Cursed

The canyon widened as I walked, the glimpses of sky becoming more frequent, until finally the sides curved away, opening up to give me a clear view. Before me was a wide, open bowl, a vast, shallow depression in the ground. The cliffs formed a ring around it and at the centre was a palace of crystal, sharp spires pointing upwards into a brooding sky. A thick canopy of cloud cut off all trace of sun, the layer of grey drifting steadily across the sky from right to left. I altered my course for the palace and kept on going.

The palace was surrounded by acres of broken crystal. The doors were open, leading into a long entrance hall, thick pillars rising up to a vaulted ceiling. It was darker in here and the side passages were covered in shadow. Only when I was in the middle of the room did I realise the whispers had stopped.

I saw movement from the corner of my eye and turned sharply. For an instant I thought I saw a flash of something disappearing behind a pillar, then everything was still. I stood motionless, listening. The hall was silent … but something in the silence had changed. It was the silence of something holding its breath.

I thought of going after it but some instinct warned me that would be a bad idea. I waited a moment longer, then when nothing moved I carried on down the hall, slower this time. I half-expected something to jump me, but I reached the doors at the end safely. They opened at a touch.

Luna was inside. The room within was huge and circular, a ring of columns going up and up into the shadows, and Luna was at the very centre upon a wide dais. As I headed for her I noticed at the back of my mind that the whispers had started again.

Luna didn’t react as I approached. She was kneeling, staring into a tall silver mirror that reflected not her image but only a grey mist. She wore a white dress, and as I approached I saw that her lower legs were frozen in crystal. It seemed to have grown up around her, a thin layer spiderwebbing over her ankles and knees, reaching up towards her lower body. The mist in the mirror shifted at the edge of my vision, hinting at something within, inviting me to look. I hesitated, then took hold of Luna’s arms and pulled her to her feet.

The crystal shattered, splintering like glass, and Luna stumbled upright, shaking her head as if she’d just come out of a trance. She looked up at me and her eyes lit up.

I grabbed Luna in a bear hug, holding her close. She made a protesting noise, but I didn’t care. Elsewhere is the one place Luna’s curse is dormant, and as I held her I felt something tense and wound-up inside me ease. Only now did I realise how afraid I’d been for her.

Gradually I realised Luna was trying to talk. I looked down. “Hm?”

“Can’t breathe!”

“Right.” I relaxed my grip and looked down at her. “Better?”

Luna pulled back. “The caves—you got out?”

“I got out.”

Luna sighed in relief and leant her head against my chest. “Thank God.”

I stroked Luna’s hair. It felt good to hold her. “Were you looking for me?”

Luna nodded. “Like the last time,” I said. “Was that where you got the idea?”

“I couldn’t find you.”

“It’s hard to bring someone into Elsewhere if they’re awake. Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.” Luna pulled back again and looked up at me, her smile gone. “He’s going to kill Arachne.”

“I know,” I said. “We’ve only got a few hours. Where did he take you?”

“A manor house in the mountains. Belthas brought everyone here. Me, all his guards, that woman …” Luna’s face darkened. “…and Martin.”

“Where are you?”

“In the basement. A cell. They locked me in and left me.”

“Okay.” I took a deep breath. This was the million-dollar question. “Do you know where it is?”

Luna shook her head and my heart sank. “It was too dark,” Luna said. “There weren’t any lights. It’s somewhere deserted, no towns, but …”

“But that’s not enough.” I tried to think of all the deserted, mountainous places Belthas could have set up a base. Hopeless. Even in Britain, there were thousands. Finding it would take days, weeks. “Did you see a landmark? Anything that would give us a location?”

“No. But I think I know who did.”

I looked at her in surprise. “Deleo,” Luna said. “She’s in the cell next to mine.”

“Did you talk to her?”

Luna shook her head. “I saw her.” A shadow passed across Luna’s face. “She looked bad. I think they were … getting information from her. For the ritual. She wasn’t awake. Asleep, a coma … I thought we could talk to her. I don’t know how to stop Belthas, but maybe she does.”

I thought about it for all of five seconds. I’d never tried bringing more than one person into Elsewhere, and if I had, I wouldn’t have picked Rachel … and none of that mattered since I didn’t see how we had any choice. “Why not,” I said. “I’m relying on one psychotic Dark mage, might as well make it two.”

Luna gave me an odd look. “What do you—?”

“Tell you later.” I started walking again, leading Luna towards the edge of the room. “Um,” Luna said. “Where are we going?”

“To Deleo.”

“Okay.” Luna thought for a second. “Where is she?”