Chapter 6

6

" I still cannot believe how big your world is," Lady Jocelyn exclaims later that day at dinner. "Eight billion people is unfathomable."

I force a smile, though the fear from before hasn't subsided.

It is pure torture to sit at the same table as them for dinner and pretend to answer all their questions about my world. As if they didn't try to murder me just a few hours ago. But it is necessary if I want to escape unnoticed later tonight.

"You said your medicine is advanced?" Arisa asks.

The dinner is a small affair, and Arisa and Leoni, the other two mages from what once was the Five, join us. They're equally curious about my world, but their questions are few and far between due to their deference toward Jocelyn and Damien.

"Yes. People live longer and healthier lives," I murmur.

"That means they must have superior life force, no?" she asks, gazing hopefully at Damien.

He gives a tight nod but doesn't explain what that means.

I pretend to eat, stealthily stashing some bread in my pocket to Hansel my way around this place. Luckily, the dining hall is on the ground level, and I managed to spot a few doors that might lead to the outside. Now it's only a matter of laying a breadcrumb trail to my room that I can follow later to trace my way back here.

The questions continue, and I give them the most outrageous and fake answers I can think of. I still don't know why they need to sacrifice me at some point—who knows what type of ritual they want to achieve with my blood—but I'm not about to stick around and find out.

My first red flag should have been the fact that so little of Akkaya is the same as what I read about. But I still harbored the hope that my idols were upstanding people—which clearly, they are not .

God, whoever wrote those books must have been heavily biased. How could someone describe Damien as a hero when he's nothing but a murderous psycho who also cheats on his wife?

Unacceptable.

I may not know how to get back home on my own, but I'd rather take my chances by myself far away from them.

"Thank you for this lovely dinner and for everything you've done for me so far," I murmur appreciatively as I get up from the table. "You have no idea how much I appreciate your help?—"

"Nonsense," Damien cuts me off—he has a habit of doing that to women. "We are thrilled to meet someone from another world after having heard so much of their existence. Your tales alone are priceless."

I incline my head, forcing my lips in a deferent smile.

"The servant will see you to your room. Have a good night, Barbara," Jocelyn tells me dismissively.

The servant leads me back to my suite, and I drop little crumbs of bread on the way from the main hallway to my room. Now I just have to hope there's no nocturne cleaning going on at this castle. Otherwise, I'm screwed.

When I get back to my suite, PomPom is still out of it. Whatever they put in the food was too much for her small body. That sends a spark of anger through me.

How could they think to do this to a small, defenseless dog? I clench my fists in outrage, wishing I could retaliate against them in some way. But although I have yet to see evidence of their abilities, I've heard enough from the soldiers to know I am no match for them. The only recourse I have is to run away.

A few hours later, I fashion a carrier for PomPom out of a sheet and tie it across my torso. Opening the door to my room, I make my way out.

To my relief, the crumbs of bread are still on the floor, so I follow them to the main hallway. The castle is eerily quiet, not a soul in sight. Hope blossoms in my chest that I can, in fact, do this.

Now it's just a matter of finding the right door that leads to the outside.

A couple of failed tries and I manage to find the right one.

The cold air of the night brushes against my face and I take a deep breath to fill my lungs. I'll do this. I'll find a way out.

I step into the night, and a shiver goes down my back from the low temperature. The pink gown does not provide any warmth, and this might cause me to catch a cold…

That's the last thing I need to think about! This is about surviving and not being sacrificed to some pagan god, not catching a cold, which might I say, is not fatal.

I stealthily make my way across the main yard, but just as I think I've made it—that I've left the castle behind—I bump into the person I least wanted to see again.

"You…"

Ivan's face contorts in anger as he sees me. Especially as his eyes scan my frame and he quickly deduces that I'm absconding in the middle of the night—which, he's not wrong.

"I knew it! You're a fucking impostor!" He grabs me by the arm and all but drags me back to the castle.

"Let go!" I scream. "They're all murderers. You'll get me killed," I say, hoping I might strike some human chord in him—though I doubt it.

The noise only serves to awaken more soldiers, and soon, we have an entire audience in front of the castle. Ivan takes great pride in telling all of them that I was trying to run away because I'm a spy.

"She probably tried to seduce our King and he wouldn't fall for it," he says further. A chorus of boos resounds in the air.

My eyes widen in shock.

"Seduce the King? He's a psycho murderer who wants to sacrifice me," I cry out as I struggle to get out of his grasp. I manage to push him away for a second before he lodges his fingers in my scalp, pulling on my hair and keeping me by his side.

I cry in pain.

"Harlot."

"Whore."

Oh my, these people take their King's virtue seriously. They don't seem to realize he has an entire harem at his disposal already.

"Our Queen won't stand for this," someone calls from the crowd, further getting the others worked up. The words they're spewing at me are not fit for any ears.

The windows of the castle light up. More people show up, curious about the commotion. At this point, instead of escaping silently, I'm doing the exact opposite.

And if I thought things couldn't get worse, well…they just got so much fucking worse.

The King and Queen make their appearance in a regal fashion. They teleport themselves in the middle of the crowd, merely a few steps away from me.

Oh. Shit.

"Your Majesty. I caught her sneaking out of the castle," Ivan speaks as he dangles me by the hair. "She must have been spying for the East."

"What?" I squeak. "I'm not a spy. I just want to leave with my life intact, all right? They"—I point to the King and Queen—"are the culty leaders trying to sacrifice me for whatever pagan god they're in cahoots with."

"What is your name, soldier?" The King takes a step forward, addressing Ivan without even acknowledging me.

"Ivan Rogers, Your Majesty."

"Ivan." He nods. "You shall be handsomely rewarded for catching her."

"I was right, was I not? She's bad news."

"You are, indeed, correct," Damien continues, sparing me a disdainful glance. "I have just found out that she is the Dark One's lover. She must have been trying to avenge her dead lover."

W-what?

"He's lying! I don't even know the Dark One," I hurry to say, though it falls on deaf ears.

"Kill her! Kill her!"

I blink, stupefied.

The crowd is asking for my death, cursing me for being related to the Dark One in any way.

With a wave of his hand, the King silences everyone.

"Ivan. Take her to the dungeon," he instructs my captor. Turning to the crowd, he continues. "She will be executed on the day of the new moon, as is our custom for anyone related to the Dark One."

People start clapping and praising the King— and wishing me a torturous death.

Great.

Just as Ivan drags me away from the crowd, Jocelyn suddenly stops him.

"Wait!"

With slow, dignified steps, she comes toward me. She wrenches the sheet from my torso and takes PomPom out of it.

"You may go," she says, cradling PomPom in her arms.

I'm too stunned to say anything but stare at my little baby as she gets farther and farther away from me.

Ivan purposefully digs his fingers painfully into my scalp, relishing hurting me. But I don't care. All I can see is PomPom and the fact that these evil people took her from me.

Tears stab at my eyes, and a rage unlike I've ever known overtakes me.

I thrash violently, screaming out for PomPom until Ivan has no choice but to slap me—so hard I see stars. Still, it's no match for the heart of a grieving mother as her child is taken away from her. So what if she's not human? She's my everything.

"PomPom!" I call for her, hoping she might wake up and run to me.

But she doesn't. She's still out of it.

"Let me go, you brute. Let me go," I continue to fight him, especially as we go down dark stairs that lead to an even darker corridor.

Fear creeps down my spine.

There are dirty cells on either side of the corridor. Some prisoners are still alive, but others have wasted away, only a pile of bones remaining in their wake.

Good Lord! I gulp down against the wave of terror that engulfs me.

He drags me to the darkest corner of the dungeon where there's barely any light. He only stops when he reaches the last cage—smaller and dirtier than the rest. Opening the latch, he throws me inside.

"Fucking bitch. I knew you were bad, but I didn't realize I was traveling with the Dark One's whore," he spits at me.

"Wait!" I call out, scrambling to my feet.

The door closes in my face, the latch back on.

Ivan smiles mockingly at me.

"I'm looking forward to your execution." He chuckles. "Until then, enjoy your stay in the most cursed cell."

Then he turns and leaves, his laughter echoing in the hallway.

For moments on end, I hold on to the rusty bars of the cell, staring into the darkness as my dire situation sinks in.

I'm in a different world. In a dirty prison. About to be sacrificed/executed. How the hell did my perfectly normal and pink life turn into dungeons and dragons—sans the dragons?

My breathing accelerates as panic overtakes me.

They took my baby from me, too. That stupid Lady Jocelyn, the fakest lady in the entire universe.

"I'll kill you if you do something to my PomPom," I yell, my voice traveling down the hallway and leaving an angry echo behind.

"Aghhhh!" I scream at the top of my lungs, pulling on the thick metal bars. Alas, it's in vain. Once my screaming session is done—merely because my throat hurts and I doubt anyone will bring me water in here—I release a frustrated sigh as I sink to the floor.

It's cold, damp, and dark.

"Why me?" I whisper, swallowing a sob.

The cell is so dark I can't even make out where the walls are and what parameters I'm being confined to, which makes it all the more claustrophobic.

"I've not done anything illegal in my life," I mumble to myself. "I've never even stolen anything, except if you count the chocolate my mother told me I was not allowed to have. But that was from my own fridge. It's not as if I stole someone else's chocolate. I would never do that. Not like that stupid, scheming Jocelyn who stole my PomPom."

At remembering my poor baby, I burst into tears again.

"Oh my God!" I cry out, nearly jumping out of my skin. "Stupid Jocelyn has BonBon, and he's a male. My PomPom is a female. What if he…" A strangled gasp escapes me. "What if he takes advantage of my PomPom? She's never been with a male in her life."

My sobs intensify as I think of my PomPom being assaulted by BonBon. And it's all my damn fault.

"He's going to take my PomPom's virginity and I can't do anything to stop it." I continue crying. Big, fat tears stream down my face as I imagine my sweet angel being debased by that woman's dog.

"Wait for me, PomPom. Mommy will come for you. I'll save you, baby!"

Except I have no idea how I'm going to get out of here. Alive.

Minutes trickle by, turning into hours. My body is tired, but my mind is wide awake, trying to solve this conundrum.

The sun is up, some light streaming into the dungeon, but not enough to reach my cell. Ivan wasn't kidding that this is the worst one.

I mutter a string of curses that are not at all ladylike. But you know what? To hell with being a lady. I've had a firsthand experience of what it means to be a lady— cough, cough, stupid Jocelyn —and I don't want to have anything to do with it.

I get to my feet and pace around my cell, keeping an eye out for any soldiers patrolling the premises—anyone other than Ivan, that is. If I play my cards right, maybe I can charm them into opening the door for me.

A ray of light dances between the metal bars and illuminates the corner of my cell. I wouldn't have paid it much attention if I didn't catch the glint of something red and shiny. I blink and the light is almost gone. But I'm sure of what I saw.

It was a precious stone, mayhap attached to a ring.

A bulb lights up in my head.

Maybe I can bribe a guard with it and he will let me go!

I clasp my hands together in excitement and take one step at a time until I reach the other end of the cell. I slide to the floor, and slowly, I inch closer to the area where I saw the jewel. My poor pink gown will likely become black from all the dust I'm collecting. If my execution truly comes to pass—which, fingers crossed it won't—I hope stupid Jocelyn will at least let me have what's left of my dignity and give me a clean pink gown.

Another ray of light makes its way into the cell, and I spot the stone. It's a ruby ring, I think. Before the light can go out again, I move swiftly and grab onto it.

But just as it gets dark in the cell once more, a cry is wrenched from my lips when I realize that it's not just a ring.

It's attached to a hand.

A mummified hand.

"Holy Mother of God!" I cry out, falling on my ass.

I gulp down as the first wave of shock passes.

"It's okay, Barbi. It's just a dead guy. He can't do anything to you. In fact, maybe he'll be happy to know his ring helped you avoid the same fate as him." I try to give myself a pep talk. "It's not stealing if they're dead, right? I'm not committing a felony. I'm just…surviving. Yes, that's right. I'm doing this for my PomPom. If the dead guy will be mad at me for stealing his ring, he should at least consider it's for a good cause. I'm saving my dog. And who hates dogs? No one!"

I nod to myself, satisfied with my line of thinking.

"It's for PomPom. Who can say no to my PomPom?"

Getting on my hands and knees, I once more slowly get closer.

"Sorry, dead guy. I promise I'll write you a dedication in my pink notebook for special people," I say as I pat his mummified arm in my search for his hand. He's still clothed, though the material is tattered. To my surprise, though, he doesn't smell like a dead person—not that I'm an expert in what dead people smell like, but I've seen a few since coming to Akkaya.

"I have two notebooks, you see. A pink one for the good people that I like, and a black one for the bad people. Oh my." I gasp. "That reminds me. When I get home, I need to transfer stupid Jocelyn and psycho Damien's names from the pink one to the black one. They're worse than bad, actually. Maybe I should start a new notebook just for them," I muse to myself.

I find the end of the sleeve and slowly touch the mummified hand, afraid I might break it if I'm too rough.

"Don't worry. I won't desecrate your body. I'm just borrowing your ring. I promise you, PomPom and I will be forever grateful," I tell him as I find the ring and slowly pull it off his finger.

"Will you stop yapping about, female? You are ruining my restful sleep."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to?—"

My eyes widen as my brain slowly processes what I heard.

A voice. A deep, manly voice. Talking to me.

A voice coming from the mummy. As in, the mummy is talking to me!

"Ahhhhhhh!" I scream, falling backward.

The sound of a rip follows the echo of my scream.

My fingers close around the ring, but to my renewed horror, it's not just the ring. It's attached to something. A finger. The mummy's finger.

Oh my God! I just broke a mummy's finger.

Another scream pierces the air until my throat is too sore to make another sound. My chest rises and falls, my breath ragged as I stare at the dark spot where the mummy is—the talking mummy.

"Can I have my finger back now?" he asks in a dry, bored tone.

For the first time since arriving in Akkaya, I've had enough.

My eyes roll in the back of my head and I slump to the floor.