was born and raised here. I was told that my mother had left me at one of their doorsteps. After realizing what I was, they of course had to conduct experiments. Except, I’d overheard the scientists discussing my birth later, in fact during one of my many trips into these tunnels. They’d said it had been a shame the mother had died during childbirth, that she’d have been beneficial later in making sure I behaved.” I shrugged to show indifference outwardly, but really I was quite torn up about it. I mean, I’ll never get the chance to know my mother and who knows what has happened to my father.
Just as we near the exit of the passageway, I let the glowing orb die out, and touch along the walls for the pressure plate. Feeling the slight raise in the wall, I press on it, and the doorway begins opening. I rush through to allow the others out, before I draw my bow and send arrows through the closest couple of guards. Ayla and Nikolai each send a blast of their respective abilities down the tunnel, then we all turn to run. I could only briefly see what looked like a tornado and a ball of flames careening toward the guards, before we were outside and above ground. It is still dark, but the moon is full and I could make out just enough of the surrounding forest as we run. The fresh air felt wonderful against the skin on my arms, even though it held a slight chill.
“We just have to keep going a little further, then I can teleport us to the door!” Nikolai shouts back to Ayla and I and we send a sound of acknowledgement his way. I was beginning to feel worn out from the night’s activities and hoped we could stop to rest soon. I still couldn’t really believe I’d made it out of the facility, the mysterious Sanctuary actually existed, and I was important enough to be rescued by them. Whoever they really are.
What feels like hours, but probably isn’t, we finally come to a stop in a small clearing. I glance around, listening to the sounds surrounding us. When I only hear what seems to be natural scenic sounds, I let out a breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding. We seemed to be safe for now, but we weren’t far enough for my liking.
“We can teleport from here. The portal is another ten miles through the forest in another clearing similar to this one.” He holds out both his hands before he continues speaking. “Just grab my hand and we’ll be off.” I look at his outstretched hand before glancing up at him, then back down. Hesitantly, I gently place my hand on his.
A zap of lightning races up my arm, catching me off guard. As if I’m a puppet being controlled by her puppeteer, I lean in just a little, taking a step forward. A burning sensation has started from my hip to the top of my ribcage, and an odd purring growl has started low in my chest. One word repeating itself over and over again in my head. That’s when I hear the word growled out in an almost rushed whisper.
“Mate.” My eyes fling up to his.
We stand there like that for a while. My heart is hammering in my chest as I memorize the feel of his hand in mine. I’m almost instantly afraid. I have no idea what a mate is, nor have I had any experience with people in general, let alone one of the male persuasion. The only experience with men I’ve had is with guards who did a lot of taking rather than giving or even caring. I just can’t explain why I’m feeling like this or what this feeling is. I feel very much like pulling away but can’t and almost don’t want to, almost, because we still haven’t teleported. Luckily, the clearing of a throat pulls him from his trance.
“I hate to interrupt such a touching moment, but we really need to go.” The importance in Ayla’s words is stressed when I pick up the sound of heartbeats. Lots of them, and they were getting closer. Nikolai must have realized the same thing, because the next thing I know, the ground beneath my feet is gone. I feel a brief falling sensation before I’m looking at another clearing. I move to release his hand, but his grip tightens for a fraction of a second, before he reluctantly releases my hand.
This clearing is a little larger than the one we had just been in, but the center is what caught my attention. An ovalish shaped light sat in the center of the small field. I could see waves of different colors spreading outward from the center of the light. It was beautiful. I’d never read anything about portals and couldn’t help but wonder if it was anything like teleporting. It seemed odd no one had stumbled across one of these portals given how colorful they are. Why don’t humans know about these?
“All we have to do is walk through and it will take us to the Asylum. Fair warning, it’s not nearly as easy as teleporting.” I think I audibly gulp at his warning and eye the portal wearily. Ayla walks through with a smirk, but Nikolai hangs back a minute longer. I make eye contact with him before he speaks.
“I would say it’s not that bad, but your first time always bites. Just think, if we ever do this again it may not be that bad.” He gives me a lopsided grin that has my stomach doing flip flops and a blush creeps into my cheeks. He really is gorgeous all the time, but right now, I think his smiles are my favorite. His grin turns into a knowing smile before he too walks through the portal.
I move to walk through, but stop just before I enter. I look around at the forest surrounding me one last time. I didn’t have many fond memories of my time here, but I did have a few from when I was young. The scientists and guards had allowed me to play games in the forest or through the tunnels with them sometimes. It was how I learned of what the outside world felt like to begin with, and how I knew the tunnels so well. Everything I learned was thanks to them and that place. Hopefully I’ll learn more new and exciting things. I just have to make it past this first step, that now alone, feels even more terrifying. I take a deep breath and shake myself.
“Come on, Cybele! You’ve got this!” Great, now I’ve moved on to private pep talks. Couldn’t get any worse, right? Shaking my head, I brace myself, and finally step through the portal. Darkness and pain greeted me. Pain that is so excruciating, I almost pass out. Then there’s nothing, as a blinding white light speeds toward me. All I can do is close my eyes and hope for the best. What the fuck did I willingly walk myself into?