In the Dark

I'm falling into darkness.

There's nothing. No light, no sound, not even any air to breathe. Just a black abyss with neither beginning nor end.

Do I even exist? Do I have a body, a soul? I don't know. I can't remember anything besides this crushing darkness.

But there has to be something else, doesn't there? Because I have memories, even if they're only dim flashes. Gleaming armor, flapping wings. A hand reaching for me.

That's when I sense it. Something is awaiting me at the bottom of the abyss. Even if I don't have eyes to see it, I feel it deep in the core of my being.

A flicker of light, pale as the dawn sky.

~*~

Groaning, Sam cracked her eyes open.

She felt like death. Her skull pounded like a whole team of miners was excavating her brain and her limbs were heavy as logs. Already she wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep, but forget about it when every single muscle was groaning in protest.

Not to mention this strange throbbing deep in her chest, just a little out of rhythm with her heartbeat. It grew stronger with every breath, echoing in her head until she thought it might drive her crazy.

Which was obviously the last thing she wanted. Summoning all her strength, Sam bolted upright – though she regretted it when a hot knife of pain twisted down her spine.

"Ouch!" she yelped. The sound echoed in the strangely damp, cool air.

Sam blinked hard, trying to clear the fuzz of sleep out of her eyes. At first, she didn't see anything. Just darkness. Which made no sense; hadn't she been floating in the Liminal? But judging by the state of her back, it felt like she'd spent hours lying on top of solid rock.

And no wonder. As her vision adjusted, she saw a low ceiling curved above her head, bristling with stalactites like the teeth of some enormous beast. In the distance echoed the quiet plink of dripping water.

"Take it easy." A warm hand rested on her shoulder. "How are you feeling?"

Slowly, Sam turned to face Meg. Dark circles surrounded her eyes and her hair stuck out every which way, but her smile calmed Sam down a little.

"Good, you're awake," a raspy voice said. Looking directly ahead, Sam saw Ryllis standing upright with her spear slung over her shoulder.

Relief hit her like a sucker punch, knocking all the air out of her lungs. She still didn't have the slightest clue where she was, but at least her familiar was here too.

"Ryllis!" Sam tried to push Meg's hand away and rise to her feet, but her body just wouldn't listen to her brain. Didn't matter, because Ryllis had started approaching her.

"Where are we anyway?" Sam babbled. "An arena?"

Meg turned away slightly, biting her lip. Ryllis' mouth twitched like she wasn't quite sure what to say.

Then Darian's voice filled the air, oddly listless. "I believe this is the Sunless Sea. The underground ocean beneath the wasteland."

"Beneath...the wasteland?" Sam's sluggish brain struggled to piece the words together.

But before she could, Ryan's shout echoed around the cavern. "Isn't it obvious? We're in Tielos!"

In Tielos.

"What?" Wide-awake now, Sam snapped her head up. All she got was a good view of the stalactites above. A perfectly ordinary cave, except – except the last thing she remembered, she'd been in the Liminal. And before that, the museum.

Panic wiped her mind blank. Aches and pains forgotten, she lurched to her feet and staggered forward until she reached the edge of the rock floor. Beyond it spread an expanse of still dark water, broken only by the occasional twisted, knobby pillar rising from it.

The blood rushed in her ears. The throbbing had become unbearably loud – and now she realized where it came from. Not her body, not her heart, but her Levia.

"No way." Her voice came out a strangled squeak. "No way in hell. How did – what did - "

"I'm not entirely sure what happened," Darian said. "Whatever Theo did seems to have torn open a portal in the Liminal. And, well...we ended up here."

Theo. Memories flashed in her mind. Six wings fanning from his back. A diagram swallowing the Liminal.

Where was – Sam whirled around, and her eyes landed on someone slumped on the ground behind her.

"Theo!" she cried, stumbling toward him. Darian, who had been crouching by Theo's side, got up to make room for Sam.

He lay on top of a blue cloth, which she realized was Zenith's cape. When she saw the sweat beading his forehead, the red flush in his cheeks, her heart twisted into a knot. And it only got tighter as she watched his chest heave with every rattling breath.

"What wrong with him?" Her voice came out so shrill she sounded nothing like herself.

"I don't know," Zenith said. He knelt beside Theo, staring at his wizard as if nothing else existed. "It seems that he expended too much of his Levia."

Expended his Levia. Yeah, it must have taken a lot to cast that spell. And now – now –

"Now we're in Tielos?" A white haze began to creep into the edges of Sam's vision. "I – what – how – how long have we – I gotta – my folks, they – "

Blindly, she plunged her hand into her pocket and yanked out her phone. She pressed on the power button, but the screen remained stubbornly blank.

"I don't think that's going to work here, Sam," Meg said, her voice soft.

The strength rushed out of her legs and she fell to her knees, hitting the hard stone with a thud. But the pain seemed dull, far away. All she could see was the black phone screen.

"How – what am I – my folks, how are they supposed to know where I am? They just think I went to the museum. What am I going to – "

A horrible pressure was building inside her, pushing against her ribcage. Her body couldn't contain it, but she was terrified to let it out. So strange. All this time she'd wanted to go to Tielos, but it had always seemed like something way off in the future, just like going to college or publishing her game. Now she was here, really here, and all she could think about were her parents. Desperately dialing her number over and over again. Crying at the police station. Begging for help on social media.

"What's the big deal?" Hands on his hips, Ryan swaggered her way. "Think about it, we're in Tielos! That's something most wizards can only dream about!"

"Yeah, but – "

Ryan didn't stop rambling. "Seriously, can you believe it? I'm the first Crowley in generations to make it here!"

He pumped his fist, but Sam stared at him in horror. "Aren't you worried about your family?"

"Why would I be? They'll put two and two together soon enough." Ryan linked his hands behind his head. "And when they do, they'll be proud of me for representing the Crowley name so well."

"What are you even bragging about?" Meg said sourly. "It's not like you got here by your own power."

"Aw, details." Ryan stuck out his tongue at her.

Did he seriously not see a single problem? "Great for you, but my folks aren't wizards! How are they supposed to know I haven't been kidnapped or murdered?"

Her voice rose to a scream. As it echoed off the cave walls, a firm hand closed around her arm. Sam almost screamed again, but the grip tightened and spun her around, and she found herself staring into Ryllis' hazel eyes. They were serious as ever, but glimmered with a gentle sympathy Sam had never seen from her before.

"Sam," Ryllis said quietly. "Calm down. I know how you're feeling, but we can't do anything about it right now. But I swear I'll help you get back to your family. Since...since you helped me get back to mine."

She turned away a little, looking embarrassed. Staring at her, Sam felt the pressure gripping her insides relax, letting her breathe normally again. Still not enough for her to speak, but she had to answer Ryllis somehow.

So she nodded, once, twice. Ryllis nodded back, her face settling into a smile.

For a moment, the two stared at each other. The Levia still throbbed in her chest, but it felt a little calmer, gentler. A reassuring rhythm, instead of the deafening drumbeat from before.

"Sam." Darian's voice startled her. Sam turned toward her, and her heart skipped when she saw the prince's haggard face, the crude bandages wrapped around her arm. "I know it's not much, but...as soon as we get out of the Sunless Sea, we'll head straight for the nearest portal, and you and Ryan can go home."

"Hell no I ain't going anywhere!" Ryan hollered.

Darian went on as if he hadn't said a word. "But right now, I don't feel comfortable moving until Theo is in better condition. So...it might be some time. Is that all right with you, Sam? I'm sorry."

"It's, it's okay," Sam stammered. That was right, she couldn't only think about herself. Theo was in an even worse state than her. At the very least, she needed to be strong for his sake.

So she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and got ready to face her future in Tielos. Even if she had no idea how it would turn out.