To Hell and Back (3 page)

“Already sinks each star that was ascending”
– Dante’s
Inferno

TWO

I wasn’t sure if I should have knocked on Tallis’s front door, or just opened it, or what. I lingered outside for another second or two before reminding myself that Tallis was in trouble, so timing was of the utmost importance. I needed to take action … now. Clenching my sword in my left hand, I pushed against the door, which immediately swung open. I stepped back and watched the door close again while my Scooby senses went on high alert. Ordinarily, Tallis was much better about security. When living in the Dark Wood, one had to be overly conscientious about one’s surroundings … As a rule, Tallis’s door was locked from the inside if he were home, or the outside if he wasn’t. With my heart lodged in my throat, I leaned my right arm against the large, wooden door, which yielded immediately, making a whining sort of noise.

Inhaling deeply, I stepped inside, closing the door behind me. The inside of Tallis’s humble abode was dark and eerily quiet. It didn’t feel like the same place I was accustomed to. Usually, there was a fire burning in the hearth and the scent of hearty stew flavored the air. Now, however, the acrid odor of alcohol overwhelmed the small space. And there was no warmth from a fire. The air was crisp and cold. It caused goose bumps to ride up my naked arms and midriff. As luck had it, I was wearing nothing more than a workout bra and a pair of tight yoga pants—ideal for sparring with the creatures of the Underground City, but not so perfect when warding off the cold.

“Tallis!” I called out as I took another step forward, finding it hard to make my way in the pitch-black darkness. Then I remembered Bill’s phone and the flashlight application. Pulling his phone out from my fanny pack, I clicked the icon for the desktop and had to squint at the brightness of the screen. I clicked the lightbulb icon and held the phone out so I could see where I was going. The odor of whiskey was so caustic, I had to breathe through my mouth.

The flashlight lit up the log walls of Tallis’s home, imbuing them with a creepy glow. I shifted my attention to the pieces of splintered wood that littered the floor in front of the fireplace—pieces of wood that were once Tallis’s couch. My heartbeat started to race as soon as I viewed the carnage. The roughly hewn log table still stood in one corner of the room, but one of the two chairs was broken and discarded. The other chair was lying on its side and didn’t look damaged, as far as I could tell. The straw mattress that lay in the far corner of the room was still intact, but the only things atop it were a few animal furs that Tallis used as rugs or blankets. There was no trace of Tallis.

He isn’t here
, I told myself and felt my heart drop all the way to the dirt floor.

I turned and did one final inspection of Tallis’s house before reaching the conclusion that he most definitely wasn’t home. I took another tentative step forward as I tried to figure out why my sword had led me here if Tallis wasn’t. My attention returned to the splintered pieces of wood strewn about the room as panic began to spiral through my body.

If he isn’t here …
I thought and then gulped, shaking my head as I tried to figure out my next course of action.
Maybe he was here a little while ago, but got attacked and had to vacate the place?

But where would he have gone?
I argued with myself.
And how in the world will I find him now?
I started to chew on my lower lip, not at all comfortable at leaving Tallis’s house to venture into the merciless territory of the Dark Wood again.
Maybe he’s outside or planning to return soon? You know what they say—it’s better to wait for someone who’s lost to come to you than to go searching for him …

Was that true though? Because it really didn’t make much sense …

Hmm, I couldn’t be sure. But if Tallis were somewhere out there, lost in the Dark Wood, I had basically zero chance of finding him. Especially since my sword clearly wasn’t as good at navigating as I’d assumed.

With disappointment and frustration coursing through me, I turned on the ball of my foot and held Bill’s phone up so I could light the way back to the door. It felt like the weight of the world had fallen on my shoulders because I didn’t have a clue of what I should do next. As soon as my attention settled on the door, I felt an icy-cold, iron grip around my ankle. A scream that started in my throat never made it past my lips before I felt myself falling backward. I released Bill’s cell phone at the same time as my sword. Suddenly surrounded by the bleak darkness, I could only make out the sound of my sword when it clattered against something metal before landing on the dirt floor. I was quick to follow. I hit the back of my head against the ground and winced in pain. The fall knocked the wind right out of my lungs. My eyelids clenched tightly shut on their own.

“Who are ye?”

I heard Tallis’s voice, but it sounded different somehow—foreign. The acrid scent of whiskey now fully overcame me and it took me a few seconds before I realized it was on his breath.

Even though he’d asked me a question, I found it difficult to talk. In fact, it was difficult even to open my eyes. I wasn’t sure whether it was because I couldn’t breathe, or it might have been from hitting my head so hard, but I felt very dizzy. I couldn’t concentrate on anything except the incessant pounding between my ears.

“If ye dinnae answer meh, Ah’ll rip ye in two, straight down yer middle,” Tallis threatened in an uneven voice that reeked of stale alcohol. As soon as the words left his mouth, I felt the cold iron of a blade pressing on my throat. Instinctively, I opened my eyes. My reward was a brief flash of pain inside my head. Ignoring my discomfort, I found Tallis looming above me, staring down at me through alien eyes. They were eclipsed by black, much darker than their usual midnight blue, and he was illuminated by a pale, bluish light. At first, I thought he was glowing, but I soon realized it was just the flashlight application on Bill’s phone which was now shining directly on him from where it lay on the floor.

Tallis was just as stunning as I remembered him. Wearing only a kilt, his naked chest was … impressive. The span of his shoulders prevented me from seeing anything beyond him, not that I was interested in whatever was behind him. Instead, my attention was riveted on his sculpted muscles which covered his body like a suit, only eclipsed by his imposing size. The guy had to be nearly seven feet tall. Despite his mouth-watering, awe-inspiring body, it was Tallis’s face that always kept me captivated. His was the face of a warrior, one that most women would not have described as handsome. A huge scar bisected his cheek, running from the tip of one eyebrow and ending at his jawline, giving him the appearance of someone who had truly weathered a storm. The lines of his square, chiseled jaw and cheeks were heightened by the shortness of his hair, which was as black as his eyes were presently.

He pushed the tip of the blade against my throat again, reminding me that I should have been paying attention to whatever it was he’d said.
Answer him!
He’s going to gut you, you moron!
I reprimanded myself internally, suddenly growing irate for becoming so awestruck at the very sight of him. Especially when he clearly didn’t recognize me and, consequently, intended to do me in.

“T … Tallis,” I managed, in a small, insignificant voice. There was no expression of recognition on Tallis’s face. It was blank. With my heartbeat racing, I wondered why he had no idea who I was. Then I realized he couldn’t see me. The flashlight was solely focused on him, which kept me obscured in the darkness.

“A lass,” he responded in a voice laced with surprise and doubt. The knotted furrow between his eyebrows settled and he leaned back on his haunches, albeit clumsily. He was clearly intoxicated. If the smell on his breath wasn’t proof enough, his uneven movements betrayed him. He reached for the flashlight and shined it on me, temporarily blinding me as he shone it from my head down to my thighs, which were currently playing prisoner to his. “Och aye, ye are ah lass,” he repeated, setting the flashlight down beside me until it caught us both in its bright stream of light. Even though his eyes still appeared to be just as dangerous as they were moments earlier, a smile now played on his lips.

“Of course I am!” I railed out, finally finding myself. I brought my right hand to my head and rubbed my temples, praying that my throbbing headache would cease. Tallis’s eyes narrowed on me as he studied me with cold calculation. Despite his murderous gaze, I was relieved he no longer held my carotid artery hostage to the tip of his blade.

As soon as I took another look at him, warmth suffused me. I was suddenly overwhelmed with the need to reach out and touch him. I wanted to revel in the fact that he was here and safe, rather than lost somewhere in the Dark Wood. But there was something in his eyes that stopped me, something that didn’t seem to fit. “Tallis?” I said again, my voice a bit stronger. I tried to free myself, but his thighs clamped tightly around my middle. “What,” I started, the words stinging my throat. “What happened here? Wh … Why is all your furniture broken?” I inhaled deeply and scanned the room, taking in all the broken furniture again. “Are you okay? Did someone attack you?”

I reached out to touch his face even though I knew it was a risky thing to do because Tallis didn’t like to be touched. I couldn’t help it though—he was the main reason I was still alive. Without him, I never would have survived the Underground City or the Dark Wood. Tallis was my protector and he was my friend.

As soon as I made contact with his cheek, he slammed my arm to the ground and forced his blade back to my throat. The air hitched in my lungs and a whimper escaped from my lips as pain traveled up my arm.

“Who are ye?” he demanded again, his eyes narrowing into mere slits. “An’ whit dae ye want?”

My eyebrows knotted in frustration as my heartbeat began to pound louder. Okay, so it wasn’t a good idea to touch him, but his violent reaction seemed a little over the top …“What do you mean, who am I?” I repeated, frowning at him, my voice sounding panicked. “I’m Lily,” I continued slowly, attempting to sit up. He pushed me, none-too-gently, back onto the dirt floor, pinning me between his thighs again.

“Ah dinnae know ah ‘Lily,’” he answered as his eyes perused my face and moved lower still, to my bust. “Boot ye are ah lass, which means ye are nae threat.” It struck me that his Scottish accent was a lot stronger now, more pronounced than I remembered it. “Nae,” he continued as a smile appeared on his mouth again. But it wasn’t a smile I’d ever seen on Tallis before. Not that Tallis smiled much, but in the few times I’d had the pleasure of seeing an expression of mirth on his face, it looked very different from this. No, this really couldn’t even be considered a smile at all—it was too libidinous, too lecherous. “Ye are nae threat,” he repeated. His brogue was definitely much more audible than usual.

“You sound different,” I replied, then hesitated as I wondered if it was just the alcohol’s effect on him. “You’ve been drinking too much.”

“Ye cannae bevvy tae mooch,” he responded as his gaze settled on the junction between my thighs and my breath caught.

“Tallis,” I said again, feeling suddenly sheepish and uncomfortable under his lustful gaze. He didn’t respond, but I noticed that when I said his name, he did nothing to show the slightest acknowledgment. I might as well have been calling him someone else’s name for the reaction I received from him. “Why are you acting so … so weird?” I asked, shaking my head. “Why don’t you know who I am?”

Maybe he hit his head during whatever altercation happened here?
I wondered as my attention returned to the splintered furniture.
Or maybe it’s the alcohol that’s clouding his mind? Whatever it is, he’s acting really … strange. He’s not acting like himself at all.

“Less talkin’,” he grumbled as his eyes scanned my body again, resting on my thighs. He pulled the blade away from my throat and gently trailed it down the center of my chest, then farther still until he reached my fanny pack. He studied it with curiosity for a moment or two but then simply slipped the blade beneath the band and yanked upward, severing the band in two.

“Hey!” I yelled at him angrily. “What the hell is wrong with you? I needed that!”

But he didn’t pay me any attention. Instead, he tore the fanny pack from me and threw it unceremoniously into the corner of the room. Before I could further argue, he brought the tip of the blade back to my belly button. He paused there momentarily, drawing lazy swirls around my belly button with the tip of the blade.