Lady in the Iron Mask

II: Chapter 16

Nighttime arrived, and the air was thick with pollution. Eve's freshly dyed and cropped black hair hung neatly around her face, and she had bound her breasts with some tight leather. Her tunic was cotton, and sagged itchily around her body, and altogether she appeared like a scrawny teenage boy. However, her eyes set her apart from her body; a blazing ice of determination, and ruthlessness.

Her dress and other belongings had been sold, sadly along with Buck. She'd managed to find a friendly-looking merchant who promised he wouldn't end up as horse-meat, and she'd taken him for his word. In one hand she held a dagger, and in the other her mask. Slotting the dagger into the pocket of her leather trousers, which was covered by her long tunic, she placed the mask over her skin, the iron lips melting into hers as though she was just a statue.

The cathedral was lit dimly by torches strapped to the sides of it, which emanated a fierce light, hardly penetrating the fog. Eve hurried around the side of a building, waiting for any sign of movement near the town's center. She hadn't bothered to book an inn, or leave the streets all day, simply because she couldn't imagine spending any longer in this city after finding Kiera and Evie. Now, she was beginning to think she may have been a little overconfident in her ability to discern where the Brotherhood was located.

However, just as she began to give up hope, a few flaring torches appeared along the side of a passage opposite hers. She hugged the wall, keeping her breathing steady, and watched as around 20 people, dressed in masks and black cloaks. Eve watched them as they glided past, looking especially demonic and inhuman, their masks and the fog hiding their faces, until they became nameless, ethereal forces joined together for a single purpose.

She didn't hear any of them speak, they just walked by. They didn't see her, and she waited until they all had their back to her, and then slowly joined the group, her head facing down submissively, copying those around her now. They didn't appear to notice her joining them, and her heart jumped excitedly, adrenaline pumping through her body.

They moved in a slow procession, like a flock of geese. One man at the front would occassionally gesture and usher the others to follow, before stalking off further into the night.

Eve ducked further into her hood, then followed discreetly. Eventually, they came to the cathedral. She expected them to walk past it and they did, until they got to a door around the backside of it. It was tucked away into one of the edges of the building, and Eve was surprised when the group suddenly stopped, nearly bumping into the person in front of her.

Efficiently, the leader unlocked the door and returned the key to his cloak pocket, beckoning the others. Everyone passed through the door, and Eve held her breath as she did so, hoping that the man overlooked her presence. Luckily, he did, and then everyone was shut inside the back of the cathedral, with the fog curling menacingly through the cracks in the wood.

Returning to the front of the group, the man then placed his torch in a holder on the old stone wall in the dimly-lit passage they were crammed into, and then proceeded to move through the group to the blank dead-end wall at the end of the short corridor. Placing his hand against it, he chanted a few words - Eve couldn't hear what was being said as she didn't want to attract attention and was at the back - and then in wonderment, Eve observed as the wall peeled and scraped in on itself, the stone clicking into place against the floor, to create a stairway which lead down into unimaginable darkness.

As the others proceeded to descend down the stairs, Eve paused, considering her current situation. If this wasn't the location of the esteemed brotherhood, she would be in a lot more trouble than she had signed up for. However, she also had a duty to perform, and although her brain screamed at her to leave, her heart told her that this must be the place where the rats hid. And so, she followed the people down, down, down into their sewer, the mask against her face claustrophobically biting and cold.

They carried on going downhill for a long while. At this point, Eve's skin was itching and she was incredibly nervous. She wondered when they would stop, or what would appear. Yet, as suddenly as she had begun doubting her decision, a bright light appeared, and suddenly the group emerged into a massive underground cave, which smelled vaguely of seawater but seemed to be embedded in the land. That made sense, as the staircase had been going roughly Northwards, and the sea was to the South.

Large, glittering crystals lit up the cave, shining and reflecting their light across the massive cavern. Stalagtites hung jaggedly from the ceiling, creating small pockets of darkness, but altogether with the torches, glowworms and crystals, the cave was well-lit, and beautifully so. A soft emerald, topaz and amethyst light merged together softly to create a tropical haze, which coloured everyone's faces in different shades. The ididescent glow stunned and awed Eve, who had never seen such a beautiful natural phenomenon.

There were around 6 different pathways leading off from this one, and she prayed that Evie and Kiera were both here somewhere. She could see bustling people everywhere, and it looked like a miniature village, with homes built into the walls. Mostly men were here, but some women were also walking around, holding children. When she looked closely, she could also see small shackles attached to the womens' feet, keeping their gait unsteady and dragging, and she saw the tired - and scared - eyes they had for the group she was a part of.

The men, on the other hand, all wore strange robes or common wear like herself and strutted around, the snake tattoo present everywhere. However, the most striking one was the massive emblem, which was carved roughly into the center of the floor, for all to see.

The men around Eve didn't stop in the main room, however, and instead chose the second pathway from left-to-right, wandering further into the Brotherhood's lair. She followed them, wanting to fit in, but also wishing to perhaps find her friends.

But judging from the state of the women she had already seen around her, she could only hope and pray that they were alright.