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Maya’s hands trembled at the note in front of her, scrawling words and rumpled pages. Panic thrummed in a kick drum beat in the dark and frigid chambers.
She was shaking, from adrenaline or the cold— she couldn’t tell. Come on Maya. It’s going to be okay… it has to be okay—it’s—
Her fingers were stiff, unwilling to move and stubbornly slow when they finally yielded to their master.
A choked out sob escaped her throat— echoing in the walls ricocheting back to her ears. Her vision shook, blurry, inconsistent.
Please Mia. There has to be a way for me to get out of this mess. Fingers finally grasped onto the chilled paper. Tears dripped down her face, the trails threatening to crystallize as her breath puffed out in short bursts. The droplets found their new home in the pages, where unfocused eyes strained to manage.
Her sister's handwriting didn’t offer much solace. The words weren't a hug, they weren’t enough to be Mia, she couldn't see her, her sister, her sister, her sister, her- Keep it together Maya! She clenched her teeth and breathed the frozen air that stabbed her lungs. Mia had been here, she’s with me, she has to be with me even now… and that was worth even just the slightest bit of warmth.
The words were half cursive, her sister’s flowing sincerity and confidence displayed on the page. Even so, it was a short message. She didn’t stay channeled long.
First: I know you’re scared. I need you to be strong. Phoenix is going to save everyone, I promise. He will find you again, and you will be okay. But I need you to be strong for me, Maya.
Maya’s breath hitched, the trembling was worse-- was it getting colder? Was she going to freeze to death down here? How do you know that Nick will-- No. Mia’s right. I’ll be okay… I have to be okay. I can be strong for you sis-- I have to be strong. I will be okay. Nick will find me. He will figure this out. I have to believe that.
You need to channel Dahlia Hawthorne.
The one that wants to kill me? What if she-- what if she figures out and just throws me off--
You have to trust me.
Mia wouldn’t lead me astray. She wouldn’t.
Lock yourself in the sacred cavern.
Maya’s fingers tightened against the paper, causing it to bend and crease, threatening to tear it in two.
Buy Nick time.
I’m helpless-- I can’t do anything but wait. Again. I can never do anything -- The paper fell to the floor, fluttering in the air as it drifted down. Maya was close in following it, collapsing on the ground, choking sobs filling the air. Her hands trembled as they covered her face, fingers icy and stiff. How can you ask this of me? Mia, I'm so scared. Someone just died in front of me and they were trying to kill me and--
She shook her head hard, her hair whipping and sending a sharp sting as her beads collided into her face. She bit her lip, willing the trembling to stop. I have to be strong. Her hands reached out, pulling the page closer. This feels so reckless and insane , she wiped the tears with the back of her hand, leaving smudges of cold moisture on her cheeks. But I have to do it. I have to be strong . For Mia. For Nick.
I love you, Maya. I promise you, you’ll be safe.
Maya pulled herself up, clutching the note safe against her chest. I don’t want to . Her tears were soaked up in her sleeves, I have to be strong . It was an agonizing cry, one she muttered under her breath, “I have to be strong,” her voice broke half way through, the air burning her lungs.
Every step she took toward the bars felt like an eternity, a final march into the darkness, a final nail in the coffin. A coffin she saw and climbed into, handing someone else the knife to make it all conclude. “No,” she cried, stopping at the threshold, “I’ll walk out of here again,” she looked back to the page, straightening the creases and looking at her sister's words “I’ll be safe and I have to be strong.”
Maya pulled the door closed, letting it squeal in protest as she looked over the training hall for the last time. She clenched her eyes tight, feeling her magatama burn and pounding in her head, chains rattling fast. An aching deep in her soul cried out in fear as she grasped onto the metal bars. She could feel the trail of something warm run down the side of her head, then a distinct and resonating click .
Her lungs heaved the frozen air as she stumbled into her support, letting her forehead rest. Her fingers ran against her left ear, coming back to her vision sticky with blood. Maya winced, pulling on her sleeve and rubbing off the warm substance even as she could feel bile in her throat. Chains covered the way out, a bright red lock shining before her. I have to be strong. She clenched her jaw, giving a tight stiff nod to the object.
Slowly, she turned from her way out, and down the stairs into the inner cavern. You can’t keep crying, Maya . She bit her tongue, each step echoing back to her. Leave the crying for when it’s all over. That’s what Mia always said, right? The darkness before her taunted her, swallowing the light from behind her.
As the stairs finally came to an end, her vision was swimming, exhaustion nipping her bones, the cold teasing a sweet numbness. Channel Dahlia Hawthorne .
She forced herself to take a deep breath, pushing past the overwhelming urge to collapse. I have to stay focused. I have to survive. I have to be strong. She stepped further into the sacred cavern, shaking out her hands as if they would chase away the cold. The walls around her seemed to close in, pressing in to steal her oxygen.
Nearly there, Maya. Just channel the person that wants to kill you. She sucked in a sharp burst of air, looking towards the ceiling to prevent the tears from running back down her face. Nick, please just figure this all out fast. Please.
Maya closed her eyes, pressing her hands together, murmuring her chant softly, feeling her soft call out to the spirits steadily thrum a harsher beat. Dahlia Hawthorne. She could feel the air sift by her, her heart pounding in her chest. Each beat echoed in her skull.
The temperature dropped further, the chill biting at her skin. I love you, Pearl. She couldn’t stop, not now, not even with the tremors in her legs, the pain in her heart, the fear in her throat. I love you, Nick.
She could feel the spirit drawing nearer-- it wasn’t strong, it wasn’t aware, it was channeled too recently for that. That might be her saving grace. I have to be strong. She grasped it’s edges, pulling it down, down to the forefront of her consciousness.
She could feel her body giving out-- more accurately watched through radio static as it crashed into the floor in utter exhaustion.
I love you, Mia.
Slowly, even that faded away.