Page 10 of What Beats Within the Tunnels

I silently step out into the hallway and close my bedroom door, leaving Chepi to sleep a while longer. The silence that greets me in the hallway gives the impression it’s the middle of the night, but I haven’t seen another soul roaming this hive since I got here except for at dinner, so unusual for a space that houses so many. Maybe not all the Lamias live here.

I pause in front of Colton’s room and push my ear against the door. I don’t know what I was expecting, but I feel slightly let down by the silence that greets me. I meander further down the hall away from the stairs, a direction I have yet to explore. I pass several more doors, and they all look the same. I am half tempted to open one, but with my luck it would be Bella’s room, and that’s the last thing I need right now, another run-in with her.

I finally reach the end of the hallway, and to my surprise there are more stairs. This is different though and doesn’t open up into a giant hive like the others. There’s a single dark stairwell going down. I know I should go back to my room, but curiosity tugs at me, and before I know it I’m several steps down. The bottom of the stairs is met with a large, imposing door standing slightly ajar, unlike all the others. Tempted, I push the door open, revealing some kind of ancient library. The air here is heavy with the scent of old parchment and dust. Tall, dark mahogany shelves reach up into the shadows, lined with books bound in leather, covered in dust.

I try not to choke as I move further into the dimly lit room. In the center of the room, there’s a huge map spread out on the table. It’s detailed with intricate ink drawings, perhaps an old layout of this hive. I move past it and around a shelf, curious about what light source is casting the library in a faint red glow. Off to the side of one shelf, as if it’s a bookend, rests a peculiar artifact— a large, crimson crystal orb, softly pulsating with an inner light.

What kind of magic is this? The Lamias are not really magical beings. They drink blood and have incredible strength and speed but not magic like the Fae. What an odd thing to find hidden away down here. The sight of it fills me with an indescribable feeling. I can’t resist reaching out to touch it.

I let my fingers graze the surface, and an abrupt chill runs up my arm, causing me to gasp. I try to pull my hand back instinctively, but the orb only pulls me in, trapping my hand onto the surface. It illuminates, bathing the entire room in a bloody red glow. The chill up my arm intensifies, and I begin to tremble. My head falls back, and suddenly I’m no longer in the library. The library around me has dissolved into nothingness, replaced by a maelstrom of visions.

I’m plunged into an all-consuming darkness, an abyss so unfathomable it seems to devour every shred of light. Fear courses through me, an icy dread that roots me to the spot. It feels like a portent of doom, a threat lurking beyond comprehension.

Faces flash before me in a rapid disorienting flurry. Nyx and Colton appear, their expressions etched with a potent blend of fear and resolve. They’re locked in a fierce battle with an enemy I can’t see, their every movement desperate.

Interspersed with the chaos, the menacing rhythm of a heartbeat reaches my ears. It resonates like a war drum, growing louder and drowning out the other sounds, amplifying the unease within me.

Then I see myself, but not as I know myself to be. My eyes are voids of black obsidian, devoid of all warmth, all humanity. From these dark pools, black veins spread like tendrils of night, coursing across my face, and shadows spew from my hands. I look monstrous, a creature of nightmares, unrecognizable as the girl I am.

A hand clamps down on my wrist, and as abruptly as it started the onslaught of visions ceases. I’m back in the dimly lit library, the red light of the orb comes back into view, and a hand is now wrapped around my wrist.

“You’re going to wake the whole godsdamn hive with your screaming. First in your room and now down here, wherever the fuck this is.” I turn to see Colton is the one gripping my arm. I try to move, but my steps falter, my mind still trying to make sense of what I saw.

“Here, sit down.” He helps me to the floor, and we both sit and lean against one of the bookshelves.

“What are you doing down here anyways?” he asks, and I close my eyes, replaying what happened in my mind. I can’t help the shiver that spreads over my skin, and when Colton puts an arm around me I don’t push him away.

“You’re shaking and cold to the touch. Come, I’ll help you back to your room.” I can’t find the words, so I nod and let him guide me back up the flights of stairs and into my bed chamber. Once I’m back in my bed, Colton pulls a blanket around my shoulders and sits next to me. “Are you going to tell me what that fucking echosphere showed you now?”

“Echosphere, is that what that red orb is called?” I ask, finally finding my voice.

“Yeah, Drew’s had it for ages. It’s how she knows so much. It reveals traces of possible futures.”

“It showed me…me. Only it wasn’t me, not as I am today.” I look over at Colton and snap back to reality, “It doesn’t matter. Get out of my room.” I shove at him until he gets off my bed.

“Okay, okay, enchantress, I’ll leave you be, but I’ll be back first thing in the morning, and we are training with magic whether you like it or not.” I wish I had something harder within reach. I settle for a pillow, throwing it at him only for it to collide with the door as he closes it and fall to the ground. Everything about him gets under my skin. I don’t care if he’s trying to be nice. I don’t like him and don’t trust him.

I fall back onto the bed, pulling the covers over my head and seeking to warm my feet where Chepi still sleeps. I may have seen myself through that orb, but I also saw Nyx and Colton. I wish I knew what it meant, what were they battling. And that heartbeat, the sound was like the loud pulse I heard in my dream, in the dark tunnels—what beats within the tunnels? I can still hear the faint sound in the back of my mind like it’s a piece of me.

Chapter

Five

Perched on a stump amidst the forest that encircles the castle, I wrestle with my mounting frustration. Evidence of my failed attempts at igniting a fire with my magic pepper my surroundings. Little wisps of smoke curl up from scattered piles of leaves, each sporting a few blacked edges where I was almost successful.

Sleep had eluded me again, leading to my decision to venture into the woods with Chepi before dawn’s first light. Thankfully, escaping the hive was simple. All we had to do was travel up.

Beyond Blood Lake, the woods reveal themselves in all their breathtaking splendor. In any other circumstance, I’d be drinking in the beauty of this place – the trees displaying a symphony of auburn and pale green, crisscrossed by deep red veins etching patterns on the bark.

Drawing my knees up to my chest, I let my face sink into my hands, feeling defeated. Days ago, I had been a force to be reckoned with in the shifting forest. I’d even defeated Samael. Now, my magic is a pitiful shadow of its former glory, unable even to kindle a simple flame. I don’t get it. The power I had now feels like a distant memory, replaced with this frustratingly weak trickle of Fae magic that pulses from time to time.

I need to focus, and my mind is too busy being anywhere but here. Thoughts of Nyx, the blood moon, Zomea, the nightmare I had, and the fucking echosphere visions keep flooding me with anxiety. I focus on my breathing and tell myself I need to bury this. I need to focus on one thing at a time. Nyx is gone. I can’t prevent my midnight mind from taking over my dreams, so it’s pointless to waste my energy stressing over it. The blood moon is eminent, and unlocking the bridge to Zomea needs to be my number one focus right now. I should forget anything that echosphere showed me. I shouldn’t have been meddling with things I don’t understand.

I’m trying to wrap up this mental pep talk when I hear footsteps approaching. I know it’s not an attacker, because Chepi’s tail starts to wag, whacking me in the side. I look up to find Colton sauntering over, a smug grin plastered on his face.

“Having trouble, Lyra?” he teases, his voice echoing through the tranquil forest.

“I’m just getting started, thank you,” I retort, rolling my eyes at him. He chuckles, his emerald eyes glinting with mischief. “Allow me to offer some assistance then, Princess.” He sits down on the ground beside me, his close proximity sending a jolt of awareness through me.