LOF: Book 3-The Oncoming Darkness

Chapter 32

"That fire fairy..was she really your sister?"

Sunny's question was left unanswered for a few moments as Kara tried to muster up some composure. She had been walking for a while now with the others, and had gone longer without stopping to talk or rest, so when she finally did force herself to speak, her words were raspy and strained.
"Yes. I don't know much about her, but I do know we're related."

"She's so different from you," came Reena's soft response. "It's surprising."

"Well, she grew up very differently than Kara did, so I suppose that had something to do with it. Oh, I remember a time when-"

"Caleb, no," Peony said in a stern way.
The violet embers from her hands were the only sources of light in the room, besides Sunny's flickering wings.
"No stories. We are in the deepest, most horrific part of the Void. If any of us were to speak too loudly, we could warrant attention and be captured in an instant."

"She's right," Shade added, looking at Kara as he said it. He could hardly be seen in the gloom, due to his dark clothing and even darker hair. "We've come too far to be stopped. Let's keep quiet for now."

Kara nodded, and the others did, too.
There wasn't much to see in the room they passed through.
Some more cells were there, but they were empty and blood spattered.
Kara shuddered as she passed them.
She could only guess about what terrible things had occurred.
The walls became narrower, and eerie markings soon lined them, ones that could be glimpsed briefly by the darting, dancing glow of the firelight.
Some names were carved there-names of people long forgotten. There were scrawled pictures, symbols, and tally marks, like in traditional cells.
The pictures caught Kara's eye the most, though. Sometimes they were random things, like a muddled face or a sword, but most times they were depictions of demise beasts. Some had their teeth bared, others had scales that heavily coated their faces, and others had big eyes that seemed to follow those that moved in front of it.
As Kara continued on, the pictures only multiplied, growing bigger and more detailed and frightening every second.
She shivered out of the chill in the hall.
Well, she told herself she was shivering because of that.
I'm not scared, she thought. I'm not.
I won't let myself be.
That's what Hurricane wants, and I won't let him see me be scared.
Foster had been hovering beside the group, following them through the abyss. His translucent body glowed faintly in the dark.
All of a sudden, he moved closer to her and nudged her arm. Kara ignored him at first, but then when he did it again, she turned to look at him, annoyed.
"What?"

The ghost's eyes fixed on her intensely.
"Did you hear that?"

Kara narrowed her eyes in confusion.
"No. What are you talking about?"

"There was a noise!
No, not just a noise, a voice!
A man's voice.
I-I heard it a second ago, as clear as day.
You didn't hear it?"

Kara shook her head, thoroughly flustered by this. Had Foster completely lost it?
There were no noises down here, besides the footsteps of their group, their breathing, if it was audible, the dripping of moisture from the low ceiling, and some humming.
Wait...humming?
It began slowly, sounding low and lively.
It was like the kind of music you might hear in a church, but more elevated and teeming with a wild sense of desperation. Alarmed, Kara could do nothing but continue to walk, though that proved to be a challenge with this strange music ringing  through her ears. Soon, it grew to a volume that was almost unbearable.
The music, like the gentle high tones of a pipe organ, became lower and piercing, accompanied with cries that hardly sounded human. Kara exchanged a glance with Foster, and saw that he had turned incredibly pale, looking with wide eyes at something just ahead of her. Kara looked where he was looking, and a sharp gasp came from her. All she could do was cover her mouth.
In front of them both was the bright, blinding outline of a humanoid figure.
The figure was humming, humming almost inaudibly now. It turned, and the light dissipated. As the gleaming fell away, the figure was revealed to be a young woman, one with brown hair pulled back in a bun. She had gentle, dark eyes, and light freckles along the edges of her face.
She was accompanied by someone else, a fairy with purple tinted hair tied in a braid. A stern expression was on her face.
The two had been hovering several inches off the floor, but now they descended downwards to stand before Kara and the others.
The hall narrowed to a point where it became unsurpassable, and the group slowed to a stop, looking for an alternative route. Kara did too, but looked on with amazement.
The girl with brown hair smiled and came close. "Hello, Kara," she murmured.
"Hello to you too, Foster.
You don't have to say a word.
Let me and Morana do the talking."