Still, if he did reject my offer of help, it was his own decision. I couldn’t force him to come with me, although I might like to…

But I was getting too far ahead of myself. First I had to find a way to get myself out of this hole.

I stayed as close to the walls as I could, realizing that I was doing exactly the same thing I’d been hoping I wouldn’t have to do—traveling blindly through walls and ceilings, not knowing what was on the other side. But I had no other choice now but to keep moving. I had to make my way back up to the higher levels. At least now I was not in such a mad hurry. I was able to travel more slowly and cautiously, because I was not being chased by ghouls… at least not yet.

With each level I climbed, after sinking through the ceiling, I poked just half of my head through the floor of the level above, allowing me to scope out the room before emerging fully. It was a slow, arduous process, but along the way, I was at least able to take in more of the ghouls’ abode. I’d been running so fast before, everything had been a blur, and I’d barely been able to see my surroundings. It appeared to be one giant network of cavernous chambers, most of them scattered with their beloved decorative pools—at least those I passed through. I wondered where the residential quarters were; I didn’t spot any. As I climbed layer after layer, the pools grew more bright, more vibrant, more alive… until I was certain that I was only a few floors away from my own level. My belief was confirmed as I spotted a familiar tunnel—just beyond that was my cave.

I arrived at the entrance and began hurrying through until I reached about halfway, when I stopped dead in my tracks. Voices drifted through the tunnel from behind me. The voices did not belong to ghouls, however. These voices were those of a man and a woman. And I could understand them. Hurriedly, I sank into the wall of the tunnel and strained to listen.

“We’re not going to meet the demand,” the female voice hissed.

“We will, Lidera. We will.” The male voice was strangely familiar.

Lidera’s voice dropped to a hushed whisper. “Stop lying to yourself, and stop lying to me! You know we are far too short of the count to ever make the deadline. Why don’t you just admit it?”

Two fae came into view around a corner of the tunnel. Now I knew why the male voice sounded familiar. The man was the same copper-haired fae who had dragged me here, and the female… I’d never seen her before, but judging by her vivid hair color, they were related.

Anger boiled up within me to see the man again. Still, I tried to focus my mind on their conversation.

“Admit what?” my kidnapper snapped.

“That you’re leading us all into a pit!” Lidera shot back.

The man threw his hands into the air in exasperation and anger. “We have this conversation every time you come here with me! My answer now is no different than last time. We will meet it, I promise you.”

“An empty promise!” Lidera spat.

At this, the man halted. He whirled on her, his eyes flashing. “And what would you have me do? Pray tell, sister. What would you do, in my place? Don’t pretend that you weren’t just as eager to accept their assistance to begin with. Don’t play the innocent one here.”

“I’d rather break the bonds and forgo the punishment than face the consequences of this failure,” she breathed, her chest heaving with agitation. “And I would suggest that you, Sherus, and everybody else, do the same.” There was a span of silence as the siblings glowered at each other. Then Lidera broke it. “I must abandon this doomed mission.”

Sherus’ eyes bulged. “What?”

“I—I said I want no more part in this scheme.”

Sherus moved forward, his large hand snaking around her neck. He gripped her throat hard as his eyes bored into hers. “You seem to be forgetting that we made a pact. All of us. You cannot simply back out now.”

“I already told you, I don’t care anymore!” she whispered, even as her eyes glistened with fear. Then she reached up slowly and touched her brother’s cheek. “I don’t want to be around to see you fail, brother,” she said in a softer tone this time, an almost endearing tone. “Though I wish—how I wish—you will succeed.”

“Coward!” Sherus hissed, letting go of her neck and shoving her hand away from him. “I cannot believe you!”

“I’m sorry,” she murmured, taking a step back. Then, without another word, she jerked forward and raced away down the tunnel out of sight, leaving Sherus standing alone, agape.

Indignation burned in his irises, but as he stood there, I could’ve sworn that I also spotted a flicker of doubt. Then he shook his head angrily and ran his hands over his face. After remaining rooted to the spot for a few moments longer, he continued on his way after her. Once the sounds of his footsteps became faint echoes, I dared drift out of the wall again.

My mind was racing as I attempted to make sense of the conversation. What did the woman—Lidera—mean by count? Count of ghosts, I could only assume. Apparently they were behind—something that was hard to believe from the sheer mass of ghosts I’d spotted so far in this place. I wondered how many ghosts the ghouls had demanded altogether in exchange for their help all those decades ago.

As Sherus’ footsteps faded completely, I realized that I would be a fool not to follow after him. He was heading for the direction of the exit. The exit. If I could just somehow tag along behind him… I began hurrying forward, even as I tried to remain in the shadows of the craggy walls. Sherus seemed to be in no particular hurry—or more likely he was just deep in thought—as I caught sight of him along the corridor. He exited the tunnel and entered another chamber—which, if my memory served me correctly, was the chamber that held my own pool. I didn’t have time to check. I fixed my eyes on him in tunnel vision as I trailed as closely behind him as I dared. He crossed to the other side of the cavern and then wound his way through another tunnel. Soon, we approached the main door. Gripping the handle, he twisted it sharply and pushed it open. He stepped through, immediately closing it behind him. It didn’t matter. I did not need his help getting through this particular door anyway. Afraid that he might start traveling faster and I could lose his trail, I quickly passed through the solid wood.