Wicked Thing (C.O.A Series Book 2) (5 page)

Lily strolled towards them and explained why she was waiting there for them all by herself, “Markus thought it would be best if those closest to the three accompanied them to the Testing.”

Grey walked towards her and said, “Are you alright?”

Lily nodded, looked down at her feet and kicked the dirt causing a bit of dust to rise around her shoe. She responded, “I’m okay.”

Greydon gave her shoulder a knowing squeeze and whispered, “You don’t look okay.”

She raised her eyes to meet his and gave him an answer that they all could relate to, “I just wish I’d kept my distance.”

Grey looked back at the trails where they could hear the muffled voices of the Testing’s sacrifices as they approached and replied, “I’m with you there.”

A gentle breeze whispered through the trees rustling the branches above her and stirring up the forest floor beneath her feet. Lexy glanced down at the ground and in front of her the sun had filtered through the trees on the pathway in the pattern of a number. It was eleven…that was the number of the stall she’d spent five long years held captive in.
It was coincidence, that’s all it was…
The number eleven remained on the ground in front of her until it successfully sunk into her soul and gave her the reaction intended. Her heart began to solidify against her will. She needed more time, a few more minutes to remain in land of the sane. She looked at Grey and he was deep in conversation with Lily. She needed him to keep her with him for a few moments longer, Lexy felt herself sinking into the background. In the sound of the crickets chirping she heard a name, it was being repeated over and over again.
Charlotte… Charlotte
. This was the name of the little girl that she’d failed to protect. It had been the most painful goodbye of her life. She was forced to step back from everything and allow the Dragon to dull her reaction. Logic played no part when the beast within her began to take hold. The Dragon was a necessary evil, it had come to save her as a sixteen-year-old girl after she’d been murdered and tossed to the bottom of a well with all of the other forgotten children. The Dragon had given her the strength to heal and climb out of the pile of water logged rotting corpses to seek her revenge upon the demons that had enslaved her. As the visions of that time caused her mind to begin to drown in the horrific images.

Grey noticed her plight as he’d been trained to. He took a step towards her, cupped both of her cheeks in his hands and looked into her eyes, giving her a gentle tug back towards him with only contact from his loving hands as he whispered, “I’ll bring you back after they’re in the Testing. If you need to go, you can go.”

She wasn’t gone…not completely. Lexy knew she couldn’t. She had to see one of them off.
Lexy met Grey’s eyes to let her Handler know she was still there and then her attention turned to the sound of whirling wings.
Hummingbirds had always fascinated her. They always appeared to be working so hard and getting nowhere
. She observed the lone hummingbird buzzing around one of the lower branches of the towering tree she was standing beside. His fight for survival mimicked her fight to stay with them for only a moment or two longer. Lexy could hear the sound of their muffled speech, it was growing closer and there was a perfectly timed flicker in her heart. An image of each of their faces popped into her head and even though she tried to blink them away she’d found a happy medium. Her emotions were dulled but not off
.
She heard Lily and Grey talking but could not allow herself to be involved in their conversation. She had to stay where she was, somewhere in the middle of lost and found. As long as she kept periodically looking at Grey with his endearing mannerisms and allowing herself to feel the pull towards him a part of her would remain by his side.
They were a strange pair. She was the girl that was meant to feel almost nothing and he was the boy that felt absolutely everything.
Lexy quietly observed the conversation between Lily and Grey.

Lily whispered, “All we can do is drop them into the Testing and pray that they find their way back out.”

Grey quietly responded, “I’ve always felt like these three might actually make it out of there. Maybe, it’s because there’s three of them. You know, just like when I went into the Testing with Lexy and Arrianna.”

Lily grinned and said, “I don’t want to get your hopes up, but I have it on good authority that if the events play out as they’re supposed to in there they will.” She paused and then started to laugh.

He gave her a weird look and questioned, “What’s so funny?’

Lily grinned and said, “When does anything go according to plan? If you can tell me one instance, I’ll stop laughing.”

Grey nonchalantly leaned against a tree, gave her a dirty look and sighed, “I was feeling all warm and fuzzy for a second there and then I got smacked down by reality.”

“That’s life,” Lily teased as their clan’s three unsuspecting sacrifices appeared on the trail in the distance.

And it was everyone’s life. It didn’t matter whether or not you were mortal or immortal you still found yourself sitting there wondering why life kept testing your sanity.
With perfect timing her emotions evened themselves out.

They’d been waiting in front of the Ankh crypt nestled at the base of the mountain for a while when their sacrificial lambs arrived. The three did not venture to greet them nor did they do a group hug to say goodbye, they couldn’t. The guilt of where they were sending them was too much in this moment, even for her with her emotions still in the somewhat stifled state that she’d managed to attain. If she felt this way she knew her Handler was dying inside. This is what kept a part of her with him. If only in these painful moments she could give him just a touch of her ability. The unspoken sadness in his glistening eyes created a window into his tender soul. He’d lost too many people over the years and his heart was broken as he placed his hand under the lip of the rock and the staircase into the darkness became visible. Grey went in first, so his tears would be hidden by darkness as he casually touched each torch, lighting them up as he passed by. The light from the dancing flames revealed the long stone corridor ahead. Lexy was the next one in and she caught up to walk at the side of her overly emotional Handler. In an act of solidarity, she took his hand. As she intertwined her fingers with his she willed his tender heart the ability to harden itself just a touch. This would not actually work because she had no ability to do so but when he squeezed her hand she knew he appreciated her presence. By the time the others had caught up with them and began walking along side of them, Grey had managed to reign in his emotional response to the goodbye. He squeezed her hand and Lexy felt it in her soul. He wanted her to stay with him. She was trying to remain by his side, by their side until they’d been delivered to the Testing.

The sounds of nature were now gone and all one could hear was the hollow sounding click of footsteps on the stone beneath their feet.

Frost stopped the group and announced, “It’s time for you three to see how we operate the crypts. This is how we move to different countries around this world undetected. This is also how we travel to different realms.” He pointed at the stone wall ahead of them and explained, “You must move quickly through each of these doors. If they close on you, you’ll be trapped there.” Frost placed his fingers in the ridges in the stone, pushing the heel of his hand down in the centre of the door. The wall slid open and they all dove through. They found themselves in another stone room with Egyptian carvings on the walls. Wall after wall shifted away until they found themselves standing in the dark.

Frost’s voice spoke in the darkness, “Azariah, bring us light.”

The room brightened, it was made completely of gold. The walls, and the ceiling, absolutely everything was glittering gold. Jewels were strewn across the ground: rubies, diamonds, and emeralds. The three gasped in unison, in awe of its splendor. Lexy in her slightly detached state did not see what they were seeing. She did observe their joy and found it about as entertaining as that hummingbird had been. Frost looked at Lily and asked her to place her hands next to his. They laid their palms flat against the handprints on the gleaming wall of gold. The wall slid away, they all dove through and it slid shut behind them. The three followed suit and attempted to remain calm while standing in a room of white nothing. They were all standing on nothing surrounded by nothing.

“Hold hands,” Frost commanded. He shut his eyes, and Lily also closed hers. Lexy knew what came next she just didn’t need to close her eyes. The room of white began to swirl with colors and a vomitus display of a stomach churning excess of visual information. There was a blinding flash of white light and they were standing on the infamous floating stone that spanned the horizon. The stone of the crypt beneath their feet shifted ever so slightly and the three appeared to be nervous. Lexy felt her pulse begin to race and she smiled. She missed it in there, a little bit, the excitement of it all. Inside the Testing she’d been able to completely embrace the Dragon within her for an extended amount of time. If she could go in willingly and take someone’s place she would…in a heartbeat.

Frost announced, “We’re here. This, is, The Testing.”

“We are fighting the other clans on a floating giant slab of stone?” Zach blurted out.

Lily replied, “No, you three are fighting inside it. Under our feet is a floating crypt the size of New York city.”

Zach knelt down and placed his hand on the stone under his feet as he questioned, “Is there a coliseum inside of this?”

Lily replied, “After a thousand years, do you not think that the third tiers would get pretty bored of watching that same old scenario?”

Melody questioned, “So, it’s a giant crypt like what we just went through?”

Grey replied, “Sort of like a mix of that and a giant maze with walls that move and lead to anything that’s ever crossed your mind. There will be randomly available weapons and powers. Remember, this place is magic. There could be anything or anyone in there. There is nothing I can say that’s going to prepare you for this. You three can do this together.”

Zach furrowed his brow and questioned, “So, it’s like a giant video game?”

Frost solemnly said, “A bit… I guess.”

Lily added, “You need to keep your wits about you. They want to see how well you’ve been trained. They want to see what you understand; what you comprehend about who you are now. Every five years the clans get a chance to acquire the tombs they need and this is how it’s done. Only the new clan members can play for them. When you’re finished, you will have earned your own tomb. You have to finish, no matter how many times you’re killed. You must stand back up. You won’t be fighting on even terms with everyone. Some clan members have been Enlightened, and some have not. You three are smart, and you are fast. Remember, brains will defeat brawn every time. The Amber room is the end of the Testing. You’ll know it, when you see it. You three have to make it there together in order to be released. One more thing...Kill everyone and everything you see. You are no longer friends. They have been told the same.”

Her heart flickered again and this time she decided to let it be
. It was goodbye. They would only have a moment
. Lexy harnessed the instructor that had groomed the three for this challenge and said, “You’re not allowed to enter the game in the same place. Find each other as fast as you can.” She walked away, and signalled for Zach to follow her. Grey walked away with Melody. They all seemed to be having little private pep talks. Frost stayed with Kayn.

Lexy stood there, looked into Zach’s eyes and told him all she could, “This is going to be horrible. Pain is your friend it means you haven’t lost your mind. Use the sleep chambers. Where there is water, there are sure to be predators. You’re about to be killed a crazy amount of times, but you won’t stay dead. I’ve trained you for this. You have an unlimited amount of lives in this game. Stay focused on finding that Amber room and no matter what happens, you stand back up each and every time you fall. Stand back up and keep the others with you at all times. If you lose them, there is nothing more important than finding them. You have to be together in order to get out. I’ve seen the end of your mortal life and you even managed to kill me. Whole experienced clans have tried to do what you did and failed. Your instinct for survival is strong. You can do this Zach. I’ll be seeing you soon.”

Zach stared into her eyes as the stone shifted beneath his feet and as an expression of panic flashed across his face he dropped through the stone floor into the Testing. He looked up at her with fear in his eyes as the stone slab closed above him. Lexy stood there frozen in place as her Ankh symbol lit up and her pulse raced.
That was fast.
They all looked at each other and held their hands up in the air then they placed them on them hearts as a silent salute to the three warriors that had each been dropped into their own personal purgatory.

Frost knelt down and placed one of his hands on the crypt. Lily made her way over to him knelt beside him and whispered, “I know you really care about her.”

Even with her emotions stifled Lexy could see the agony in his eyes. Frost stood up and without even looking at Lily, he started to walk away while muttering under his breath, “It doesn’t matter anyway. She was never really mine.”

Lily remained there, and closed her eyes with the palm of her hand flat on the crypt. Grey knelt down beside her, placing his arm around her shoulder, he gave her a brotherly squeeze and whispered, “We should go.” Frost stopped walking and turned around to watch the two. His eyes brimmed with tears.

Lily looked up at him and said, “You know we’ve taken measures to make sure these ones are going to find their way out.”

Lexy wasn’t sure what she meant by that and the look of guilt that shadowed Frost’s face made her even more curious.

Grey knit his brow and questioned, “What exactly do you mean by, you’ve taken measures?”

Lily and Frost continued to look at each other in silence.