Prologue - Chapter 1
Did it truly happen? All of it. The Favor. The Servant. The Warlock and the Sacrifice. I gasped. Is this a glitch? It has to be. I stared at the open sea, asking myself, Do I have the courage to do this again? Obviously, I can’t go back. The wind blew my hair back as I said out loud, “Do I have the boldness to go through everything that I’d escape from, again.”
A quick turn of my head to the side of me, I heard, 'Bleed them dry.' Again, I gasped under my breath and with determination in my eyes for the people under bondage. I took a step onto the pier...
David’s boat gently swayed to the current as I stepped up to it.
Anxiety fluttered through me like a glass shattering into a million pieces. I’ve been here before. I remembered asking him if I would see him again. This was not what I expected. I slowly walked onto his boat and glanced inside to see if he was there. When I saw no one, I wet my lips and turned around, before I could step away from his boat, I heard David’s boat, splutter.
“Dang it…” David softly grumbled from inside his cabin.
I whipped my head over my shoulder and stood in front of the threshold.
A door closed, and he rushed toward the cabinet, not realizing I was there. He pulled the panel from underneath it and exposed the wires.
I knocked on the side of the threshold and as he turned around, he looked at me and smiled.
“Quite a turn of events, wasn’t it Madeline.”
I gaped a little. How did he know?
“You remember me?” I softly asked.
He stood up, and answered my question with a reply, “Isn’t He mysterious?”
“Yes.” I ventured further into his boat, and asked, “Why am I going through this again?”
“You have more work to do.”
“What does that mean though.”
“It means to follow – even when you don’t know where you’re going, to sling the rock in faith and let God decide where it lands.”
I blinked repeatedly. I laughed and shook my head a little as I uttered, “David and Goliath.”
“I stood there unafraid because I knew the Lord was with me and that with him, all things were possible.”
“This is completely different.”
“Did I not run into hiding when Saul tried to kill me? Did I not grieve when my friend, Josephat died? Whenever everyone was against me, the Lord was with me.”
“You’re not really saying you’re the David from his Word, are you?”
He gave a smile.
“That’s not possible…”
“Haven’t you found out by now, that with man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
“But you lived – died … no one can comprehend that level of…”
“Mystery?” he chuckled and said, “If He can raise the dead, then He can also, bring another soul back to the earth to accomplish His will.”
I shook my head, lost in revelation. “Why am I back where I started? It’s like a rewind. Did I fail in what He wanted me to do?”
“Failure is when you’ve completely given up. We go through the same things to make us stronger, to make our faith in Him indestructible.” He pulled out the knife he once gave me, and bent down to cut the wire. He then said, “This time, Madeline … will you choose to forget? Or will you trust in the Lord with all your heart, and your mind, and your soul?”
He got back up and smiled at me again, then, he said, “You don’t need to understand it all – you just need to trust Him in everything.” He pointed the closed knife at me, and I grabbed it from him, slipping it into my back pocket, yet again.
“Please tell me, I won’t see you in this boat again.”
He laughed out loud, and uttered, “Maybe you will, maybe you won’t. It’s not for me to decide.” He exhaled a lengthy breath, asking, “Do you feel His restlessness?”
“Yes.”
“Are you willing to step off the pier?”
I bit my lip, then answered, “Yes.”
“Then don’t wait. Do it…”
With a blink of an eye, I heard yet again, “You should’ve drunk it.” And instantly, I was thrown into darkness. I was nervous, but the fear escaped me for I knew without a doubt God was with me and together we were going to do the impossible …
“Drip … drip … drip.” I whispered as my hands were in chains, hearing the same stupid drip above me for three days in complete darkness.
Where was Abby, Pauline, and Chad? I asked myself repeatedly since I arrived here. What is this place and why am I not in the crates?
Everything was completely different.
The walls carried a scent of earth as I tried to breathe the little oxygen I had. I propped my hands up, feeling the area the best I could in the dark. Scratching my nails against the wall, my nails dug into dirt.
“Lord,” I asked him, “where am I? Aren’t I supposed to be back at the castle?” I looked above me and saw a sudden flicker of light. Then, as the light revealed a crack, I uttered, “I’m – I’m in a pit.”
A cackle carried through what seemed like a tunnel. My eyes widened, and I slowly exhaled, trying not to hyperventilate. After a second, my shuddery breath was the only thing that I could hear until the clinking of chains filled the silence.
“How long has this one been in here?” A male raspy voice asked another.
“Three days in the ground. She is ready.”
I blinked, Ready for what, exactly?
The door swung open, flicking dust into my mouth as I gasped. I clenched my jaw, feeling the dirt between my teeth scrape against each other, seeing a tall figure loom over the pit.
He threw down a knotted rope, demanding, “Climb it! Don’t run, don’t scream, and do not even think about killing yourself – trust me. You’ll wish you were dead if you try.”
I grasped the rope, and with each knotted ball, I climbed it feeling my stomach gurgle at the lack of food. My hands touched the dust on the surface of the tunnel, and I stood up. With the faint lantern light, I was able to make out the several faces around me.
They were covered in dirt. Abigail, Pauline, Chad. There you are.
The guy grabbed my wrist and I saw that it was Tauriel, the other man who he was talking to was a new face to me.
He walked toward me with this warrior-like strut. Tauriel and the guy wore silver platted armor, with red linen underneath it, resembling Roman soldiers of old.
Tauriel chained me together with them. Then, he handed us off to the strange guy.
We walked slowly down the eerie tunnel, which was dimmed with candlelight. I looked up, small black cocoon-like creatures hung above us. Watching further, it popped its head out from beneath its wing. It’s a bat.
The stranger told us to speed up our pace. As we walked quicker, Chad lost his footing and fell which caused us all to fall.
In quick motion, the guy grabbed Chad by the head from his hair, and with his wooden spiked club, he hit him in the face with it.
We all gasped, grimacing the moment he let go of him, a piece of Chad's skin hung from his face, sure to leave a scar. Oh, my gosh. I furrowed my brows, no matter how many times I saw the gruesome act of brutality, it never hardened my heart – it still caused me to tremble inside.
My chin quivered as Chad tried his best to conceal the pain he was in as he was forced to his feet. My shoulders shuddered, and I knew that this place was far darker than the white castle.
Emerging from the tunnel, you would think there would be a bright light at the end of it, but the sun had hidden its face, covered with clouds.
The dim bluish-gray sky looked like a filter. It was as if I stepped outside of my world and somehow ended up here. Just like the castle, this place existed but I could gander, only a handful knew about it.
Burnt tree limps hung over the path toward our destination. The thick grass swayed in the wind, and black roses adorned the worn-out bridge we were forced to cross. Ever so often, I looked at my feet, to notice the small drops of blood from Chad's wound on the ground.
I frowned again, wondering why I would ever agree to do such a thing – but I thought, Get over the scenery, Maddy. Jesus has a plan; Jesus has a plan to save the lost people here.
From the way Chad was handled, I knew that anyone here could hurt us. If I saw Tauriel, and my friends from the first place, who else was I going to see that I knew of? Did they have the same rules as the castle? Tauriel didn’t remember me neither did Chad or Pauline. It was like their minds were erased. Everyone’s except mine.
We approached a black metal door, and the moment it opened, my mouth flew open.
A towering thin black castle with long spiky poles at the top of the roof glorified in statues stained with blood. How many people did they have to sacrifice to obtain such a look?
Stepping into the gates of what true hell looked like – it wasn’t beautified unless, you thought darkness was beautiful. A huge garden maze was in front of the gate and as we began to walk through it. The hedges shifted, blocking access toward the metal door toward the exit.
From past experience, I knew the way out was not the way in.
We walked in unison, following the guy carefully. I knew for certain the guy didn’t care if our faces were left with scars. This place reeked of deep wounds and disfigurement.
Finally making our way out of the maze, we neared the front doors of the castle. Bats hung from the roof, and spiders adorned the pillars. Why, I whined inside, did I say yes?
The guy banged on the big silver door handles and quickly after, two people dressed in black opened them.
As their hands held the door, I noticed their nails were long with needle tips. Bruises covered the hands. Under their eyes were dark circles, cheeks sunk in, and their skin was greyish white from the lack of sun.
This place looked like it stepped out of a Stephen Kings novel, but what I felt coming inside – was far worse than what any man could imagine.
A white thin rug trailed from the doors threshold, to the black throne that was placed behind three clear cathedral windows. Trailing my eyes upward, a white chandelier hung from above, with thick candle wax along the metal.
I wet my lips, feeling the chilling cold breeze hit my rosy cheeks. Abigail looked over her shoulder at me, her eyes spoke apologetically as they also showed terror.
I lifted my trembling hand to my lips and silently shushed her with a soft shake. She quickly reverted her gaze to the front and as the man started to unlock our chains, he forced us down on our knees in front of the throne.
“Keep your heads down,” the man ordered, “do not lift them up unless beckoned.”
I closed my eyes as I did what I was told and as my body couldn’t help but tremble at the cold aroma of this place, I trusted my God, repeating in my mind, 'Though I walk through the valley of the shadows of death, I will fear no evil.'
A door opened, and several pairs of boots walked up the platform, then halted. Even though I was tempted to look up, the rules were different here. I knew that within a heartbeat, I’d no longer have my face if I disobeyed.
I could feel evil eyes on me, then, sudden footsteps came near us. I looked to the corner of my eye and saw black shoes near Chad. A moment of silence, then, a sudden familiar sigh almost forced me to look up when he said toward Chad, “No.” He then walked toward Pauline and said, “No.” Then Abby, “Maybe.”
He walked in front of me and hesitated. Without saying a word, his shoes turned around and he walked back to the platform.
“Rise.” The man said.
We rose and looked in front of us.
My eyes widened as I stared at the faces of the family, I once thought had been dead.
Theodore, Sabrina, Aeromonas, and, I gasped, dimly shaking my head, Luminous. It’s not possible. How? Then again, how is Abby here? My eyes welled with tears, and I thought, do they remember me like I remember them?
“Keeper,” Theodore spoke with dark elegance, “Bring forth the injured man.”
Oh no, Chad.
The man grabbed Chad's shirt and yanked him toward the platform. Theodore rose from his throne, his nails were just like the people I saw opening the doors.
He loomed over Chad, grasped his face with a tight squeeze and with his long nails, he brushed some blood off his face. He carried his hand to his lips and tasted Chads blood.
My mouth gaped open, and I felt a burning in my throat as my stomach clenched with nausea. Did he really just taste his blood?
“He will do,” Theodore said, then, he requested Pauline. The moment Pauline reached him, he dug his nail into her hand as she let out a groan. Tasting her blood, he said, “She will be of service.”
The keeper forced Pauline back into the line then pushed Abby forward to Theodore. Following the same steps with Pauline, once he tasted her blood, he said, “She will be of service.” Then, as the keeper pushed her back and grabbed me, my heart sunk and I tried to gasp for air, I tried to call out for Jesus, but I could not open my mouth no matter how hard I tried.
His cold hand met mine, and he stared into my eyes for a moment. It seemed that the longer he stared into my eyes, the less I felt the prick of his nail meeting my skin. He put his nail up to his lips and tasted my blood.
He hesitated and then did it again before he let out a soft groan. “She will certainly do.”
I was left speechless. I didn’t know what to think or do and as if my brain decided to give up, my legs wouldn’t do as they were told. I fell but before I met the cold hard ground, arms enveloped me, and I glanced up to see that Luminous was the one to catch me.
I grimaced and without hesitation scurried out of his arms, leading myself back to the line.
Theodore laughed under his breath, saying, “Ah, don’t you just love tenderfeet.”
“Yes, dear.” Sabrina added, “Keeper, show them to their boudoirs.”
Another door croaked open, and out came a keeper, with a young person.
“My, my, just in time. On second thought,” Theodore said as the young person approached the platform, he said, “Let me make something evident.”
Suddenly, Theodore kneeled while twisting the person around and as his back landed over Theodore's thigh, he rose his hand with his nails aimed at the person's chest, with a terrified gasp from the person, Theodore gored his chest and pulled his heart from him.
Abigail let out a shrieking scream before she passed out, and Pauline began to cry as Chad started to run for the door. All I could do was fall to my knees, in complete brokenness to the evil I was witnessing.
Theodore let go of the person as he flopped to the ground, and tumbled off the platform. My eyes slowly trailing back to Theodore, he hung the heart over his open mouth as the blood dripped into his mouth.
What are they I asked Jesus inwardly, They – he, drinks blood. I blinked several times before realization hit me like a blazing flame, they think – they think that they are vampires…
