Down a Lost Road by J. Leigh Bralick Read Free Book Online Page B

missing his hand. When the gap measured nearly a foot
and a half square I put my head down to peer through.
    “ Here,” Yatol said, moving
back from the wall before I could see him. “You should be able to
get through now.”
    “ Me? Are you
sure?”
    “ It’s more than large
enough for someone so…”
    “ So what?” I asked
sullenly. “Scrawny?”
    “ Slender.”
    My mouth twitched in a smile and my cheeks
burned. Slender was a nice word – much nicer than what anyone else
had ever called me. I dropped onto my elbows, then flat on my
stomach and stared through the hole. I jumped when Yatol bent to
see me.
    “ While you’re over there,
get all the bedding you have and push it through to me.”
    “ Gross, what
for?”
    No answer. Surprise. I made a face as I
gathered up the straw and shoved it through the hole. When I’d
gotten as much of it as I could, I gritted my teeth and lowered
myself down to follow the bedding through. The gap seemed small to
me, but as I inched forward my shoulders just cleared the sides.
The wall was thicker than I expected, and the thought of being
surrounded by rock made me shiver. But there wasn’t anything else
to do, so I took a deep breath, let it out, and started slithering
through.
    It was slow, painstaking work. I crept along
inch by cautious inch. I stretched out my arm once and froze,
afraid I’d gotten it stuck. Trying not to panic, I carefully eased
it back under me. Oh God, I’m not meant for this kind of
thing .
    I had gotten nearly halfway through when a
faint rhythmic tapping met my ears, sharp, echoing. It made the
stone hum around me, vibrating under my hands. I saw Yatol tense
and straighten up.
    “ Yatol? What is
that?”
    The noise was getting louder, and I didn’t
wait for his reply. I knew what it was. I pulled away from the
hole, hitting my head and bruising my shoulders as I squirmed free.
Heart racing, I started shoving rocks back into the hole. I worked
as fast as my arms would move but the gap just wouldn’t fill. As
the steady beat drew nearer I started blocking just the opening.
The footsteps rang in my ears. I shoved one last piece of rock into
place and flung myself over the remaining stones, shaking with
exertion and terror.
    Silence. Such a long silence.
    “ You again, is it?” came a
low, sibilant voice, mocking.
    I lifted my head, but couldn’t see the
Ungulion. He was talking to Yatol, not to me, but for some reason
the realization made me cold all over.
    “ It is always you. How long
has it been this time?”
    Yatol said nothing and I heard a harsh bang,
as if the Ungulion had kicked Yatol’s cell door.
    “ Look at you already. And
it has only begun. This is the last time, for you,” the Ungulion
said, rasping with anger.
    Then Yatol’s voice, quiet but impressive,
“Aye, it is.”
    The Ungulion struck the bars again, louder
this time so that I clapped my hands over my ears. But I couldn’t
block out the clash of iron keys, the terrible squealing of rusting
hinges. My heart dropped clear to the soles of my feet. I scrambled
to the door of my cell, pressing my forehead against the bars. I
couldn’t make out what I was hearing – shuffling feet, voices,
rattling metal.
    Suddenly Yatol lurched into the corridor,
catching his balance just before he fell into the wall with its
gruesome iron spikes. The Ungulion stepped out of the cell after
him, rigid and unmoved, stretching out a noisome hand to grab
Yatol’s arm. Yatol jerked away, all fire and fury. I wondered why
he didn’t fight, until I saw the glint of chains on his wrists. I
clutched the bars of my cell, tears and sweat streaming down my
face. I desperately wanted to call out, but my throat clammed up,
choking me.
    Yatol glanced at me, just as the Ungulion
turned him down the corridor. I couldn’t decipher that look, not
through the blur of tears. Then he was gone. The tap of footsteps
faded into the shadows. I sank onto the ground, shaking, sobbing,
hugging myself as if I