Seal woke up, water splashing against her face.
“You faint a lot,” Beth said.
Seal lay inside a cave. The layers of animal skin she wore stripped from her.
“The Paleskins are gone,” Creighton, back to his handsome form, told her. “They say you have to stab them in the heart, but we’ve found twisting their necks hard enough works too. A Paleskins with a broken neck can’t feed and if they can’t feed, they can’t heal.”
Karl and William came in from the outside. Seal assumed they were hiding the bodies, but she didn’t really want to know.
“This is a passage, known by few. It leads up the mountain and into the palace. We will steal this spirit ball and escape. Most will be at the gathering, including the Sisters. This is lucky for us. Except for a few servants, the palace should be empty. If we run into anyone, we can take care of them, but it is still better if you hide,” Creighton Said.
Seal sat up. Her face remained damp. Beth patted her sister’s hand.
“This passage is cooler than out there. You will feel better soon,” Creighton added.
“Thank you for saving me,” Seal said. Without them, and others, she’d be food by now. Seal knew she would have to be something more than the girl that fainted to make it back home. More than the angry girl that blamed herself for losing Beth. She hoped when the time came, she could do the things she needed to rescue them all. She looked down at the Beth, who walked next to her. “How are you feeling?”
Beth looked up at her. “I’m worried about you, Seal. You have been hurt so many times. We should be home. I want to see mom and dad. I bet they miss us tons.”
Seal nodded. “I’m worried about you, Beth. I have been worried about you for a long time. I think about you all the time.” As they walked, they passed low hanging stalactites, which they ducked under. William barely fit through the passage and more than once his chains scraped loudly against the carved rock.
“I haven’t had enough time to tell you I love you and that I’m glad I have you in my life again.” The corner of Seal’s eyes welled with tears. “Can you forgive me for letting you die?”
“You didn’t do that me, Seal.”
“But I did. If we hadn’t gone. Or if we sat next to Javin, we would be okay. I was a snob, and I was mean. With him. With you. With mom and dad, too.”
“You don’t know, Seal. We were having fun. It isn’t your fault about the angry man or the tractor crash. I’m here now.”
“After I lost you, I thought about you every night. I read stories to Paintchip before bedtime,”
“Can I tell you a secret?” the doll said. “I remember the stories. I can feel you tucking me in. Some part of me was always inside Paintchip. Maybe mom and dad and your love kept part of me there and I think I stayed because you needed me.”
“Javin will be excited to see you again,” Seal told her. Beth giggled.
“Javin is a silly boy,” Beth said.
“Javin is a friend,” Seal answered. She hoped she would see him soon. She only had to steal this spiked ball and travel back without getting caught. They were nearly halfway there, and her companions were strong.
“We begin climb. Stairs steep. You go between,” William said.
Creighton pointed towards William. “William, you go last. You are most likely to scatter debris behind you.”
“Rude” said William.
Creighton and Karl led. Beth sat on Seal’s shoulder and held on to her sister’s hair for balance. The sound of scraping chains against the wall followed behind her. They reached dark, unlit landings. Instead of regular stairs, the carved stone formed into a spiral staircase leading straight up. There were occasional holes that had been drilled, allowing dim light from outside.
Once they encountered a servant. It passed by, remaining silent. Seal recognized it as one of her people, except blackened veins were visible under the skin.
“That one has long been sucked dry and spoiled.” Creighton explained. “It’s a wonder that not all are like that.” Seal shivered at the sight. She imagined dying and coming to this world, only to be used to feed evil people.
As they rose higher, the stairs widened. William no longer made scraping noises.
“We have left the dungeons,” Karl announced. He walked three steps ahead and leaned forward to make sure they were alone. “Follow our lead. The palace doesn’t need guards, but you never know who is here for supplication, or punishment.”
They turned the corner and a vast hall rose above them, at least 30 feet high. Chandeliers, taller than Seal, hung from the ceiling, filed with unlit yellowing candles. All the candles had wax trails running from their tops to their base.
Two doors lay open to the outside. No one guarded them. If the companions desired, they could escape that way. Everyone was at the Sister’s ceremony. The finely carpeted main hall stretched before them. Stone benches lined the walls at intervals, like you might see in a museum. The art of her people hung on the walls. It reminded her of Pavel Sted’s house.
They walked along the hallway, and Seal saw that some of the art contained scenes of horror. Some had Paleskins caging people. Others were people being used like teams of oxen, pulling heavy stones and logs. At the end of the long hall, they reached another set of stairs that rose upwards and then doubled back over each other, above the main hall into another long space.
This area had no art. Instead, trophies of things once living, the husks of creatures that had been preserved, covered the walls. There were beavers, bison heads, a cougar, a coyote, jumping mice, a black snake with a crooked, broken back. And many birds. It made Seal sad to look upon these dead animals. “Where did they come from?” she asked.
“Not animals,” Karl said. “Spirits of your people.”
“The Sisters trap them and drain them of their life and knowledge,” Creighton said.
“That is very bad,” Beth said.
“It is,” William replied. “Awful, they are.”
The animal trophies had cloudy white eyes that stared straight ahead. It reminded Seal of a haunted version of the Natural History Museum her parents took her to in Minnesota.
“One more level,” Karl said. “No more talking.” Despite his best attempt at stealth, William’s chains still rattled against him. “Try shuffle steps,” Karl spat at him.
“Does it matter now?” William asked.
“Shhhh, yes. Quieter.” The companions crept single file up a final set of stairs. Their caution was warranted. A few Paleskins remained. They sat in a chamber off the hallway. Past them, were two ornately carved doors that reached from floor to ceiling.
“That is the room we need,” Creighton whispered. “I smell at least five of them off to the side.”
“Could you take them?” Seal asked in a hushed tone.
“Too much noise. Wouldn’t be smart,” Creighton said. “We must sneak. That means William waits.” William did not object.
Seal turned to her sister. “Beth, you go first. You are hard to notice. Make sure they aren’t looking before you cross that threshold.”
Beth nodded.
“Careful now, doll,” Karl said, “Remember you glow to them. You will look like a wisp as you pass by.” Beth stuck up her arm, pointing towards Karl.
“What does that mean?” he asked.
“I think it means thumbs up,” Seal said.
Beth ran full speed across the stone floor. Her soft legs carried her silently to the door’s edge. She stopped and dropped on her side and scooted forward to look inside. The Paleskins were lying on stone slabs, like they were sleeping. Only one remained upright, a book in his hand.
He paced while reading. Beth watched as he walked past the stone slabs they used as beds, before repeating his path. He turned away and she scooted past the door.
Once clear, Beth mimicked the Paleskins motion by pacing and pretending she read a book in her hands. She hoped they would understand. As they watched her carry out her game of charades, Beth noticed the double doors had a small gap above the cold floor. She held up both arms to signal for them to wait as she peered under the door.
Without waiting, she pressed herself under the door. Seal wanted to yell out, telling Beth to stop, but she dared not make a sound. The doll disappeared with only a faint shadow moving back and forth inside the room. They waited before a single arm pushed its way under the door and pointed in their direction.
“Is that a thumb’s up?” Karl asked. “I guess that’s good?”
“Let’s go,” Creighton said. He went first and peered across the edge of the open door. He waited a few seconds and then leaped across and landed silently. He held one hand up like a stop sign and peered back into the room. He beckoned them to come forward and Karl did so without looking.
Seal waited for the signal for her turn to sneak across. She tiptoed as quickly as she could. She glanced in the room as she passed by. The Paleskins stood at the very back of the room, facing her, book in hand. Her heartbeat faster. Did he see her? Could he see her glow? When she made it across, she whispered to them, “I don’t know if he saw me.”
The three of them put their backs against the wall and waited. They heard the slap of a book on a firm surface. Would he come? She held her breath. They heard low talking begin in the room.
“Another has woken up,” Creighton whispered. “Let’s move on.” They reached the double doors and Creighton twisted the handle. It clicked, he pushed, it did not open. He tried again. “It is locked.”
Seal went to her knees to look under the door for Beth, but her eye met with an object sliding towards her. It tapped lightly on her forehead. She moved back. Beth found a key.
“I got lucky, it was on the floor, just waiting for me.”
Seal picked it up and slowly slid it into the lock. It opened with two soft clicks. She twisted the handle and gently pushed. The well-oiled door opened without a sound. As she walked through the entry, she saw Beth standing in the middle of the room. Creighton followed her and Karl closed the door behind them.
The room had a single giant opening; the eye hole that had been blasted away. Off to the left, she found the object they had risked their lives to find. The ball that would help them get home sat on a thin pedestal. Seal would learn later it was called the Spiritseeker. Sharp spikes protruded from it. She pulled out her gloves and approached the ball.
“Hurry,” Beth urged.
She picked it up and felt a strange sensation. It tried to pull towards her through the thick hide. “It feels cold,” she said. Karl and Creighton stood back by the blasted eye.
“Let’s go,” Seal said, “Beth scoot under the door to see if the Paleskins in the library have settled down.” Beth looked up at her but did not move.
“Come on, we have to leave.”
Her two companions looked her way, but remained silent.
Beth waved at Seal, crossing her arms wildly to get Seal’s attention.
“Something’s wrong. I hear…” The door burst open, knocking the small doll halfway across the room towards the blasted eye. William ran in. Two dozen Paleskins chased after him. Seal backed away and waited for her companions to fight their way out.
A woman followed behind the Paleskins. She wore an intricate indigo colored dress, cut to expose her shoulders. Large gems and gold flakes adorned her entire body. Seal knew this was one of the Sisters.
Her long blonde hair reached the middle of her back. She looked at Seal, staring right into her as though she could read her thoughts. She turned to Seal’s three companions, who now stood together.
“Thank you for bringing us this prize.” She said. “We shall reward you well.”
“Wait,” Seal Cried. “We can still fight. We can all go free,” not understanding the situation. She held up the spiked ball. She looked directly into Creighton’s eyes, silently pleading with him. He looked pained. Maybe she could persuade them. All was not lost.
Karl and William remained emotionless. Creighton finally shrugged towards Seal, “a job is a job.”
The Sister laughed. “They bet on a sure thing, not a timid girl like you,” Perdita said mockingly. “Those you called friends were sent to retrieve you the moment you came into this world. And you are a foolish girl to have followed them. But my sisters and I are grateful. All we needed to know is that you could hold the Spiritseeker. And you have passed that test. Now we will hold a party in your honor.”
Seal, in shock, barely registered the full betrayal. Her hand went slack, and the Spiritseeker clattered to the floor. She heard the gleeful laugh of the woman echo off the walls of the large room, and she noticed the dried blood that stained the floor.
Beth wept in the background.