Towers [BOOK ONE]

Chapter Thirty-Six

Downward. There seemed to be no end to the castle; I'd had no idea we were so very high up. Brushing the sky itself, I thought as we descended another spiraling staircase. Mired in the sunrise. Tangled in the clouds.

Downward, downward. So many shadows. So many stairs.

"Have we reached the ground yet?" I asked Melody worriedly.

"We've passed it."

And still we traveled downward.

Suddenly, the steps stopped; my foot hit solid ground, sending a slight shock up my leg. I blinked, surprised. It was so dark. Echoes shivered away into the gloom like wraiths, and the only light came from a torch a short distance up the stairwell. I hesitated, feeling a sudden powerful need to be beneath the sun again.

"Where are we?"

I could hear Melody's breath, a delicate sound. "The dungeons," she said. "Hold on—wait here."

She disappeared into the thick veil of blackness. I shivered, hugging myself and shrinking back to sit upon one of the steps. It was icy cold down here, as if all the wintertime from above had been bound up and trapped, like a prisoner, at the dungeon's very heart.

Metal creaked. A flickering light approached me, and as it drew nearer, I could make out Melody's pale face and that of a man I'd never seen before.

"Hello," I said uncertainly, standing and dusting the dirt from my dress.

"This is the prison keeper," Melody explained. "He's mute, I'm afraid." Then she smiled at him. "But he's very nice. I'm sure he's happy to meet you."

The prison keeper smiled and nodded at me. For some reason, it really didn't help.

"All right," I said, voice hushed. I heard scraping and moaning in the darkness. "Let's...let's just hurry and get them out of here."

And get us out of here, too.

Melody and the keeper led the way deeper into the dungeons. Cold, rusted bars leered out at me, barely visible in the murky light. I once thought I saw eyes watching me. I shuddered and quickened my pace.

The stairwell was left far behind.

"I think I see a light," echoed a soft voice, making me jump. "Look, over there, it's a light. It's coming this way."

"You're seeing things, Lily," murmured a boy's voice.

"I am not, you brickhead! Look right there! It's a light!"

"Lily, I don't—oh!" It was Emmy's voice. "There is!"

"Lily!" I gasped, breaking into a run and falling to my knees before their cell. "Channing! Emmy!" I was nearly in tears. I grasped their hands through the bars. "You're all right. You're going to be all right."

"Bird?" said Emmy incredulously, a wondering light in her eyes.

Lily's face was pale and smudged with dirt, but her expression was just as fierce as ever. "We thought you were dead," she hissed. "Sticks and stones, have you got any idea how dreadful it was, rotting away in this place with no idea whether you were even alive?"

"Lily," said Channing.

"No, you're right. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I tried. I did, I really did. But not hard enough." A tear fell down my cheek, landing on my wrist. "But it's okay now. I've got you out. You're going to be all right."

A new form stepped towards the bars, expression serious. My eyes widened when I recognized Caleb. He hadn't shaved in a while; a shadow ran along his jaw where his beard had begun to grow. He pressed against the bars.