The Tunnels Below by Nadine Wild-Palmer (best short novels of all time .TXT) 📕

22Black Forest

Cecilia plonked herself down in her chair. “What now?” she asked.

“I guess we have to keep on with the plan.”

“But how will we find Mr Sparks without Lady-Bird?”

“I think Lady-Bird said something about it being close to the Nest. I feel like I’ve passed it before when I had to hide out in the Black Forest.”

Luke noticed that Robert and Jennifer appeared to be returning to their usual selves after apparently being frozen to the spot with fear amid all the commotion.

“Cecilia, I think we should get a move on before they start asking questions.”

Cecilia looked about at the scattered chairs and tables and spilt drinks and over to the line which was off the hook.

“OK, let’s go.” Suddenly she felt very guilty. What if Garry came looking for them, she thought.

“We will head into the Black Forest for now. At least we can hide there while we work out what to do once we get to Mr Sparks,” said Luke.

Cecilia and Luke were tired. They walked along in silence. Luke’s head was still bleeding but not too badly. Cecilia stopped him, and took his trousers out of her rucksack and paused to tie them around his head in a makeshift bandage.

“That’ll do for now,” Cecilia said, tucking the ends in.

“Thanks,” said Luke.

As they continued to walk the tunnel sloped down into a sea of tall, thin shadows.

“There it is!” Luke whispered loudly as the Black Forest came into view. They’d been so close when Lady-Bird got taken away, thought Cecilia. Luke stared into the rows and rows of trees in front of them. Cecilia watched him walk into them as she paused to take in such a magnificent sight. Luke was inspecting the long dark tree trunks. He looked dwarfed standing amongst them when Cecilia saw a ghostly figure dodging through the dark.

“I think we’ve got company…” she said, searching the undergrowth for the figure. “Luke?”

Cecilia turned back and Luke was gone.

“Luke!” she called timidly at first, her eyes darting about the space. “Luke, this isn’t funny!” Her breathing began to race, her heart pounding in her chest. She grabbed her head in both her hands and, raising her voice to a deafening roar, screamed: “Luke! LUKE! LUUUUUUUUUUUKE!”

She paused a moment, her body rocking on the spot. “No, no, no, no, no…” she muttered under her breath, shaking her head. “No, this can’t be happening.”

A voice crept out of the looming trees. “That’s an awful racket you’re making for such a little girl!” it goaded. “Are you going to cry for me?” it said, rattling through the undergrowth and into her ears.

Cecilia’s skin crawled and although she was fearful, she was entirely defiant. She looked down the avenues of black trees, trying to locate the hidden voice.

“Weep!” the voice demanded, ricocheting off the deep bowels of the tunnels.

“WEEP!” it shouted, demonic and cold. She saw the ghostly figure again, flickering through the undergrowth, and she knew now it was Jacques d’Or. She strained her ears to listen, poised like a wild creature.

“I must say you’ve done well to get this far, Cecilia. I didn’t make it easy; but then if it were easy it would be boring, wouldn’t it?” came the voice of Jacques d’Or, who was still hidden in the trees. It seemed to have a faint smile held within it. It wasn’t mocking, more enjoying its own sound, its own existence: arrogant and wise all at once. Proud.

“I know who you are, Jacques d’Or!” shouted Cecilia.

A slow clap shivered through the overhanging boughs.

“What do you want, a prize?”

Cecilia tried to stay unruffled but her voice quivered ever so slightly in her throat, giving her away. “How do you know my name?” She straightened herself up, trying to control the rage spilling into her body and flooding her brain.

“Tell me, Cecilia, how do you know when you are at the end of something? If something’s over? How do you know when you’ve reached the end of the line?”

Cecilia stood quietly, thinking about what the voice was trying to say, as she searched for the right words to reply.

“When you can’t go any further?” she replied.

“Close, try again.”

“I don’t have to answer your stupid questions,” she shouted.

“Well, it might buy you a bit more time to live if you do!” taunted Jacques d’Or.

Cecilia hesitated. The voice continued, “I mean, if you’re still alive, it can’t be over yet, can it? So, when is something finished?”

“When you’ve got nothing left and no where else to go.” Cecilia willed Luke to come back with all her heart but she knew that Jacques d’Or must’ve got him too.

“Bingo! And it looks as though a little someone may have reached the finish line, but sadly she’s lost!”

Thoughts began to dash about Cecilia’s head but she stood rooted to the spot.

“You see, Cecilia, there’s nowhere else to go and your friends can’t help you now. We’ve been following you and we know about your nasty little plan to overthrow the Corvus Community. So we think we will dispose of you before you cause any more mischief. You should’ve known better. I have eyes in the shadows. I am everywhere!”

Cecilia winced as his voice boomed out of the trees and bounced off the darkness above.

“I just wondered if you realised your time is up or if you still thought you had a chance?”

“I…” Cecilia paused. “What have you done with my friends?” she said, raising her voice.

“Well, we do like to jump to conclusions, don’t we, Cecilia!” Jacques d’Or was in full swing now. “But you would be right. Like so many other damned creatures I do happen to have them in my possession. Such a splendid collection, and that stag-face boy, let him mature a bit and he’ll make a glorious wall feature!” Jacques d’Or was having a right good time now. She could tell by the way he stretched his words and curled the ends of his sentences.

“You owe me,”