The Prophecy by Lynne Ewing

Author:Lynne Ewing [Ewing, Lynne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 0786818913
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

"GO!" K Y L E S H O U T E D,his eyes darting around as he looked for a way out.

"How?" Catty screamed back, her hands becoming fuzzy as her molecules stretched out, melding with those of the Regulator. Her mouth filled with his rancid odor, the taste gagging her. She was powerless against his pull, and her cells continued to loosen.

She elbowed the Regulator's stomach, but her arm only sank into his warm, wet flesh. She winced and pulled back, a scream building in her lungs. Before it could burst into the air, she closed her eyes and pictured the moon. Her lips formed the prayer that had always helped her in the past. "O Mater Luna, Regina nocis, adiuvo me nunc."

Hope surged through her, and she broke free, but without the Regulator touching her, the room dissolved into the surreal landscape of gray clouds.

The Regulator shrieked in defeat and anger, his churlish scream striking Catty like a shock wave.

Catty sprinted blindly forward with nothing to guide her and tripped, twisting her ankle. Pain shot up her leg. Then a small hand clamped on to her wrist and the dark hallway came into sudden focus. She stared into the unblinking eyes of her father's young slave.

He tossed her an impish grin, and, still holding on to her, began running down a paneled corridor, his bare feet slapping against the marble floor. Abruptly he stopped and leaned against a portion of the wall, his heel kicking at the baseboard molding.

The panel swung open and the boy led her into a secret passageway. The wall closed against her back, nudging her forward and plunging her into complete darkness. A sputtering sound surrounded her, and then spiraling flames ignited in wall brackets.

"Come."The boy led her down steep, creaking stairs, his tiny fingers digging into her skin.

"Do you know how to get out of Nefandus?" she asked.

He nodded, and, at the bottom of the steps, he opened a door that led to the street.

Catty stepped out onto the cobblestoned pavement, relief flooding through her. She turned, waiting for the boy to join her outside, but he jerked his hand back and slammed the door.

Immediately the sharp clarity of the Nefandus night dissolved into veils of fog. Mists whispered around her, caressing her face.

"Let me back in!" She lurched forward, trying to find the door. But what had been there only moments before, solid and palpable, was now gone.

Muffled footsteps and voices surrounded her. She cried out and sprinted into the dream scape, pain flaring in her leg.

At last she stopped, too disoriented to continue, and, in the absence of even her own footsteps, she was left in complete silence. The utter stillness frightened her. The haze became thicker, obscuring all visibility and sweeping a terrible coldness around her. She closed her eyes, trying to sense where she had entered Nefandus, but she remembered nothing that could help her now.

Catty continued walking until her legs ached and blisters formed on her toes and heels.

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