Camp NaNo April 2014: Crystal Compass Part 17

To the girl’s credit, she hesitated only a few moments before she darted out of their hiding place and down the stone passageway. Twilight was right behind her, racing out of the dark, dingy hallway and into the bright sunlight. The light was painful and the librarian grabbed Hikaru’s hand as both of them stumbled forward, blind for a few minutes.

They raced into the trees, tripping over the roots of the huge oak trees that surrounded the lake as they heard a bellowing, pained roar. Twilight turned back in time to see the scaly monstrosity had left the tunnel system, only for the sunshine to cause it to stagger back.

“M...Miss Twilight?” Hikaru’s voice trembled as she asked, “What is that?”

Twilight could not speak to tell her but she nudged the girl and pretended to shoot the monster before tugging on the girl’s arm and leading her deeper into the undergrowth.

Hikaru giggled nervously as they ran. Twilight could not be certain they were heading for the village but at this point she just wanted to be away from the former King of Fear and his plans. The forest was darker than normal, the midday sun refusing, for some reason to pierce through the leafy foliage above their heads. The girls trembled with the cold that seemed prevalent within the deep shadows that made every tree look like a threatening spectre and made every small sound put them on edge.

The lack of fae folk in the area made her nervous. There had never been a time that there had not been at least one of Clara’s folk darting through the trees. They had almost always been willing to guide her through the forest. Without their help she was just as blind in this forest as anyone else would be. Worse was that she was pretty sure that they were going around in a circle.

The trees looked too similar for it to be a coincidence but Twilight made sure not to let Hikaru in on her worries. The child was frightened enough as it was. She did not want to make it any worse. Her fear was finally confirmed when they passed the same tree with the same piece of graffiti for the third time.

“We’re lost, aren’t we?” Hikaru looked up at her, her bottom lip trembling, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

The librarian bent down to the girl’s height and hugged her tightly, silently cursing herself when she felt her trembling in her arms and heard Hikaru sobbing, her top swiftly becoming drenched in the girl’s tears. She tightened her grip, not squeezing hard enough to crush, but enough to reassure.

When Hikaru tried to pull away, Twilight let her go, ruffling her hair and smiling. The smile she got in return was tired and watery and she wished there was more she could do. She couldn’t tell the girl to call for Clara or the others, nor could she do so herself. She was half convinced that he had converted part of the woods into a horror movie spectacular with his powers, making it part of his lair.

She was still half hoping that if Bones’s territory was his world and he could do anything within it, then when they escaped and returned to the normal world her voice would return with them. However she had to get Hikaru out of here for that and the girl was tired enough that she was stumbling every other step.

She braced herself as she tapped the girl on the shoulder, gesturing for her to climb on her back. Pain coursed through her as the sleepy child clambered up and settled in a piggy back. Twilight was glad that she could not make any sound as she stood up and let out a silent moan. Her stab wound pulled, her ribs hurt and she staggered slightly until she adjusted to the extra weight.

Hikaru clung on tightly as she started walking, choking the librarian slightly, making her move her head into a more comfortable position. She went in a straight line from the graffiti tree, heading what she hoped was south. Before they had gone too far, they heard a bellowing roar and the pounding of footsteps racing towards them.

Twilight ran, stumbling and tripping as she carried the girl, fleeing from the heavy rumbling of something charging towards them. Hikaru screamed in her ear as the thing, a heavy, boar like monster erupted from the bushes in front of them and charged.

Twilight tried to get out of the way, managing to mostly avoid the huge, muscular beast, getting away with only a slight graze to her stomach. She dropped Hikaru and shoved her towards a tree. The girl did not need any more encouraging and did her best to climb up the nearest tree to escape.

The librarian, however, did not get a chance to do the same. The beast was on her in a heartbeat and she threw up her arms to protect herself, closing her eyes as she did so, convinced it was all over as the creature drew its head back and attempted to gore her with its huge horns.

Then she was pulled out of the way by a cold, bony hand and she heard the boar slam into the tree, causing it to come crashing down. She turned to look, ignoring her saviour for a moment as she checked that Hikaru was still in her tree safely and not tangled up in the fallen branches.

She got a glimpse of the girl in a tree two over from the one the boar was in before she was turned to face her rescuer. Bones was glaring at her, furious and he backhanded her so hard she crashed to the ground. “You thought you’d get away that easily?” He demanded as he flicked a finger at the boar and it melted into the shadows, “Where is the girl?”

Twilight just smirked at him defiantly. Even if she could have told him, she would not have done.

“I know she hasn’t gotten away.” Bones growled down at her as the librarian slowly picked herself up. “So where is she?” She shrugged, hoping that Hikaru would stay hidden in her tree. The former King of Fear dragged her to her feet by her throat and pinned her against the tree. “No matter.” He hissed, “My beasts will find her and drag her back, you can’t protect her from me...”

“Bones!” Twilight relaxed despite her predicament as Jack’s voice echoed through the woods and she saw the winter sprite who looked rather pissed off as he stalked into sight. The winds swirled around him, snowflakes riding the ice cold breeze as he glowered at the former King of the Dark Podium, “Let her go.”

“Frost.” Bones hissed, wheeling around to face him, forcing Twilight to stand between him and the pissed off winter sprite. “You’re early to the party.”

“I’m not joking Bones.” Jack snapped, worrying his mortal friend. She could hear the edge in his voice, hear the ice cold winds whistling through the trees and swirling around them. “Let her go. Now. You’ve done far too much damage already.”

“Allow me, Frost.” Twilight’s eyes widened as she felt the cold and sharp aura of winter fold around a hotter, almost hellish heat and the smell of brimstone. The speaker was someone she had not heard before but the wide smirk that the former King of Fear gained at the sound of their voice warned Twilight that it would not end well for her if she was not careful. “He’s my subject and you’re just a baby sprite.”

She heard Jack let out an irritated huff at that but felt the cold recede. Not completely but enough to allow the speaker to function without the cold bothering him.

“Now.” The speaker growled, “I would suggest that you let that mortal go, Bones. And the child in the tree.” Twilight winced when the first bogeyman glanced up and saw Hikaru, “You would not believe how much of a mess you have caused. I understand the need to feed far too well, but kidnapping a Havenkeeper during Handover?”

A figure walked into Twilight’s view, a tall, broad, dark, stony skinned male figure, with a shock of deep red hair and amber eyes with a rather too amused expression on his features as he ran his eyes over Bones’ hostage, “Well, I figure that it’s for one of two reasons. First of all I thought you were trying to disrupt Handover, which will never work. Winter doesn’t require Frost to triumph over Autumn after all and April despises your ‘guest.’”

The heat of the figure’s aura was overwhelming and Twilight struggled to escape both Bones’ grip and the intense heat that felt easily hotter than the midday sun at the height of Summer, sweat beginning to pour off of her as the man, whose regalia marked him as the King of Fear continued talking.

“And then I thought of a second reason you’d go out of your way to pick the one village protected by not only the ‘Winter Storm’ but the one Havenkeeper who took after the Hunters in her linage and it’s not just because of the abundance of children, is it?”

Bones looked annoyed that his plan had been sussed out. Twilight let out a silent whimper as his grip tightened, his claws slicing into her neck, the pain causing a spike in the swirling cold behind her.

“You should let her go before I continue.” The demon, Choronzon, the King of Fear who had kicked Bones off of the throne, suggested. “If you cause the Wrath, I will not be able to protect you from him and you will have ruined your plan.”

“Fine.” Bones hissed as he released the librarian and shoving her backwards hard enough to cause her to stumble. Her immortal friend darted forward, catching her and helping her get her feet under her again as he demanded, “Why are you even here? I hadn’t called for you.”

“Sam Hain told me about what you were up to.” The new King snorted as Hikaru climbed down the tree and darted to Twilight’s side, hiding behind her as the two Lords of Fear circled each other. “The Autumn King has a weakness for our portion of the Dark Compass, what with our best holiday being in his season. He was rather annoyed that you had taken his second favourite Havenkeeper from her home. Insisted I came down here and got her home.”

“Are you alright, Twi?” Jack worried at her, looking her over and seeing the cuts and bruises and ripped clothes. The three of them were ignored by the two Fear mongers as Twilight tried to respond, only to give Bones a frustrated glare when she still could not say anything. Jack followed the glower and his expression darkened. “Bones! What in the name of Gaia did you do to her?”

“Nothing that wasn’t an improvement.” The First Bogeyman’s statement infuriated Jack. “She talks far too much and she would not cower properly.”

Jack glanced at his friend. His anger was tempered a bit when he found that she was poking her tongue out at the decrepit monstrosity of a former King and Hikaru was copying her.

“She doesn’t appear to be cowering now.” Choronzon pointed out. “You should probably fix her before he turns you into an ice sculpture.”

“And if I refuse?” Bones snorted, “If I prefer her muted? You’re Crystal Podium, boy.” He smirked at Jack, “You’re supposed to uphold the balance, not partake in petty revenge for something I’ve done to a mere mortal.”

Jack growled. Technically Bones was right. His hands were tied. Crystal Compass members had a strict code of conduct. He was not allowed to just attack Dark Compass members. As long as the mortals were not ‘harmed’ outside of what could happen when an Immortal was following their legends the Dark Compass members were allowed to get away with anything.

Technically stealing away Twilight’s voice was not against the rules as they were set down. Even if it sucked for his friend.

Jack’s hands balled into fists as Bones smirked at him, well aware that he was untouchable. Ice racing across the floor as his powers and his anger looked for an outlet.

“I would suggest that you take them home, Frost.” Choronzon seemed amused too, only spiking Jack’s temper further. Twilight shivered against the cold winds, hugging Hikaru tightly, trying to keep the girl warm. When the girl whimpered, the icy temperatures worse for her than the dark, damp cage room, Jack tried to rein his powers in. “I’ll make sure the Havenkeeper’s not bothered again.”

“And the girl?” Jack demanded as Twilight shielded Hikaru from the two Lords of Fear, using her own body to do so.

“She’s lunch.” Bones snapped, “My rightful lunch.” The former King snarled when Twilight shook her head, refusing to let him anywhere near the girl. “You can’t stop me. You’re nothing compared to us. A sheep amongst wolves.” Twilight scowled back at him, still shielding Hikaru as he stalked across the clearing.

“She can’t but I can.” Jack planted himself in the way.

“You’re not here most of the year, Frost. You’re not even supposed to be north of the equator right now. You’re breaking so many rules, I don’t know where to begin.” Bones pointed out, his tone smug and victorious, “I can have your little friend for dinner any time I wish.”

Twilight had had enough. She barged past Jack, leaving Hikaru watching, stunned, as she shoved the former King of Fear back, obviously ranting something at him but none of them could hear it as she pushed him further and further away.

Finally Bones snapped, shoving her back hard enough that she tripped over a root on the floor and landed hard on the ground. The Fear monger was on her in a heartbeat, launching himself with almost feral grace, the vial with Twilight’s voice in going flying from Bones’s torn pocket as he leapt and tore into her with his clawlike fingers.

The glass shattered on impact with the stones that lined the ground and the librarian’s agonised screams sounded for only a few seconds at most before Bones was blasted away by a concentrated burst of snow and ice, colliding into a tree at high speed.

The demon who had replaced Bones watched with amusement as Jack stalked forward, the full strength of the Winter Storms unleashed through him, sending the forest deep into midwinter. Snow and ice whirled around the immortal who controlled them, putting down a layer inches thick as he gestured and the former King of Fear went tumbling along the ground, blown sideways by the wild winds.  

“Frost.” Choronzon called, flinching as the sharp, ice cold gaze of the furious and uncontrollable Winter sprite turned on him, “I can take the girls home while you finish here. The girl can’t take this cold and your friend needs help.”

“Hurt them and you’re next.” Jack warned, his voice almost lost in the winds howling around him, somehow making them more threatening than if they had come across clearly.

“I understand.” The King of Fear nodded, putting his hands up, “There won’t be another mark on either of them.”

“I’d ask you to swear on your honour, but you Dark Podium curs don’t have any.” Jack snorted, turning back to his target. “Take them and go.”

“J...Jack...” Twilight called out weakly as Hikaru darted to her side. Everything hurt and her chest was so torn apart that breathing caused such pain that she almost did not want to.

“It’s okay Twi. You’ll be fine.” Her friend promised as he watched Bones cower before him, trying to decide how best to get justice for the injury he had caused Twilight and knowing that until the Wrath was spent, he could not even touch her. “I’ll be with you soon.”

“B...but...” The librarian did not get to finish her sentence as Choronzon came into view, his heat making her whimper as he looked her over, torn between approval of Bones’ work and disgust. There were much better ways, after all, of harming a mortal. Ones that left no mark and did not leave the Wrath of the Seasons chasing after you.

“Come on, little one.” The demon told the terrified child, not stupid enough to refuse to do exactly as he had offered when the Wrath of Winter was active in the area. He tried to take the child’s hand only for the little girl to recoil violently, “I need to take you and the Havenkeeper somewhere safe.”

“Twilight, her name is Twilight.” The child told him, frightened of him, the crazed creature of ice and snow and the monster who had held her prisoner for goodness only knew how long and had hurt the village’s protector so badly.

“Hi...karu.” Twilight gasped out, her breathing shallow and forced, “Ta...take his...hand. He wont...hurt us...”

“I can’t, sweetheart.” Choronzon confirmed as he scooped up the librarian into his arms and , “Frost would have my head on a spike and he’s one of the Good Guys. Now come on, you need to look after Miss Twilight for Jack, okay? He can’t do it until he’s got rid of all that snow.” The child looked between Jack and the demon, then nodded and took his hand. “Now, hold on tight.”

Twilight closed her eyes against the maelstrom of heat and darkness as Choronzon carried her, only for the demon to shake her as they emerged on the edge of the woods that led to the forest, where Kuma was waiting. “Don’t fall asleep, Havenkeeper.”

The nekomata stalked towards him in her giant form, realised that Hikaru was with him and froze up.

“Hey kid?” Choronzon asked Hikaru, pointing to the feline who was watching, confused. “That’s your cat.”

“That’s Kuma?” Hikaru’s eyes grew wide, “But she’s huge!”

“Only because...she’s worried about...” Twilight trailed off, beginning to fall asleep again only to get shaken awake.

“You’ll be safe with her, sweetheart.” The demon reassured the child as a passerby noticed the group and raced in their direction, shouting to the others nearby. Kuma reverted to her tiny, domestic form and Choronzon set Twilight on her feet before vanishing.

The librarian had just enough time to register the fact that they were swiftly surrounded and someone was yelling about the fact she was bleeding everywhere before as she collapsed into a heap, unconscious.

Camp NaNo April 2014: Crystal Compass Part 16

Ley dropped her off at the front door to the cottage, even walked her to the door and recommended rest, but Twiight had not been able to sleep. She knew the horror story that was Bloody Bones. Though she did not remember much about the days before her grandmother had been given custody of her, she remembered the tale her Grandmother had told her far too well and the mental images it provided were more than enough to keep her awake.

She had not really wanted to anyway. There was too much information to trawl through in her grandmother’s journals. They lived in a chest in the basement, which she normally hauled up into her study whenever she needed or wanted to go through them.

Today however, she had not dared try to pull the heavy chest because of her stitches. Instead she had curled up next to the chest in the cold but dry basement and had hastily started skimming through the journals. The pages were old and well worn and she had to be careful as she flicked through them. Some of them were older than she was and it showed in the yellowed pages and dog eared covers.

“I know they’re in here somewhere.” Twilight grumbled as she dug through the chest, looking for some of the older journals, from about fifteen years ago. She did not remember the first time Bloody Bones had been here, which was probably a good thing for her own peace of mind, but it had to have been around that sort of time frame. She had been seven when her Grandmother had gotten custody of her and Bones had clearly stated that it had been her mother who had brought her to town.

The ones she was looking for were near the bottom of the pile. They were old and the ink within them had faded to a dull, barely visible grey colour that was almost impossible to see in the dim light of the one 60 watt lightbulb that swung mournfully from the ceiling. She carried the up the stairs, leaving the rest to be packed away later, to find that the sun, which had been at its highest point when she had gotten in, had set and the clouds had covered the stars, leaving the house in pitch darkness.

She let out a frustrated huff when she flicked the light switch to find that the house stayed pitch black. She knew she had paid the gas and electric bill this month, so it couldn’t be that. She put the journal down on the side and carefully made her way down the stairs again.

It had to be the fuses, she decided as she made her way into the pitch black basement to find the switch box, which would not have been as bad if she had not run out of candles the last time the fuses had gone. It was a common occurrence in the cottage, between the old wiring, the storm based immortals and the aging electronics. She had just learned to deal with it.

“Stupid bloody, piece of craaah!” Twilight squealed as she either slipped or something took her right knee out from under her and she went tumbling down the stairs, bashing her head and arm as she rolled down.

She hit the ground floor of the house with a loud crash and laid there for a few moments, trying to regain her bearings as her world swam and pain lanced up her side where she had landed awkward.

Footsteps upstairs made her flinch. There was no one else in the house, Or rather there should not have been. She listened carefully for a while, trying to work out whose footsteps they were or whether they were just a product of her always overactive imagination.

She could not tell and she stumbled to her feet, letting out a pained hiss and putting her hand on her bad side. She had been lucky, her stitches were still in place and holding firm, so she would not need a return to trip to the hospital. Of course if she pulled another stunt like falling down the stairs there was a good chance she would.

Keeping one ear on the footsteps, she headed for the fuse box, planning on blinding whoever else was in the house with her. When she got there, however, she realised that plan had a major flaw. There was nothing wrong with the fuses. Something else had happened to the electricity, possibly a power line gone down or a wire snapped. Whatever it was, it had never happened before and it made her nervous.

Twilight reached for the bracelet that Jack and Nowell had given her, abnormally glad for the silver that normally encircled her right wrist, only to remember that it had been cut off by the hospital when they had been treating her and it was still in her backpack. Which was upstairs.

“Damnit.” She hissed, her tone low and nervous as she started for the stairs. Before she could reach the bottom, the door to the rest of the house slammed shut and she heard the tumbler click into place. “What the...!” She squeaked, darting up the steps as fast as she could manage and tugging on the door.

It rattled in its hinges but it did not open. She jiggled the handle only to find it would not turn. The door had been locked and the handle jammed in place.

She banged her hand on the door, trying to catch the attention of whoever was on the other side, only to hear a low, vindictive chuckle in a voice that made her rather nervous from the darkness next to her.

She squeaked and tried to back up, only for her foot to slip and her to have to grab the railing to prevent herself tumbling down the stairs again.

“What’s the matter, little Havenkeeper?” Bones chuckled as Twilight, who was completely blind in the lightless room, felt one of his long fingers with its great, sharp talon, brush her skin, “I thought you wanted to talk to me.”

“Bones!” The librarian squeaked, backing up and letting out a terrified yell as she fell down the stairs. Before she could hit the first of them on her long tumble down, however, she felt something swirl around her. It was cold as ice and sharp as knives and only lasted a moment and then her back hit a floor rather than the steps. A floor that was not the smooth concrete she was expecting, but a rough, uneven stone surface.

Before her mind could catch up with that fact, Bones was on her, straddling her stomach and trapping her wrists above her head using just one hand, his long spindly claw like fingers digging into the floor as she struggled fruitlessly to escape.

“Let me go!” Twilight demanded, squirming against his grip, trying to pull her hands free, “Let me ack!” She cut off as Bones backhanded her with his free hand, leaving trails of blood behind as his claws slid across her cheek.

“Shut up.” He hissed, his grip tightening. “You’re mine now, little mortal. No one’s coming to save you this time. You’re all alone.” As he spoke his hand trailed down her side, tearing clothes and flesh in the same movement.

Twilight screamed in pain, frightened as she writhed and fought harder to break free.

“I love mortals.” Bones sniggered. “Even past the Age of Disbelief I can feed off of their fear. Petty childhood fears, the dark, monsters under the bed, getting lost, forgetting to hand in homework? They turn into the more delicious fears that adults go through...” His claws tore part of the student’s shirt, allowing his palm to run over exposed flesh, causing her to shudder and writhe away as best she could.

Twilight closed her eyes and bit her tongue, trying to force away the fear as Bones’ palm slowly made its way up her chest until it rested just over her bra. If she did not feel fear, if she could keep herself from panicking, Bones would get bored and leave her alone. She was not interesting if he could not feed. At least she hoped she was not.

“Of course,” Bones continued, digging his claws in slightly and eliciting a whimper of pain from his captive, “I should just kill you for bringing Frost down on me.”

“T...the Compass should have stopped you days ago.” The librarian pointed out, letting out another whimper as Bones’ grip on her wrists tightened and his claw cut into her flesh.

“It’s Handover. The Compass, especially Spring and Summer, have better things to be doing then hunting down one ‘renegade’ immortal.” Bones snorted, amused, “You forget, little Havenkeeper. I am doing my job. The Wrath doesn’t take effect if I’m doing that.”

“But you’re...” Twilight trailed off as a hand wrapped around her already sore throat. Not tightly enough to choke, but it was a firm enough to cause pain and make her hesitate.

“Think about my legend.” He growled at her as he stood up and dragged her to her feet.

She had. A lot since she had realised who her captor actually was. “Y...you’re Bloody Bones. You take away children who tell lies or misbehave and...” She gulped.

“Devour them.” Bones finished for her, turning her so as her eyes adjusted to the dim light within the cave they were in, she could see, near the back of the cave a huge, ornate throne that looked incredibly detailed and impressive. Until you realised that the ‘bone detailing’ was not detailing. The throne was made from the bones of the many children Bones had eaten over his long career as an immortal.

“Then Mikey...and Hikaru...” Twilight breathed, horrified grief hitting her. “And all the others...”

“The American had too much fat on him.” Bones replied, “And tasted a little too spicy for my tastes.”

“A...And Hikaru and the rest of the village children?”

“The halfbreed’s still alive. For now.” Bones shrugged, “I might even let you see her before I kill you. The rest of them had that rich, earthy flavour that I’ve come to appreciate from you English.”

Twilight could not respond to that. She knew every one of the children he had devoured. Spent time with them. Taught them. Helped them. Given them gifts at Christmas and on their birthdays.

Now they were gone. A snack for the big bad bogeyman.

“Of course they were all convinced you’d come.” Bones continued as his captive went limp in his grip and tears started flowing down her cheeks, “Convinced that ‘Miss Twilight’ would save them. It was rather quite annoying. You’ve taught them not to fear the monsters under the bed far too well, little Havenkeeper. They did not scream and cry until the pain started and by then, well, there wasn’t very much time to feed at all.”

Tears rolled down Twilight’s face but she still did not have anything to say. There was nothing she could say. Nothing would change the fact that the children were dead and she was next.

“Of course, you leave me with a problem.” Bones grumbled, “You’re neither a child or particularly tasty. Adult flesh is always so tough and bland and if I harm you now, with the intent to kill rather than frighten, your precious Frost gets his Wrath and I so like my pond unfrozen and my cavern snow free.”

“Let me go then.” Twilight tried, “Let me take Hikaru and go.”

“No, the girl is my next meal and I brought you here for a reason, little Havenkeeper.” The former King of Fear replied, shaking his head as he forced her down a corridor that lead off of the throne room and into a dark, almost pitch-black room filled with cages just big enough to hold a medium sized dog.

“Miss Twilight!” Or a small child, the librarian realised as she heard Hikaru’s voice calling, “Miss Twilight!”

“Hikaru!” Twilight spotted her, sat in one of the ones nearest to the door. The half-cast child, with her bright green eyes and long black hair was a sweet heart who loved to help her around the library in exchange for learning something new. Her mentor struggled to break free of the bogeyman’s grip only for his grip to tighten and his claw like fingers to cut into her flesh.

“You see that child?” Bones chuckled viciously in her ear, “As long as you help me, I’ll let her live.”

“Wh...what do you want from me?” The librarian asked, her voice trembling in her fear for the girl sat in the cage.

“I want my throne back and you’re going to make that happen.” Bones hissed, “You and your precious Frost.”

“Jack would never help you.” Twilight knew it was cliché but still she could not help but point it out.

“Not if he knew he was helping me.” Bones admitted with a sly smirk as he pulled her from the room to the distressed cries of the child within, “But if Choronzon was to harm you, or the child, then the Wrath of Winter would turn on him rather than me and well, who am I but a loyal and noble servant of Fear, ready to take my old role until a replacement can be found?”

“Was all of this to regain your throne?” Twilight demanded as he shoved her into a cell that was roughly hewn into the rock and pushed back against the back wall.

“No, that was just a bonus.” The former King of Fear sniggered as he seized Twilight’s wrists and locked them into shackles attached to the wall. “I was hungry and this little village is so far out of the way that during Handover, no one ever frequents it. With all the children here it was a veritable buffet and the best part was that every day, I’d only have to visit your library in order to pick my meal, because you’re the village’s babysitter. Everyone trusts you, I just used it to my advantage.”

Twilight pulled on the chains connecting the shackles to the wall as he left the room, leaving the door open behind him. They were not very long and only allowed for her to get halfway across the claustrophobic room. The metal cuffs cut into her wrists as she tugged and strained, trying to pull free of the wall. It was a fruitless effort but it did mean she was in position to catch Hikaru before she could hit the floor when the child tumbled into the room, shoved hard by the bogeyman.

“Enjoy the stay.” Bones sniggered before he slammed the door shut with a loud, rather final sounding bang.

“M...Miss Twilight?” Hikaru whimpered as Twilight hugged her, trembling in the librarian’s grip, “I want to go home.”

“I know sweety, I know.” Twilight murmured softly, not sure how she was going to manage it yet, but refusing to let the girl down. “I’ll get you home, I promise. I just need to get these off,” she showed the girl the metal bands around her wrists, “then we’ll break out of here okay, honey?”

“Yes, Miss Twilight.” Hikaru nodded, seeming if not happier than at least slightly less frightened.

“Just Twilight, hon.” The librarian told her as she tried to wriggle the metal over her hands and ignore the pain as the sharp edge of the band scraped against her skin as she worked, “Until we get out of here.”

“Mi...Twilight?” Hikaru asked as she sat back against the wall furthest from the door, “You’re hurt...”

“Not too bad, hon.” She tried to console the kid and ignore the way she ached from everything that had happened over the last few days. “It’s mostly scratches. I’m fine, I promise.” It was a lie, a little white lie, but it made Hikaru feel better. Not that Twilight could really tell in the darkness.

“Are you scared of the dark, sweety?” Twilight asked as she realised with a rising sense of frustration that the cuff was not going to go over her hand without dislocating the bones within it, making her useless for any other part of the escape.

“A little.” Hikaru nodded, looking at the floor, embarrassed.

“Well hon,” Twilight murmured as she looked around for a tiny shard of rock or something long and thin enough for her to use to pick the lock, “Why don’t we sing a song or play a game to keep your mind off of it. He’s a bogeyman, he eats fear, remember? So if we’re not afraid, we’re not feeding him.”

“O...okay...” Hikaru nodded, joining in when Twilight started singing some of the more popular songs from recent kid’s films as she searched. The room was tiny, not even four foot by four foot. Bones had not designed his cells for the comfort of his prisoners but it did, at least have decent acoustics and their voices filled the cell as Twilight patted the ground, trying to find something she could use, Hikaru helping once she knew what the librarian was looking for.

They were onto the second verse when Bones slammed the door open and Hikaru hid behind Twilight. “Shut up.” He snarled at them both, “I will not allow you to keep singing.”

“Why?” The librarian demanded, her chains rattling as she took a firm step forward, “Why should we cower in fear from you when you’re not even around?”

“Because,” He snarled as he seized her by the collar and slammed her against the wall, knocking Hikaru aside and causing Twilight’s head to ricochet off of the stone, causing her to let out a pained cry, “I might not be able to kill you, but I can make you wish you were dead.”

“N...not...afraid.” Twilight groaned out, despite the nausea swiftly rising and the way her world was spinning violently, darkness nibbling at the edges of her vision. She was well aware that Hikaru was watching her and if she acted afraid, the girl would be terrified. “You c...can’t harm...”

“Be silent.” Bones interrupted with a snap of his fingers. Twilight’s eyes widened and her face twisted in horror as she tried to say something, only for no words to pass her lips. No sounds of any kind in fact. She tried to struggle but her body wouldn’t respond. Her mind was still too hazy from the impact and Bones sniggered. “You’re in my world here. Your nightmares are reality within my home. I can do anything I want. Get used to it.”

He let go of Twilight who collapsed to a heap on the floor, her world still spinning impossibly and her stomach still churning. The former King of the Dark Compass glared at Hikaru, who cowered in fear. “Now, do I have to steal away your voice too?” He asked, showing the girl a vial containing a bright purple gas and shaking it. When it gave off a scream that sounded like Twilight’s, Hikaru shook her head violently. “Good girl.”

With that he slammed the door shut again.

The librarian was not sure how long it was before her body would answer her commands again but Hikaru did not stop crying until she managed to sit up and hugged her, despite the headache pounding at her temples. She tried to reassure the girl but she could tell that without her voice, her attempts did not work anywhere near as well. It was frustrating and more than a little worrying. Bones had stolen away her voice without any effort on his part at all and she did not know if she would get it back. Ever.

Being without a voice meant that there was little she could do to communicate. Hikaru had seemed more freaked out when she had tried to mouth the words then when she had gestured, so she had given up on words entirely and gestures were not enough when she had to try so hard not to show her fear.

She was afraid though. Afraid she would not be able to protect Hikaru, afraid that no matter what, they were both going to die down here. Afraid that even if they survived this, she was never going to get her voice back. Or any sound at all.

She had tried whispering, shouting, groaning, whistling, nothing worked. No sound emerged from her. It was gone. Even her breathing was silent. It was horrible and if she ever wanted to be able to cope in the mortal world she would have to learn sign language and hope that others could understand her.

She could have coped with the silence on her own. She was not one to talk to herself while she was working. Nor did she sing very often. No, what hurt the most was that she was failing the one child she had been able to find alive. Hikaru was scared and no number of hugs or times ruffling the girl’s hair or any other manner of gesture was anywhere near as good as a ‘we’ll be okay’ or ‘don’t worry, we’ll find our way out.’

Hikaru did help her find a thin enough shard of stone though that she could jimmy the locks open on her shackles, freeing up her wrists, which by this point were rubbed red raw and bleeding. The moment she was free, Hikaru did hug her tightly though and she felt some of the tension leave the child as she sobbed her heart out.

Once Hikaru was done, Twilight smiled at her, unable to say what she wanted to, but putting her finger to her lips. The girl’s eyes widened and she nodded as Twilight moved over to the door and tugged on it. As she had suspected, it was firmly locked. However there was a keyhole on this side of the door too.

She picked the lock quietly, making herself look more professional than she actually was. The truth of the matter was that she expected the stone pick to snap at any moment and when the lock clicked open it was more a matter of luck than experience.

She was not going to complain though. There was no one and nothing in the corridor as she carefully pushed the door open. The pair of them snuck down the corridor, towards the throne room, hoping to find the exit there.

The halls were silent. Not a single footstep could be heard besides their own as they scurried though the narrow rooms. The throne room was empty too, suggesting that Bones was out hunting for another child or luring his boss into his trap. Twilight did not plan on them being there when Bones got back.

There was a fresh breeze coming from the room leading off of the throne room, so the librarian led her companion that way. The fresh air was a relief to their systems. The stale, old air of the lair had an odd taste to it and the less of it they could smell and taste, the closer they were to freedom.

The cold, hard, carved stone beneath their feet changed to soft, pebbly dirt and Twilight was sure she could literally see the light at the end of the tunnel when they saw the first signs of life entering from the only way out. The librarian pulled Hikaru into a side room as a hulking great creature of black scales and spikes shambled past their hiding place.

Hikaru watched with wide eyes as the thing, which kind of resembled a bear in shape, but was more like a lizard in its looks. It had a long tongue which flicked out every so often, as if tasting the air. Twilight held her breath, holding her hand over Hikaru’s mouth when the creature turned in their direction and the child let out a terrified squeak.

Hikaru did not fight her as she pulled her aside, hiding them behind the door as the thing stepped into the room, its footsteps heavy and its breathing raspy and terrifying. She waited for it to move far enough into the room for them to dodge around it, then she let Hikaru go and the pair of them darted towards the exit.

The creature was faster than it looked and wheeled around as Hikaru brushed past the door, causing it to squeak as it opened further. Twilight shoved the child towards the exit, gesturing for her to run before turning and placing herself firmly in the creature’s path.