Sacred

Chapter 28

   They soon came to another ledge and this time, they heard a feminine moan, but no words. The queen was a very quiet and peaceful soul. She wouldn't talk much. Nick looked out into the darkness. "You're majesty? Queen Grace? It's me, Nick."

   There was a slight rattle of chains and then a voice came through. "Nick? You're here? Are the other Lights here?"

   Nick smiled as he realized she wasnt quite tired out fully yet. "Yes. We also have a new one. You can meet her soon, but you need to kind of tell me how your chained so I can release you."

   The queen took a second and then her voice came back. "My hands are in some kind of box and I think the chains go outwards to the sides. I can't tell you much more than that, that's all I can tell in this darkness."

   Nick nodded to himself. "Thank you. That's all I needed to know."

   He gestured to the lights and they split into two teams, Louis and Nick going one way, while Caine and Ochulissa went another way. Their aim was the find the chains and where they were linked. Nick soon came across a small hook on the floor where a chain was looped through it. He tugged  on the chain and he heard the queen gasped in surprise. "Don't worry, your majesty. It's just me. I'll have you out in no time. Now don't panic. I'm sending all his down to be there with you."

   Louis grabbed hold of the chain ad slid down it until he too was lost in the darkness. Nick dared to call out across the pit. "Caine? Ochulissa? Have you found the link?"

   A few moments went by before a gasping answer came back. "Yeah. We found it. What do you want us to do?"

   That was Caine's voice. Nick grabbed a hold of the chain. "Unhook it on that side and Louis and the queen will be brought over to my side of the wall where I'll hoist them up. Be gentle and let it go easy."

   A few seconds later, his side of the chain tightened extremely and the chain leading into the darkness suddenly veered towards his wall. A male grunt came from down below and he glanced down. "You guys okay?"

   Louis answered back. "Yeah. My side hurts a little, but I'm fine. The queens unharmed."

   Nick nodded before grabbing the chains and heaving for all he was worth. Luckily, the two people he was carrying weren't that heavy or large and so it was easy going. As Louis and the queen came into view, a wave of relief crashed over him. The queen's hair wasn't drained of color yet. But as Louis lifted her onto the ledge, that relief turned to despair.

   Her eyes had drained instead, turning into a plain grey shade with swirls of brown amidst them. The queen side as he lifted her onto her feet. "I know. It's my eyes isn't it. I could feel it happening. It was like a numbing sensation in my eyes while I felt like a part of me was missing. But besides that, please tell me Alex is okay."

   Nick nodded and helped Louis to try and unlock the box on he  hand. It came off easily, being quite old and rusted. She got up and followed them to the stairwell. She sniffed pitifully and leaned her head against Nick. "I'm so sorry for what happened to Peter. He gave his life for us and I thank him for it, but it was terrible how he died."

   Nick patted her arm as they approached the stairs. "Don't worry. We buried him in the forest in a sunny clearing. He'll be in peace there among the sunlight that we all love so much. He died doing his job. He'd be proud to know that. At least he'll get to see his dad again."

   Louis nodded and sighed. "It all happens to us eventually. Some earlier than others, but sometimes we manage to live full lives. It all depends on……what the hell!"

   As they came around the bend, the glow from their lanterns caught a sight they didn't expect at all. Caine had Ochulissa pressed to the wall, ravaging her mouth wildly while she pushed her hands through his hair.