Phobia (Interracial Paranormal Romance) (Wisteria) (49 page)

“
Mistress, what would you like to stop?” Alba’s voice echoed around. Her avatar stood at the entrance.

“
Where’s the master threshold to Earth?” Wisteria wiped her eyes and got up.

The avatar pointed to a stoned framed threshold
and held out a Ninth Metal hammer. “You break the glass if you wish to prevent anyone from journeying to Earth again.”

Wisteria took out
the hammer and walked up to the threshold. She noticed one of the other thresholds had already been broken. “Where is this place?”

“
Orad,” the avatar replied.

“
Why was this threshold sealed?”

“
Orad is full of darklings and wraiths,” the avatar answered. “No one goes there.”

Swinging the hammer, she hit the glass surface again and again.
When she was done, she was out of breath; her hands were bruised and cut. It made her think of the last time she’d seen Bach’s hands.
How could I let this happen to him? I can’t let him suffer—I can’t let him die.
“Nevena, is there a threshold into the Deep?”

“
Yes Mistress.” Alba’s avatar pointed to a portal three levels above them.

Wisteria studied the threshold to the Deep
as a plan formed in her mind.

“
Please tell me you’re not considering going after Bach into the Deep.” Enric stood at the entrance.

“
What if I went in with a beacon? It’ll be easier to find me once I get in. Will that work?” she muttered.

“
Bach’s a Dy’obeth. There’s no telling what he’s going to do.” Garfield appeared beside Enric.

“
He wasn’t a Dy’obeth at the very end,” she maintained. “The perfection broke before he was sucked in.”

“
How can you be sure?” Enric grimaced.

“
He could’ve been sucked into the Deep before the Galahad Talisman was destroyed or the darkness could’ve been messing with you. If he returns we have no way of stopping him,” Garfield exclaimed.

“
You should calm down,” Enric snapped at him. “You are not helping.”

“
Like you care? All you want is to get your friend back. To hell what happens to her,” bellowed Garfield. “The Deep kept Coia trapped for seven years. She only got out because of Felip’s scheming.”

“
Garfield, I agree with you. She should not go. I owe Bach a lot, but going there will mean trapping yourself Wisteria,” Enric reasoned.

“
Felip is in there with him!” Wisteria shuddered. “He smirked at me right before he got sucked in, like he was expecting it. Maybe he dragged Bach back in there somehow.”

“Even if he did, how are you going to get him out?” Garfield asked.

“Nevena, if I had a beacon could you locate me if I go into the Deep?” she turned to the avatar.

“
The beacon will work for three hours. We should be able to reopen the threshold to the Deep in the same location, after that you will be lost in there,” Alba answered.

“
Wisteria, you are the last of the First Pillar here,” Enric reminded her. “The humans here need you.”

“
No, Robinia is First Pillar too.” Wisteria pointed out.

“
She is like a four-year-old who’s never been outside, she is of no use to anyone once her knowledge of this place fades,” Enric surmised. “You have to think of others.”

“
I have. I’ve always thought of everyone else and I’ve always suffered for it.” Wisteria shrugged him away.

“
But it’s always been the right thing to do,” Garfield maintained.

“
Bach released the humans from the renewal and the people owe it to him to try and save him,” she replied.

“
Save him with what?”

“
Merce said the First Pillar are gifted with great instinct. I have to trust mine. My people built these thresholds, so they must have been to the Deep and back at least once in order to know it’s a hell realm,” she hoped.

“
Wisteria—” Garfield started. “Don’t do this.” Garfield clutched his hands into fists.

“
If it was you? I’d go after you,” she told him. “I’ll be fine.”

“
You will need this.” Enric seemed to concede to her argument and produced a faycard, the nine of spades. “My beacon, so Alba will be able to find you.”

Cautiously, she went to the doorway and snatched it from him.

In a flash, Enric grabbed her wrist and placed the faycard on her arm, covering it with his hand. When he took it off, she saw the imprint of it on her forearm. “Only three hours.” He let go and stepped back.

Wiste
ria walked over to the threshold and activated it.

“
Wind up your watch,” nervously, Garfield muttered.

“I’ll be fine.”
She smiled back at her best friend.

“
She will not need a watch in there,” the avatar said as she took the statement literally. “The beacon will start fading once she gets into the threshold. Once it has completely vanished she will not be able to come back.”

Wisteria nodded and stepped through. Immediately, she was sucked in
—a lot faster than before.

Fifteen days in the Deep

Bach sprinted over the red-hot stones that melted into lava under his feet. Jumping on a nearby cliff, he climbed up, taking refuge in the cleft.

A
beast the size of a wolf, but more shadow than flesh stalked menacingly past the hiding place.

He
slumped to catch his breath, once again escaping being ripped apart. Not that it mattered. He never stayed dead in this place. In the weeks he’d been in the Deep, he’d been killed nine times, but each time he would wake up the next day to be hunted again by these shadow wolves.

Each
time they caught and devoured him became more painful than the last. Each day, the shadow creatures got smarter and stronger, so he had to work harder to stay alive. He’d considered not running and allowing the shadows to take him, but the creatures proceeded to pull him apart bit by bit for hours. He’d never go through that again—willingly.

In the rare moments
when he wasn’t hunted, he searched for food or water, but no food existed in this place. He’d come to accept he’d always be hungry and be forced to keep running until he died.

Now the sun was setting, o
r whatever the star was. It looked too small to provide any illumination, but it did give Bach some indication of time. Soon, he’d wake up again and start the race for survival. The monsters were the same and Bach’s pains remained, but the landscape looked completely different all the time.

Tucking himself deep into
the rock, he prayed the shadow wolf wouldn’t find him. Some days it worked, but most days, it tore through the stone like paper and then into Bach like his body was nothing.

The creature moved on and Bach exhaled
slowly.

The beast stopped. It heard
Bach. Roaring, the shadow wolf galloped back.

Bolting from his hiding place,
Bach climbed up the side of the cliff. The scalding stone burned his hands as he went. Getting to the top, he felt stunned to see a gothic mansion in the distance.

This was new.

Suddenly, two gigantic, winged serpents flew down biting at him.

Picking up a rock, he hurled it at one, causing
one of the black flying snakes to smack into the other.

The
shadow beast growled as it clambered up the cliff.

Not waiting to see if the flying snakes were friends or foes of the shadow
wolf, he raced toward the mansion, but it vanished.

“
D’cara
.” He then realized he was out in the open.

T
hree shadow beasts raced toward him from different directions.

Clearing the
fear from his mind, he pictured his Mosroc and clung to the image of Wisteria’s face as the beasts descended on him.

“
Ahhh!” he screamed

*****

Thirty-two days in the Deep

This was the seventh time Bach had seen the mansion. Today, it hovered over a molten lava lake.

The six previous times Bach
tried to reach the structure, he died painfully, but giving up wasn’t an option. The mansion gave him something to focus on—apart from the creatures hunting him. It gave him purpose.

There
’d been no shadow beasts today, but he’d been chased by a flock of the flying snakes. They’d pecked and gnawed on him as he fled to the lava lake.

Luckily, he spotted a
thin bridge leading to the mansion. While he raced toward it, he beat the snake birds off with a stick he’d found, but suddenly a massive reptilian whale burst out of the lava and ripped off his arm.

Before Bach could scream,
another swallowed him and everything went dark.

*****

15 minutes in the Deep

Sucked through the vortex, Wisteria landed hard on hot sand. Rising up, she dusted the dirt from her clothes. Puzzled at the black sand, she gazed up to see the dark sky. This place was depressing and devoid of all light with nothing, but a lone flickering star.

The landscape seemed to be no better.
In the distance stood a mountain range of erupting volcanoes. Turning a full circle, she tried to find some clue about which direction to go, but reminded herself her strength came from her instinct. Looking up at the tiny star, she sensed he went in that way.

As she walked
through the ebony sands, she was overwhelmed by how dreary this place was. This place was sapping her energy. Plus, there were no signs of plants or animals. How could a world exist without life?

Glanc
ing down at the beacon Enric placed on her arm, she felt relieved to see it still appeared vivid. While she trekked, a black palace came into view. Then it moved. Or did it? She wasn’t sure, but it didn’t matter because she felt Bach would be there.

This knowledge boosted her energy and she p
icked up her pace. Jogging toward the palace, she tripped over a small stone statue.

A
dark shadow loomed over her. “
I smell the blood of the Orien.”

*****

Forty-five days in the Deep

Bach ran through the night, chased by more shadow wolves. Just like every other day, he needed to keep on running. The Deep had reconfigured yet again, so he’d no clue where he was going or what lie up ahead. It was a horrible existence, but at least Wisteria wasn’t here.

Starving and weak, he
couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept. He’d forgotten how food tasted or what cool water felt like. All he remembered was running and hiding.

He
sprinted into a forest of dead trees as the shadow beasts raced after him. Normally, he stayed clear of the trees because they housed the large blood red mosquitoes that ripped at his flesh, but he’d seen the mansion again.
I am going to make it this time
, he promised himself.

A
mosquito the size of his head flew at him. It drove its long straw-like mouth or proboscis into his arm and started to suck his blood as its abdomen grew.

Grabbing the proboscis, he swung the insect against
a tree. The creature’s belly burst and thousands of red worm things wriggled out toward him.

The
shadow beasts bellowed in the distance.

Jumping
over the mosquito, Bach dashed as fast as he could.
Faster, faster, faster!
He pressed on and finally broke out of the forest. Then he halted—he stood three feet from the mansion. “I made it.” Racing toward the structure, he searched for a way in, but there weren’t any doors or windows. Then, he spotted a deep yellow colored window, five or six floors above. Climbing up as fast as he could, he broke in through the window.

The space inside looked
as gloomy as the outside, but the creatures didn’t follow him in.

Shaking all over, he backed away from the window.
“
D’cara
.” He felt dizzy. Staggering back, he collapsed. His arm was killing him and examining it, he saw a black rotting hole where the mosquito bit him, its venom creeping through his body. He’d deal with that later. Right now he needed to sleep.

“
Cousin…”

He
recognized that voice. Bracing himself, he turned his sore neck and saw Felip.

“
You do not look well.” Unlike Bach, who seemed to barely be keeping it together physically or mentally, Felip seemed the same as he’d always been, even down to his grey suit and pure white shirt.” As usual I plan ahead and I considered this realm a possibility.”

Forcing hims
elf to his feet, Bach marched over to Felip. “How?”

“
My darkness agrees with the darklings here. It seemed to be how Coia survived, so I made sure I kept mine intact. You let yours go?”

“
I do not regret that.”

“
But that means you are going to suffer everyday, while I am living like a king.”

“
A king who lives alone. Your life is not much better.”

“
I am not hunted like an animal. At least here, I can wait.”

“
Wait for what? To get out? No one cares enough about you to bring you back.”

Felip
’s smile faded for a second. “It is never over. I will leave this place because I am a survivor.”

“
You’re a lunatic.” Bach rushed Felip, pushing him out of the door.

“
Perhaps.” Felip shoved something sharp into Bach’s stomach. “You have always believed you were better because your father was the Sen and you were from the Ino caste, and were above me.” Felip kicked Bach back, brandishing the short blade, he’d stabbed him with.

“
I never believed that.” Bach dropped to his knees.

“
Yeah, you did. You still do, but I am going to remind you every day—that
I
am superior.”

Everything went black.

*****

Ninety-one days
in the Deep

“You do not get tired of this?” Felip punched Bach across the face, repeatedly.

The pair
was in Felip's mansion again. Fighting.

“
Never.” Ducking away from Felip’s blow, Bach clocked him in the chest.

This time
, Felip fell.

Most days
, Felip had the upper hand because he didn’t have to battle the wild creatures outside.

Bach
lost count of the times Felip killed him, but there were days like this when Bach won.

“
You are not going to kill me?” Felip laughed as he coughed up blood.

“
What is the point?” He never killed his cousin. Instead, he chained him against the handle of the door.

It would take Felip
minutes to break free. Those precious minutes were the only times Bach could rest because once Felip seemed incapacitated or dead, the creatures outside broke into the mansion. This meant Bach spent the rest of the day fighting them off or running from them. Something about Felip kept the beasts away.

“
You do not get it.” Felip sneered. “This is never going to end for you.”

“
Or you.”

“
Well, the days you do not show up are bearable for me, but
you
are never going to have peace.”

Staggering to the window, Bach
saw the shadow creatures waiting below.

The moment Felip passed out they
’d be in here in a heartbeat.

“
Same time tomorrow?” Felip closed his eyes and yawned. “I am going to take a nap.”

“
Get up.” Bach shook him. “You are going to tell me how you’re controlling this place.”

“
I am a god to them.”

“
No not a god, you’re a demon.” Wisteria stepped into the room.

Bach
thought it was her, but he couldn’t trust anything he saw.

She stood there in a dark dress, her
hair pulled back. In her left hand, she held a danor and her right hand stretched out to him. “Bach.”

“
D’cara
, you actually made it?” Felip exclaimed. “What took you so long?”

Confused, Bach slowly process
ed what he saw. “You came here. Why would you do that?” He rushed to her. Although happy to see her, he was furious she’d put herself in harm’s way for him again. “Are you out of your mind? This place is— Wisteria, why risk coming here? I can’t get you out of here. There is no way out. Not like before.”

Kissing him, she bit his lip.
“I have a way out. Enric gave me a—”

“
A beacon?” Felip interjected.

“
I’m getting you out of here. Let’s go.” She took his hand.

“How?”
Bewildered, he stroked her hair back.

“
Safe journey.” Felip mocked as he sat chained to the door handle. “Do not let the blood thirsties bite, because the moment you step out of the mansion, they will be all over you and your fresh meat. Unless you still want a
love-death
?”

“
You want us to stay here with you? Not while you are conscious,” Bach returned.

“
But you cannot knock me out because that will break the mental control I have on this place and bring those creatures in,” Felip said frankly. “And trust me, neither of us wants that to happen now.” He glanced over at her.