Marker of Hope (24 page)

Galilea and I caught up to the others at the
edge of the forest where they stood stiff and silent beneath the
tree shadows.

“Don’t just stand there.
Run
,” she
ordered.

Branches and leaves licked my skin as I
struggled to make my way and keep pace with her. A short distance
into the trek, my lungs were on fire. My throat was dry and my back
felt like it was about to give out. I started to slow down. Galilea
took my arm, trying to help me maintain her stride. But with the
extra weight I was carrying, it was impossible.

“I can’t,” I said hoarsely. “I can’t,” I
breathed heavily, “run anymore.”

“Gah!” Galilea huffed. “Everyone, stop,” she
said. Dr. Gunn, Eileen, and Claire walked back to us. “We have to
split up. You three,” Galilea said to Claire and the doctors, “go
that way.” Her finger twitched to the west. “There’s a truck in a
clearing right off the freeway. The keys are under the seat.
Claire, you know your way around the back roads, yeah?” Claire
nodded. “Head down Old Military Highway and find the abandoned
Lomita chapel. Lock yourselves in until we come get you.”

“Isis should come with us,” Claire said. “I’m
not leaving her here with those…”

“Demons. They’re demons,” Galilea said, and
Claire’s eyes broadened. “You’ve got burn marks on your arms,”
Galilea said to her. “Notice how Isis doesn’t have a scratch on
her? You should worry about yourself.”

Claire looked at Galilea with a dozen
questions in her eyes.

“Mom, we’ll be okay,” I said, before she
could ask anything. “Just don’t stop until you reach the place
Galilea’s talking about.”

“But—” Claire hesitated.

“But nothing!” Galilea snapped.
“
Go
.”

The doctors and Claire turned and walked
away. Claire looked back over her shoulder at me, apprehension
wilting her stare.

“Is that what you call running?” Galilea let
out an annoyed huff. She turned to look at me. “Now I know where
you get your pigheadedness.”

We watched the doctors and Claire run deeper
into the woods.

“Will they be okay on their own?” I asked.
Galilea didn’t answer, which worried me. She walked in the opposite
direction she’d sent the adults. I followed. “How do you know
there’s a truck at the clearing near the freeway?”

“I put it there.”

“Why?” I struggled to keep up with her
pace.

“Reasons. Keep walking.”

“Where are we going?”

“That way.”

“Why?” I panted. “What’s that way?”

“You’ll see when we get there.”

“Galilea, wait.” I stopped to breathe. “Why
did you send the doctors and my mom to that chapel?”

“Reasons. Walk.”

“Are you angry with me or something?”

“No.” She tugged at my arm and pulled me
along. “Keep up.”

“I’m trying to. When can we go back to the
house? I want to make sure everyone’s all right. We shouldn’t have
left David behind.”

Galilea stopped and glared at me. “Are you
aware we’re trying to hide from Turpis?”

“Yes.”

“And are you also aware that you can’t be
seen, but you
can
be heard?”

“Yes.”

“Then
why
are you still talking?”

Point taken.

***

The forest grew darker, as did the sky. A
blanket of fog hugged the earth’s floor as we continued, old trees
our silent, observant companions. The autumn night breeze bit my
back, and I shivered. Keeping my thoughts to myself, I wondered if
Claire and the doctors had made it safely to their destination. I
wondered what was happening at the estate. Maybe I shouldn’t have
listened to Galilea. Maybe I should’ve gone back for David. How
much longer did we have to go before I could voice all these
worries to Galilea? Then I remembered I’d once read the Ebony
Estate was situated on eighty-two acres of land. I hoped she wasn’t
thinking of hiking the entire span of it.

As we walked, the trees became scarcer. At
last, we were at the edge of the forest on a dirt road, an
expansive field of indiscernible crops in the dim light of the moon
opposite us. I glanced at Galilea, raising my brows to convey the
mute question in my mind:
Now what?
She jerked her head and
waved her hand, heralding me to follow.

“It’s not much further,” Galilea said in a
whisper. “Still not safe to talk.”

I grunted.

Galilea’s notion of “not much further” was
walking the length of five football fields. At last, she stopped in
front of a tiny old shack, hesitating for a moment before
approaching the door and opening it. Nothing other than pitch black
could be seen inside the one-room shed. Galilea went in, while I
waited at the door. A clicking noise came from somewhere in the
room. A few yards away, floating orange sparks appeared in the
blackness, suddenly sprouting into a small flame. Galilea’s face
glowed by the side of the ignited lighter.

“Close the door,” she said. “You can sit
there.” She moved the lighter away from her body and the flame’s
glow cast over a dirty, turned-over bucket. “There’s a candle in
here somewhere,” she said, as I lowered myself to sit. “Can you see
it anywhere?”

“No. I’m allowed to talk now?”

“Yeah, but it keep it short—and whisper.”

“Galilea, when are we going back to the
others?” I said softly. “And why are we here?”

“What do you think I’m trying to do? We’re
going to go get them. I just need to find a candle first.”

I stood from the grimy bucket I was sitting
on and walked over to her. As Galilea walked around the room
spreading the flame’s light, I saw what the interior of the shed
held: a wooden crate with glass bottles and trash on it, a rusted
shovel, empty burlap sacks, a mess of scattered, rusted tools, and
more trash.

“Found it,” Galilea said proudly. She lit the
candle and stuck it in the opening of an empty bottle. “Hold this.”
She handed me the improvised candleholder. She stepped to the
middle of the room, took the shovel, and began to dig.

“Galilea?”

“Yeah?” She threw a shovel-full of dirt over
her shoulder.

“What…um…are you doing?”

“It’s called digging.”

“Yes, I’m aware.” I sucked air in through my
teeth as a drop of wax landed on my hand. “But why are you doing
it—here?

“Reasons.”

“I get the feeling you want me to stop
talking.”

“You catch on quick.” She shot me a pointed
stare.

Fine.
I huffed.

I felt useless and restless just standing
there, watching Galilea drop shovel after shovel of dirt onto the
growing mound beside her. I skimmed the shed and saw a garden hoe
hanging on the wall. I lifted it off the hook and placed the candle
on a wooden box near me. I raised the hoe and dug it into the hole
Galilea had formed.

“Thanks,” she said. I nodded in return.

We dug quietly, taking short breaks in
between. When the hole was almost three feet deep and wide enough
to hold Galilea and me, our digging instruments hit something hard,
a metallic clang breaking the silence.

CHAPTER 27

Galilea threw the shovel over the edge of the
hole. I did the same with the garden hoe. She dropped to her knees
and began to paw dirt away with her hands, and then stood up and
grabbed the candle from the box at the edge of the pit. The color
of bronze gleamed from under the remaining dirt. She shoved the
candle in my hands and continued to wipe away soil. Slowly, the
bronze surface took the shape of a square. A circle with oddly
placed hollow half circles and raised solid circles appeared in the
middle of the metallic area. Galilea studied the shapes, and then
reached for one of the circles. Using two fingers, she slid the
cylinder out until it came to a stop. She turned it, and it
clicked.

I tapped her arm, pointed at the square, and
narrowed my eyes.

“You’ll see,” she replied.

Galilea stood up, and then bent over, taking
the cylinder with both hands. She pulled on it, grinding her teeth
as she fought with the bar. Metal against metal screeched. A puff
of dusty air hissed from the cracks, making Galilea and me cough.
Galilea tugged on the bar again, this time groaning as she pulled.
A side of the square metal slab gave way. She opened it like a
door. I doubted this was any plain door, however. Where did it
lead?

Galilea took the candle from me and held it
down the shaft. She peeked her head into the opening. She whistled
once, producing an echo into the unknown hollow beneath us. The
echo died, and a few seconds of silence passed. I waited to see
what would happen. Suddenly, two whistles rose from the
opening.

“Who’s that?” I asked louder than I intended
to.

“Shh!” Galilea frowned. “C’mon. You go
first.”

“Why me?” I whispered in protest.

“Just trust me. Do you want to see if David
and your mom are all right or not?”

She knew the answer. I sat at the edge of the
opening, my feet dangling in the nothingness.

“Do I just jump in?” I asked.

“Of course not. It’s a twelve-foot drop,
silly. I’ll lower you down as far as I can.”

“A twelve-foot drop—into what?”

“You ask too many questions. But if it makes
you feel better, it’s perfectly safe in there.” She gave me a
reassuring nod. “Promise.”

Galilea clasped my wrists with a firm grip,
and I did the same to hers. I eased over the edge of the entrance,
and she helped me slide down the square hole. I gave her a wary
look as she lowered me.

“Don’t drop me,” I said.

“Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”

I tightened my grip on her wrists as I
reached eyelevel with what must’ve been the frame to the square
door. My stomach tensed. I glanced up at Galilea as I sank deeper
into the dark hole. I felt a pair of hands wrap around my ankles
and pull. I gasped.

“Got ‘er,” a male voice said.

Galilea released her grip. I plummeted down,
letting out a screamed as I fell through the air. I thought I’d hit
the floor, but a pair of arms caught me before I did.

“It’s okay. It’s okay,” the faceless voice
said, setting me down. “I’m here to help.”

Was this who the whistles had come from
earlier? It had to be. No one else was here—at least no one else I
could see, because all I could see was pitch-blackness.

“I’ll be right down,” Galilea’s voice came
from above. “Step aside.”

An invisible hand grabbed my arm and guided
me several steps back. Seconds later, I heard the bang of metal
colliding with metal, and then I perceived an unseen thump landing
near me.

“You guys okay?” Galilea asked.

“We’re good,” the male voice answered before
I could. A bright light came to life in the middle of the gloom.
Holding the handheld lamp was a young man with slanted eyes. Or
maybe the lamp’s bright glare was making him squint, like I was. An
enviable set of cheekbones rose high on his face as he said,
“Welcome to Sub Terra, ladies.”

Galilea stepped forward and hugged him. He
kissed her cheek and lingered there for a bit until Galilea broke
their embrace. There was a bashful look on Galilea’s face as she
gave me a side-glance, but she immediately turned her eyes back to
the long-haired man. After a moment of watching them stare at each
other, I cleared my throat.

“Oh. Right.” Galilea turned to me. “Isis,
this is Frederick. He’s our guide.”

Frederick. Why did the name sound
familiar?

“You’re an underground guide?” I asked
him.

“Of sorts,” Frederick said. “A pleasure,
Madam Isis, beloved of David of Chios.” He extended his hand, and I
shook it. “Let’s not waste time. Galilea’s told me how impatient
you can be. Follow me, please.”

What else had she told this guy about me? I
glared at Galilea, though I doubted she could see my face.

Frederick walked into the gloom. Galilea and
I followed close behind. I couldn’t see much beyond the two feet
the light in his hand illuminated. It looked like the walls in the
tunnel were nothing but dirt. What were the chances of it caving in
on us?

“I assume it’s okay for me to talk now?” I
asked Galilea.

“If you must,” Galilea said.

“Why are we underground?”

“It’s safer than walking aboveground. Down
here,” Galilea explained, “it’s like you’ve been wiped off the face
of the Earth. Best part is I can rest my block and build up my
strength for unexpected surprises.”

“And why are you just now telling me this?” I
tripped over a rock, and Galilea caught my arm. “We could’ve been
hiding down here this whole time.”

“Surrounded by dirt and earthworms?” She
laughed. “No thanks.”

“Drastic times call for drastic measures,” I
said. “I’m sure you’ve heard it before.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not as simple as you think.
Frederick is risking his life by doing this for us. Plus, I had a
complication arise.”

Frederick stopped and turned to face us. He
lifted the lamp to Galilea’s face. “By complication, you’re
referring to the gargantuan, idiot ex-boyfriend and not me,
right?”

“I wasn’t talking about either of you.
Frederick. You’re much too insecure,” Galilea told him.

“I wouldn’t call myself insecure. Jealous,
maybe.” Frederick turned around and walked ahead. We quickened our
pace to catch up to him and walked in silence.

Suddenly, it hit me, and I remembered where
I’d heard his name before. The night I overheard Galen and Galilea
arguing in her room, she’d told Galen about Frederick. He didn’t
believe her. To be honest, neither did I. That was the night the
Turpis attack left David in a coma.
David
…

“Are we going to the estate?” I asked.

“Under it,” Frederick answered. “But first,
we fetch Milly.”

“And she would be who?” I wondered.

“It’s what he calls his car,” Galilea said.
“It’s a sweet ride, too.”