Saddiq takes a loose stone from his cell and tosses it away from us through the iron bars. The creatures lunge for the stone and begin ripping at the empty space with their deadly claws.
Of course. He was a demon hunter. He’s trying to show me that the creatures are blind. They can’t see us, but they can hear us, and Saddiq tossing that stone might have saved my life. He has some semblance of protection in his cell, but I am fully exposed in this narrow corridor.
As the creatures flail their deadly limbs around the space looking for something that is not there, one of them snuffs out the only lit torch on the wall, leaving us in complete darkness.
I squeeze Saddiq’s hand, and though I don’t want to, I know that Ihavetoleave him if I want to live. I let him go and crawl along the dirty ground, shaking and silently crying.
I hear the monster’s claws scraping against stone and screeching. Saddiq must have thrown another rock to help me.
I can’t see anything, and my heart is pounding so hard in my ears that I fear I wouldn’t be able to hear those creatures even if they were right next to me.
Thankfully, I’ve visited Saddiq enough times that I can remember the general direction I need to go to lead me out of the dungeon. My fingertips brush along the doorway of the tunnel, and I sit up on my knees and feel for the handle. It creaks as I open it, and I whimper when I hear the creatures screech at the sound. They’re coming. I have to run. I stand and push through the doorway, closing it behind me as they crash against the metal. I use every bit of my strength to shut the door, but they are too strong.
I can hear Saddiq yelling, trying to get their attention, but I’m screaming now too.
Screaming forKaius.
The longer I’m trapped against this door, the more frantic I’m becoming. To my right, a torch sits, barely still alight. I pull it off the wall and shove it into the face of one of the creatures. It screeches in pain and falls backward, allowing me just enough of a break in its strength to close and lock the door.
I can hear them beating at the wood, trying to get to me, and though I’m once again in the dark, I let out the shakiest breath of relief at the sense of safety I have with the barrier between me and those things.
I take a big step to the side to brace my back against the wall for stability. My legs are wobbly and I’m lightheaded from screaming for so long. I let my head fall back against the wall as I refill my lungs.
Then I hear another monster chittering.
This time, directly above my head.
My heart is in my feet at this point, and the other two monsters in the dungeons are now beating against the heavy door again. The one above my head lets out a guttural moan as it waits for the others to break out.
I have no choice. I have to run. I try to swallow, but I can’t. I try to breathe, but I can’t. My body is shaking as my survival instincts attempt to form an escape plan.
The creatures finally break through the door and all I can do is run.
I don’t know how or why, but there is something within me guiding my path. An intuition of sorts, and I can only hope it’s bringing me to Kaius.
I finally exit the tunnels and head straight for the main corridor of the palace. I can hear more of those things chasing me. My heart races dangerously fast at the possibility of them catching me. Panic engulfs my senses–making it hard to breathe or see or think.
All I want is Kaius.
The throne room. I can see the heavy door now. A small semblance of hope rushes through me, but I feel a tug on the skirt of my dress and stumble to the floor. One of the creatures has dug its claws into the small train of my skirt. Its razor-sharp claws rip the fabric to shreds, allowing an easy but very close escape.
I burst through the throne room door. Fearful tears rush down my face and my eyes meet Kaius’. I stumble to the ground in front of him. My mind is racing with confusion to see him chained and gagged with shadows, wrestling against his restraints to break free.
Dravon is sitting on Kaius’ throne, and behind me, there are nine figures in deep gray robes that cover them from head to toe. Those monsters that were chasing me through the palace are kept outside of the throne room by some kind of magic ward. They can’t break through this one no matter how hard they claw at it and slam into it with their bodies.
One of the robed figures steps towards me, and I scoot away from them from my place on the floor. The figure tilts its head slightly, and then a grumbly feminine voice emerges from under the veil.
“My dear, you have nothing to fear from me,” she whispers.
“Who are you?” I demand.
“My name is Amatisi. I am Matriarch of the Coven of the Ten Priestesses.” She gestures behind her to the other figures. “These are my sisters. Zecate. Gaia. Octavia. Marcella. Nephele. Selene. Viseria. Nyx. We hail from the Blackwood, and have come to collect on a thousand-year-old debt owed to us by Kaius Voroninov, King of Bloodlust, Betrayal and the Damned.”
Suddenly, an invisible force moves me to my feet, causing me to gasp. Amatisi grabs me gently by the jaw, tilting my head from side to side while my limbs are held down against my will. She lets me go, but I’m still frozen in place as she circles me, toying with my hair–pinching and poking at my body as my dancing masters used to.
“What is your name, love?”
I don’t answer her, my mind still in survival mode. I’m not sure I evenremembermy name.
