The Luna Choosing Game

The wait for midnight was nearly unbearable, but when it finally arrived, I left Elva sleeping in the bed,

and sneaked out into the hallway.

Mark was standing there with two other guards. He typically wore a serious expression, but today he

seemed especially grim. He must have shared Nicholas’s frustration with the plan.

“Be careful tonight. If anything happened to you…” He let the words hang.

I was confused. Surely the safety of his prince was more important than me. But he didn’t say anything

more. Instead, he just stared at me expectantly.

“ll be careful,” I said.

He nodded.

Turning from him, I started down the hallway. Nicholas met me halfway. He didn’t say anything, just offered his arm. I slid my arms in his and together we walked down toward the kitchens and into the

cellar.

Brian was guarding the door to one of the rooms there, the one containing the passage. He stepped

aside when we came close.

Inside, Julian had already discovered the trigger for the passageway, and an eerie dark opening loomed in the middle of a wall, hiding behind an empty bookcase that had been shifted aside.

In his hand, Julian carried a large, industrial–style flashlight. He clicked it on.

Even with the light of the flashlight, seeing the end of the tunnel was impossible. The stretch of the tunnel was long, and the darkness eventually swallowed the light.

“We stay close together,” Nicholas said. “Whatever happens, no one gets left behind.”

“Yes, yes, we all know the rules,” Julian said. He stepped into the tunnel.

Nicholas and I looked at each other, and then we followed him.

The walls were made of brick, rounded along the top. Our footsteps on the stone floor echoed down the long, empty corridor. The air was stale.

I wasn’t easily frightened by places, but this tunnel felt so old that it had become alive.

The hairs on the back of my neck stood on head.

“Stay close,” Julian said.

We moved carefully through the tunnel. The light of the room we’d come from seemed very far away

behind us.

The flashlight flickered. We all stilled.

“Julian,” Nicholas said, a warning in his voice. A warning that would come far too late.

The light flickered again, and then went out.

My breath caught in my throat.

Plunged into darkness, I reached out for both Nicholas and Julian and touched Nicholas’s chest with one hand and Julian’s shoulder with the other. Nicholas caught my hand in his and held it. Julian

placed

his over mine and squeezed my fingers.

My fear spiked in such a dark, creepy place in the dark, but having them so close, each offering comfort

in their own ways, helped me feel safe again.

Then, Julian lowered his hand again and smacked the flashlight. The light flickered again, blinding, but it

didn’t last.

“Piece of junk,” Julian snapped.

“You forgot to change to new batteries,” Nicholas said. Property © NôvelDrama.Org.

“You don’t know that,” Julian said.

Silence fell around us. The accusation hung heavy in the air.

“Fine,” Julian said. “I didn’t change the new batteries.”

“Here.” Nicholas shuffled with something in his pocket, then seemed to pass something to Julian. (1)

“You could have given me these new batteries before we walked into the creepy tunnel,” Julian said.

“I was giving you the benefit of the doubt.”

“An unwise decision,” Julian said.

“Yes,” Nicholas replied. “I see that now.”

Julian replaced the batteries, the flashlight sparked back to life, and we continued walkthrough through the tunnel.

At one point, Nicholas checked the compass on his phone. This deep underground, he didn’t receive any signal, but he could tell we were heading northwest.

“Julian.” He showed Julian the phone. In the dim light of the screen, Julian frowned.

“We should be extra careful,” Julian said. It was unusual for him to say such a thing.

“Why?” I asked. “What does the direction matter?”