Chapter 185: ~The Prisoners~

(Fiona’s POV)

It took me a while to recover from the shock. I could still feel myself growing hot all over and my eyes were burning, but at least I had stopped crying.

The security guards let me go as soon as they saw I wasn't being violent any longer, but my legs gave way, and I collapsed to the ground as my knees buckled. They felt like jelly, as if there were no bones or muscles in them.

“We might need to take a break,” Valkyr said.

“N… No,” I responded quickly. Far too quickly. “We'll continue. I need to find Ziva tonight.”

He looked unsure, but I was certain that if there was anything he knew, it was to never argue with me.

“I'm strong. I can do it,” I reassured myself, ignoring the tenderness in my legs.

He studied me for a while and, when he was sure I could walk, resumed the journey.

“We're getting closer,” Valkyr mumbled under his breath. “I can feel it.”

In some ways, I too could feel it. The same energy that the Dullahan had brought to the borders of Wintercrest seemed charged in the air.

I could practically feel my feet growing heavier as we walked into the thick of the woods. This was it; there was no going back.

I braced myself mentally, ignoring the eerie whispers in the air.

I could feel the Dullahan nearby, but I couldn't see it. I swallowed nervously.

“It's somewhere around here,” Valkyr said. “I just can't tell where.”

I looked around, watching for any sign I could pick up. And there it was-A tree-but not just any tree. It was extra large, almost the size of five trees combined. It was full of leaves, its bark thick, but there were no fruits on it and I couldn't shake off the feeling in my gut that this was where the Dullahan was.

I moved closer to the tree while the security guards were on my tail. As I got closer, I placed my hand against the tree, and it felt so icy against my palm that I had to pull away. “What is that?”

“It's a secret passageway to the Dullahan's lair,” Valkyr said.

“So what do we do?”

“Wait,” he said. “We wait.”

–--------------

I was almost dozing off when Valkyr lightly nudged me awake.

“Fiona, wake up! The passageway is open.”

My eyes snapped open, and I immediately saw the large tree trunk. There was now an opening in the middle.

“Are you ready?” Valkyr asked.

I nodded.

“Are you prepared for whatever we meet, because once you go in, there's no coming out?”

“I have to do this,” I said, talking more to myself than to him.

He turned to the security. “You both have to stay here and keep watch.”

Then, stepping forward through the opening in the tree, Valkyr and I entered the Dullahan's lair.

At first, everything was pitch black, so it took me quite a while for my eyes to adjust to the darkness.

“Keep quiet,” Valkyr said as he took my hand in his and whispered under his breath. “It would do us good if we could get them out to safety without alerting the creature.”

I nodded quietly for fear that someone would hear me.

We moved closer into the lair, and I began to hear voices… multiple voices wailing, moaning, and crying.

“So much for unfinished destinies,” I muttered under my breath.

As we moved closer in the direction of the voices, I could see the shadows of people trapped inside makeshift prisons made of magical shields.

There were dozens of people trapped inside the Dullahan's lair. I had to press my hand on my mouth to keep from screaming.

The Dullahan had been capturing people… lots of them.

There was something common about them all. They all looked painfully thin, worn out and raggedy.

“Look, Valkyr,” I whispered to him. “There are many people here who have been captured.”

“I wonder what the creature wants with them,” Valkyr seemed to be handling the shocking scene better than I was.

As we passed one of the prisons, I spotted a very familiar silhouette, one that I knew all too well. One that I knew all too well.

“Ziva!” I exclaimed, running toward her cell. “Ziva, are you awake?”

There was no response from her. I watched Ziva lying prone on the ground and my panic grew, only easing when I saw the steady rise and fall of her breathing.

She was only unconscious.

I tried to break through the barrier, tried to reach her, but there was no way through.

“Let me try,” Valkyr said, and I cleared the way for him. He tried once, twice, and thrice but nothing was working.

Growing impatient, I yelled her name. “Ziva, wake up!”

If there was anyone who knew how to get out of here, it was her.

“Ziva!” I yelled her name again. “We're trying to get you out of here!”

“Keep it down,” Valkyr warned.

Immediately, I saw someone in the next cell stir awake.

“Fiona?” a loud voice called out.

It was Lyra. Valkyr's eyes widened in horror.

“It's you! I can hear your voice, Fiona!” she screamed. “Get me out of here!”

Suddenly, it seemed the others in the cave had overheard us, and assuming I was their savior all began to cry and wail loudly. “Save us! Save us!”

“No. No. No.” Valkyr shook his head, dragging my hand along. “Fiona, we need to leave here now.”

But it was too late.

I saw candles flare to life, and all of a sudden, the lair was illuminated.

Valkyr and I moved closer to each other in fright, looking around. Then I saw it. The Dullahan approached us.

My eyes met Valkyr's, and fear clouded them.