Secret Beneath The Suface

Chapter 8: Secrets Beneath the Surface

Avery's dreams were restless. Images of the Heart of Dazriel flashed through her mind — glowing veins crawling across its jagged surface, whispers growing louder until they became deafening. She felt something cold pressing against her chest — like a hand clawing at her heart.

She gasped awake, chest heaving. The room was still dark, but faint morning light crept through the blinds. Liam was still asleep on the couch, his bandaged arm resting across his chest.

I need answers, Avery thought.

She quietly grabbed her bag and slipped out the door.

The library was nearly empty when she arrived. Avery sat at a corner table, surrounded by open books and scattered notes. Most of what she found only repeated what she and Liam already knew — the Heart of Dazriel was powerful, dangerous, and sealed beneath the Golden Gate Bridge to trap something far worse.

But one book — a worn leather journal — told her something new.

"The Heart's power is drawn to those with open minds and wounded souls. It whispers promises of strength and control, feeding on weakness until it claims its host. But if one shares its bloodline… the bond is stronger still."

Avery's stomach twisted.

Shares its bloodline...

Could that mean her family was connected to the Heart somehow?

She kept reading, her fingers shaking as she turned the pages. Near the end of the journal, she found a sketched symbol — the same twisted mark the cult had burned onto her skin.

The text beside it read: "The Mark of the Bound — a curse placed on those tied to the Heart. They are hunted by dark forces and often consumed by the Heart's power."

Avery's breath caught. The mark wasn't just a warning — it was a target.

They're hunting me because I can control the Heart.

"Found something?"

Avery flinched, startled. She turned to see Liam standing behind her, looking pale but alert.

"You shouldn't be out of bed," Avery scolded, but Liam ignored her and sat across from her.

"I woke up, and you were gone," he said, his voice firm. "I wasn't about to let you run off alone."

Avery sighed and pushed the journal toward him. "Look."

Liam's eyes scanned the page, his expression darkening. "So… this mark? It's not just random. They cursed you because you're connected to the Heart."

"And they're not going to stop until they get to me," Avery added quietly.

Liam set the book down and met her gaze. "Then we can't just wait for them to make a move. We need to hit first."

That afternoon, they stood at the bridge again — this time with a plan.

"We have to find the exact spot where the Heart is buried," Liam said. "If we know where it is, we can figure out how to stop the cult from reaching it."

Avery placed her hand on the cold metal railing and closed her eyes. She focused hard, listening for the whispers. At first, there was only silence.

Then she heard it.

"Closer… Closer…"

A sharp chill ran through her body, and suddenly, she felt herself moving. Her feet guided her down a side path beneath the bridge — a narrow, rocky trail that snaked dangerously close to the water.

"Wait," Liam called, but Avery couldn't stop.

The whispers grew louder, pulling her forward until she stood at a small clearing where old stones jutted from the ground. Rusted chains circled a flat slab of rock carved with symbols.

"This is it," she whispered.

The air around her felt thick and cold. A deep pressure settled in her chest, like invisible hands pressing down on her.

"This whole place is cursed," Liam muttered, gripping his knife. "We shouldn't be here alone."

A sudden crack of twigs snapped their focus toward the trees. Two figures appeared — both wearing dark cloaks, their faces hidden.

"You shouldn't have come," one of them growled.

Avery barely had time to react before one of the figures lunged. Liam shoved her aside and met the attacker head-on, his knife flashing in the dim light. The second cultist moved toward Avery — but she wasn't defenseless this time.

Energy surged through her body — hot and electric — and without thinking, she thrust her hand forward. A pulse of white light shot from her palm, slamming the cultist backward. He hit the ground hard and didn't get up.

Liam knocked his opponent out cold and turned back to her, breathing heavily. "That… was amazing."

"I didn't mean to," Avery stammered. Her hand still tingled from the power she'd unleashed.

"You're stronger than you realize," Liam said. "And if the cult's this desperate to stop us… we're getting close to something big."

Avery looked back at the stone slab. The symbols carved into it seemed to pulse faintly, like a heartbeat.

"We need to figure out how to destroy the Heart before the blood moon," she said.

Liam nodded. "And fast."

The cold air beneath the bridge clung to Avery's skin as she stared at the stone slab. The symbols carved into it seemed to flicker — not physically, but in her mind — like a heartbeat pulsing deeper underground. The whispers hadn't stopped either. They swirled inside her head, faint but relentless.

"Closer… come closer…"

"We should get out of here," Liam muttered, keeping his knife drawn. He nudged the unconscious cultist with his boot, making sure they weren't waking up.

But Avery couldn't move. Her gaze stayed locked on the stone. The whispers weren't just random noise anymore. They were forming words.

"Blood calls to blood… The key lies within…"

"I think…" Avery swallowed hard. "I think the Heart is beneath this."

Liam's expression hardened. "Then we're way too close for comfort."

"What if I can stop it?" Avery said. "The whispers… they're not just noise anymore. They're guiding me."

"That's what worries me," Liam replied. "The Heart's magic — it twists people, controls them. I don't want you falling into whatever trap this thing's laying."

"I can handle it," Avery insisted. "I have to."

Before Liam could stop her, she knelt beside the stone and placed her hand flat against it.

The moment her fingers touched the cold surface, her vision blurred.

---

The world shifted. Avery stood in a dimly lit cavern beneath the earth. The walls were rough stone, but twisted veins of crimson light snaked along them, glowing like fire.

At the center of the chamber lay the Heart of Dazriel. It pulsed like a living thing — jagged black stone, split with glowing cracks. Its energy was powerful… and wrong. The air seemed to ripple around it, bending and twisting.

Then, Avery saw something else — a woman standing before the Heart.

The woman's face was familiar — sharp features, cold eyes. The same woman from Avery's earlier vision. But this time, her face was grim with fear. She clutched a dagger tightly in her hand, her gaze locked on the Heart.

"Seal it," the woman whispered. "Seal it with blood."

Before Avery could understand what was happening, the woman dragged the blade across her palm and pressed her bleeding hand to the Heart's surface. The glowing veins flickered violently, then dimmed.

The whispers stopped. The cavern trembled as stone began to collapse from the ceiling.

"You sealed it," Avery murmured.

But the vision wasn't done yet.

Suddenly, a figure appeared behind the woman — a hooded man with crimson eyes. His hand shot forward, grabbing the woman by the arm.

"You think you've won?" the man sneered. "You can't stop what's coming."

The woman turned sharply, her eyes locking with Avery's — as if she could see her.

"Blood calls to blood," she whispered. "You are the key."

---

Avery's breath tore from her lungs as she snapped back to reality. Her hand was still pressed against the stone, her fingers ice cold.

"Avery!" Liam grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. "Are you okay?"

"I saw…" Avery's voice trembled. "I saw someone seal the Heart before — with blood. She said I'm the key."

"Your family," Liam murmured. "That's what this is about, isn't it?"

"I think so," Avery said. "But there's more… that man with the glowing eyes — I think he's part of this cult. Maybe even their leader."

Liam's face darkened. "If he's still out there, we're running out of time."

---

They left the bridge, but Avery couldn't shake the cold dread clinging to her skin.

Back at her apartment, Avery sat on her bed, replaying the vision in her head. The woman had sacrificed her blood to keep the Heart sealed — but for how long?

Blood calls to blood...

Avery glanced down at her palm. There was no cut, but her skin still tingled where the stone had touched it.

Suddenly, a knock echoed through her apartment.

She jumped, heart pounding.

"Avery?" Liam's voice called from the other side.

Relieved, she opened the door. Liam stepped inside, holding a leather-bound book.

"I grabbed this from the library before we left," he said. "Thought it might help."

Avery took the book and flipped through the pages. It wasn't just about the Heart of Dazriel — it mentioned the Order of the Crimson Veil, a powerful cult that had existed for centuries.

"They worship The Devourer," Liam explained. "And they believe the Heart is their way to bring him into this world."

Avery's eyes locked on a page showing the hooded figure from her vision — his glowing red eyes staring back at her.

"That's him," she whispered. "That's the man I saw."

Liam clenched his fists. "Then we know who's behind this."

"But why me?" Avery asked. "Why is this happening to me?"

Liam's voice softened. "Because you're stronger than you think. That's why they're afraid of you."

Avery wanted to believe him. But deep down, she knew the truth — the Heart wasn't finished with her yet.

And the blood moon was coming closer every day.

The apartment felt colder than usual that night. Even with Liam sitting across from her, Avery couldn't shake the weight pressing down on her chest. The vision wouldn't leave her mind — the Heart's glow, the woman's warning, and those crimson eyes watching her from the shadows.

"I need to know more about her," Avery muttered, flipping through the book again. "That woman in my vision — she knew something. She knew how to stop it."

"You said she sealed the Heart with blood," Liam reminded her. "If you're tied to the Heart, maybe it has to be your blood this time."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Avery whispered.

A sharp knock at the door cut her thoughts short.

Both she and Liam froze. Avery grabbed a baseball bat she kept beside her door — just in case — while Liam reached for his knife.

"Who is it?" Avery called.

"Please… it's me… it's Clara!"

Avery blinked in surprise. She hadn't seen Clara Jenkins since high school — they'd been friends once, but life had pulled them in different directions. What was she doing here now?

Avery glanced at Liam, who shook his head. "Be careful."

Slowly, Avery unlocked the door and opened it a crack.

Clara stood in the hallway, hair tangled and face pale. Her eyes were wide with fear, and her clothes looked dirty, like she'd been running through the streets.

"Avery," Clara gasped. "They're after me… please let me in."

Avery didn't hesitate. She pulled Clara inside and locked the door again.

"What happened?" Avery asked. "Who's after you?"

"Them," Clara breathed. "Those people in the robes — the ones with the red marks."

Liam stiffened. "The cult?"

Clara nodded frantically. "They came to my apartment — I don't know how they found me, but they were waiting. They grabbed my arm, and one of them tried to carve some kind of mark into my skin. I barely got away."

"Did they say anything?" Avery pressed.

"Only that I was 'connected' to someone they were looking for." Clara's gaze locked with Avery's. "They're after you, aren't they?"

Avery's stomach dropped. The cult wasn't just hunting her — they were going after people connected to her.

"They're not going to stop," Liam muttered. "We need to figure out what they're planning."

"I think I know where we can start," Clara said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.

"I grabbed this off one of them," she explained. "I don't know what it means."

Avery unfolded the paper — it was a map of San Francisco. Red circles had been drawn in several locations: the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island… and a third spot near the old railway tunnels in the Presidio.

"I know this area," Liam said, pointing to the third circle. "Those tunnels are ancient — parts of them haven't been touched in years."

"Could the cult be meeting there?" Avery asked.

"Maybe," Liam said grimly. "Or maybe they've already started the ritual."

That night, they drove to the Presidio, parking a block away from the marked tunnel entrance. The air was damp, and the streets were too quiet.

"You both stay behind me," Liam warned, gripping his knife.

Avery clutched her flashlight tightly, trying to ignore the icy chill crawling up her spine. Clara kept close beside her, her face pale with fear.

The tunnel entrance loomed ahead — an old archway covered in vines and faded graffiti. Beyond it, nothing but pitch-black darkness.

"Here," Liam muttered, handing Avery a small dagger. "Just in case."

"I'd rather not need it," she said.

"Yeah, well…" Liam's voice was grim. "I'd rather you have it than not."

They stepped inside.

The tunnel walls were cold and damp. The air smelled like rust and mildew, and each step echoed loudly around them. The deeper they went, the heavier the air seemed to grow — thick and cold, almost like it was pressing against Avery's skin.

Then she felt it.

That strange energy — like icy fingers curling around her ribs. The same feeling she'd had when she touched the stone near the bridge.

The Heart's power is here.

"Wait," Avery whispered. "I feel something… ahead."

Liam shot her a worried look but didn't question her. They moved deeper, following the faint tug Avery felt in her chest.

Suddenly, flickering torchlight appeared at the end of the tunnel.

"Voices," Liam whispered. "We're not alone."

They crept closer until they could see into a wide chamber carved out of stone. Hooded figures gathered in a circle, chanting in low, guttural tones. In the center of the circle was a large stone tablet covered in glowing red symbols — the same ones Avery had seen in her vision.

And standing at the front of the group was him — the man with crimson eyes.

"That's him," Avery whispered. "The man from my vision."

The man's voice rose above the chants. "The Heart's power stirs," he said. "The blood moon is coming. Soon the Devourer will rise, and this world will kneel before him."

Avery's breath hitched.

"They're trying to awaken it," Liam whispered. "We can't let them finish that ritual."

"But how?" Clara asked, her voice shaking. "There's too many of them."

Avery stared at the glowing symbols, her pulse racing. Then she remembered the woman's words: "Blood calls to blood."

"I think I know what to do," Avery said.

"What?" Liam asked.

"I need to stop those symbols from glowing," Avery explained. "I think they're feeding the Heart's power. If I can disrupt them…"

"That's insane," Liam warned. "You'll be right in the middle of them."

"I can do it," Avery said, her voice firm. "I have to."

Liam's expression hardened. "Then I'm coming with you."

"No," Avery said. "I need you to get Clara out of here. If something goes wrong…"

"I'm not leaving you," Liam snapped.

"You have to," Avery insisted. "Please."

For a long moment, Liam stared at her. Then, reluctantly, he nodded.

"I'll come back for you," he promised.

"I know," Avery whispered.

Heart pounding, she tightened her grip on the dagger and stepped into the flickering light.