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  "Take it."

  Doing as he asked, I pushed one of the armchairs over to the bathtub on the other side of the room and then stood on top of it so I could undo the knot. My flashlight had fried in the water room.

  "You'll find matches beside the fireplace to light the candle."

  I grabbed the box of matches, firing one up. Sticking the box into one of my pockets, figuring fire was always handy in a situation like this; I held onto the lantern and waited for Robinia's next instructions.

  "Now you need to push the bed to the right, not the left." Nodding, I did as he asked.

  "Stop." Robinia cut in, while I was pushing the bed. "We don't want you to fall again."

  "Another trap?"

  "Yes. Push the bed another inch and it should unlock it. Ehm..."

  I stared as the trap opened up and then frowned at the camera, wondering why he was so uncomfortable.

  "Lift the mattress at the right corner and you'll find a long rope."

  Eyebrows raising, I did as he told me and indeed, a neatly rolled up rope was hidden beneath the mattress. I waited for him to explain.

  "You were supposed to get dinner only. Mallow snuck in to bring you breakfast and the rope while you were sleeping."

  That's why I hadn't noticed anyone coming in. The whole Seer 'we are one and feel at home' thingy had probably made my sleep even more comfortable when she'd been here. Rolling my eyes at the pair Robinia and Mallow made, I crouched down beside the bed and started tying one end of it around the foot. I sincerely hoped they watched their backs and that their kindness wouldn't get them killed.

  "Let's hope it holds." I muttered as I grabbed a hold of the lantern and then carefully and slowly lowered myself on the cord, legs twisting around it while holding on with one hand as I used the other to see where I was going. I realized that it definitely wasn't 'let’s see if humans can fly' kind of deep, but I could have twisted an ankle or something of the sort had I just jumped my way down without lessening the distance. It wasn't long before I reached the end of the rope and I realized I was going to have to leave it behind, which didn't make me very happy. Ropes were useful in this place.

  I took a deep breath and then let myself drop, lifting the lantern so I could look at what place I found myself in now. The sewer stench was back, and I wasn’t happy to find that it was another hallway. Although this one, contrary to the previous, didn’t have a door waiting for me, instead it looked like a dead end.

  "Let me check the map before you do anything. I'm seeing something that makes me curious." Robinia muttered absently.

  Looking around, I saw the camera and loud speaker were in the left corner of the narrow passage, right above my head. Sighing, I placed the lantern on the floor beside me and then leaned against the wall, trying to make myself comfortable as I waited for Robinia to figure things out.

  "Please tell me the camera is mirrored and you just leaned against the right wall instead of the left."

  I sheepishly moved away.

  Seeing my action, he then added. "Did you feel anything move?"

  I cleared my throat. "Yeah, but..." I just thought the brick work wasn't that solid in this particular place, all stones felt loose when I'd leaned against the wall.

  "Stones don't move without a reason here!"

  "What did I do?!"

  "Those slight gaps on each side of the walls ahead of you?" I nodded. "Well, before you touched that brick they wouldn’t have done anything and right now they won't do much to you either. But once you start walking, it'll detect movement and I'm thinking something pointy and harmful will stick out of those gaps. You know," He growled unhappily. "Decapitation, guillotine, poking ones gut?"

  Padding my pockets, I located the screwdriver and threw it forward. The moment the screwdriver landed on the ground a sharp blade shot out through the first gap, leading me to yelp in fear, jumping backwards so I could plaster my back against the wall behind me.

  "Don't touch the walls! Let’s avoid activating more crap!" He shouted angrily. With my eyes twitching, I carefully centered myself in the small square I knew to be safe.

  "Good. Now, there isn't enough space between the first two gaps facing one another. Because the first blade comes from the left and the second placed somewhat further ahead from the right, I'm going to need you to make a sort of... Zig zaggedy jump to get to the space that will offer you a couple of seconds to breathe before you tackle the third blade." He paused for a moment, probably trying to find a way to get me through this alive. "The first blade comes from below while the second comes from above. Can you jump over the first blade, drop down and roll over to the space between the second and third without dying?" Staring blankly up at the camera, Robinia huffed and then tried again.

  "Jump over when I count one, land on two, duck down on three, roll over on four and you should be in the space where there are no blades on five, leaving you one more count, six, just in case."

  He'd calculated it. He didn't sound playful like he had the first time he'd talked to me, neither did he sound bored. He was dead serious. And I think I appreciated the lack of cheer he was now sporting. He was aware of the deadly traps at this point. Then again, blades were invented to be deadly in the first place, hard to mistake them for lap dogs or a nice swim in the ocean.

  Breathing in deeply, I processed his instructions before nodding nervously.

  "I think I can do that." Not like I had a choice anyway.

  "Breathe, Solenum, be as calm as you can possibly be. I know it isn't simple, but I need you to focus and hear me count. I'll count out loud."

  Inhale deeply, exhale loudly, inhale, exhale.

  Shaking my limbs to try to lessen the stiffness in my posture, I bent through my knees and fixed my eyes on the corridor before me, preparing myself mentally to start jumping. I was so not in LV anymore.

  "One!" Just as soon as the shout escaped his mouth, I jumped up and over the blade the moment it shot out low from the wall. "Two!" My feet connected to the floor. "Three!" I ducked down. "Four!" I rolled underneath the second blade that shot out from above. "Five!"

  Pushing myself up onto my feet, I remained stiff until he said, "Very good. Take a breather."

  Unlocking my muscles, I reached up so I could press my palms flat against my chest, feeling my heart thundering underneath. Looking down, I raised an eyebrow and then picked up the screwdriver I'd thrown here earlier, tucking it back into my side pocket.

  "Yes, keep that, you'll need it to block blade number six in order to not get hit when you jump blade number seven."

  "Instructions?"

  "Blades four and five will both shoot out from up high in the wall. You'll need to dive forward to miss them, but," I really hated buts. "Blade six shoots out from below. If you stand up, you'll be hit by blade five. With the screwdriver, you'll get three counts to jam it into the gap, block blade six long enough for you to stand up and jump over the seventh, which shoots out from a low angle as well." So far so good. "After that, we are done with this corridor."

  Running the instructions through my head, I exhaled loudly. "One and two to dive, three, four and five to jam. Six to get up. Seven to jump over and eight will be the last count to land on the other side?"

  Robinia remained silent for a moment, mulling over my words before he agreed. "Sounds great." Clearing my mind, I positioned myself, waiting for him to start counting.

  "One!" Dropping to my knees, I dove forward and felt the whoosh of air over my back as blade four shot out above me. "Two!" Blade five shrieked through the air as I made my way underneath. "Three!" Barely getting up, I crouched, gripping the screwdriver tightly. "Four!" Ramming the tool into the gap, I quickly pulled my hand back and shot up onto my feet. "Five!" Blade five came close to my head, but having blocked number six did help. "Six!" I jumped upwards at the same moment the screwdriver broke free and flew across the floor as the blade shot out of the wall beneath me. Panicking, I didn't wait for Robinia's next count, instead jumped my way bli
ndly over blade number seven.

  Landing on my feet in the open space behind the blade, I looked around carefully.

  "Am I dead?" I touched my face.

  "You did that faster than we'd planned!" He said cheerfully.

  I couldn't help myself, I grinned. "Thanks!" It was good to feel smug. I'd missed that feeling. I knew I wasn't out of this place and maybe I would never be, but I'd just survived a knife alley. Not many people could say that.

  "You're welcome." He said firmly. "Now."

  I held up a finger, cutting him off as I located the water bottle in my left knee pocket. Uncapping it quickly, I took three greedy gulps of water, wishing I could just sit here for a moment and like, not do anything. But, I better get this over with. Pushing the bottle back, I eyed the wall before me and saw a rope hanging there so innocently. It was suspicious. It had to be.

  "I know what you're thinking," Robinia said. "But I truly believe the rope isn't a trap." Taking five more seconds to eye it carefully, I decided to trust him. Because first of all, I didn't have another choice and second, so far he hadn't let me down.

  Stepping forward, I grabbed it and pulled myself up, climbing my way to the top of the wall. There was a small opening, much like the one that had helped me escape the dogs in the first part of the dungeon. After worming my way through, I stood and eyed the space. While it was similar to the previous corridor, this one was properly lit, no eye squinting needed. Planted into ancient looking holders made out of metal were candles lining each of the walls. Turning around so I could crouch before the small opening, I pulled out the pocketknife I carried and placed the sharp edge underneath the rope.

  "You are certain this rope isn't trapped, right?"

  "Positive."

  Looking up at the loud speaker and camera in the top left corner, I smiled in thanks and then cut the rope loose. Once my hacking was complete, I tied it around my waist, needing to wrap it around almost five times. Patting it happily, I whirled back, ready for whatever was next.

  "I don't see any gaps." I announced as I checked the walls, kind of glad I didn't have to deal with blades anymore.

  "I can't tell what is going to happen. It doesn't show on the map like it did earlier." He murmured. "That means that whatever this hallway is trapped with, was added by the Blue Bloods and wasn't part of the Altor training ground to begin with."

  Joy. I sincerely hoped it was not the dogs again. I couldn't survive those a second time. Puffing out some air, I hitched up my pants and then took a determined, but careful, step forward and then another and another. And another...

  "Robinia..." I edged, looking around nervously. Only this time, the moment my foot connected to the stone floor, a roaring flame shot out underneath my shoe. Eyes widening in fear, I stumbled backwards. Another flame shot out behind me on my right, forcing me to stumble to my left and then there was fire everywhere!

  "That should have been obvious." Robinia scolded himself.

  Shrieking, I zig zagged my way back to my beginning point, falling to the ground, one hand on my heart as I breathed rapidly. I gulped as I now noticed the small circular holes in the floor. Two rows of them, going throughout the entire length of the corridor.

  "Obvious?!" My voice high pitched with fear. "How is this obvious?!" My fright was replaced with anger.

  "Maybe I'm seeing it wrong, but you look angry."

  "I am angry!" I shouted, clapping my hands together and rubbing them.

  "I suggest you jump from-"

  "Shut up." I commanded, pushing harshly off my feet to gain as much speed as I could. Planting my left hand on the right wall, I used it as leverage to jump up and forward, the corridor narrow enough so that it was easy for me to let my feet connect with the left wall and allow me to bounce back to the right. My Altor vision popped on, telling me I was using everything the soldier in me had to offer as I ran up and forward, escaping the flames only narrowly. That didn't matter though. I smirked arrogantly as I was going to beat this bitch.

  When gravity tried to rule me, I jumped over to the left and then moved back and forth between both walls until I reached the end. Diving forward, I rolled over my shoulder and crouched when my feet flattened on the ground again. It felt like I'd gone to the beach for an entire day, toasting in the sun to the point of being burnt.

  Standing back up, I wiped my clothes and turned around to give the corridor the finger.

  "Very mature." Robinia commented.

  "Let’s see you do that." I waggled my eyebrows at the camera.

  "Don't get too cocky. There is a lot of dungeon left."

  He was amused despite his words. Sighing, I turned my attention to what lay ahead and could only purse my lips curiously at the large staircase that went down.

  I made my way over cautiously, but Robinia would have already informed me if it wasn't safe. As he remained silent, I reached up, rubbing my upper arms that were strained. I was pretty certain I'd pulled a muscle at some point.

  The stench of the sewers was fading, replaced with a soft, fresh breeze flowing its way around me. My footsteps resonated through the tunnel. When I reached the bottom, my lips parted while I stared and took in the space.

  This didn't look like the dungeon or the very luxurious and detailed room the three keys were in. This was a cave. Literally and a huge one at that. The ceiling went way up high, and it was rounded. And the bottom. I wasn't standing on it, instead I was on a circular balcony with a beautiful metal railing, reminding me of Edge in LV. The view wasn't an ocean though. Straight ahead, was an exact replica of the huge balcony I was standing on just mirrored and instead of a staircase leading up, there was an enormous wooden double door. A large distance separated the two balconies and I already knew what I was expected to do here as a row of ropes hung one after the other from the ceiling.

  I worriedly stepped over to the railing, looking down to see where I would land if I accidentally slipped. I could only gulp when I was stared back at by a black pit of nothingness.

  * * * *

  Chapter 13

  Calycanthus Esquivel

  "He isn't breaking any laws, Cali." Caltha said apologetically, as he and Ilex watched me pace in front of them in the wrestling sandbox. "Galax kept important information concerning an Altor soldier in training and took matters into his own hands. Datura kept him hidden and lied to an Elder's face about knowing where the heir was."

  "How are those major offenses?" I asked, running my fingers through my hair in frustration. "It needs to be put in perspective. Galax only did those things because he knew following protocol would not help Solenum and Datura recognized that." Stopping in my tracks, I looked at the Trainers. "And how am I not being punished for any of these things? I was as much a part of hiding Galax as Datura."

  "You've not taken the soldier pledge yet," Ilex said, "The laws haven't yet been made clear to you, so the system recognizes you wouldn't know if you'd break one."

  "You're leniency isn't very consistent." I muttered, pacing again.

  "We are in no place to argue Aram's decisions." Caltha reminded. "He is as much our Elder as he is yours and Datura's."

  "They've been in the cells for two days!" I growled. "Isn't that punishment enough?"

  "The moment we set Galax free, he'll run and continue to create an uproar in both our communities." Ilex pointed out. "Flux made very clear to the Elder that he was the one to take charge of the heir. As for Datura..."

  I sighed. "You know he didn't do anything wrong."

  "He's different, Calycanthus." Caltha murmured. "We have to take into account that his powers are far greater than..." He looked thoughtful. "Maybe even the Seers. Or at least the same scale. He needs a strict black and white lifestyle. If he enters the grey area or leans towards the black, a time out is needed."

  "I know about the different stages in a Keeper." I muttered before Caltha could speak of Mediums, Necromancers and the living dead. "But Datura-"

  "Soldier Lovelace will remain within the cel
ls until the Elders and District Leaders have had a chance to discuss his matter." Aram cut in, leading myself, Ilex and Caltha to look in the man's direction as he came from the door that led down to the cells. "Don't let your feelings for him blind you of the fact that he can be dangerous if he isn't kept in line." The Elder gestured for me to follow him, and although I didn't want to, he seemed to be allowing me to go down. "Ilex, would you be so kind to pick up my daughter in Copper Town's harbor? Vervaine left Iron Island last night."

  "Yes, Sir." Ilex straightened, clicked his heels together and then nodded at the Elder before turning away.

  "I have permitted Iso and Ivy to return to Pallium territory with Galaxi, seeing as Flux will be traveling to the Coliseum with the Briony bodyguards and Galaxi said she would feel safer with her cousin at her side until her husband returns from the desert." Aram told Caltha. "Ivy asked if one of you Osgoods would let her know when I'd delivered the news and assure her it wouldn't be an inconvenience."

  "Of course." Caltha raised an eyebrow at me, mutely telling me to try to behave while he made the phone call and saw Ilex off.

  "The heir would like a word with you, Seer."

  I smiled tightly up at Aram, allowing him to guide me to the door and then down the stairs. "You hate me because I may be Sage's son, don't you?"

  "I dislike you because you remind me of your father." The Elder murmured. I wanted to push further on the matter of him and Sage, rather sure it would be like pulling teeth, but to my surprise, he elaborated all by himself. "I could never hate Vervaine's mother. She is the love of my life, and unfortunately, she always will be." He waved his hand when I was going to tell him he could have tried not to give up on her. "But we are far too different. Not even Vervaine can bring us together, and she is our child." His sharp grey eyes and his harsh face turned to me as we reached the last step. "I will be present while the heir speaks to you." He pulled a large key out of his pocket and then opened the ancient looking door, allowing me to go in first.

  There was a narrow hallway formed between the square cells that could hold prisoners. Datura and Galax were in the far back and as I made my way over there, I saw that they were the only ones being detained. Datura's cell was the first with Galax's neighboring his.