Chapitre 18

I let out my breath.

My heart pounded against my ribs, completely out of step from the free fall. I had landed softly, like on a bed, but the shock lived in all my bones.

"One more..."

Voices, whispers, heat.

There was a crunch and click from above.

The hatch was closed.

No, Kerberos...

Zelos . Beads of

sweat ran down my temples, mixed with tears of desperate relief. I had survived. I wasn't dead yet.

"Where's the lamp?"

Footsteps echoed across the floor. A golden glow lit up the walls above me.

Stone.

Shelled Stone.

"Hey, are you okay? Come on, we'll help you out. Give us your hand," said a voice. A silhouette loomed over me. The lantern light burned my eyes. I lifted my head out of the mattress, out of the stack of mattresses set into the floor.

A boy, at most ten.

His face was smeared with soot. The golden rays reflected in his brown eyes. He held out his small hand, which was covered in dirt and dust. The heart in my chest calmed a little and I clutched his fingers.

They were rough like sandpaper. Simultaneously, I felt the bones of every finger. With amazing strength, he pulled me out of the pit that had stopped my fall. I landed on my knees.

"Where am I?" I asked, looking around. An empty space carved in the middle of the rock.

"Welcome to Silver Crown for Humans," the boy said, beckoning me to follow him. The light cast long shadows on the tunnels in front of us. The heat combined with the stuffy air made it difficult to breathe. "Your parents are there too. Come on."

"My parents?"

The boy turned to me briefly.

“Usually they always bring families. Or aren't you one of them?" the boy asked, pointing to the couple walking a few meters away from us.

"I don't know them. I just saw what they did to them and I wanted to stop them... '

The boy's eyes widened under the soot.

"Stop? That was very brave and stupid. But maybe in a few years you'll come back up and serve them," he said with genuine optimism.

"Years?!"

My voice echoed off the rock. Where was Zelos? We turned down a hallway that I had to duck my head to fit through. The further we went, the hotter it got around us. I was bathing in sweat even though I was only wearing my nightgown.

"What are you thinking," the boy replied, shrugging his shoulders. "At least you have a chance..."

Zelos, where are you?

Voices came closer. Golden rays cast shadows in our path. Hiss sounded right in front of us.

"What is that?" I asked.

We broke through the passage.

I froze.

"That," said the boy, "is the source of heat for all Silvercrown."

A huge brick building stood in the middle of the room, touching the ceiling above us. A heap of coal lay beside it. Men barked orders over the hiss of the stove. One turned the hatch open with all his might.

A blaze brighter than the sun greeted us and burned through my nightgown. The men shoveled more coal down the throat of the furnace as fast as they could. In response, the monster crackled in front of us, hissing in all directions. Sweat had mixed with black soot on their faces. The hatch closed again with a creak.

The oven roasted me from the inside out.

It didn't seem to bother the boy, nor did the dirt that was all over his body. His eyes were like Tommy's.

"What is that?" I asked, stunned.

"Well, the main room. This is the heart of Silberkrone. Our beast always needs to be fed," the boy said, watching the men load coal from the pile onto their shovels. "There goes the mines ahead. That's where most of us are. That's where it's at Smithy. And on the right is the sleeping tunnel. But that was also a mine. Actually, everything here was a mine, only some passages collapsed..."

So that's what Luna Mayra and the pack did with humans.

Anger surged through my veins, fueled by the heat down here.

There were paths into the mountain from everywhere. The hatch of the beast creaked open again, and the heat seared my already sweating skin. I turned my face away until the searing sensation was gone. The boy laughed.

"You get used to it," he said.

A crunch echoed through the mine. Light came toward us from one of the corridors. Rails had been laid down the aisle.

"Push!"

New faces came towards us. A cart with a lamp hanging from it rolled at a snail's pace on the rails. The cart was filled to the brim with lumps of coal. The men pushed her towards the stove with all their might. Pickaxes peeked out from behind her narrow shoulders. Under the dirt you could hardly see her eyes or her arms.

Underneath they must be as pale as Lyza. Silvercrown had made the people disappear into this mountain and made them toil. When was the last time you saw the sunlight?

The men began to shovel the contents of the cart up the great mountain. The hellish heat didn't seem to bother them anymore. They had already given up.

"Is there a way out?" I asked. The boy looked back at me pityingly. His skeletal-thin arm patted my hand.

"No, you were pushed down the only way there is..."

The walls around me seemed to get closer. The bubbling fire made it difficult to breathe.

"It can't be," I gasped, wiping the sweat from my forehead. "There has to be another way."

The boy shook his head.

“I know the mountain like the back of my hand. I've tried everything, even digging my own path. Hopeless..."

I brushed my hair back from my face and crouched down.

"Zelos will save us. "He'll come."

The boy squeezed my shoulder. The brown eyes in the sea of soot looked down at me with pity.

"I don't want to break this for you, but nobody has ever come down to save us in my life. If you're lucky, they'll pick you up and you get to serve in the packhouse. But that's only for women..."

This time I grabbed his shoulder.

"I promise you that Zelos will come down and set us all free," I said. Despite my words, the boy's expression didn't change.

"That's what everyone says at the beginning..."

Was he right?

Could I even make such a promise?

What if Zelos never found out that I was down here? A sinking feeling gripped my stomach. My scent would lead him to the trapdoor. Kerberos followed me. He would question the guards.

Somehow he had to know I was here.

He wouldn't leave me here...

I turned and sprinted down the tunnel we'd come from.

"Hey!" the boy shouted.

I had to go back. Zelos had to know where I was. The light from the stove faded further and further behind me. footsteps followed me. The boy tried to keep up. His lantern was the sun smothering the darkness of the underground.

"Wait, what are you up to? If you're not careful, we won't get anything to eat!"

I burst back into the great room, slightly out of breath. The air in the mountain was difficult to breathe. The huge mattress pit lay empty in front of us. I looked at the ceiling towards the trapdoor.

"Zelos! Here below!!!"

My voice repeated like a whisper.

"HERE!!!" "Here" Here

Nothing stirred.

Just my own echo.

Desperation boiled inside me.

"I told you it's useless..."

The trapdoor stayed in place.

Silence.

My shoulders sagged. I had to give him time.

Voices echoed through the tunnel. We looked around. Screams sounded in the distance. The boy grabbed the lantern and held it out toward the aisle.

We didn't have to wait long. People came towards us. They streamed through the tunnel in droves. Her eyes shone with fear beneath the dirt. Her shoulder bones stood out, emaciated as they were.

"A wolf!"

"A monster!"

Zelos.

He had to be.

Thank God.

***

I swam against the current of humans and the monster . Lights and shadows flickered across the stone walls. I struggled through until I came out the other side. I followed the hallway to the huge oven.

"Zelos!" I shouted. The heat grew with every meter, but that didn't matter.

Paws stamped through the cleat. I iced They weren't smooth and even like Zelos's. They thundered towards me like a thunderstorm. The mountain trembled. I backed away.

A bark.

Three.

"Kerberos!" I shouted. Relief washed through my veins as the three hellhound heads came into view. They took turns barking at me. He stomped at me and I smiled. Full force he rammed into me and ripped my feet off.

"Ow..."

I slammed onto my back with full force as three tongues licked me all over. That would give some bruises. I tried to push Kerberos away, but the beast didn't seem to sense my effort.

I said. He lifted his head and stared down at me. His tongues lolled out of his mouth and he wiggled up and down. I sat up and stroked his jet-black fur. He barked excitedly.

Suddenly, Kerberos froze and his eyes glowed white. They stared down at me as if in a trance.

"Kerberos?" I asked cautiously. What was wrong with him? I looked around the hallway. Where was Zelos? The stun broke off the hellhound and he flattened his ears. A growl escaped his throat. His yellow eyes shone in the other direction.

I jerked around.

A silhouette stood at the end of the aisle.

"That's Zelos?" the boy asked and his brown eyes shone in the light of the lantern.

"Luckily not," I said, stroking Kerberos fur to calm him down. The growl stopped, but he didn't take his eyes off the boy. I smiled.

"What is he?" he asked, taking a step closer. "Like a werewolf?"

Kerberos snorted and turned one head away. My lips continued to twitch up. Who would have thought that the hellhound would actually free me from hell.

"More a companion of Zelos," I replied and scratched their heads.

"This Zelos must really be a great guy," said the boy and I laughed.

"You can say it like that."

"But how did he get here if not through the trapdoor?" he asked.

Kerberos froze under my hand again. The white eyes had returned. A thought raced through my head.

"Zelos?", I asked cautiously. Immediately the white eyes twitched to me. "Is that you?"

My voice echoed off the walls. The white went out and Kerberos shook himself. He turned in the tunnel and barked once. Then he began to make his way towards the stove.

I got off the ground and followed him. Even standing, Kerberos was up to my ribs. One of the heads kept glancing around, as if to make sure I got the message.

Zelos had to wait for me at the exit.

"Where are you going?" asked the boy.

"Back outside," I replied. "Kerberos found a way."

"Wait! I want to go with you!" he shouted and hurrying footsteps followed me. The light from the lantern grew brighter the closer he got.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Linur, and you?"

He wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"I'm Elizabeth, I'm very pleased," I replied.

We crossed the hall with the big oven and dived into the next corridor to the west. What did Linur say? There was the smithy? Kerberos panted in front of us and kept looking around. He eyed the boy critically over and over again.

Chambers opened before us. The light from Linur's lantern reflected off countless jewels. They lay around like toys. No wonder Luna Mayra possessed the finest of robes and chalices.

Coal glowed in the forge's abandoned hearth, casting an orange glow against the stone walls. Several anvils were scattered around the room. Hammers and other tools lay scattered and abandoned.

Kerberos barks echoed off the walls.

I tore myself away from the sight and followed the hellhound, which was already disappearing down the next dark corridor.

"I won't believe there's an exit until I see it for myself," Linur gasped, his lantern swinging with every step. My head pounded with heat.

"I promised you that we would get out of here," I said, grinning. Not long now, then Zelos would hold me in his arms.

"Wait-but!" Linur called. "I-can-not-quickly!"

"Sorry," I said, slowing my pace. Kerberos grunted with one of the heads. He probably didn't like it down here either. I ducked under the stone and pushed through the tunnel, the feeling of tightness in my chest growing with each one second I spent down here.

With every step I got closer to freedom.

Alone, I would certainly have gotten lost in the tangle of corridors. The ceiling grew back up so that I could stand up straight.

Kerberos slowed down.

"Stop," I whispered to Linur, following the dog's movements. Freezing air rushed toward us. I took a deep breath, sucking in as much of the fresh oxygen as I could. Kerberos sniffed the ground.

"C-cold," Linur murmured behind me. His soot-smeared shirt barely protected him from the frigid air. I didn't mind, even though I was only wearing a nightgown.

"Elizabeth!"

The voice was music to my ears. A huge heap of dirt lay in the middle of the chamber we had stumbled into. Moonlight shone down from above.

"Zelos!"

I sprinted toward the opening in the ceiling. His eyes shone down on me from above and my heart gave a happy leap.

Shock made him freeze. He examined my whole body.

Did I really look that bad?

The once-white nightgown had taken its fair share of soot and dust and was already torn at the knees. But I was nothing compared to Linur.

"What happened?! I swear to you-"

Zelos closed his eyes for a moment and exhaled through his nose. He opened them again and they glowed blood red with anger. I swallowed.

"Can you get me out?" I asked.

"Wait here. I'll be right back. Wait!"

I nodded before he disappeared through the opening. The night sky took its place.

"It's not fair," Linur grumbled behind me. "The dog just dug through the dirt and up so high. It's not a passage. He must have tumbled down here himself."

Kerberos grumbled at the boy, who didn't look intimidated. Instead, Linur moved closer to the opening from which the cool air flowed. The gray clouds in the night sky blocked the view of the stars.

"My mom said it's light out there, like a lantern that never stops glowing. But it looks almost as dark as down here. And cold."

I turned to the boy, whose hazel eyes had probably never seen anything but this dusty cave.

"Because it's night right now," I replied with a smile. "I promise, as soon as day breaks and the sun shines, you'll see the true beauty of this world."

He looked skeptical with his crossed arms, thin as sticks and barely protecting him from the frigid winter air. Kerberos barked. I raised my gaze to Zelos.

"Here, I'll pull you up."

He threw a rope through the dug hole. I took a step towards it and was about to reach for it.

But I stopped.

I looked back at Linur and dropped my hand again.

"What's going on?" Zelos asked from above.

"I can not."

Silence enveloped us.

"What do you mean, you can't. You just have to hold on. If you want, I'll come down and-"

"No it's not," I replied, looking up. My heart was beating faster than I could believe my own words. "I can't let the people down here."

Zelo's face darkened.

“Elizabeth, now you grab this rope and let me pull you up. We'll talk about the rest tomorrow."

My eyes hardened, as did my will. Kerberos nudged me with his snout. Slowly the cold conjured up goosebumps on my skin too.

I crossed my arms.

“I will not leave this cave until every single human has left it. Gone are the days when they were imprisoned and enslaved by Silver Crown."

“I will not leave this cave until every single human has left it. Gone are the days when they were imprisoned and enslaved by Silver Crown."

My voice echoed through the chamber.

The moment would have been perfect if it wasn't for the tickle in my nose. A sneeze shook my body and elicited a growl from Zelos.

"Elizabeth, don't be stupid. "

That's the difference between us. You think in terms of victories, I think in terms of people. I don't care what kind of moves are played as long as I do the right thing," retorted me and had to suppress the chattering of teeth.

"The only reason you can do the right thing is because I'll get you out of trouble! You gave me the board to clean up your game."

"So I thought it through. I can't force you to help me. You have free choice, just as I had free choice to come here with you."

Zelos growled.

I hit him with his own weapons, even if it was more improvised than a well thought-out plan. Rarely had anyone dared to hit him like that

"You have too much trust in me", Zelos said and threw a cool grin down at us . I almost saw pride flash in his eyes.

"I just learned from you way too fast."

"We'll see about that," he replied. "Just doing the right thing is foolish when you're in an enemy's territory. Luna Mayra is still the leader, and if she gets even the slightest inkling of this, she'll do anything to watch you burn."

"I will not leave here until the people are free of this hellhole!"

My voice trembled under the pressure of my heart. Linur watched our conversation with wide eyes. The golden light of his lantern gave the young face a golden glow. No one should live: scared of the cold, skinny as leeks and dirtier than the dungeon in Mountain Shade.

He was little older than Tommy and had lived his whole life in this mountain.

"I will not let them down",

People worked themselves to death.

For beautiful cups and a warm pack house.

Silver Crown could be so much more.

"As you wish," said Zelos and straightened up. "You have chosen your war and I hope that you have the stamina to endure it."

"I won't give up."

"And I hope you understand the fight you're getting into," he replied.

I frowned.

"But I'm not alone, am I?" I whispered. Although we seemed the farther apart we hadn't been since the dungeons, we were still close.

"Ha, papa says there is only one diamond in the world. There are never two the same," Linur replied. He leaned back and stared through the opening. The clouds rolled past the night sky and for a moment a dot flashed down on us. "What's that? Are there diamonds up there, too? "

My smile took on a sad note.

"Those are stars. On a clear night there is an infinite number in the sky..."

"I want one, a star..." Linur said. "When I'm up there...then...then I'll get a star..."

A yawn stretched his body. His eyes fluttered shut.

"Sleep well."

What was Zelos doing up there?

Yesterday I escaped an avalanche. It felt like an eternity had passed since then. Today I was buried in a mountain underground. What would happen tomorrow?

My limbs screamed with fatigue. I had hardly slept the last few days because of the excitement. Exhaustion slowly caught up with me. I struggled, but the cloak fell over me and locked me in darkness...

Warmth enveloped me like in a bed.

I sighed contentedly and snuggled closer to the warmth. I savored the last few seconds of sleep before the fog lifted. Arms were wrapped around my back. I frowned.

Poor?

"My Elizabeth," a voice whispered in my ear. Fingers tugged through my hair. "I'm amazed at how you outdid me, really. I guess I let your beauty and innocence blind me a little too much."

Zelos.

My heart skipped a beat.

I wanted to sit up, but his arms held me tight to his chest. I couldn't move in his embrace.

"Don't worry," he whispered. "It won't happen to me twice."

Dark butterflies erupted in my stomach and fluttered through my nerves.

"Zelos-"

"Shh..."

His lips traveled from my ear to my neck. I froze in his arms. His heartbeat was loud and strong, echoing mine.

He wanted to tag me.

The sweet threat hovered between us, too tempting to resist with words. I closed my eyes and clenched my hands into fists. I pressed her against his chest, hoping to put some distance between us.

I couldn't think straight around him.

I couldn't give in.

Linur counted on me.

Think of Linur.

His brown eyes, his skinny arms, his dirty face.

Teeth brushed my throat, making me tremble. My fists grew weak.

"Somehow I thought it was clear what we are," whispered Zelos and played with my hair. His deep voice rumbled over my skin into my heart. Lips wandered over my neck.

"What is it?" I asked.

He laughed against my throat and his hot breath made my heart race.

"The days of innocence are over, Elizabeth," he whispered against my neck, where I could feel the throbbing of my excitement. "So nervous..."

He licked the sill at my shoulder and my eyes fluttered open and shut. I held onto his arms tightly even though he was already carrying my full weight. He left a burning trail of kisses.

"What- are- we?" I asked, pausing slightly after each word. His lips formed a smile against my skin.

"Once I say it, there's no turning back..."

"If I agree, will all humans be released?" I asked.

"So small and yet so demanding," said Zelos and continued his torture.

"Do we have a deal?" I asked, trying to keep my thoughts together.

Zelos froze for a moment.

I opened my eyes.

"WE HAVE AN AGREEMENT, MY MATE."

My heart stopped.

A hot pain pierced my throat.