Dark Nine ❈ Dark Nine Universe Bk1 ❈

Chapter Twenty-Five

Mars holds my hand and leads me out of the cell, making sure I'm steady after being in a coma for half the week.

While we move out into a cold wind within the prison of Apastron, I feel safe with him close.

I gaze at the metallic sheen on everything outside my lonely cell, and I spy the thousands of cells around me on the other side... but these don't seem like Kor cells. They're too small for them.

Planet Apastron was different to Dark Ninth.

As I try to look how far up these cells go, going forever it seems into the shadow sky – my view is blocked by Jupiter.

He appears in front of me, holding out a robe, which he suddenly offers to put around my shoulders, distracting me from the sight beyond.

It's very light material, I barely feel it at all, but it covers me.

It drapes softly around me and I feel like I look... just a bit more like Cinta. Dressed in a long, draping robe like this.

"Spider silk," I whisper as I touch it and I can't feel it, "Isn't it?"

Jupiter makes a scoff of agreement, adding, "Yes, and it's very fucking expensive, Diana..." as he admires it on me, I step around him to keep looking out at the cells beyond.

Empty. Empty?

At first glance... that's what they appear to be.

I squint.

Or... are their moving bodies within them? Moving slowly and weakly, covered in so much dark blue dust and grime, they've appeared as if they're not there at all. There are no lights to give them a reprieve from the darkness of this place. No lights to help with my eyesight.

I try to focus, even though the cells are so far away from my own, which is on the other side of a large crevasse that eats away into the planet, dropping down until you have no idea how deep it goes.

"Diana. We have to move now. Follow us."

Mars commands me. I ignore him.

I walk to the edge of the crevasse. No barrier at all.

I feel hands fall on my shoulders, and I see Mercury appear behind me, his eyes sharp and capturing my curious gaze.

"What is this place?" I ask, wanting to know.

"Doesn't matter," Mercury murmurs, seriously refusing to tell me.

I am used to being dismissed by now.

I shrug him off, or attempt to, as I turn my gaze back to the cells, "Hello?!" I call out and my voice echoes easily to the other side, "Is anyone there!"

The moment I ask the question, my Kors suddenly all appear together, moving in my view and pushing me away from the edge, blocking my vision of the cells on the other side.

I glare at all of them, it's all I can do.

But then I hear a reply.

"...who...whoever you are..."

I hear a sickly voice call out from the other side. My Kors look anxious to move me on.

"Run... run while you... can," it's a gasp and a wheeze. The voice of someone dying.

Severe dehydration. Malnourishment.

The girls filling those cells are left there without anything.

My heart twists silently for them, but right now my Kors are blocking any attempt to communicate back.