Soul Catcher (13 page)

Pons grabbed Accacia by the throat and squeezed her windpipe with his fierce grip. She coughed in response as she tried to inhale air, but his grasp was too tight. Accacia suffered in silence without oxygen. Her eyes rolled away and her mouth began to close.

“
Stop
,” Aleco yelled. The soldiers held Aleco back. “You’re going to kill her.”

Pons released her neck and tossed her to the ground. She rolled on her side and coughed into the soil. Her entire body
shook with the effort. Pons stood over her and waited for her hack to subside. Pons watched her rise to her feet. When she looked at him, he smashed his fist directly into her face and sent her back to the forest floor with a bloody mouth.  Aleco tried to advance towards her, but he was held steady by an additional guard, who forced him back with a blade to his throat. “Leave her be,” he begged. “Please.”

“Bring her to her feet.” Pons smiled as he walked away from Accacia. Aleco saw the blood gush from her mouth and his body shook with anger at the sight.

Accacia spit blood onto the soil. “I will tell Drake what you’ve done. He will never forgive your actions,” she threatened. “You won’t leave his presence alive.”

“What if I just kill you now?” he challenged.

“The only reward you’ll receive for my death is your own.”

Pons ignored her last words. “Let’s move on.”

They dragged Accacia forward with blood dripping down her chin, leaving a trail of dark spots in the soil. She remained silent as they pushed her forward and never complained about the pain, nor did she request a cloth to cover the wound. Aleco knew Accacia’s previous words were a complete lie. His brother would never have the opportunity to execute Pons—Aleco would see to that.

They passed three rocks, each one smaller than the previous. It was the signal that the hideaway was near. The landscape of the forest repeated its designs with the same blades of grass, thick trees, and copse of bushes every few feet, making every position in the forest identical to any other. It was the very reason why the Serpentine Guild had selected the hidden realm for the hideaway—it was almost impossible to find.

They veered to the left and entered a patch of clustered trees where they found a garden of massive rocks jumbled together in jagged points and slanted slopes. They crept through the maze of stone and squeezed into a hallway between two boulders. On their right was a small opening, large enough for one man to slide through. They entered the hidden opening one person at a time.

Accacia couldn’t see through the pitch black so she relied on the sound of the guildsmen before her for direction through the winding passage. She uplifted small rocks with her boot and heard the pebbles collide with the heel of the men’s shoes. Occasionally, the stone walls would rub against her shoulders, and the further down they traveled within the depths of the earth, the more anxious she became. Accacia conjured memories of Orgoom Forest to ease her suffering. There was a meadow in the middle of the forest she used to visit on sunny afternoons. She would lay in the grass with her journal and scribble about her studies. The smell of the spring day tickled her nose and aggravated her allergies, but she remained where she was, unable to look away from the captivating view. Her eyes would grow heavy, drunk from the beating sun, and she would nap for hours on the hilltop until she finally ran home to Father Giloth. She savored the images as she continued through the stone prison.

The slanting tunnel finally opened to a large cavern. Pons and the other men lit their torches, and light illuminated the room. The sight was unremarkable with no ornamentation at all. The walls were barren with the exception of dirt. The floor was covered in moist soil that made muddy footprints when Accacia walked across it. There was only one structure in the cavern.

The blood red doors of the entrance were high and wide, large enough to give entry to a group of oxen. The frame was marked with a black border and untarnished
metal which shined in the light of the flames. The entryway was decorated with vertical black lines and contained two thin slits next to the handles, bordered by a golden metal. Accacia couldn’t fathom the purpose of these holes, other than to peek in on the activities on the opposite side of the door—but she knew this couldn’t be so.

Accacia’s musings were interrupted by the sound of metal being withdrawn from a scabbard. Two guildsmen unsheathed their blades, which were identical to Aleco’s, and
approached the opening. The men inserted their black blades into the slits and simultaneously turned the vertical holes horizontal. The maneuver was accompanied by an audible click as the door unlocked. A large boom echoed throughout the cavern, making Accacia jump at the unexpected sound. A blast of cold wind prickled her skin when the heavy doors swung outwards. They walked through the doorway into the Hideaway of the Serpentine Guild.

Serpentine Guild Hideaway

17

Accacia didn’t know what to expect from this place. They shoved her through the entrance and she stumbled into the wide room. The chamber was an extension of the forest. The floor was made of the same moist dirt with centipedes crawling from the surface, and short stalks of grass protruded from the soil. Moss covered the stone walls from the floor to the ceiling, where chiseled holes channeled sunlight to the ground. Accacia smelled the humid plant life and it had the same scent as the forest. She would have enjoyed the peaceful scene if she wasn’t so frightened. She glanced over at Aleco, who was already looking her way, and heard him whisper, “I’ll keep you safe.”

They walked across the alcove and into a cramped hallway that veered off into three different directions. They chose the middle path and continued forward. Accacia was already lost in the maze.

Aleco examined his surroundings, searching for a means of escape. He glanced into a room as they passed and a flash of metallic sheen caught his eye. It happened so quickly, Aleco was unsure he actually saw it. He turned to get another look, but the doorway was already behind him.

Aleco knew where they were headed. The prisoners were stored in the Vast, a small city constructed in the rear of the tunnel. It is an isolated area, impossible to escape from. As they entered the massive cavern, the Vast was displayed in the sunlight dancing from the ceiling. A thick bridge extended across the deep
chasm, which was a bottomless, black pit, to the other side where the city rested. Torches flickered among the wooden constructs of the city. It resembled a palace bathed in candlelight. Aleco heard Accacia gasp quietly in amazement. He felt the same way his first time seeing the Vast, too.

They crossed the bridge and entered the Vast. As they walked between the buildings and passed other guildsmen,
Accacia was astounded by the number of members within the society. They were large enough to create a realm of their own. She observed weapon and potion shops, herbal remedies stores, food storages and even a brothel. It was no different from any other city, except there was no livestock.

They entered a wooden building to the left and were greeted by the dancing flames of the stone hearth. The pile of logs glowed red and smoldered with heat as the flames licked the wood to ashes. The fire hissed and popped as it devoured the carcass of the tree. A man sat at a desk facing the fire. His features were displayed with both light and shadow as he smoked his pipe and read a weathered sheet of parchment.

“Yes?” he said without removing his gaze.

Pons shoved Accacia and Aleco into the room. “I have two more prisoners for you to ignore.”

“We have no room,” he said as he read another sheet. “All cells are booked.” Smoke continued to escape from his pipe as he breathed in the haze. Pons glared at the jailer, hatred evident in his stare. The man ignored his scrutiny and continued to smoke his pipe.

“Then I suggest you make room,” Pons hissed.

Smoke billowed from the jailer’s pipe. “There is no room to be made.” He read another page. “I suggest you make other arrangements.”

Pons released his hold on the prisoners and approached the desk. He placed each of his palms on the surface of the wood and stared directly at the man who continued to ignore his attempt at intimidation. The jailer’s eyes remained glued to his paper while smoke floated to the ceiling. Pons grabbed the pipe from the jailer’s lips and threw it into the fire to be immediately consumed by flames. Then, he forced his unsheathed dagger between the man’s parted lips and pressed the blade into the corners of his mouth until blood trickled down his chin. Accacia screamed at the sight. The bleeding jailer reached for Pons’s hands, but he was too weak to push the blade away. The jailer moaned as he fought for his release, but Pons forced the blade
deeper into his skin with every move he made to resist.

“Stop this,” Accacia screamed. “Stop this now, I beg you!”

Pons sliced his skin. The jailer’s earlier look of indifference had disappeared. His forehead was covered in sweat and it dripped into his open cuts, burning and heightening the already unbearable pain. He grunted in panic as he tried to pull Pons’s hand away from his wounded mouth. Tears poured down Accacia’s face as she watched. Aleco begged her to look away.

Accacia couldn’t stand the sight a moment longer. She dashed across the room and threw her body against Pons. The guards were too stunned by her movements to intervene. Pons crashed to the floor and dropped his blade. It banged against the wooden floorboards and Accacia kicked it out of his reach. She brought a towel to the jailer. He looked at her in adoration as he accepted the cloth gratefully, until she was dragged away by the guildsmen.

Aleco cursed Accacia and her stupidity. Pons would never let this behavior go unpunished. Pons grabbed his knife from the floorboards and marched to Accacia. His chest heaved with deep breaths as he tried to control his anger. His hands dripped with blood that covered both the blade and the hilt. He grabbed Accacia by the throat. “I’m going to gut you like a fish,” he whispered.

His threat angered Aleco. He shoved the guards aside and placed himself between Pons and Accacia. Aleco stared at Pons. “Back off,” he warned, hiding Accacia’s form from view with his own.

Pons smiled at him. Aleco’s watchdog behavior was amusing to him. “I was going to give her a memorable beating until you gave me a better idea,” he said. “I know something that will cause her much more pain.” Aleco didn’t know what he was referring to.

Pons slugged him in the stomach and Aleco felt the air leave his lungs. He didn’t have enough time to process what happened before he was punched in the gut again, and he
hunched over in pain. He flexed the muscles of stomach but it failed to diminish the agony.

“
Stop
,” Accacia yelled.

Pons hit him again, and Aleco shouted in anger. He threw his shoulder into Pons’s chest and knocked him to the floor. Aleco pressed the bottom of his boot against his throat, restricting his airflow just as Pons did to Accacia, and spit on his face. The guards pulled him off and held him in place until Pons got on his feet. Pons wiped the saliva from his cheek with Aleco’s cloak. “She’s more concerned with the safety of others than herself,” he said. He pressed his face close to Aleco’s. “Now I know her weakness.”

Pons struck Aleco in the face with his fist, over and over again, until it was bleeding from every opening. Pons didn’t need to pull down Aleco’s hood to know he was hitting his mark. Blood trickled from the corners of his eyes, seeped from his nose, and dripped from his mouth onto the floor. Pons grinned at the sight. Now the man would be even more hideous than he already was. Aleco remained mute during the beating because he didn’t want Accacia to know how painful it really was. Pons bashed his ribcage, slamming his fists into his ribs, bruising both the skin and bone. Aleco focused on one positive thought. At least he received the beating, not Accacia.

Aleco’s mind floated in and out of consciousness. The last thing he remembered was falling to the hardwood floor before the blackness took him. Tears streamed down Accacia’s face as she saw him hit the ground. She regretted what she had done, and sobbed to herself.

Pons addressed the jailer. “
Now
do you have room?”

The jailer walked down the hallway with the cloth pressed to his mouth. He returned a moment later and pointed to the nearest cell. “They will both have to bunk in there,” he said through his soaked cloth. “I already paired together two other inmates to make this cell available.”

Pons smiled at the jailer. “Thank you, Robinson.”

The men walked Accacia into the cell and untied her
bonds. They dragged Aleco’s body into the cage, dropped him on the straw-covered floor, and then cut his restraints. They shut the metal door and locked the cage. “We’ll return tomorrow, Accacia. Then, we’ll decide what to do with you.” Pons looked down at the floor. “And we’ll kill this traitor.”

Accacia gasped at his words. She heard their departing laughter as they walked down the hallway and left the prison. She fell to the floor and gathered Aleco in her arms. She placed his head in her lap and pressed her face against his; her tears splashed onto his cheek. “I’m so sorry, Aleco,” she whispered as she squeezed his body. “I’m so sorry.”

She couldn’t stand the sight of his affliction. The skin of his face was soaked with blood and dripped from every opening. His bruises were already swelling and turning deeper shades of purple. She had no one to blame but herself. She had done this to him. She sobbed into his body and clutched him tightly to her chest as she rocked him back and forth. “I’m sorry.”

She wanted to help him but she didn’t know what she could do. She thought of the herbal remedies she could use to ease the pain and promote healing, but she had no access to those plants. There was only one remedy in her possession.

She grabbed the necklace around her throat. The Rhine Remedy was used for internal injuries, but plants can serve multiple purposes if used in a different way. Accacia rose to her feet and walked to the bars. “Excuse me?” she yelled down the hall. There was no response. She yelled again, “Please help me, sir.”

The only reply she heard was her own echo down the hallway. She was about to turn away when she heard footsteps
approaching. The cloth was still pressed to his mouth when he reached the bars of the cage. Robinson said nothing as he stood before her. His rag was soaked in blood, only the corners of the cloth were still white and untainted. Accacia’s heart squeezed at the sight. “I’m sorry about what happened to you,” she said as she stared at the bloody rag. His eyes softened at her empathy but Robinson remained silent. He continued to stare at her. “Can you do me a favor?” Accacia asked.

The jailer nodded.

“Could you fetch me a pail of warm water and a few cloths?” She looked back at Aleco. “My friend needs help.” The jailer walked away and returned with the water and towels. He left them outside the cell since Accacia could reach through the bars. She grabbed what she needed as the man walked away. “Wait,” she said to him.

He turned around and watched her open the capsule around her neck. She sprinkled a few pinches of the shredded plants into the pail. The water turned a pale green and smelled like mint. She drenched a towel in the bucket, then squeezed the excess water from the cloth and handed it to Robinson. “Place this on your cut. It will ease the pain.”

The man did as she instructed. She watched the anxious lines around his face relax. The treatment was working. He grasped her hand through the bar. “Thank you,” he mumbled.

She smiled. “You’re welcome.”

The man shuffled down the hallway to his desk, and Accacia returned to Aleco. She pressed the warm towel to his face, and was pleased to see the swelling decrease and the bruises lighten. She hoped it eased his pain as well. He occasionally moaned while he slept, but his groans stopped when Accacia ran her fingers through his hair. When Aleco ceased to stir, Accacia tended to her own needs. She wiped the blood from her face and neck then administered the remedy to her own cuts and bruises.

Accacia curled up beside Aleco and wrapped her arms around him while they slept. However, Accacia found no reprieve in sleep. Nightmares of Aleco dying continually scared her into consciousness. She would reassess him to verify he was still alive, checking his injuries, applying more medicine, and monitoring his breathing and heartbeat. The sound of her name stirred her from another attempt at sleep.

“Accacia,” he moaned.  Aleco’s eyes were still closed, but she knew he was awake. “Accacia?” he repeated.

She touched his face with her palm. “I’m here,” she whispered.

Aleco reached his arms across and felt her waist. He grabbed her torso and pulled her closer to him. “Are you hurt?” he asked.

“No.”

Aleco finally opened his eyes and took a moment to focus. He saw Accacia’s face next to his and the anxiety on his face diminished. “Where are we?” he asked.

“They locked us in a cell,” she said. “Pons said he would deal with us later today.”

Aleco groaned. “I was hoping this was a dream,” he said. “Or I was in the afterlife because I died.”

“Why would you assume you would be in the afterlife?” she teased.

Aleco laughed.

“How do you feel?” she asked.

“Not as bad as I thought I would,” he said.

“I’m glad.”

“Did you tend to me?”

“Of course.” She smiled.

“Good.”

She dropped her smile and tears fell from her eyes. Aleco knew what she was thinking.  “Aleco, I’m so—”

He kissed her.

It was so unexpected that she didn’t react when his lips touched hers. His lips lingered on hers for a moment before he pulled her face closer and deepened his kiss. She closed her eyes and responded by feeling his lips with her own. She ran her fingers through his hair and slipped her tongue into his mouth. Aleco groaned with pleasure at her intensity. Suddenly, Accacia realized what she was doing and pulled away.

Aleco sighed to himself, knowing he had made another mistake. Their friendship was falling apart with his every mishap. “I’m sorry,” he apologized. “I’ve wanted to do that for a long time. Since I’m going to die today, I thought now was the best time.”