Page 37 of Taken By the Lord of the Nocturne Court
But the sense of peace this discovery brings me is soon replaced by dread as I look out at the shimmering reflection of the moon’s face in the endless waters.
It’s high tide.
Chapter 14
Luke
The stairs take me down to an abyss. They wind endlessly, making me dizzy, and I have to watch my feet on the narrow steps to avoid tumbling into the void below. Without the warm glow of the lantern, I would have probably slipped and broken my neck by now.
The farther I climb down, the colder it gets, and my wedding outfit isn’t meant for any of this. I drape the cape over my other shoulder for warmth, but my focus is solely on getting out of here alive. At least the cardio I’m doing keeps my blood pumping as I sink further into the depths where silence is the loudest of all noises.
By the time I reach the bottom, I fear the soft padding of my own feet can be heard all the way in the castle, but no one’s coming after me. As I leave the staircase behind and follow a narrow corridor deeper into the bowels of the rocky cliff underneath the court, I tell myself to stay calm and follow directions.
The walls around me are covered with salt deposits arranged into abstract patterns ranging from a pure black to white. But I don’t know how long of a way I have ahead of me, so I focus on the path and walk on, guided by the glow of my lantern.
The passage narrows, following a labyrinthine path with too many bends to count. I worry that maybe I have taken the wrong turn, but moments later, I’m spat out into a cavern so huge the golden flame I’m carrying can’t quite disperse its shadows. There were no doors on the way, not even curtains, yet now the noise coming from above overwhelms my senses. The intense scent of salt gets in my nose, my throat, my lungs, and burns themas I struggle not to let intimidation take hold of me. I narrow my eyes in an effort to see the creature twisting somewhere above.
It’s too dark for me to see any details, but its form twitches near-constantly, as if it were a pit of snakes rather than a single being, and the buzz it makes sinks deep into my flesh.
The best weapon I have is the lantern and an impromptu knuckleduster made of bejeweled rings. Hardly a threat to something ofthatsize.
I move at a slow pace, but at this point it must have spotted me, and I can’t risk putting out the flame in my lantern. So instead, I lift it, in hope that the creature will fear the light.
Squinting, I’m trying to make out what it is, and I spot what could be the leathery wing of a bat as big as my bedroom. Or a… dragon? Not out of the realm of possibility in a fantasy world, right?
But as the monster remains docile, it hits me that it’s likely not a living being at all but a multitude of shark skins. Reiner told me about them being treated in the caves under the castle.
My relief is short-lived, though, because something snakes over my shoe, all the way up to my ankle. I can’t help it. I scream out and jump back, barely holding on to the lantern.
Only when I recover from the initial bout of panic do I notice that I wasn’t attacked by some deadly sea snake. It was just a wave hitting my legs. Water covers my shoes for a moment before backing out.
But getting my boots wet can hardly be compared to a lifetime as a shadow slave to a malevolent elven prince.
The echo of my scream fades, replaced by several screeches.
I spin around to spot the creatures, but all I see is shallow water that’s already making my feet colder. The cave is so vast it could probably accommodate a five-story apartment building, but while I don’t have any idea about how wide it stretches around me, Vinia’s instructions come back to me, and I look for the path disappearing under the shallow waves.
Maybe the squeaks belonged to mice startled by the noise I made? Surely, my savior would have warned me if there was anything insidious creeping in this cavern?
I exhale, roll my shoulders to loosen them up, and walk on, trying to muzzle my imagination as it attempts to poison me with ideas of monsters watching me from behind jagged rocks I can just about see in the dark.
The distinctive scent of the sea is overpowering but has a sweet undercurrent of rot that makes my lip curl. I’m trudging through ankle-deep water, but all I can think of is the beach I will soon reach. I don’t have time for overthinking, and the warm light in my lantern keeps me grounded.
So maybe the life I’m running back to isn’t all that great, but at least it’smine.
I’m twenty-one, for fuck’s sake. I’m not about to get married because of a good dicking. And sweet words. And the promise of riches.
My body still aches in a few places after last night, and it’s such a bittersweet reminder of just how into me he was. Literally. He couldn’t get enough of me, and I ate it up. Talk about lovebombing—
The ground shakes, making the water sway from side to side as if I were standing in a pot held by an unhinged cook. I’m splashed all the way to my thighs, and only grabbing onto a nearby rock saves me from tripping. I freeze when the thump of small rocks falling echoes all around me, but moments later, the danger’s over, and I straighten, damp with sweat.
What. The. Hell.
Then a screeching that almost deafens me echoes above. I know bat cries when I hear them, and there must be hundreds of them here. I crouch in terror when the calls get closer along with the thunderous flap of hundreds of wings.
Like a wave, they swish through the air above me. All I can do is wait, as a few fly close enough to push off my tiara. It lands in the rising water, and I desperately pat the ground under the surface, but just as I think I’ve found it, a strong wave takes it away. The pull of the cold water is so intense it forces me to my knees, but at least it seems all the bats are gone now, and I can continue my trek to the beach.
Maybe it is best that I don’t linger. What could I possibly do with the tiara back in the real world? If I tried to sell it, surely I’d get reported for theft and get in all sorts of trouble, because it’s not like regular people keep such items in the attic.