Free Me

Confrontations

The darkness consumed the light that came from the top of the stairs in an instant. Lost kept on, remembering a little of the route from muscle memory alone. But then the necklace the dark witch above had given her begun to glow softly, the light illuminating a good dozen feet ahead. She smiled at the foresight of the kind witch, then kept on in confidence. The bones and blood left behind long ago were a gruesome map that Lost followed slowly but surely. She dragged one foot along the ground as she went, making an extra road to follow. She expected she'd be rattled on her way back and she wanted to make doubly sure that she would remember the way. If she lived, she didn't want to be trapped in the overbearing labyrinth, and consequently leaving Kahlan alone uptop.

Saddened, Lost stopped halfway to her destination and looked behind her. She of course couldn't see the stairs but she imagined Kahlan's disappointed form staring at her from the edge of the light her necklace provided. An inkling of doubt for what she was doing seeped into her skin. She shook her head then returned to her path solemnly, sighing heavily. Perhaps she should have seen Kahlan one last time. Perhaps she should have given a last hug, kiss. She touched her fingertips to her lips as she walked on then clenched her hand. She was going to try her best to come out of this and give Kahlan peace.

The catacombs made Lost's nostrils itch from the must and the slight dust she brought up with her dragging foot. She brought her bright necklace up as she came close to the old one's tomb, and she narrowed her eyes as she shook her foot free of excess dirt. She made a round of the tomb once and felt the tingling magic of the dark witches gems waiting in the wings for something to trap. As soon as the ghosts of the old ones were present, the gems would activate with a soft push from the witches. Lost wouldn't be trapped by the magic, thankfully, but she'd have to make it out alive so the old ones couldn't harm her.

Steeling her resolve, Lost moved to the middle of the room and shut her eyes. She let the witch's gem magics settle over her body for a minute and tipped her head back to get a better feel of it all. They were ready. She snapped open her eyes and spread out her arms, then begun the summons Deanna had taught her. Latin spilled from her lips in an even flow. Her eyes glowed the longer she had to repeat the summons, and she begun to growl between words. The old ones were fighting the call.

"Show!" she shouted angrily to the air. She spat Latin like a snake, her words coming fast and hard. "Face me, cowards!" Again, she called the old ones. Again and again, until she was hot, and not just from the stifling heat of the tomb. Until, finally, a blistering gust of air whooshed into her face and she had to turn her face away. She guarded her gentle face skin with an arm and waited for the surrounding air to calm. When it was, she dropped her arm and eyed the paint like swashes cut into the space above her. The old ones had arrived. Her hands balled into fists at her sides and she opened her mouth to give the ghosts a good scolding. But they realized what she had done to them far too soon, and they barreled into her to send her flying backward. The wind was pushed from her lungs as she smashed into the opposite wall and she dropped to her chest on the floor.

"You can't imprison us!" The old ones raged, swirling near the ceiling. Lost pushed up onto her knees and watched them beat against the walls with their fluid forms. They wailed uselessly at trying to combat the gems keeping them contained. Lost smirked, glad that, at least, that part of the plan had worked flawlessly. She rose to her feet in a hurry and spun to the exit. The old ones pursued a moment later, furious at the creature that succeeded to entrap them.

Lost's shoes slapped against the ground as she managed to keep out of the old one's reach. It wasn't until she came to her first crossroads that she was caught, and she slid to make the bend, only to be shoved down the other trail and miss her intended turn. She rolled over herself and clawed at the ground a millisecond before she was about to free fall. Her fingers hooked over the edge of a deep crater in the ground, and she looked down to see only unknown darkness. She cursed softly as the old ones ticked her fingers away with deep chuckles. Brave, she let go to hang from one hand, then thrust her arm out, sending a ball of energy at her attackers. They separated and screeched like rabid animals, giving Lost the chance to haul herself up to safety. She skittered back to the crossroads and hurried down the correct turn with heaving breaths. The old ones whooshed behind her in a cacophony of wounded shouts.