Alissa frowned. “We’re not in the canyons just yet.”
“You only need to go straight ahead now.” Eldric turned around to stand beside her, facing the cave entrance. “Do you see this horrible, terrifying, putrid cave?” His nose scrunched in disgust. “Just follow this path all the way, and you’re there.”
“Well, thank you for the unsolicited directions, but you’re coming with us, Van Myr.”
“What?”
“You’ll be free once we’re out of here.”
“You mean,ifwe’re out of here…” the man murmured to himself.
Against all odds, Freyah was the first to step into the cave. It was so dark that, after only a few steps, they couldn’t see an inch in front of them.
Freyah picked up a torch from the wall and lit it while Alissa and Eldric hurried their steps to catch up. The cave, at first glance, looked like any other, surrounded by stones. It was filled with cobwebs, and the rancid smell was a mixture of mold and piss. The humidity of the air quickly made Alissa’s hair look frizzy. The deafening silence was almost too bleak if not for the whispers of the other people in her company.
Alissa heard a gagging sound, and her eyes darted to the strong man beside her, holding the urge to vomit. She snorted. “You’re such a baby!”
“Excuse me if my body reacts to a smell equivalent to ten rotten bodies covered in piss and blue cheese.”
A crease appeared between her eyebrows. “What do you mean? A cheese that is blue?”
“Do you not know what blue cheese is?” he asked incredulously.
She shook her head in response.
Even though puzzled, Eldric couldn’t pass up the chance to share his knowledge. “You’re not entirely wrong. There’s actually a fascinating story behind the name. It has to do with how it’s made and how mold?—”
“Shhhh!” The reprimand came from Freyah, two steps ahead. “Will you two stop arguing, please? I think I can hear something.”
The voices they heard in the distance became clear as they walked further into the cavern. One of them was vibrant and full of energy. In stark contrast, the other was rough and weathered. Alissa instantly assumed the voices belonged to a young man on one side and an elderly gentleman on the other. Imagine her surprise when they finally reached the end of the cave and her eyes fell upon the holders of these completely distinct voices—the twins.
She took a step back, recoiling from the nightmarish sight before her, steadied only by Eldric’s touch as his hands instinctively pressed against her back, even as a rope bound his wrists together.
He leaned in closer, wearing a smirk on his face. “Who’s being a baby now?”
Alissa glared at him for the audacity. Beside her, Freyah stood in stunned silence, her jaw hanging open and her hands trembling.
“Don’t be afraid, little person. If you don’t leave this place alive, it will not be by our hands.” The young and old male voices spoke in unison, each one a bizarre complement of the other.
Alissa watched the men, bewildered. Their faces matched their voices: one radiated youth, while the other bore the marks of a long life. Despite their individual minds, the twins shared the same body, with two necks emerging from a single torso and one pair of arms and legs—wrinkled on the left side and smooth on the right. The fact that these brothers were born simultaneously, yet appeared to belong to entirely different generations, defied reason. Alissa wondered whether this anomaly could be the result of a mutation caused by the energies within the canyons.
“Forgive my friend, gentlemen. We’re not yet accustomed to the wonders of this world,” Alissa said.
“It’s been a while since we last heard an accent quite like yours.” Astonished, the older man looked to his right to face his brother. “We must have been in the cave for longer than we thought if her people are walking among us again, brother.”
“Wise observation, brother,” the younger one said.
Eldric frowned.
Alissa didn’t really understand what the old man meant at first, but when Freyah spoke, she realized he was referring to the people of Bryniard. The use of the word “again” brought a bitter taste to her tongue.
“Not our people, just the two of us,” Freyah said, her hands on her waist as her feet tapped nervously.
Alissa glanced around, taking in her surroundings. Dozens of candles illuminated the cave, spread across every flat surface. Surrounding them, countless shelves were carved out of the thick stone. She took a step closer to study the contents of the several glass jars on display. The view was so twisted that this woman, who was used to eviscerating animals herself, grimaced. Inside those jars were body parts once belonging to people of all ages and ethnicities. She saw a jar full of mutilated index fingers, another with strands of hair of all colors and textures, a thirdone filled with blood, and the fourth one with content that was better left unsaid.
All conceivable human body parts were there, inside the vials or simply hanging from the ceiling. Exhibited in their collection for all to see. A piece of another person’s body, now devoid of life, presented as a collection. The extent of cruelty was staggering. Alissa swallowed, wondering what part of her body would soon join those shelves.
“I see you appreciate our collection,” the younger sibling spoke, his teeth showing in a creepy smile.