The Chronicles of Koa: Netherworld (27 page)

K
oa woke to find Evina staring down at her. She sat up in a panic. Her eyes darted around the room as she tried to catch her breath. The room was small, bare, and cold. A strange collection of candles hung from the ceiling. It was like a chandelier, but the candles were floating and encircling the apparatus that supported them.

“Where am I?” Koa’s throat was dry. She swallowed. She felt hot. Her body was covered in sweat. “What did you do to me?”

Evina sat back in the only chair in the room, rested her elbow on the desk, and put her feet up on the bed, beside Koa. “You’re at the docks. Why…don’t you remember?”

Koa glanced at Evina’s boots and back up to her face. The vampire’s secret smile convinced her that something had indeed happened. Still, Koa could only remember being ushered away from the citadel. Now, she felt oddly at ease around the vampire princess, and she knew that she shouldn’t.

Koa frowned. “What did you do to me?” Her body felt…strange. Her skin was cool and her blood seemed to rush. Her mind was a torrent of questions and memories that she couldn’t make any sense of.

Evina shrugged, feigning ignorance. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

Wrong answer
. Koa checked her sword and leapt off the bed. Evina was before her in a blink.

Koa glared at her. Her cheeks were hot with rage. “Move out of my way,” she said through clenched teeth.

Evina held her arms out. The black tattoo’s seemed to move along her skin, like snakes.

Koa stepped away from her. “What are you doing?”

Evina wrapped her arms around Koa. Before Koa could react, she was asleep once more.

Koa was in a black room. The floor was red and Evina was standing in the far corner. Evina’s eyes were closed. The air seemed to move around the vampire princess as she swirled her arms and sent waves of faint light towards Koa.

Koa ran at her and punched her in the face. Evina’s eyes opened in shock. “What are you doing?” She was frantic. She hadn’t expected that. “You’re not supposed to see me in here! You’re supposed to be asleep!”

Koa punched her again. She grabbed her by the hair and flung her across the room. Evina slammed into the black wall and vanished. Koa unclenched her fists. She was stunned. She was alone in the black room.

Her heart started to race.

What is going on
! Koa was afraid. She had no idea where she was. She panicked. Her sword was gone.

This isn’t real
, Koa assured herself as she started to shake. She looked for an exit. Her hands beat the black walls and they pushed her back into the center each time.
This is
not
real
!

Evina reappeared and covered Koa’s face with her hands. She tried to overpower her and push her to the ground, but Koa bit the flesh between her thumb and index finger and Evina pulled her hand back. Koa kicked her in the gut and Evina doubled over.

Evina flashed and appeared behind Koa. She gritted her teeth, pulled Koa’s hair, and forced her to the ground.

“Stop fighting me! I’m trying to help you!”

Koa reached up and grabbed Evina by the throat. She swung a foot above her and kicked Evina in the chin. Evina bled from the lip but held her grip. Her eyes were wild with panic.

“Koa, please, stop fighting me!” Evina smothered Koa’s face with her hands. “I’m trying to wake you up! You’re not supposed to be lucid in this dream!”

Koa continued to fight and gasped. Something jolted into her. Evina’s eyes were closed. Evina was screaming, but Koa could hear nothing but the sound of her own blood rushing to her ears.

Koa woke. She immediately drew her sword and placed the tip at Evina’s throat. Evina was in tears. The vampire princess was breathless as she stared down at Koa’s sword.

Koa was beyond enraged. She was past angry. Not because of what Evina had done to her, but because the Lyrinian sword refused to impale her.

Koa tried. She put force and strength behind it. The sword remained frozen. Koa growled and swirled away, sheathing the sword.

Evina was not evil. The sword would not kill an innocent being. Koa cursed under her breath. Her face was still hot from rage. She could still feel Evina’s blows to her.

Evina rubbed her face of blood. Koa frowned. She hadn’t noticed that before.

Evina pulled her hand back and looked at the blood. Her jaw dropped. There was a look of fear in her eyes when she gazed at Koa.

“I’m sorry, Koa,” Evina said, confusing Koa. “We all have our orders. Mine was to keep you safe, to keep you here, until Halston returns.” Evina put her arms behind her.

Koa was silent, yet her glare was unwavering. It spoke multitudes. She was confused by Evina’s sudden change in attitude. It was as if she dropped the whole, seductive, tough girl act. Maybe Koa was seeing her true self. Maybe this was the act.

Evina continued. “It just happens that I am a tempest. I cannot help what I was born to be.”

Koa narrowed her eyes. “Tempest?”

Evina nodded and her blue eyes met Koa’s. “I can get people to do what I want. I can make them dream what I want. Some call it persuasion down here in the Netherworld.” She shrugged. “It’s what I know. Never in a hundred years has anyone ever been lucid in one of my dreams. Never.”

Koa thought to herself. That dream had felt pretty real.

“Koa, listen,” Evina urged. “I never meant to hurt you. I swear it, on my brother’s life.”

Koa frowned. She didn’t give a damn about her brother’s life. She let out a long, slow, breath. She tried to force all of her rage out with it. It was difficult, but Koa managed to calm herself.

“When will Halston be back?” She couldn’t shake the bitterness she felt. She hated being manipulated.

Evina turned the chair around and sat in it backwards, straddling it. “In an hour or so. We have to get you inside the prison before the third click of the Disc Moon.” She wiped her face with a towel.

Koa cracked her knuckles and started pacing.

“Why don’t you have a seat, Koa?”

Koa continued pacing. “You, don’t speak to me unless you have something valuable or important to say.” She paused and gave Evina a look. “My Lyrinian sword may not work on you, but you better believe that my hands will go smoothly around your throat and squeeze the life out of you.”

Evina frowned.

Koa had no regrets from her words.

Evina pursed her lips. She shook her head and murmured. “You always were a little hothead.”

Koa spun around. Her eyes widened. “What did you say?

Evina played with her wavy, red, hair.

Koa stepped closer. “Tell me!” Koa felt her frustration start to overflow. She was tired of the secrets and lies.

Evina rolled her eyes. “I said that you were a hothead. What’s the big deal?”

“You said that I was always a hothead!” Koa felt like she’d just discovered gold. She almost grinned, but her face remained serious. She had to know. “Have we met?”

There was a long stretch of silence, but Koa would not back down.

Evina nodded.

Koa clapped her hands together. “I knew it!” She laughed. She wiped her face with her hands. She knew she had seen Evina before. There was a history between them. She couldn’t remember it, but she knew that something was there.

Evina shot to her feet. “Please, Koa. I cannot say more than that. Don’t ask me. Halston would be furious.”

Koa’s smile faded. She looked at the floor. Her boots were stacked against the wall. “Halston.” She nodded. “Yes, I bet there’s all kinds of things he’s been keeping from me.” She chewed her lip. She didn’t know how to feel. She wished that Raven was there.

Evina put a hand on Koa’s shoulder. Koa shrugged it off.

“Don’t touch me.”

Evina nodded. “All right. But trust me. He kept the worse from you. To protect you. Please tell me you can understand that.”

Koa made a face. “No. I don’t understand that.” She looked away and pictured his face. “We were best friends. We don’t keep secrets.” Koa swallowed. She felt ashamed. She’d kept secrets from him before. Somehow she felt that this was different.

Evina gave Koa a look of disappointment. “You have no idea what he’s done for you. What he’s sacrificed, for you! You
ungrateful
little girl!”

Koa leaned her back against the door. She felt deflated. Her mind was torn. “I’ll decide for myself. Once I learn the truth.”

Evina gave her a bitter smile. “You’ll regret those words when you get your wish.”

H
alston followed Tristan to the Alchemist. He lived in a hole in the west borough. They walked straight down into a dark pit where tendrils of vines with minds of their own reached down to them. For somewhere so dark, it was quite green. Vines and flowers grew here, when they grew nowhere else in the entire kingdom.

Discs lit the way but just barely. These discs were the size of quarters and were spaced apart along the steep stairwell. They were all filled with oil and fire.

Halston held the rusty rail and kept an eye on those vines. Their little black eyes watched him curiously, from snakelike faces. He brushed one off his shoulder and it coiled back with a shriek that made the other vines vibrate.

“How many times do I have to remind you not to touch them?” Tristan scolded.

Halston shrugged. “It touched me.” He watched the other vines huddle and share a steady glare at him.

Tristan shook his head and stopped at the bottom of the staircase.  Halston recognized the long, narrow, hallway. Vines, and moss, covered the stone walls. They became thicker and thicker and he had to squint to see the base of the Alchemist’s tree with the wooden door.

Tristan sauntered over to it, ducking down as the ceiling became lower and lower. Halston had to do the same.

 Halston let out an annoyed breath. “I do hate this part,” he grumbled.

“Ah,” Tristan said. “It’s not so bad.”

The further they walked. The lower the ceiling became, until they were on their elbows, pulling themselves through.