“Rose?”
Marc’s voice startled me, and I whipped my head around to face him. “What was that?”
“I was saying your eyes look better when they’re staring at me,” he teased, but the corners of his lips were tense. “And we should move faster to beat the sun.”
“And I’m getting hot in here!” Ramaro snapped as the front of my bump was violently rustled. “Now get walking!”
Marc guided me back into the maze of streets, but the buildings were much different than what we’d seen before. They were built of rough, large bricks and coarsely carved stone. Huge timbers aided the support, and mingled together below steep gabled roofs of wooden tiles. Foggy window panes revealed countless years since the creation of the glass. Moss-covered paths led up to thick, heavy doors that had protected countless generations from prying eyes and sticky fingers.
“Your friend lives here?” I wondered as I gawked at the majestic homes.
“His family has lived in one of these places since it was built,” Marc revealed as he brushed a finger over his eye patch. “They’re masters at their craft.”
“What exactly is their craft?”
He stopped us in front of a particularly impressive structure and smiled down at me. “Curses.”
The color drained from my face. “Curses? How can they help with your eye patch?”
He looped his arm through mine and grinned. “Because the spell on my eye patch was a curse.”
My eyes widened. “It was a-”
“Let’s see if anyone’s home,” he interrupted as he pulled me up the worn stone path.
Many footsteps had dug a hollow into every stone, creating a bowl effect even to the stone step in front of the door. A knocker in the shape of a large tree hung from the portal, with a partial ring hanging from the tree to knock.
Marc grabbed the knocker and gave it a hard bang. The sound echoed through the large interior. We waited. And waited. And waited.
My belly stirred. “Is that old fool deaf now, or did he die on the rug?”
“He’s most likely to blow himself up,” Marc countered as he grabbed the knocker. He rang louder and harder than before.
And that’s when the stone slab beneath our feet split into two and fell into a hole beneath itself. I performed the same falling trick and included a terrible scream, but Marc was more agile. He jumped and landed his feet on either side of the gap, and grabbed both my hands as they flailed above my head.
I was left dangling most of the way in the deep drop. A quick look down told me nothing. The hole was completely black.
“What’s all the noise about?” Ramaro snapped as he popped his head out. His eyes widened as he beheld the drop below us. “What in all the seas is going on?”
Marc looked past us at the darkness, and a smile slipped onto his lips. “It looks like my old friend is having his fun. We should join in.”
My heart skipped a beat as I understood the gist of his words, and I furiously shook my head. “No. No no no-”
Marc flung me up and wrapped his arms around me. I was still suspended over the hole and hung face-to-face with him. “Ready?”
“Don’t you daaarreeee-”
Marc clapped his legs together, and we dropped into the darkness. The wind whipped past us as he held me close, and it wasn’t long before his back struck a smooth, metallic surface. We slid down through the darkness and soon shot out of the hole. Our landing was soft courtesy of a mattress and pillows.
I whipped my head up and glared at him. “Don’t do that again!”
Ramaro popped his head out of my coat. “I second that!”
Marc’s smile didn’t falter as he studied our surroundings. “We may not have another chance. Look.”
My ‘baby’ and I followed his gaze, and my heart nearly stopped. We sat in the middle of a large cage that was suspended thirty feet in the air. A huge cavern surrounded us, and stalactites were almost close enough to touch. A hard floor lay below us, with a half dozen lit torches providing enough light to glimpse the rough landing were our cage to fall. I jerked away from the drop, and the cage swung slightly from side to side.
Ramaro flicked his tongue out. “Has that old fool gone mad?”
