Chapter 41
With my head resting against the giant concrete arched door I close my eyes and breathe. I felt simultaneously stronger and weaker at the same time. I wanted to cry, I wanted to give up. To open the door and go back. But I couldn't.
I could only go forward.
I had to go forward.
I push myself off of the door and whipped my face clean. I turned around and took in the crypt of smooth gray raised caskets. I called up my fire elemental to see how big this room was. I lit my hand on fire to see the this place was easily 2 mile long with thousands of bodies. It was unusually warm in the sound of dripping water echoed throughout the dark hall. The ground was smooth made of white marble and unusually clean.
I silently walked through the rows of tombs each Lab of concrete had a symbol etched into the top of it some more elaborate somewhere simple carvings.
I wish I knew what they meant.
I pulled the five white stones from my pocket. It was time to make a decision.
Who was coming back?
I started to walk around the narrow pathways trying to feel something... Anything that told me I should bring this person back. Cosimo said I would know but all I saw was a sea of tombs. I ran my finger lightly over each tomb I walked by. Did I pick the one that had the sword? A wing? Thunderbolt? A sun?
And then I saw it.
Maybe I was grasping for straw s but I saw a diamond empty symbol that reminded me of the Superman symbol etched on one of the tombs. Was this the sign?
I walked over to the tomb and traced my finger over the familiar logo. This was the one.
I lifted the heavy slab of concrete and slid it to the side with a heavy thud.
"Holy shit", I whispered to myself.
I lit my hand on fire again and waved it across a pristinely preserved body. His skin was pale white, and he was dressed in a white tunic with matching white pants that had to be out of the medieval times. He must have been a knight at some point in time. He was adorned with a thick golden necklace that seemed to hold a cape behind him. He had a matching golden belt that was adorned with pearls and he held a sword over his chest as if waiting to be awoken for a battle. His brown hair was cut awkwardly in a bowl cut and a beard of stubble.
For a dead guy he looked pretty good.
I reached into my pocket and pulled out one of the white stones Cosimo had given me. I put the stone in his mouth grossed out by a thousand years of bad breath and pushed it in. I closed his mouth and waited for something magical to happen. Maybe a burst of light, fairy dust something to tell me it was working.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The doors I just came through shook under the weight of whatever was on the other side.
"Shit", I whispered needed to think quick on my feet. Did I try and hide or did I just pick the closest four people to me and pray they wake up in time for us to escape? Because I had no doubt Aite was coming from me and if her tests were just her playing with me I don't think I would survive an actual attack.
Run or hide?
The door exploded open and before Aite could spot me I hopped into the tomb knowing there was nowhere else to hide. And I sure as hell couldn't fight Aite not when she could give me the illusion of everything I wanted in life. I slid the concrete slab over us, careful not to cut myself on this huge sword and waited.
