Page 113 of Prince of Darkness and Deceit

My voice vanishes into the roar of the fire creeping along the homes, slowly but surely overtaking the one we’re currently trapped in.

I look down, and a ragged gasp of relief funnels down my throat.

This back window is positioned over the awning that shields the back door from the elements.

A drop would be manageable, though still painful. And the chance of breaking a bone is high.

But there’s no other choice.

I glance over my shoulder. The boy sits on the thin mattress, red eyes staring at me without blinking.

He’s in shock.

He’s small. I might be able to toss him out the window. But then he might miss the awning…

I lean out farther, coughing so hard my ribs ache. Below me, the ground sways through the smoke.

“Help!”

Come on.

Someone has to see me. Someone has to hear.

Then—movement.

Three figures burst from the tree line, their horses galloping fast and hard. Cloaks whip behind them like wings, hooves tearing up the scorched grass.

My heart surges.

“Here! Up here!” I scream, waving one arm frantically; the other grips the charred frame to keep from falling.

One of them turns toward me.

Eyes like molten silver glowing through the smoke capture my attention. “Elara!”

The shout cuts through the crackle of flame—sharp, furious, desperate.

Rian.

Something in my chest breaks loose as relief crashes over me, dizzying and dangerous.

“I’m going to make it,” I whisper, half to myself, half in prayer. Tears slip down my cheeks, but they vanish into steam before they reach my chin. “We’re going to make it.”

Behind me, the boy cries out—sharper, deeper, almost...wrong.

Hot pain slices across my back like a whip made of fire.

“AH!” I fall to the side, the sudden sting stealing the precious breath from my smoke-tainted lungs.

I twist and scramble back. And horror lodges my scream in my throat.

The boy is no longer a boy.

Hunchbacked with midnight-blue skin and standing over six feet tall, a monster sneers through the thickening smoke. Red drops of blood drip from his black talons. My blood.

Where fearful, teary eyes and cherub cheeks had been, now there's only hunger. The beast's mouth splits wide. Jagged teeth glisten with saliva, and drool drops from dark lips as it shuffles a hoofed foot closer. Eyes black as tar fix on me.

I press my palms on the windowsill and rise on shaking legs. My heart thrums, but my power remains dormant. I take a single step back, and the beast lunges.