I squeezed the shadows narrower and narrower, resisting every part of me that wanted to scream or run. The tunnel was as large as I could make it; I had no more to give.
It has to be enough.
The first demons to reach us lunged for our throats. I flinched, losing my grip on all the threads—and they crashed over the demons like a wave, merging with a pitch-black gateway that Erebus hurled down the tunnel in a frantic sweep. I could feel the shadows pulling at the demons, plucking out every broken, terrible thing.
For a brief moment, all was dark.
And then…
It was as if the shadows had been pulled from the sky itself, rendering the stars as brilliant as I’d ever seen them. The castle and itscourtyard were washed in silver, revealing hundreds of demons losing fur, teeth, claws, skulls, wings—hundreds of broken, distorted creatures transforming before our eyes into adults and children. They were human.
All of them.
The gray-faced demon had become an equally tall man with dark, honey-brown hair, and the coal-eyed demon was now a pale, lithe man with sharp features and black hair that framed his jaw in a smooth sweep. I recognized them instantly—they were the two men who had entered the coliseum with Erebus at Evernight.
“Ceveon—Sorren,” Erebus choked out. “All this time, you were both here?”
“Always,” Ceveon said weakly, attempting a small but roguish smile. A few tears began to slide down his light brown face, but he brushed them away before they could reach his jaw. “With you, always. Though your domain got to feel a bit stifling, I’ll admit. Especially when you can’t communicate properly inside its bounds.”
“Stifling? That’s putting it lightly,” Sorren muttered, scowling at Ceveon. But when he turned to behold Erebus and me, his face settled into something that nearly resembled relief. His eyes, like Ceveon’s, were glittering, but he did not cry. “Fortunately, five centuries pass in a blink when your mind is tethered to that of a demon. Now the curse is broken and the real work can begin.”
My eyes swept the dreamers, heart racing at the thought of finding Eden or my parents. My throat tightened as I braced for what I might see. But when they didn’t appear, a painful blend of disappointment and relief washed over me. If they weren’t here, then surely that meant they were somewhere better—with the Maker in paradise. Still, the unexpected hope of hugging them one last time nearly shattered me.
“Esmer, what—” Erebus began, noting my distress, but was sharply cut off.
“How curious,” a new voice interrupted, its silky pitch threading through the courtyard, “that the demons in your castle weren’t demonsat all. Merely locked-up souls, just as the tales declare. But you broke that narrative when you set them free today.”
Somnus slid from the trees, hair covering his robes in inky tendrils. He didn’t look at all surprised to find us; in fact, I sensed he had been watching the scene unfold from the very beginning. Around the castle courtyard, dreamers struggled into sitting or kneeling positions. Hundreds of dreamers, some sobbing, some groaning, some staring silently at the stars. Ceveon and Sorren staggered forward, flanking Erebus and me.
“Somnus,” Erebus bit out. “You knew. Youknewthat these humans were locked inside the bodies of demons. All this time—all this time.”
“You should be grateful,” Somnus said lowly, scarcely touching the ground as he strode toward us. “Aren’t you pleased I led them back to you?”
“I’d be pleased to have known freedom five centuries ago. For myself, and all these innocent dreamers.”
“Impossible,” Somnus said with a dismissive shrug. “Your entire domain was locked, shielded from outside interference until you tricked Esmer into taking your place. Whom, by the way, you wouldn’t have had the pleasure of meeting had you been freed five hundred years ago. You really should thank her, considering—”
“Erebus shouldn’t have to thankanyonefor being set free, me included,” I countered vehemently. “And don’t imply that his suffering was valuable just because he met me. There is never nobility in suffering. If there’s anyone to thank, thank the Maker I found Erebus when I did.”
I found Erebus’s hand and squeezed it. Shadows left over from the dreamers’ cleansing drifted around our bodies, winding through our fingers and clinging to our feet as if they wished to protect us.
“And find him you did. Curious,” Somnus murmured, leveling us with a withering stare. “Either way, I saved you the hassle of collecting all these poor, lost souls. They scattered like mindless beasts the moment they broke free from your castle. Fortunately, leaving the castleallowed them to speak and have a somewhat-functioning sense of logic. Otherwise, my task would have been a bit more complicated.”
I shook my head. “But they’re not mindless at all. They’rehuman. All of them.”
“That depends on your definition of ‘human.’ Their mortal bodies have already perished, but their souls remain intact. That will be something to deal with when you begin commanding them, I’m afraid.” He added, muttering darkly, “If they will even listen, that is.”
“What do you mean, ‘deal with’?” Erebus bit out, face paling.
Somnus swept his arms wide. “You have a Corruptive curse to break, a half-dead army to train, and a red-eyed demon thirsting for your souls. Quite the mess on your hands.”
A serpentine smile slid across his lips.
“Best get started, Shadow Weavers.”
Citadel Firstlight had never felt like such a tomb.
Mithras jammed his fingers under his cloak, warming them as best he could. He wasn’t sure why he felt so cold. Someone had left a window open, or perhaps a guard had dawdled at their post exchange too long, allowing the night air in as they spoke with their replacement.
