Chapter 9: Nine

Ada could feel a heavy pressure on her skin as she circled deeper and deeper into the heart of the underworld. What had been quiet and peaceful at first had become a heavy weight on her body. She gritted her teeth, and kept moving.

The ground levelled out eventually, leading into a flatter area with slightly more light and less shadow, everything painted in solid greys. There were people there, greyed out and dead eyed. But that made sense; they were the dead. The lively dead in higher levels confused Ada more. How could so many of them be so vigorous? The dead should not be excited about their afterlives, or at least, she was sure she wouldn't be. And wouldn't it be so much more organised if the dead gathered in dark tunnels and slowly walked towards whatever was after this?

The crowd of blank-eyed dead grew bigger as she walked further in.

Further ahead was a pavilion cut out of the cave walls. The dead slowly marched towards it in lines. Various strange beasts, humanoid in body but with the heads of animals, checked over the dead, writing down things on paper as they went through.

At the head of the line stood the tallest beast, body of a man but skin grey, head of a bull and a sneer that reminded her of Henry. He touched some of the dead as they moved through, stopping them to feel at their bodies, poke at their shoulders, run his disgusting fingers over the limbs of young women in ways Ada could not stand to see.

Her only weapons were sticks. She took one out of her bag with her left hand and looked down at it until somehow it became a sword. And then she ran toward that grey beast, silent for her steady breathing.

One of the smaller beasts saw her first, stepping out of line with panic in its eyes. It pointed and squawked, and then another beast ran toward her, as the biggest beast snarled and started pushing the dead faster through the line.

She swung wide as a beast came close. It hissed and raised its claws, swiping at her sword. She twirled, slicing at its arms and moving out of its range. It only sprung back for a moment before it came toward her again, claws first. But she was quicker and smarter. She severed its head before it could attack.

Another attacked her, and then another. All fell to the might of her sword.

Finally, only the smallest beast, still looking at her with fear, and that horrendous gropey bull-man remained.

The bull-man stepped forward, movements strong and steady. Each step he took made the walls shake, his feet heavy weights. Ada refused to show fear.

The man balled up his fists and snarled at her. She held her sword ready.

He jabbed forward, arm huge. Ada stepped back, then leaned back, ducking under his movement.

He struck forward again, reaching out to grab her blade with his other hand. This she did not duck, letting him grab its sharp edge before she yanked it back. His grabbing hand grew bloody and green, and lurid blue chunks of flesh stuck to her sword. But his grip was strong, and she could only pull back so far.

How monstrous was his strength that she struggled so. She kicked at him and he didn't so much as stumble. Think, she told herself, think.

She grabbed another stick from her bag, this one rough at the edges, and swiped high above his arm. He was only distracted for a moment by the feint, just enough time for her to skid beneath him and hit at his calves. He stomped about, his feet dangerous weapons. Only a moment's movement kept her plaited hair from being dragged beneath this hooves.

From behind she slashed at the backs of his thighs. He yelled and turned, moving to dive at her with her new sword still in his hand. She scrambled back and he landed with a thump in the dirt.

All she could do was beat him with her stick. He grunted and howled and crawled towards her, and she only beat him more furiously. He wouldn't turn over and let her at his vitals, so she beat at his back, as his shivering spine, until his entire back was bloody green ribbons and he started to collapse under his own weight.

Then she stood, and the stick grew into a staff, and she stomped it on the hand that still held her sword.

He let it go, and then everything about him seemed to let go, his features growing shapeless and floppy and his eyes turning to glass.

Ada picked up her sword and turned around to face the one remaining beast as it huddled under a stool in the pavilion and cried.

"Pause the line and wait for me," Ada said. "I will return to tell you what to do."

Even after the fight her blood was cold and everything in her head felt very quiet and still. Her hands were calm as she gripped the sword and staff.

And she marched on through the cave toward who knew what, still looking for that dark gem on Gus's quest.

*

"Not your slave. Your servant then? Should I get down on my knees and beg you to release me," Simon said.

Gus shoved back further. "You're too much."

"I think you'll need a friend like me soon," Simon said.

Gus stood up and turned away, but he didn't go far. His heart beat angrily in his chest and he didn't know why. He clutched at his clothes and tried to breathe until the feeling went away. "I want to find Tiger," he whined.

He never thought of himself as a whiner before, but that was definitely a whining voice. Gus was 800 years old; he couldn't understand why he felt so young and confused.

Behind him, Simon stood. He heard the scraping of the chair and heavy steps coming closer. "Your friend Tiger will find you soon. And then you'll find me again. You have to make a decision, Augustus. I can't make it for you."

"I'm not ready for whatever it is I'm meant to be ready for."

Simon moved close. He didn't touch Gus's skin, but he hovered behind, an unpleasantly warm presence.

"You might never be ready," Simon said, his voice rough and low. "Choose anyway."

Gus turned back, but Simon was already gone, like a dream disappearing with the morning. So was the barman and all the animals. The room was empty of anything but the table and chairs, and it no longer looked like a room so much as another piece of a deep caving system.

Gus closed his eyes and chose an exit with his feet. He trusted those more than anything.

After enough time he heard another's footsteps. Not too loud or heavy, but they had an urgency to them, in their quick running tap tap tap on the ground. He strained his ears to hear the sound and heard more than that. The gentle drip drip drip of water, the faint sound of Rose's voice as she cried, his own beating heart. Wherever Rose was must be above them from the way the sound travelled.

He opened his eyes and saw Tiger at a distance. Soon their paths would converge. Gus slowed his steps so Tiger wouldn't see his urgent desire for their reunion.

Maybe he saw it anyway. Tiger's eyes went big and round and his steps sped up. Gus couldn't stop looking back.

Tiger slammed into him, arms wrapping around Gus's cold body, and head hitting his neck. Their momentum carried them into the rock wall. Gus's shoulder grew hot with pain. But he looked up and Tiger's face was full of so much joy that the pain disappeared.

"Brother," Gus said.

"Have you found it yet?" Tiger asked.

"I've found nothing but more questions."

"I met the most amazing woman," Tiger said. "Very strange, but amazing. I'll have to get her when we leave. You must meet her."

"I don't want to meet this woman. I want to find the black rock and get Ada and go home."

Tiger grinned, and laughed, and pulled him away from the wall. "Don't be jealous, brother. I want to share my new friend with you."

Ada came around the bend.

Gus darted forward ready to hug her, but she raised both palms and said, "Please don't touch me."

"Where did you get the sword?" Tiger asked.

She looked at the sword in her hand and smiled. "It just appeared. Just like the staff. I guess this place likes me."

"I don't think this place likes anyone," Gus said.

"I'm not convinced this place has feelings at all," Tiger said. "There's magic here, but these are just caves."

"If you say so," Ada said, laughing under her breath.

"Why are you so happy?" Gus asked.

"We're so close to the throne room. Can't you feel it?" Ada said.

"How would I feel that?" Gus said.

"It's that way," she said, pointing at the wall. "Straight through. One of your especially hard punches should do it, Gus."

Gus looked at her, unsettled at her sudden certainty. Ada had never before seemed relaxed like this, had never before claimed knowledge she should have no way of possessing. After she had spent so much time telling him not to get seduced by this place, and all he got was rattled...

He hit the wall and it began to crumble before them. Slowly at first, and then very fast, great chunks of rock shattering on the ground. It wasn't all on him – the ground had begun to rumble again, and dust was raining on them from above, as well.

Ada dusted it off her plaited hair without the slightest hint of concern.

Tiger knocked out the remaining chunks of rock, so they had a large solid arch to step through. And so they did, into the throne room, just as Ada had said.

The room was spacious and strikingly decorated. A large tree took up most of the furthest wall, its roots spreading out across the floor, reaching towards them. There were richly decorated rugs, shelves of books, strangely shaped trinkets. Multiple people kneeled on the floor in front of a wide seat that was in use as a throne.

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And on the throne, Simon in yet another dark outfit, his dark hair pinned into an ornate crown.

Gus felt himself hunching over, but Tiger's hand on his back reminded him to straighten up.

The world outside the throne room was still rumbling, but in here the earthquake had yet to reach, the floor surprisingly still.

Simon arched an eyebrow at their entrance. Then he laughed and said, "Are you surprised?"

"Surprised at what?" Gus asked. He blinked, trying to figure out what he should be shocked by now. "Oh, surprised at you being lord of the underworld? No, that was very clear to me from the moment I met you. You have not a subtle bone in your body, Simon."

"Ah, I suppose I don't," Simon said, his face rueful. "I won't be lord for much longer, anyway."

"Because of the changeover, which everyone keeps talking about," Gus said.

"And because I'm giving you that dark jewel you've been looking for," Simon said. "I'm allowed to do that now. No thing in the world can stop me."

Simon reached in and pulled out his left eye. The white surrounding the dark jewel of the iris crumbled and fell away, until there was nothing left but the gem. He held it up to the firelight, and it gleamed. Almost like the starry night sky had been compressed into a rock.

"But I think I'm going to give it to her," Simon said, and pointed at Ada.

When Gus looked over at Ada, she didn't look surprised. Her face had nothing but the faint amusement it held for the entirety of their reunion.

"Ada?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "It means what you think it means. I can feel it." She closed her eyes and a tear slipped out. But her mouth was still smiling a faint smile, as if she couldn’t stop.

"I don't understand," Gus said. "We're all supposed to leave together."

"I know we made that plan," she said.

"And I have so much to tell you. You... you asked about how I felt when my heart stopped beating, but it started again in here. And we found Rose after all this time, and maybe things can change for the better when we get home. I have a plan to deal with Henry. You need to be there."

"I don't think your friend Rose will go with you, either," Simon said. He looked up, and the ceiling began to shake.

"While your heart has re-learned how to beat," Ada said, "mine has slowly stopped. My chest has known nothing but peace for days now. It was slowing already even when we first entered the tunnels. I think, if I went back, I would slowly die. There's no way out for me."

"And I might finally leave," Simon said.

"That's not a trade I want to make," Gus yelled.

"Brother," Tiger said, his voice concerned. He put a heavy, controlling hand on Gus's shoulder and held him back. "Brother, I don't like it either, but let her choose. Let Ada make her own choice."

"Thank you," she whispered.

"She chose to come down here with us. She's also allowed to choose to stay," Tiger said, his voice mournful.

Ada finally opened her eyes. Simon threw the jewel at her and she caught it, easily.

The ground beneath them began to shake, to match the shaking of the walls.

The clown kneeling on the ground in front of them said, "Well, I'll stay. I've stayed for three rulers so far, what's a fourth to me?"

Simon shot up, dashing over to Gus and grabbing for his hand. "I'm not staying. We don't have long before the place locks us all in again. Time to run."

"I need to get Alice," Tiger said.

"Alice?" Simon asked. "Alice? Oh, the pig keeper, that Alice. I summoned her for this meeting but she was late." He started to laugh, then slapped at his face until he stopped. "Very very late. The meeting is already over. Well, she'll be here, but she has her whole army of pigs to get through."

"I'm going to get her. She said she slept through the last one, and if she needs help, I'm willing to give it," Tiger said.

He ran back, and a crowd ran between them, separating him from Gus. A column of rock collapsed. The sound of screams and yells and animal roars grew loud in Gus's ears.

"Come on," Simon said, face frantic as he tugged at Gus’s hand.

"I can't leave without him," Gus said.

The growing crowd grew chaotic. Tiger was out of sight, and Ada no longer wanted to look at him.

"I think that I... will redecorate," Ada said, and took a slow step toward the throne.

Her eyes were blank. The jewel shone brightly clutched in her hand.

"Fine," Simon said. "Let's all get Alice together."

His clasp on Gus's hand grew tight, and he dragged Gus in the direction Tiger went. They ran, stumbling as rock dislodged itself from overhead.

"Is it always like this?" Gus asked.

"This is only my second changeover," Simon said. "I'm not an expert."

They were passed by shrieking women wrapped in spider silk, various small fluffy beasts, the hopping leg of a suit of armour.

*

In the throne room, Ada took another step, the throne rearranging its shape in front of her.

*

Eventually Gus and Simon ran into Tiger, already running back toward them. Beside him was a woman in a large pink dress, followed by hundreds of pigs and boars. Some of them were muddy and pink and some of them decaying as they went, all marching with all the dignity swine could muster towards one of the turns in the caves.

"We won't make it in time," Simon yelled. "Hurry up, little piggies."

Simon looked above them with pleading eyes, then pulled at his own hair.

"Stop that," Gus said, slapping at Simon's fingers. "It won't help."

A portal opened up in the tunnel and lit up their world. In front of it stood Nathaniel and Rose, faces grim.

"You won't get out in time otherwise, my lord, and I am the only one who can leave at any other time," Nathaniel said.

They all ran through, people and pigs and Simon's mangy undead cat. Behind them even more of the caves collapsed. And, last of all, Rose went through the portal, then Nathaniel, and then he waved his hand and the portal was closed.

"Is this it? Is this everyone?" Tiger asked.

In the outside world, the sky was brightening. The birds that welcomed the morning were loud and annoying.

Alice leaned on her own staff with a sigh and said, "Yes, that's all of them. I counted all my little friends."

Tiger laughed a soft laugh. "I meant to ask if all the people had gotten out. But that's good, too."

*

Ada reached the throne. It rearranged itself, one last time, into a nice, comfortable chair with a padded seat. No hard bench for her reign. She put the black gem at the top of her staff and it affixed itself in place, the wood of the staff growing around its edges.

Then she turned, and sat, and surveyed her new kingdom.

"I will give things order," she said.

The clown looked up, eyes wild. "I am at your service, my lord."

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