And stairs.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” she muttered.
It was unwise to explore the nook. In all those books she and Mina enjoyed so much, the characters who pursued unwise decisions never survived.
Sol frowned at the looming stairs, dropping into the depths of the Villa without a single shred of light in sight. If only she had a weapon.
She peered up at the mirror.
It shattered quite easily. Clamping her mouth shut to keep from groaning, she held her elbow as the pieces clattered to the ground. She remained frozen for a moment, listening for footsteps or anyone that may want to come investigate the noise.
Luckily, the Villa remained silent.
Sol picked the most menacing and dynamic-looking shard and slipped it into her hand before entering the hole in the wall.
Twenty Seven
SHADOWS OF THE PAST
SOL DIDN’T HAVEa single idea where she was going. The only light was the one from the hallway behind her, though it slowly disappeared the further underground she went. For a good stretch, she was in total darkness.
She gripped the shard of glass as tightly as she could without drawing blood and guided herself with her other hand until she finally reached the end of the stairs. A glimmer of relief settled at the solidness beneath her where the anxiety had been. It was only then flickers of flames shone in the distance, likely from torches that lined the tunnel’s interior.
She had set out to find them without much expectation or hope she would, but now that she was here, she didn’t have a clue what to do. Was she going to march upstairs and usher the prospects into a hole in the wall? Then tell them to go on, and be free?
Sol examined the damp stone around her, suddenly feeling like perhaps the idea would not work.
Penny was traveling through these?
If the girl ever returned, Sol would beg her to stay well out of them—there was something eerie about the way a breeze still flowed when, in theory, there should be none.
“Sol.” It was a mere whisper, carried past on an unnatural gust. It pulled her forward with the gentlest tug. “Come closer, Sol.”
As if in a daze, she followed the beacon, the crunch of dirt beneath her boots bouncing in a loop around her. She neared thefirst torch, then the second, before the straight path cut into a vestibule with no way forward, but with paths on both sides. To her right, the path was dark. The left was lined with more torches, all bright, and illuminating just how complex the system was.
Sol angled her head inquisitively.
Wouldn’t someone have to light these?
Before the realization could fully settle, the world tilted and the torches disappeared as something pulled her back and against the stone. The impact left her breathless, but she still brought up the shard of glass instinctively while she willed her vision to settle.
If someone had found her, followed her down there, it would be an easy end. She should have known a piece of glass wouldn’t be enough to??—
Cas brought a hand to his lips. A silent gesture for her to be quiet.
Through the shock her exhales trembled between them before shuddering completely as voices reached their way from beyond the corner. As if someone walked their way while engaged in casual conversation.
“I’m telling you, patrolling these things is pointless,” said a male voice, his volume increasing with each word. “The old fool has them enchanted anyway.”
Sol’s eyes widened as she looked into Cas’s in a wordless plea.
He leaned closer, pressing her against the cave’s interior while he braced his arms on either side of her head. He was taller than her in this position, enough so he had to dip his chin to be at eye level. It took willpower she didn’t realize she had to remain still as the footsteps continued their approach.
“Stay still,” Cas whispered, their closeness making her comply without a fight. Shadows swirled from his forearms, engulfing their faces in darkness before cloaking them both entirely.
The sensation of his shadows against her skin never got easier to absorb. Just as the first time, her skin cooled and prickled in all the places they touched; her face, her neck, the tips of herfingers.
And she knew her expression gave away her intrigue as Cas only smirked and pressed himself closer.
