His dark silhouette stood tall and still in the clearing as I drove to the end of the narrow path flanked by overgrowth. My heart was pounding. Hadrian had always lured me. Even in the moments when I had genuinely feared him, his soul called to mine. Garreth, on the other hand, was so light and pure.
Now more than ever, we needed to lean on each other, but convincing him of that worried me. We had become too estranged these last few weeks.
My eyes scanned the trees closest to the constricted lane. The leaves had been falling for weeks, thinning out the normally dense forest, but from what I could see there was no sign of Brynn’s car. That tiny fact made me realize I was alone in the woods with Hadrian and I shivered slightly.
“I’m looking for Brynn,” I said, pushing against the door of the car and crunching my way over to him.
Hadrian’s dark hair stirred in the breeze and he held his hand out to me, making me feel a bit safer.
“I know, but you’ll need help finding her.”
Silently, we walked through the dark to where the ruined chapel stood. The last time he and I were here felt eons away. At night, it looked even more deteriorated than the afternoon I had escaped here. Though it was merely a pile of rocks and glass now, it harbored shadows that didn’t exist during the day and felt creepier than I thought it would. I was glad I wasn’t alone.
I checked the black corners, scanning for Brynn, but she was nowhere, and I looked back at Hadrian, confused.
He reached down and hooked his finger onto a metal ring in one of the large square stone tiles on the floor. I was completely taken by surprise to see that one of those tiles hid a trap door. It appeared to resist as Hadrian pulled on the ring, but finally gave way revealing a small, cramped space leading down to a pitch black hole in the ground.
“This is just the beginning,” Hadrian’s voice floated across to me in the dark.
“Beginning of what?”
“A journey to overcome my brother’s obsession for control over the willing.”
“Don’t tell me I need my dagger again.” I thought of following Brynn the same way I had followed Garreth last spring. The ornate dagger had proved to be a portal and although it had worked, the idea filled me with dread. I had been desperate to find Garreth. I wasn’t that desperate to find Brynn.
“No, this time you only need to follow a sacred path, proving you truly believe that light is more powerful than darkness.”
Had I heard correctly? Did Hadrian believe light was more powerful than darkness? Thoughts of redemption seeped their way in and I searched his face for the answer, but all too quickly, he turned his attention once again to the dark hole in the floor.
“The tunnel will take us to the river. From there we cross into New Hope and make our way to another old church. I am certain we will find Brynn there.”
Hadrian’s black boot pushed aside some of the rubble lying on the stone floor of the chapel. It had always been littered with stained glass and metal, but the damage was far worse now after the fire last spring. I shuddered with the memory.
I couldn’t imagine a tunnel stretching that far beneath our feet. The map didn’t show tunnels at all, just trees. Stealing a glance over to my car, I wondered if we could drive there? I had left the map in the car, assuming Brynn would be here. It didn’t show anything other than the church.
This church.
“Why are we going to a church that happens to be miles from here?” I tried to catch a glimpse of his face, but it was too dark.
“We are not going to a church. We are going to what lies beneath the church, and it’s actually closer than you realize. These tunnels were dug three hundred years ago and the pilgrimage to the sacred ground at the other end had been by foot. We must follow in the same manner.”
The number three rang in my ears. I stood staring from Hadrian’s shadowed face to the dark hole to nowhere he had just uncovered.
“Long ago, humans blessed the earth their sanctuaries were built on. Not just the buildings themselves. It’s the oldest one within walking distance.”
“But what about this one? The one we’re standing in? Or on rather.” I looked around at the ruin. Sadly, not much was left.
“The one waiting for us is older, if you take in account the foundation and the earth it stands on. I’ll go first so I can help you down,” Hadrian offered, and he began hoisting himself above the opening that would swallow him whole.
I peered inside. “I’m not so sure light is stronger than dark.” I shook my head and took a step back. “Um, I am not going down there.”
Hadrian’s brows furrowed. He was resting his weight on his arms and half his body was already submerged in darkness.
“You can and you will. Now come on.”
I leaned over, trying to see past his torso, but I could see absolutely nothing.
“Are you afraid of the dark, Teagan?” he asked, mockingly.
“Maybe.”
“But you are not afraid of me?”
I answered him with silence.
“You are a strange girl, indeed, Teagan McNeel,” he smirked.
I sighed deeply and grudgingly placed my bottom on the cleanest looking side of the hole I could find. Slowly, I inched myself closer to the edge.
In a blink he was gone, landing lightly onto what I assumed was the floor of the tunnel and the start of our mysterious journey to find Brynn. Meanwhile, I was silently kicking myself for rushing off without a flashlight. I looked down at my mark for reassurance. It seemed subdued and dim with absolutely no sign of warning, or impending danger. For now. I closed my eyes and let myself drop and his strong arms caught me as my eyes adjusted to the darkness of the tunnel. It only took a few moments, but I was reluctant to let go of him. His arms felt protective and strong. For a moment I could pretend I wasn’t about to face something even darker and stronger than Hadrian.
He gently put me down and took my hand, pulling me along into an unknown that stretched out like a serpent before us. I jumped as a flash of light struck and Hadrian lit a crude torch with his bare hands. In the light of the flame, I could see the ground had been hollowed out. The walls of the tunnel had been worn down in spots, revealing clay patches throughout the hardened mud. Above us roots and vines protruded through the dirt ceiling. The image of spiders and other creepy, crawly things passed through my thoughts and I wrapped my arms around myself.
“This has always been a sacred journey.” Hadrian’s voice sounded deep and strange to me as we walked. “Long before the settlers of this town arrived, a small group of people worshipped here. They came from the surrounding territories, walking for miles to get here. Some arrived on horseback, but in the end they, too, continued by foot.”
“I would have kept the horse,” I muttered to myself.
“It is believed that walking beneath the ground made you one with the earth. Coming out of the tunnel and breathing the fresh air honored the sky above, and crossing the river bed was to remind them of their birth. Finally, at the end of their journey, they lit the fire and celebrated their spirits being set free. It was an honored rite to make this journey, one that made them stronger and closer to the visible and unseen worlds around us.”
I tried to imagine multitudes of feet trampling the same ground we were now walking on. I wondered what was at the end of the tunnel. More so, what I would find at the end of our journey.
At last we reached a point where the ground sloped upward. Hadrian went first, still holding my hand, helping me out of the tunnel. We stood at the edge of the river bank for a moment. I was happy to catch my breath as I looked across the black water. Hadrian was right, it was refreshing to take large breaths of air now that we were out of the dank ground. I filled my lungs to capacity and found I couldn’t help but stare up at the beautiful sky. I didn’t know if this simple act was an act of devotion to the vastness above me, but it did make me feel alive and thankful. Staring at the stars and the thin wisps of cloud tracing across the night sky made me think of all I have been through and seen. And when a brilliant star caught my eye, I thought of Garreth and made a wish that I would find a way to fix things between us.
“Come,” Hadrian urged once again. He stepped into the icy water and reached out to help me follow. I didn’t complain this time. Forcing myself down a dark hidden hole in the middle of the woods at night seemed far worse than wading across a river. Of course, I tried not to think of the fish and plant life slinking past my legs — or the squishy mud my feet kept sinking into. The water was freezing and I was shivering uncontrollably by the time we battled the current and reached the other side.
Quickly, we made our way up the embankment and through the tall grass to another inconspicuous opening in the ground. I thought for sure retreating beneath the ground with soaking wet clothes and hair would make me feel even colder, if that was possible. But surprisingly, warm air blew invitingly from the opening. This tunnel had a more gradual slope, but from what I could tell, there seemed to be no end in sight. My shoes felt sloshy and disgusting, full of river water and goodness knows what else.
My wet dress was heavy against my legs as we walked, and before long, my feet lost the will to do anything more than shuffle. I reached up, tucking a damp strand of hair behind my ear, and stifled the sigh that had been building deep in my chest. This journey would have been next to impossible without Hadrian. He walked steadily ahead of me, his presence constantly urging me to follow. I honestly had no idea how those people long ago had done it. If I had come alone, I would have plopped down on the ground a good ways back and given up.
As the tunnel leveled out, I could see that the dirt wall had become smoother, and it now reflected an orange glow. The tunnel widened and we slowly crept closer toward an unusual, flickering light.
“It must be the middle of the night now. We’ve been gone so long.” Worry threaded its way through me, and I thought of my mother. Hopefully Nate had called her to explain, although what he could tell her without making her freak out was beyond me. I pulled my cell phone out of my pocket, but there was no service here.
“How far down are we?” Weary and somewhat annoyed, I shook my phone and held it high above my head, willing it to pick up a roaming signal.
“About fifteen feet, give or take.” Hadrian’s voice was husky and deep as he let his hand glide along the wall, as if feeling the past speak to him through his fingers. I half expected him to stop and press his ear to the dirt and stones, pausing long enough to hear the secrets, but still, we moved along, trudging further beneath the ground. Then I realized the walls were faintly streaked with white.