Chapter 11: The Banshee (4)
The sea banshee carried Everly through the jagged rocks, finally reaching a pile of rubble beside the lighthouse. There, she found a hidden cave and slipped inside as if she had done it a thousand times before.
The cave was deep. The walls bore clear claw marks, gouged and scratched—the size and depth suggesting they were the work of the banshee herself. Crawling down the dark passage for about half a minute, Everly suddenly emerged into a semi-collapsed underground stone chamber.
The walls and ceiling of the chamber were covered in some unknown bioluminescent plant, glowing a soft, eerie blue. Its light pulsed faintly with every breath, serving as the room’s only illumination. In this dim glow, Everly saw the banshee carrying her across the debris and depositing her in the center of the chamber.
Here lay a stone platform raised about half a meter from the ground. The platform was only slightly damaged. In the faint light of the glowing plants, Everly could just make out the remnants of carved relief patterns on its surface.
A small stone table sat crookedly atop the platform. At first, Everly thought it was dark red—but as the banshee hissed low in frustration and pinned her against the cold, hard stone surface, she realized the table was stained with blood.
A strong stench of iron-rich blood mixed with damp, decaying odors hit her face. Her cheek pressed against the stone, feeling a sticky chill. Meanwhile, above her, the banshee leaned down, opening a gaping, blood-filled mouth toward her—
Ah… so that dark red on the table… it’s blood…
The thought flickered briefly through Everly’s mind. Facing death, she felt an unexpected calm.
Try it, she thought. Go all out, even if it kills me. Better than doing nothing, letting myself be slaughtered like a lamb…