Tying our hands together in a long, single-file chain, the soldiers dragged us forward as if we'd entered some kind of race. Heedless of the bumps and bruises we received along the way, they prodded us onward until my muscles ached, and my feet grew weary. I had no way to mark the passage of time beneath the dark hood, but the faint warmth of the sun on my back had just begun to grow cold when we finally stopped.
Whispers of exchanged conversation met my ears, and then a rough, grating noise droned out the sound. I could faintly smell something damp and pungent, and then, someone grabbed my arm and guided me up a short incline. A hand pushed my head down, and as I took another few steps forward, the air around me dropped in temperature. The smell, which had only briefly reached me, was stronger here, and it reminded me of mushrooms.
Before I was fully accustomed to the change in my surroundings, someone pushed me roughly forward. A grunt behind me told me Bohai had received similar treatment, and after a few more moments of walking, a grinding sound echoed around me. The ropes on my wrists loosened suddenly, and someone jerked the bag off my head, but I didn't notice any change in my surroundings.
"Welcome to hell, Seer." Myongnok's voice was just above a whisper, but I could hear the mockery in his tone. "It's time to greet the devil."
He pushed me roughly forward, and unable to see anything, I pitched off balance. My knee slammed into the ground, and I felt the skin on my palms tear on rough rocks. Grateful for the shadows that hid my mishap, I climbed quickly to my feet once more and squinted my eyes in the darkness as if doing so would somehow ignite a light to direct my path. It didn't. Gritting my teeth, I felt the path ahead of me with my foot and tentatively moved forward.
"Hurry up." Myongnok growled. "Or are you scared now that you can't see?" And he chuckled.
They were playing with me now, and it made me angry, but I couldn't do anything about it yet. All I could do was move forward and hope for the best. We were all utterly at the mercy of our...hosts, and I knew they possessed no such feelings. They would gladly leave us here to rummage around in the darkness, searching aimlessly for an exit until starvation and dehydration withered our bodies and stole our spirits. That was a risk I was willing to take, though. I had come this far, and there could be no turning back.
My senses were painfully alert as I struck off as confidently as I could into the ebony arms of my surroundings. I'd never experienced such tangible darkness before, and the knowledge that I couldn't even defend myself if I was attacked made my skin crawl. Despite myself, I kept looking around, still harboring a foolish expectation that the shadows would part and cure my blindness.
Unable to discern what was in front of me, I crashed headlong into something—or someone—in front of me. Sucking in a sharp breath, I jerked backwards and reached up to rub my forehead. Directly behind me, I recognized Bohai's grunt as he skidded to a halt just before hitting me, but I could hear miniature chaos unfold behind us at the sudden stop.
Myongnok released a hoarse grunt, and I realized he'd somehow gotten in front of me. Just before I was convinced he was angry at me for bumping into him, he smashed something against the floor, creating a rumbling echo which rolled around us. Startled, I flinched slightly at the loud noise, and a torch flashed to life right next to me. I sucked in a sharp breath and fought against the surprised yelp which welled in my throat as the heat almost seared my skin. More flames burst through the veil of darkness around us, revealing an enormous, open room below the extended platform upon which we were standing.
As I struggled to adjust my eyes to the sudden light, hundreds of spears slammed against the ground, creating a deafening noise that enveloped me and shook the ground beneath my feet. Myongnok stepped aside, throwing a last, derisive smirk my direction as he joined the mass of eerily lit faces surrounding us. As my vision cleared, I could make out a steep set of stairs in front of us which had been carved into the stone. Hundreds of people holding flickering torches lined the path they meant for us to take, and there wasn't a pleasant face among the throng.
YOU ARE READING
I Am Seer - Book 3
Fantasy**Copyrighted** *Sequel to I Am Who* *Book 3* "I told you not to protect me! I told you not to get hurt!" I exploded, whirling to face him. "You should have listened to me. You promi-" My word cut off as he fairly launched himself out of his seat...
