Chapter Twenty-one

L iana needed to run. She had to outpace the destruction of this place.

Rocks and dirt fell while the ground still shook. Behind her, Ranville and the others were yelling at each other. She didn't pay them any mind now that they weren't pelting spells her way. Apparently, they only had one vampire with them which was a win for her because no one came after her.

Liana followed a path as best she could through the rubble, her eyes darting upward every so often to check on the status of the cave ceiling. She'd be a goner if anything fell on her. Without her magic it would crush her easily.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw the group running along the edge, moving quicker than her. If she tried to follow the same path back, she'd just get herself captured again. Ranville would take the dagger and she'd be no better off. If she went to the right though, into the unknown part of the castle, perhaps she had a chance. There was no telling what she'd find or if there were even a way out. At worst, she could hide out down here for a day or two before sneaking out. She'd deal with the hunger and thirst if it meant escaping.

They'd likely come after her though, and just her against magic weren't good odds. Regardless, it sounded like her best option.

Liana changed course and headed toward the right. Towards the unknown ruins of the palace. A jolt of the earth made her trip into a dark hallway just as she crested over a pile of rubbish. A deafening crack echoed around the cavern. Liana spared a glance back just as the ceiling came rocketing down.

Gasping, she sent a silent prayer to Juno to keep her safe then sprinted down the dark hallway. It wasn't as dark as she suspected, in fact, there was a faint golden glow that moved with her. She glanced down at the dagger. The metal blade was the source of that glow which was so similar to her own magic.

Running as fast as she could, Liana hurtled around a corner just as the entire mountain shook with the impact of the collapse. She took a moment to lean against the cool, marble wall and catch her breath while everything settled. Luckily, the shakes stopped and all that could be heard were occasional creaks and groans of the earth.

The air was still when she turned back around. In the hall she just escaped from now stood a wall of solid earth. There would definitely be no escape that way nor would Ranville be coming for her through there. Hopefully they'd all been crushed which would have solved a lot of her problems.

With no time to waste, she reasoned out the path that would get her to the entrance of the tunnel. If the others were trapped or dead, she'd have an easy escape. If they survived, she'd have to retreat into the palace and wait them out. Her biggest concern was that they might use magic to track her but with the magic blocking cuffs on her she surmised that they would block magic as well as prevent it. It certainly prevented her own people from tracking her or else Damien would have found her by now. She hoped it kept her blocked from the people that put the cuffs on her too. It was only a guess though, so she raced through the hall which was a mirror of the one they'd come in through.

Turning a corner, she skidded to a halt.

Earth and stone blocked the path forward. She wouldn't be exiting this way. Turning back around, she hurried down the hall. Her only option now was to go deeper into the palace. Perhaps there would be a way out on the opposite side of the mountain. That would be beneficial, especially if the others survived and waited for her at the entrance. Or she could possibly find a way back to the entrance by going down a few levels. She didn't know if there were any lower levels, but it would be worth a try if there were no back entrance.

Whatever she decided, she had two or three days at most unless she found some water. A fierce burning in her arm had her wincing. Lifting it into view, she remembered the gash she sustained on her first tumble. It still oozed blood. If she wanted to live through this, she'd have to clean this wound at some point too. Desperately wishing for her magic right now, she couldn't stop thinking of how much easier this would all be with it available. But that wasn't an option and she'd have to get through this on her own.

Liana tore a piece of fabric from the bottom of her tunic then wrapped it around her forearm. She pulled it into a knot with her teeth, the pressure making the wound retaliate with more pain. That would have to do for now. She needed to get moving. Deciding it would be safer to find a back entrance, Liana marched down the hall, the dagger held aloft to light the way.

She found it odd how well preserved some of the palace was. Aside from the pit of rubble in the center of it, the peripheral portions went untouched. Rugs, curtains and delicate fabrics withered into dust, but the rest looked to be frozen in time. Even the windows remained intact although the only view was rock and earth.

Liana paused, something in the window catching her eye. Each palace window had been identical with a large rectangular pane in the middle with smaller panes surrounding and leading up to an arched point. It was the detailed carvings in the stone around the window that held her attention. Most of it was decorative filigree, but there, in the middle of it was the symbol of Juno. A detailed carving of a peacock.

Liana traced the symbol with her fingertips, a thick layer of dust wiping away. Her eyes moved over the rest of the carvings, finding more and more symbols of Juno etched into the design. She hurried to the next window and found the same. Juno's symbol was embedded into the very structure of this palace. No other god or goddesses symbol though. It wasn't odd to find such symbols scattered about important buildings, especially a palace or temple, but to only have one goddess was odd.

Keeping her eyes alert, Liana continued down the hall. When she came to an end, she had to turn right down another hall which would likely lead her back toward the others or she could investigate what lay behind some of these doors. For as grand as this palace likely once was, she doubted it ended in just a square of rooms. She needed to find a stairwell or at least a different hallway that led in another direction.

Cautiously, she stepped up to the door nearest the outer corner of the hall and twisted the iron handle. When she pushed, the door didn't budge. Glancing over her shoulder, she looked and listened for any sign of the others. In the clear, she put her shoulder against the door and braced herself to push it open.

Blowing out a breath after the first push which did nothing, she threw her entire body against it. The door budged with an ear-piercing screech, the hinges moving for the first time in thousands of years. Wincing, she darted inside, squeezing herself through the tiny opening. Hopefully that didn't alert anyone. Hopefully that thick earth between her and anyone near absorbed the sound.

Liana didn't dare close the door once she was inside. If anyone came looking, she hoped they wouldn't notice the slightly ajar door. There were plenty of other doors down the hall that were open. If there weren't a way out through here, she'd be screwed anyway and would have to go searching again.

Turning her attention to the space she stepped into, she held up the glowing dagger to see better. Disappointment filled her when she found a small latrine. This certainly wouldn't be a way out. Peeking out into the hall once more, she waited a few heartbeats to listen for anyone. Not hearing anything, she snuck back out, trying to conceal the dagger's light in the folds of the blouse she wore. If anyone was looking for her, the light would be a beacon.

The next door was closed as well. For now, she'd leave it unless she didn't have any other options to risk the noise. Moving down to another door, she slipped through the opening, holding the dagger out first. Decayed wooden crates, only identifiable from the iron frames, were lined in four even rows. Most of the wood decayed into dirt on the floor along with most of the contents of the crates. Only sturdier objects like ceramics or metal remained.

She would have checked the corked vases for water but didn't dare open them. If there were any liquid in them, which was unlikely at this point, it was most likely fouled beyond recognition. On second thought though, she reasoned that any organic matter would be gone by now and she'd need water at some point. If she happened to come across it, a container would be useful. Braving the stench, she grabbed a smaller corked vase and pulled the metal piece up while holding the opening away from her. No foul odor assaulted her, nor did it swish with liquid inside.

Liana tipped the ceramic over. Only a bit of dirt slid out. Pleased with her find, she turned for the door. Jolting backward, she clenched her jaw to keep from screaming. Behind the open door lay a skeleton in soldier's armor. Heart pounding, Liana forced a few deep breaths before walking over to inspect it.

The skull remained intact compared to the rest of the bones which she didn't want to look too closely at. All that remained of the clothes was a thin chest plate. The silver metal dulled with age but what most intrigued her was the symbol etched into the center. It was Juno's symbol. Once again, the goddess alone was represented. Liana knew it was Juno that gifted her power. She suspected that Juno played some role in the story of the original Triaedian as well because that cave in Sapphire Cove felt like her power. But to have this kingdom worship only her… Liana's gut churned with unease. Something tragic clearly happened to this kingdom and she didn't believe everything Ranville told her. He left out some key points or he didn't know the whole story either.

Confused and concerned, Liana had to keep moving. Taking the chest plate, she shook it off, not thinking about the skeleton she left behind. The plate was surprisingly light which was a relief because she didn't know how much longer she had to explore. She stuck her arms and head through, the item slightly too large for her. At least it would be some added protection. A sword lay there too. The holster had long decayed, but the blade remained sharp in the sheath. She took it as well, her hands getting too full of things, and snuck back out. She'd rather have too many weapons than none at all, especially in these circumstances.

It took her three more rooms to find another path. In those three other rooms she found signs of Juno everywhere. As far as Liana could tell, this kingdom didn't believe there were any other gods or goddesses. That was a question for another time though because for now, she found another hallway.

Same as the others, this one was just as ornate but shorter. She glanced in a few open doors but didn't waste much time. All she could do now was go through the mountain to a potential way out. Reaching an arched doorway, the doors faded into the past, an abyss of black waited beyond. Liana peeked around the corner holding the dagger out to see. All that lay ahead was a gleaming marble staircase.

The center led a few steps upward while the sides led to a steep climb downward. Two husks of guards lay on either side of the center. On silent feet, she inched closer to the guards. Only their chest plates, swords and some bones remained. A quick glance down showed only more stairs and darkness. She decided to climb the ten steps to the top where she stopped to gape up at the imposing iron doors. One was left open, the other stood facing her with columns of gold equally spaced starting from the bottom all the way to the pointed top.

On either side of the doors, carved into the marble stretched stunning wild fig trees, an everlasting symbol of the goddess, Juno. She smoothed her hand along the roots of the magnificent tree, the work so detailed she could only imagine the skill required to craft something so amazing. They stood taller than her, the top leaves reaching far above the doors to connect with each other. Their limbs were ripe with plump figs, the leaves carved from stone into reality. It was stunning and such a shame to be hidden all these years.

Reluctantly, Liana moved through the doors. With halted steps, she moved into a wide walkway, rows of stone seating on either side.

Liana could feel the air in the room, could sense that this was a large space even without her magic. Glancing up she found only endless darkness. A draft of cold air hit her face which had her heart surging with joy. Perhaps there was a way out in here.

Something gleamed in the distance every time she moved urging her to keep going forward. She stepped down three stairs, rows of seating still lining the walkway. A grand balustrade lined the balcony glittering with gold accents but that was not what captured her attention. Out beyond the balcony, in the open darkness gleamed a structure. Liana squinted, holding up the dagger as far out as she could. There was a statue out there which she couldn't quite see. Down below, the ground was closer and easier to make out. Going back the way she came, she went down the stairs this time and entered into the cavern from the lower level.

The drafty air was far stronger down here which was a good sign. There was air flow so there had to be a way out. Hopefully.

This section held no stone seating, but the front was barred off with a stone wall topped with evenly spaced statues of small goats and peacocks. Liana sat on the wall and tossed her legs over easily, then walked up to the dais where she could see the statue. It was far too tall though and she could only see the bottom portion. A woman in a long robe with sandals on her feet stood in front of a tree, that was about all she could see. If she weren't fighting for her life at the moment, she would have found a way to see it all. For now though, she needed to get out of this palace and this mountain.

Light flared around the entire temple blinding her. Liana gasped and ducked down while holding her arms above her head for protection.

Heart beating faster than a vampire's legs while running, Liana debated if she should run for cover back toward the doors or stay. That's likely where her attackers came from though. She didn't have many options. Taking cover sounded like the best option though.

Just as she was readying to launch toward the wall, she heard a voice.

"Hello again, Liana."