Chapter 18

The Unspeakable Happens

The red eyes grew closer and closer. I was honestly a little scared now. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to go with Spindler and Raven. But I couldn't abandon them now.

There was finally enough light to see everything, and I was scared by what I saw. A gigantic, black, crow-like bird was behind the fence. The bird's red eyes stared at us, as if trying to decide which of us would make the best prey.

"What do you want?" Nightingale snapped.

"We'd like the Azurro, if you're willing to give it up," Spindler said.

"I am obviously not willing to abandon the position I've held for THOUSANDS OF YEARS!!!" Nightingale shouted. "Of course, if you would like to borrow it, I can arrange that."

I looked at Spindler. This is too easy, I thought.

"It will come with a price," Nightingale continued. "To be specific, I will need one of your quest members. If you are willing to perform the sacrifice, then I will see what I can do on the Azurro."

I was shocked. Nightingale was asking for a "sacrifice," but I was almost sure there was no way to make sure this sacrifice would come back alive.

"I see that look on your face, Avery Katherine Richards," Nightingale said. "No worries, I'll give you some time to decide what you want to do. And there's no problem with turning back. My job is to guard the Azurro, after all, not to lend it to you. But I haven't had a nice sacrifice in a while..."

"We should play along with it for now," Spindler whispered to me. "It will be easier to defeat Nightingale once she has the sacrifice. Hopefully the sacrifice will stay alive."

"Can't you just use that sword you have?" I asked.

"Nightingale can't be defeated using a sword," Theodore said.

I turned to Theodore in shock. "How do you know that?" I asked.

Theodore sighed. "I've been...working with Nightingale. She knew we were coming because of me."

"WHAT?!?!?" Raven shouted.

"Forget about it. Nightingale can't be defeated with a sword, but she can be defeated with powerful magic."

I couldn't believe it. Theodore had been lying to us the entire time. He was working with the enemy all throughout our journey. The traitor might have some good information, I thought, although my first temptation was to lash out at the teddy bear who betrayed us. Why did a short, fuzzy teddy bear have so much power over us?

"I'll do it," Raven said quietly.

"Sacrifice yourself?" Spindler asked. "I'm not sure that's the best idea."

"You said earlier you needed someone to sacrifice themself to Nightingale, and I'll do it. Being a vampire is a curse, Spindler. I'm practically immortal, but it's a lonely existence. There's a part of me that will never be satisfied. I want it to end. I don't know what will happen to me, and honestly, I don't care. I just want to be helpful for once." Raven took one step towards Nightingale, and I realized it was the first step towards her death.

"Raven!" I shouted. "I won't let you do this to yourself."

"I have to, Avery," Raven said. "There is no choice."

I wanted to do something, anything, to help Raven. I wished there was some other way out of this situation. But Spindler had said this was the only way, and I believed him. Raven would have to die if this quest was to succeed.

Raven walked right up to the golden fence, as did Nightingale. I covered my eyes, afraid to see what the bird would do to Raven. I waited, expecting to hear shrieks of pain and fear.

Instead, I heard footsteps.

I uncovered my eyes, curious as to what was happening. Theodore was striding towards the golden fence. Confusion invaded my brain. What was Theodore doing? I wondered.

Both Raven and Theodore now stood before Nightingale at the golden fence; a vampire and a teddy bear, ready to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.

"I walk this empty street down the Boulevard of Broken Dreams," Theodore said. "I learned that from your shiny thing, Avery."

Those were Theodore's last words. At that moment, the Nightingale tried to sing. When she opened her beak, all that came out was a raw, ugly caw. The caw echoed throughout the basement, and Nightingale took the opportunity to lunge for Theodore. He was caught in her cursed beak. Although he flailed around wildly, nothing could escape Nightingale's deadly grasp.

"Run, Avery," Spindler whispered.

I dashed past Spindler as quickly as I could. I leaped over the golden fence and saw Nightingale's red eyes glaring at me. Stuffing and fur was flying in every direction as Nightingale tore Spindler's loyal friend apart. A confusion of emotions swept through me, and I froze as I stood before the monster, the tyrant who had killed an innocent bear.

Instincts prevailed, and I reached for my wand. I would avenge Theodore. This monster was about to meet her match. I channeled every ounce of my fury into that little stick.

A beam of purple energy emerged from the wand and hit Nightingale. Before I knew it, the monster lay on the ground, stupefied. I wasn't sure if she was dead, but part of me wanted her to be. Whatever had happened, she deserved it.

On the ground, among all of the stuffing, I found a piece of glass. I picked it up, and found it to be Theodore's monocle. A single tear fell down my face. This was the last remnant I had of Theodore.

"I'm sorry you had to die this way, Theodore," I whispered. I shoved the monocle into my pocket. I had to make sure Theodore had not died in vain. I would find the Azurro.

I saw a small glimpse of light nearby. I followed into, only to find another staircase. I was certain this was where the Azurro was hidden. I took a deep breath and began my descent downwards.