Caged in Darkness (Caged #1)(17)

Thanks to modern technology, I was able to use my cell phone as a flashlight. After I tugged the phone from the pocket of my jeans the pathway lit up. It revealed a narrow hallway. Cobwebs and I imagined spiders, hovered around as I moved forward.

Pointing my cell phone towards the back wall, I kept my right hand on the wall to make sure I didn’t miss a turn and to brush the webs from my face. I could still feel the silk graze my neck and shoulders. After about 300 feet, I felt a draft graze my bare arms. The source of the draft was a small rectangular room. It resembled an attic in an ancient house, with cobwebs connecting various artifacts that were layered in dust and the occasional sheet draped furniture.

A five foot long metal chest sat in the middle of the room, and when I tried to open it I found that it needed a key. A bar similar to a ballet barre connected two walls, and was filled with garments and bizarre robes. Some of the clothing looked like it was from the Renaissance period.

From a bookcase, I pulled out a leather bound text with torn pages that were literally falling apart at the seams. Sifting through it, I discovered it was journal from an ancestor of mine. In fact, all of the books looked like journals from various ancestors.

In a vanity, I discovered antique jewelry with strange symbols inscribed on them. I touched a necklace with a ruby stone at its center. It felt as though someone had warmed it with their breath. The other jewelry was similar. Some burned at my touch, others were icy, and one of the rings made me lightheaded. I found a choker necklace with a pentacle dangling from it. The pentacle was inset with small blue sapphires. When I placed the choker around my neck, my body became infused with warmth. A bracelet with the Triquetra dangling from it caught my eye, and was soon attached to my wrist.

A table layered with strange items was placed next to the vanity. There was a bowl, ink, stamps with designs I had never seen before, a small stick shaped object, and a bone with a needle attached to it. I made a mental note to ask Maye about the items later.

I looked around, and even though my cell lit up some of the room, darkness had begun to ingest the light. Shadows danced across the walls and vines slithered up my legs. I could smell my parents’ taint here and yet I was drawn to this place.

In the corner nearest to the entryway, was a box that resembled a casket the size of a china doll. Unlike a casket, it was made entirely of clear quartz with a large bloodstone imbedded on the lid.

The light shown on the casket and I watched as gray smoke shifted within. When I drew the light away, the shifting became more furious, but calmed when I brought my cell phone next to it. I noticed inscriptions carved into the quartz and the bloodstone. They looked similar to Egyptian hieroglyphs, but I was almost certain they were something entirely different.

I began to trace the inscriptions, but felt I felt a feathery touch against my other hand. I thought little of it, but shook my hand. The feeling persisted. I looked down to find a coffee colored spider with extremely long legs crawling across the back of my hand. I screamed and shook my hand furiously. In my attempt to get away I slipped, landing hard on the quartz box; the lid slid off.

Smoke swelled from the container and encased the surrounding area; effectively shielding half of the room. It lightened to a mist and ascended to the ceiling, where it spread to sheath the plaster. It made the room look like an upside down haunted house. I turned to run from the room, but hands grasped my shoulders in a viselike grip.

A shriek tore through my vocal cords when the hands pulled me back against a solid chest. The fog evaporated and I noticed the darkness surrounding me. This darkness had texture and twitched frequently. A harsh breath blew against my ear. The hands tightened and I began to worry they might crush my bones.

“Let me go!” The hands fell away from my flesh, but the body didn’t move.

“All you needed to do was ask.” The voice was deep with a slight edge and it sent tingles up my spine.

Before I could lose my courage, I spun around. I stood in shock at what I saw; and I don’t say what lightly. Backing away from the thing in front of me; my back hit the wall. I was trapped.

The room was crammed with its sheer size. Before me was the body of a man with enormous wings, and strange eyes. In the dark they glowed with amber light.

Without wings he still would have overpowered the room. Abnormally tall with a strong torso, he was intimidating. His wings folded outward in a crescent shape that surrounded me. He was clothed in a pair of black dress pants, but his chest and feet were bare.

He moved like a bird; twitching and bunching his shoulders. His head angled back and forth to watch me, and as he did, his biceps tightened. His dark hair was chin length and concealed most of his face. His mouth was wide in a disturbing smile that displayed his perfectly white teeth; the upper and lower canines sharpened to fine points.

“Please, don’t hurt me.” I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that when I opened them, he would be gone. My hands clenched into fists and I opened my eyes.

It was chuckling. While closing the distance between us, his wings spread out to blanket the wall behind me. He sniffed the air around my face and paused to stare into my eyes.

“I smell you.” He growled.

His growl deepened and he barred his teeth in an angry snarl. “I smell your power.” I watched, while his pupils dilated until they pushed away all traces of color. His hand reached for my neck, but when it came into contact my skin he let out a sound of anguish as his palm smoldered.