Escape (Book 1 of the Gods' series)

Chapter 11

We slowly stepped into the large, circular room; it was something out of a dream, the floor and walls were made out of marble, the floor white and the walls a mixture of blues and pinks and greys, the roof was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, it, too, looked like marble but I doubted it was, it had flowers and angels carved onto it’s white surface, it looked like a place of Gods, it reminded me of a pond, we were under the surface and the flowers gently floated on top while angels flitted around above. On the walls, in a matching marble, was a corridor, it went around the whole circular room, there was a marble white spiral staircase going to the top.

I heard the clicking of shoes on the marble floor from behind a white door. Nyx pushed it open, her midnight blue dress not quite fitting in with the room, it was like she was just trying to tell people she wasn’t normal, I would have normally expected a tall slim accountant woman to step out from behind the door wearing a pale pink or light blue top with a white blazer and matching pencil skirt, she would have fit in, but not Nyx, with all her dark, evil might, I could practically see darkness glowing from around her, but the glow wasn’t black, it was gold, like the keys. I then noticed she wasn’t wearing shoes then I wondered what the tapping was, then her dress billowed a bit more and I caught a glimpse of a gold staff, it had rubies melted into it and it was glowing, so that’s what is making the enchantments I thought to myself. “Ah, I see you finally arrived, I didn’t think I would see you all in tip top condition. But, you won’t be in a good condition when I’m done with you.”- She shot us a nasty grin and turned to the door. –“Enyo! Come here, we have guests!” I heard a faint tapping of footsteps and then the girl I had seen earlier emerged from the door, “Hang on! I thought you said you work alone!” Dylan shouted,

“She lied, Dylan, I saw when Jess tried to join her. Enyo, that’s the goddess of war isn’t it?” ‘Enyo’ nodded at me. “Quiet Philyra! You are in my place, so you do not speak until told to!”

“Mistress, may I?”

“Yes young one, you may speak.” Enyo walked towards me and circled me, “So you are Philyra, my mistress told me to be wary of you.”-

“She’s not your mistress! You are one of us! You are an apprentice of the Greek gods!” Jess blurted. Enyo spun to glare at Jess, “You do not speak unless spoken to!” Enyo shouted as she shot a ball of what looked like pure energy towards Jess, she reacted quickly and pushed it aside with a wave of water.

Everything burst out pretty quickly then, Enyo started for Jess, Dylan and Aaron went for Nyx and I was stood there alone not doing anything, then everything went into slow motion as I noticed something, it was so minute, I was surprised that I saw it. The door, Enyo had closed it when she came in, but it was open just an inch, but it was open when it hadn’t been before. Suddenly, an arrow flew straight across the room at me; I quickly dodged it and looked at where it had come from, up on the corridor that lined the walls was a man, he wore tan leather just like me and looked very strong and experienced, he must’ve been one of Nyx’s many minions, a professional archer. “Archers!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. Arrows flew all over then, but everyone couldn’t stop them because they were busy fighting, I wasn’t, I ran and morphed into a griffin, I spread my golden wings and glided towards the archers, I neatly clawed at them until there was only one left standing. I expected him to run, but he didn’t he just smiled a clean white grin at me, that one moment of distraction was all it took.

The archer drew his bow back and shot an arrow straight into my feathery gold shoulder, I let out a deafening squawk that caught everyone’s attention, Nyx and Enyo took that time to grab Aaron, Jess and Dylan and knock them all out with clean swipes of their hands. I fell to the ground and a pool of blood lowed from the arrow wound onto the floor, the blood wasn’t human, it was thick and was a plum colour, it was staining my beautiful feathers. I used all of my strength to turn back human and laid limply on the floor, allowing the blood to pour over my body, the arrow moved as something passed it and I flinched as the movement sent electric feeling pain throughout my entire body, like a thousand tiny metal arrows flying through a power line and diving into my body.

I held back a scream when I felt someone pick me up and carry me somewhere. I kept my eyes closed, I didn’t want to see. I heard Nyx say, “Put her there with the others, and please, someone get that disgusting arrow out of her shoulder, ugh.” I could hear the disgust in her voice, she made me sick. I felt someone yank at the arrow and I let out a cry of pain and opened my eyes, I was in what looked like a stable with iron bars where the door should have been, there were piles of old hay in he corners, some hooks on the wall and an old wooden stool that didn’t look stable. I was placed on the hard stone floor and I saw Dylan, Jess and Aaron being carried in and placed on the floor around me. I looked above me to see Enyo, she quickly dismissed the guard like men that stood at the door, as soon as they had gone, she turned to face me, “Nyx will want to see you, I will send some new clothes in for you.” She rushed it all out as a guard walked past the room we were held in, after he was out of earshot she said, “Look, Nyx took me when I came on a school trip, I didn’t realise she was evil until I saw the staff.” She kept on frantically looking around while she spoke. “Staff? What staff?” I questioned her rapid explanation, “The gold one, she hides it in the folds of her dress, it shines gold and curses anything she wants it to.” Then it all clicked and I burst out. “The keys! And her! She used the staff to curse the keys and make herself fly!” Enyo put her finger to her lips and whispered, “Sssh, idiot! She will hear you! Now, I want to get out of here as much as you do, so I will make you a deal,” I silently nodded as she, again, scanned the room warily, “I will help you defeat her, because without my help she will kill you, as long as you help me get out of here too.” She kneeled beside me and said, “By the way, my human name is Gabriella, and you are Charlotte, we go to school together.” I then realised that she was telling the truth and it all clicked to place, “You are like us!” I whispered excitedly.

She smiled at me and said in a louder voice, “Well Philyra, this is going to hurt much worse than your death.” She winked at me before she tugged the arrow out of my shoulder, I screamed in pain as the arrow tugged on my flesh, ripping it as it came free, the blood gushed freely over my body. Gabriella quickly covered it with a pile of the hay on the wound; it obviously wasn’t clean because I could feel the dust going in my blood, “Oh dear, um, well, I don’t know what to do now.” Gabriella shot me a panicked look, “Don’t panic,” I assured her, “I’ll have it all sorted.” She gave me a question mark look and I whispered, “I’m a healer, I will heal myself.” She nodded and said quickly “I will get you your clothes, I hope they wake up soon, you will need help.” Before she strode out of the room, when I was sure I was slightly alone- obviously Dylan and Aaron and Jess were still there, but they couldn’t see me- I pulled the hay off of my shoulder, most of it was stained and clung to the wound like leeches. When most of the sticky red hay was off of my bloodied shoulder I placed my hand delicately on it and concentrated on healing myself, the usual happened, gold surrounding me, everything fading and my hair going wild, then I was back in the room.

Gabriella had placed a stool in the corner and was watching me as I stood up and showed her where there had once been a gaping hole and unwounded skin was in its place. I heard a muffled moan behind me and I turned to see Dylan trying get up, I immediately ran to help him, he clung to my arm as I slowly pulled him up onto his knees, he looked up at me from the floor and I smiled at him, he seemed to be dazed, he had forgotten all that had happened, then I saw realisation flood back into his body and he practically jumped out of my arms and on to his feet. “Are you ok?” He cried giving me a quick once over before I put a calm hand on his shoulder and softly said, “Dylan, I’m fine, I healed myself before any more damage was done.” I quickly glanced at the pile of hay that was in the middle of the floor; he followed my gaze then looked back to me, “Wha-? That is no way safe! Who put that on you?” Then he clocked Gabriella sitting in the corner.