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.