343- Anymore
POV Seraphine Valerian:
“I prefer full moon nights for a walk, but I can’t stand being inside anymore!” she said loudly to me. “I’ll show you some ancient trees before we head to the village center. Can you believe—”
We turned left, and she huffed, pulling me into the castle’s shadow, close to the wall. She whispered:
“Now we run along here so the tower guards won’t see us.”
The tightness in my chest worsened. At the last second, I grabbed her arm, opening my mouth as anxiety surged through me.
“Adelina…”
“Come!” she pulled me.
I followed, my heart racing.
Thinking of him.
I would never see him again. Never discover what was between us—that powerful, hypnotizing thing that dominated me, my dreams of the man with golden eyes, whether it really was Viktor. All the mystery surrounding him in my life.
It hurt, and I didn’t even understand why. Frightened, I knew I needed to get away, to fight for myself, for my freedom. So I ran as fast as I could, pushing everything aside. I would deal with it later.
The entrance Adelina spoke of wasn’t the one I had tried the night before. We passed it, circling the massive rock wall. Just before reaching the gates that led to the new mine—monitored—she signaled for us to crouch, avoiding the light.
We pressed ourselves against the rock, on a slight downward slope, into a gap I hadn’t even noticed. There was a hatch there, like a cellar entrance. Stronger than me, Adelina lifted it enough and murmured:
“Go in and turn on the flashlight. Careful—there are steps going down.”
I obeyed, remembering the panic with the bats in the darkness. I steadied myself against the wall and lit the way ahead, still crouched. She joined me, closing the hatch above us.
We were immediately surrounded by the smell of dampness, mold, and decay. My hands trembled—I still felt something warning me to turn back, to run to the castle. I bit my lip to keep from sabotaging myself.
She moved ahead, explaining:
“I can see better than you, but the flashlight helps. Stay close. Do everything I do. Let’s go!”
We descended quickly until we reached rocky ground, slightly dirty with soil and leaves. She picked up speed, and I followed, trying not to think. Driven by emotion, by anxiety, by the desire to reclaim control over my life.
Only our footsteps and breathing broke the silence. The path was wider than the other mine and sometimes split into two or three directions, but she chose without hesitation, as if descending through a perforated mountain.
We stepped in puddles, encountered dripping water, rats scurried past at one point, fleeing from us. I almost screamed, trying not to let fear take over.
It became a labyrinth, some tunnels blocked with stones or wood, darkness cut only by the beam of our lights.
It felt like hours, but it must have been just over one. My breathing was heavy and uneven, the air thick and harder to draw, the cold unable to stop a layer of sweat from covering me. Adelina was far more resistant with her wolf physiology, pausing at times to wait for me and urge me forward.
Even if I wanted to go back, I wouldn’t know how. Fear intensified, and I longed to be far from those sinister, suffocating tunnels.
After a turn, she stopped and whispered:
“We’re connecting to the secret passage. I don’t think there’ll be patrols—we haven’t been attacked from this side yet. If anyone appears, don’t leave my side. Understood?”
“Yes.”
“And try not to make noise. Come. Slowly.”
I felt along the wall, following her, biting my lip to keep from gasping. We reached a larger central area with three passages besides the one we came from. Without hesitation, she took the one on the left, glancing around. She gestured, then accelerated. I ran after her.
It was madness—turns, choices, climbs and descents depending on the stretch. I had always been good at running and fighting, had stamina, but I felt exhausted, on the verge of begging for a rest. I forced myself to keep going.
“We’re close. There.”
Then I saw it—a massive vertical wooden ladder rising through a kind of shaft. I aimed my flashlight upward, seeing a large wooden hatch. I followed, gripping the rungs, placing my feet carefully. It was several meters high—a fall would likely break my neck.
Adelina tucked her flashlight into her pocket, and I illuminated a heavy latch, which she opened. With effort, she pushed the wood upward and peeked outside. She opened it further and jumped onto the ground, waiting for me.
I did the same, relieved to feel the pure, cold scent of the forest. To leave that stone tomb behind. I dropped to the ground, grabbing the water bottle tucked under my waistband and drinking long, desperate gulps.
She closed the hatch, and to my surprise, it was impossible to tell it was there. It was covered with grass and plants, blending into the vegetation.
“Don’t drink it all. We still have about an hour of running before we descend. Konrad’s territory is the closest. We’ll ask for shelter there. Then I’ll ask him to inform Lucian that I’m free to meet him.”
There was nervous excitement in her voice. She took a few sips from her own bottle, scanning the surroundings.
It was quite dark, but the crescent moon cast a silvery glow, outlining the trees. If I were alone, I’d get lost in that endless sameness.
“My father has cameras around here too. But I don’t think we’ll have problems—he’s focused on the northern field right now. Still, we need to be quick and stay together. And alert—there could be enemies roaming this area.”
I stood up, unable to speak, just as nervous.
Even more so when she added:
“If something goes wrong, Seraphine, go back. Try heading south—run without stopping.”
“What… wrong how?”
“It won’t happen. Come on.”
She ran, and I followed, breathless, tense. Using my flashlight to keep her in sight and avoid crashing into branches. Fear was already swallowing me, imagining beasts or men grabbing us out of nowhere.
I remembered the terror from when I was attacked in the gypsy village, thrown against a tree. The bodies on the ground. Viktor. Was it really him? And what if—
I pushed the doubts away, trying to keep up with Adelina. She could have sprinted ahead, but held back for me, constantly urging me forward.
We ran until my heart felt like it would leap out of my chest, my lungs and muscles burning, my throat dry. I thought of Viktor again and was suddenly struck by an unbearable internal pain. Out of nowhere came the desperate urge to return to him—unexplainable and agonizing.
Tears filled my eyes, and I brushed them away angrily, not understanding. It felt like something was being ripped out of me, throbbing, bleeding. Something was wrong.
“Konrad’s pack is nearby. I can smell different wolves. Come on, Seraphine! We’re almost there!”
I kept going.
But the fear grew—along with that suffocating feeling.
It couldn’t be longing.
But something inside me screamed for Viktor. With force.