“Fuckinghell,” Crypt hisses, yanking back immediately. His markings light up as his face contorts in pain. “Don’t touch her, love. Whatever emotions and pain she’s experiencing from this area of the Nether, she seems to be conducting, as well.”
Another explosion up above sends dust sprinkling from the catacomb ceiling above. Swearing, I look back at Heidi. She’s in pain, and she can’t be left here.
As if the universe is giving me a break for once, the blue-haired young woman ghost appears in front of Crypt and me, popping out of one of the catacomb walls. She immediately crouches to check on Heidi, looking concerned as she peers up at me.
She gestures to herself, then to Heidi, and mouths,Best friends.
“Oh, shit,” I realize aloud.
This girl was friends with Heidi before she died here. If she was Heidi’s best friend, it’s no wonder she was also particularly pissed off at Daphne Frost.
“I’m missing a ghostly interaction, aren’t I?” Crypt guesses.
I glance at Heidi again as I debate how to get her out of here. Then it hits me, and I turn toward my incubus. “Put her to sleep. She’s stuck in an empathic meltdown right now, but she won’t feel as much when she’s unconscious.”
He nods and reaches out to touch one of Heidi’s shackled hands again, just briefly, before he jerks away like he’s been burned. Still, that brief touch is enough that the empath’s silent tears stop. All tension melts out of her curled-up body.
The next time Crypt touches her, he breathes out. “Still painful, but slightly more bearable. Where are we moving these survivors to, love?”
I pause, considering our options. I didn’t expect to find humans alive down here, but I guess I’m not surprised. Being immortal, Amadeus tends to view time differently. He’s in no rush, whether it comes to conquering the world or toying with whatever humans he captured or received as tributes from the Frosts.
But now that we’ve found this handful of people and Heidi…
“You need to get them outside the citadel,” I decide. “To my old hovel on the outskirts of the woods. The wards should still be in place, so it will be the safest place for them until the battle is over.”
Crypt’s beautiful violet gaze narrows. “And leave you here, alone? I think not.”
“I won’t be alone. I have ghosts.”
Nine of them, to be exact. They keep slowly gravitating to me through the walls of the catacombs.
“Darling—” he starts to protest, shaking his head.
“These catacombs connect below the arena and its surrounding area,” I explain quickly. “I’ll emerge where all the action is, and the others are already there. I’ll be fine.”
Okay, what are those ugly-ass giant scorpion things?Baelfire asks through the bond.I’ve never seen that kind of shadow fiend before.
I can’t see the battle, but I know exactly what fiend he’s talking about.They’re called namghirr and their venom hurts like fucking hell. It also kills in seconds unless you’ve recently ingested their blood, which helps slow the venom. But I don’t recommend drinking their blood since it tastes like shit.
I’m loath to realize how you must know all of that,Silas grits telepathically.
Just stay away from them. I’ll be there soon,I add before looking at Crypt. “I need to get this heart into Amadeus and end this, but I also need you to get these innocent people to safety.”
The Nightmare Prince glances down at Heidi, sighs, and straightens to pull me close, kissing the top of my head. “Fine, but if you’re harmed while we’re apart…”
I grin, tipping my head back. “Watch out. The green Jell-O threat was already utilized by Baelfire.”
“Damn that big lizard for taking the best threat of them all,” Crypt smiles back. He kisses me gently before growing serious. “If you’re harmed while we’re apart, you won’t be the only one incapable of forgiving me. I’ll be back as quickly as I can, my love.”
“Good. I’ll be in the arena waiting, covered in the blood of our enemies.”
“Seduction at its finest,” he sighs before grasping the edge of Heidi’s ripped jacket and vanishing into Limbo. A second later,I hear the fearful whimpering of the other captive humans stop and know he’s probably put them to sleep to move them through Limbo, too.
That leaves me and my fan club of specters to make our way swiftly through the cold, dim, colorless catacombs until I reach a small wooden door that separates the catacombs from underneath Amadeus’s arena.
Taking a deep breath, I open the door to a huge portion of my childhood.
The scent of this dark place filled with onyx-barred cells assaults me. I practically choke on the memories that come with the overwhelming smell of stale sweat, blood, piss, rot, and death.
