Chapter Ten

Chapter Ten

Josie

I slipped in and out of consciousness.

Knowing I'd been taken wasn't enough to keep my eyes open. The force of being tossed to and fro made my head swim and stars dance across my vision. Vomit climbed my throat often, but if I threw up I didn't remember.

My eyes were glued shut.

They stayed that way for however long. Time didn't really seem to matter to me when the distant smell of brimstone woke me.

There weren't too many other things in my life that would wake me out of my sleep. Or make me gag. My cat from my elementary years got stuck in my closet one day while I was at school and left me a prize—or seven—for when I got back.

This was worse. Much worse.

It smelled like rotten eggs with an ungodly determination to drown you in it. Each breath smelled worse than the last.

A drop of water landed on my cheek, and I swiped it away as my eyes adjusted to the room around me.

At least I'm not dead.

I didn't think the lady would kill me if she needed something in return, but luckily for me, this was my first time being kidnapped. How would my family even find me through a portal in the woods? Things weren't looking good for me at the moment.

The room spun as I pushed myself up and tried to examine my surroundings. Darkness swirled in my vision along with cobblestone and one lone candle in the corner.

This was not anywhere I wanted to be.

I braced my palm along my forehead and took an uneven breath. The thin mattress underneath smelled like urine and mold.

It shouldn't have been surprising, but the stench was so strong it nearly knocked me over. All my senses were coming back one by one, each bringing something grotesque with it. So much that I wished they'd stay gone until I was relocated out of this hellhole.

Crawling up to my knees, I rubbed at my eyes with the heels of my palms until the sleepiness washed away. The room was bare other than the thin mattress and night table that held the candle.

A large wooden door was nestled into the corner of the room, one of those circular knobs you see on castles, which wouldn't be too far-fetched at the moment, hanging against the wood.

This does look like a basement or a torture chamber.

The floor was damp when I stood. The fact that I wasn't wearing shoes or normal clothes seemed to be the least of my worries.

I tiptoed over to the door, pulling helplessly at the knob but knowing she wouldn't leave me in here with an easy way out.

Or a way out at all.

A sliver of moonlight hit my eyes when I turned back toward the room. A small window too high for me to reach sat tucked beneath the ceiling.

That damn crow sat behind the bars on the ledge, staring at me. Realization that it had truly been following me slammed into my gut. The bird was part of this world.

Was it her little pet?

Anger rushed me from head to toe.

Why was this happening?

She had been watching me for days before she came for me. I guess that made her smarter than I wanted her to be.

Running my fingers into my hair, panic began to flood my throat. Each breath was harder to catch than the next—

"Oh, little one, don't fret."

I turned around and stumbled back over the mattress. The filthy cloth touching my palms made my skin crawl.

She stepped out from the darkness of a corner near the door. "There is no need for all of your childish dramatics."

Since when was being upset you'd been kidnapped seen as dramatic?

I backed away as she slunk nearer. There was an elegance in her walk that screamed refined, but the way she smiled didn't match it. It was animalistic. It hid in the corners of her eyes, but when she smiled, it slithered out like a snake. My gaze shifted to the horns curled on top of her head and the headdress she wore to cover them.

"It's not polite to stare," she said softly.

Out of fear, I dropped my gaze to the ground, realizing how tall she was when she stopped inches in front of me. "Who knows about other realms? Your mother? Father?"

"I don't know," I answered honestly. "This is the first time I've heard of it."

Her pointed chin sharpened when she turned her head to examine me.

"As far as I know, no one will come get me."

She chuckled. "You're the apple of your father's eye, dear. They'll come for you. Follow me."

The edge of her robe twirled around her feet as she turned and walked toward the door. It opened with a wave of her hand. The crow grew irate as I slipped through the doorjamb and started up a winding staircase.

The walls were so dark I didn't dare brush against them. I stumbled slightly on the edge of a step but caught myself against the brick.

She kept at a steady pace, her steps quiet like she walked on air. She took a sharp left, and another heavy door swung open for her.

A chill worked its way down my spine as candlelight brightened our surroundings. She led me through a giant arch and staircase that rivaled any modern-day house I'd ever seen.

The candlelight flickered the further down the hallway we went. The double doors opened and shut once I made it through.

It resembled an office for a witch. A lair? I wasn't up to date on my other realm lingo.

A huge stained-glass window was open, allowing the moonlight to shine against the floor. Dark clouds moved along the moon shadowing the Dark Woods around us.

They were the darkest I'd ever seen. Ebony. There was a sleekness to them that almost looked inviting like water at midnight.

However, the silence told me to run. There were no animals talking in the distance.

No cicadas singing.

It was vacant of life besides us as far as I could tell. The fear in my stomach twisted around in circles. They feared her.

"You won't survive if you decide to jump," she said from the opposite side of the room.

The table held containers from what I could see. The cauldron sat above a fire that was lit. Maybe she would put me out of my misery and cook me before she ate me.

Something told me she truly thought someone would come looking for me.

"What's your name?" I asked after several seconds. "I keep referring to you as lady in my head." Maybe I would pull on one string of human emotion hidden underneath that robe.

She walked around, mixing something in a small wooden bowl. "Deidamia," she said, her gaze settling over mine.

I didn't try and repeat it.

Deidamia stalked back and forth as if something was bothering her. I wanted to know what it was, but I was sure my false attempt at winning over her rational side wouldn't work.

Whatever happened, I needed to stay calm.

There was something predatory about her gaze. Her walk was determined yet relaxed. If I knew anything about predators, it was that they fed off fear.

I was afraid. So afraid, but I swallowed it down.

She stopped in front of me, tilting her head and examining my face like she wanted to get to know me.

"Your heartrate is leveling out," she said with a smirk. "Good. It'll make this all the easier."

Make what all the easier?

She stopped her mixing, scooped up something that looked like dust into her hand and looked at it.

"Josephine," she said softly, her green gaze meeting mine. "For your sake, I hope they find you."

I opened my mouth to speak, but she blew into her hand, stirring the dust into my face. I sneezed and rubbed my eyes. Darkness twirled around my vision.

Deidamia stood still, watching as I stumbled backward onto the floor. My ability to stay awake was slipping from me. I clawed at the cement floors, trying to speak, but someone pulled the voice from my body.

"Sleep, little beauty," Deidamia's voice sounded motherly. "Sleep."

***

The woods were dark. So dark I couldn't see where I was placing one foot until it hit the ground. I prayed that I wouldn't trip or run into something. The wind pierced my chin, though it wasn't cold outside.

Branches scraped my flesh, drawing blood that I didn't have time to care about. I was running…. Why?

I couldn't remember why I was running, but the fear was so deep that I didn't dare stop.

The woods were quiet. Ash rained down on me and I could feel the way it smashed between my fingertips. My bottom lip trembled in fear, but something told me to be brave.

Not to show my fear because she craved it.

Who was she? I didn't know.

I tried to remember.

Dig deep, Josie.

My foot caught on an overgrown root, and I fell to all fours. The noises nearing behind me didn't sound human. They were animalistic, deep and angry—

Fire shot above my head, brightening the woods around me and catching the canopy of leaves on fire.

It was then I realized how overgrown the woods were. The depths of the overgrowth brushed the top of my waist; there was no trail or a way out.

Tears pooled in the corners of my eyes.

The blast of fire faded above me, but the trees were flashing red as it burned the leaves down. It was raining fire. I didn't hang around to see what caused it or how fast it would spread. I crawled through the vines and rocks, feeling thorns slice into my skin every time I moved.

Dirt and grime clung to me. Nothing compared to the fear that strangled my throat. I cried for help, but my voice was gone.

I couldn't speak. I couldn't breathe.

I was dying from the inside out. My fingernails curled into the dirt, doing little good to get me further. My legs began to shake when I heard a woman's voice.

Deidamia.

Everything slammed into me. The fear. The reality. Where I was. Who I was running from. "Please, God," I whispered, "help me."

She began to say my name like a mantra. It was soft and sweet. A luring sound that reminded me of a mother.

Until it wasn't.

It turned dark. Deep. Something out of my worst nightmare.

My body involuntarily curled into the fetal position under a giant bush. I hated myself for hiding, but there was no stopping her.

She was evil.

"Josephine."

This time it wasn't Deidamia that called for me. My mind didn't recognize it, but it called to my body on a level that I'd never experienced. It lured me out of hiding.

I sat up, trying to see through the madness, and followed the masculine call of my name. It wasn't my father's voice. Who was looking for me? It didn't sound like Jacob. Deidamia seemed to think someone would come.

"I'm here," I called.

The darkness behind me lightened. My fear of Deidamia seemed further away than before. "Help!" I screamed, this time my voice pulling through the guard wrapped around me.

The brush moved in front of me and then parted.

The silhouette of a man formed. His coiled forearm reached out, displaying an impressive bicep and long, thick fingers. A dark cloud moved above us, but through the shadow it brought, a dark set of eyes met mine.

All the times in my life I'd felt safe did not compare to that moment.

My stomach tightened and sent heat between my legs. It was an odd time to be turned on, but the shape of his mouth as light hit it did things to me. Mercy.

"Who are you?" I whispered.

The corner of his mouth tugged into the tiniest smile before my savior disappeared along with my hope.