𝟮𝟯𝘅 𝗙𝗘𝗔𝗧𝗨𝗥𝗘𝗗 · CREATORS PROGRAM · A gothic fairytale based on the Black Prince from Sri Lankan folklore |
A teen ghosthunter must defeat the alluring demon Black Prince in order to save her haunted city.
***
The Great Haunting was just a...
A wave of dizziness made her stumble. Diyan steadied her.
She clutched her bitten hand. Agony pulsed out from the bite marks. Through her swimming vision and overwhelming darkness, she could barely discern the multiple railroads in the tunnel, which branched off in the distance. Minecarts trundled along, and the amplified din assaulted her eardrums. That was when she realized that Diyan was talking to her.
"—need to hurry." He half-carried her as he rushed to intercept the moving carts. "Naga venom isn't deadly, but your hand needs treatment. Try not to move it."
"I didn't know there was a hospital in these parts," she murmured.
He shook his head and loaded her onto a cart carrying stone. She wondered what was pulling the carts. Raya jumped aboard behind Diyan—a shadow that melted into the murk. The cart grated and protested under the added weight.
It wasn't long before they entered a narrow tunnel, with a ceiling too low for comfort. Binara bit down a whimper, very much aware of Diyan's worried gaze.
"How much does it hurt?" he asked.
"It's nothing." She sucked in a deep breath. "What do we do now? This thing could be going anywhere."
He pulled out a compass from his pocket and studied it, though it was a wonder how he could see anything.
"Don't get me wrong—I'm glad to be out of that den of snakes." Binara shifted to a more comfortable position and rested her head against Raya. "But is there any hope of getting to Mount Meru before..."
"Binara," he said softly. "We're actually going to gain time."
She raised her head. "Huh?"
"This tunnel is heading roughly in the direction we need to go. It's likely to veer off eventually, so we'd have to disembark at an opportune moment. Still..."
Her heart leaped. It was a strange twist of fate that they got this unlikely ride towards their destination.
The last of the lamps receded to a mere speck, and the darkness swallowed it up. As the cart went on, Binara slumped back against the stone—blind except for her sixth sense. After all the misfortune that had plagued this journey, she clung on to this ray of hope that now peeked through the clouds. Despite her throbbing hand and the images of horror still fresh on her mind, her spirits soared.
However, the dizziness refused to subside, and her ears tuned out the abysmal thrum of the cart. Soon after, she sank into a state of semi-wakefulness—a limbo between consciousness and nightmares.
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"Wake up, my lady."
Binara mumbled under her breath and curled into a ball. Whiskers tickled her cheeks, and a rough tongue licked her. She groaned.
