Allyra froze.
Was this part of the test?
Had she somehow stumbled onto a Cleaner dormitory?
Or was this the way out?
Her eyes searched the walls for another exit, but none were immediately apparent. She glanced warily at the cots again, but the Cleaners appeared to be in a deep sleep, completely unaware of her presence.
Intending to search for a way out, Allyra retreated back to the wall from which she’d entered. Suddenly, as she moved back through the cots, a hand shot out and gripped her ankle. Allyra stumbled back in shock, tripping over a cot and falling over with a comical lack of grace.
Fighting through a mountain of blankets to get back to her feet, all the while sure that the noise was enough to wake the twenty odd Cleaners in the room and send them bearing down on her. But the room remained eerily silent, and the hand remained gripped tightly around her ankle, fingers digging painfully into her flesh. She looked down and behind the silver mask; Allyra could see a pair of bright green eyes staring out at her.
“Help me…” The Cleaner rasped, his voice hoarse and dry.
Taking a closer look, Allyra realized with horror that the Cleaner was little more than a skeleton. His cheeks were sunken and the fingers around her ankle were boney, with translucent skin stretched so thin she could see the pale blue veins beneath it.
“Help me.” He repeated.
She reached down and touched his fingers, intending to extract herself. As her fingers touched his, she was assaulted by a memory.
She was in the same room, looking through eyes not her own.
She was afraid, terrified, her heartbeat thundering in her ears.
Consumed by an overwhelming need to run, but she was frozen in place, her body cemented into the cot. The slightest grating noise heralded danger and she struggled to regain control of her limbs, trying to force strength back into her muscles.
Footsteps echoed closer and closer and irrational fear gripped her until she could barely breathe. She looked up and saw nothing but darkness, swirling and swimming around her like wisps of black smoke. Then through the darkness she saw red eyes…
Allyra jerked back, wrenching herself away. The fear was real now, her vision swam and the room moved wildly around her. She scrambled to her feet, trying to get away from the Cleaner and his memories.
“Please…” He whispered desperately, his fingers reaching out for her.
She shook her head mindlessly, still backing away from him, trying to push away the confirmation of her suspicions that a Revenant was here.
Not just any Revenant but an Ancient.
An Ancient that could do untold damage.
She heard the grating noise from the Cleaner’s memory and looked around desperately for a way out.
It was coming.
By some miracle of timing, the wall reopened behind her, beckoning her back into the tunnels. She hesitated and looked once more at the Cleaner, his green eyes burning into her soul.
“Run…” He whispered.
Ignoring every nerve in her body screaming for her to run, Allyra paused, momentarily frozen by the despairing appeal in the Cleaner’s green eyes, bright against the destruction of his face and body.
She reached for his out-stretched fingers. “I’ll come back.” She promised. His eyes brightened briefly before dulling with resignation.
“Run!” He repeated, more forcefully.
The first footstep was closing in. Allyra turned and ran back towards the dark tunnels, driven forward by the fear in the Cleaner’s voice. She ran desperately, overtaken by terror that the Ancient was following her.
Chapter 30 – Allyra
After ten minutes of panicked running, Allyra finally came to a stop, her breathing harsh against the silence of the tunnels. She listened for any footsteps, but was greeted with comforting silence.
Nothing was following her.
She tried to push away the panic and fear. Running for her life had recently become an all too common occurrence in her existence. She didn’t know why she’d seen what she’d seen; but there had to be a reason for it, after all, her Gift had led her into that room, into that memory. She just didn’t have time to make sense of it yet.
The reality was that she still had to win the Elemental Trials and that meant getting out of these tunnels as quickly as possible. She took a deep breath to steady herself and forced her legs back into a steady jog, following the silvery thread once more.
She turned left and then right and suddenly the darkness lessened and she could literally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
Allyra forced her tired legs into a final sprint.
Allyra cursed as she got closer. In the light at the end of the tunnel, she could see Jason, he’d already made his way out and was now talking to Marcus, looking as cool as a cucumber. Standing beside them were the other four members of the Council, all looking towards her, but somehow not seeing her.
Allyra pushed herself to run harder, ignoring the searing pain in her lungs and the ache settling deep into every muscle. She was almost there – second was as good as winning, at least for now.
She was no more than a hundred meters from the end when she saw Pierre emerge from another tunnel in front of her. He was about to walk through to the light when he glanced back and saw her. He hesitated, then stopped, waiting for her.
“I figure you need this more than me.” Pierre said shortly as she caught up to him. “Rumor has it that you need to win or come second in the Trials to win your freedom.”
She nodded mutely.
“Go!” He said, a bright and engaging smile breaking over his face. “Before I change my mind.”
She grinned. “Thanks – I owe you one.”
Pierre rolled his eyes. “Ok – I’m going to take you up on that one. Try to win won’t you – I don’t think I could stand Jason’s gloating if he won.”
She smiled and turned back towards the light.
Allyra
