Strength and confidence be damned.
“Please,” I begged, glancing around wildly. Where were the shadows? It had felt easier to summon them before; what was I doing wrong? I focused on my hands, acutely aware of the emptiness there. Nothing prickled at my palms or flooded my chest. There was no rush of energy, no thrum of the Shadow Bringer’s lingering power.
I was truly alone, without anything or anyone protecting me from the demons.
“I’ll mount my defense the old-fashioned way, then,” I said through gritted teeth. And I went to work.
By the time I was finished, the back of my dress was damp with sweat, clinging to my skin as I knelt to inspect my work. A tower of interlocked furniture—the Bringer’s sumptuous chairs, bookshelves, and bed—was now shoved haphazardly against the door. It was fine enough, I supposed. At least a demon would be met with some resistance before getting the chance to eat me. For good measure, I climbed through the maze of furniture and shoved a piece of iron—the scepter of some sculpture—through the door handle.
Better.
I sank into an armchair I had left behind. As with my other Realm adventures, I felt no hunger, no thirst, no urge for bodily functions; but cold, warmth, and the dusting of pain could easily seep in. And seep they did.
Night air swept in from the balcony, chilling my sweat-slicked skin and rustling the curtain it passed through. It mingled with the many candelabras, tossing their flames close to death, and roved back to me, forcing shivers down my arms. It nearly made me forget why I was there in the first place. The Shadow Bringer had locked me here somehow, trading places so that he could be free from this cage of demons and darkness.
I muffled a scream into my hands.
The Shadow Bringer must have known he could bind me. That was why he had led me to his tomb. He’d intended to lead me there, bind me, and then what? I considered the possibilities. Would he seize Istralla and unleash his demons on all of humankind? Spread Corruption further and more pervasively? Destroy all the elixir stores?
Why did I get so close to him? And why didn’t I stop him when I had the chance?
I walked to the curtain of billowing fabric, determined to somehow stop the wind, when a strange noise whistled in the distance.
“Dreamer,” it keened, and I recognized it as the voice from earlier. The voice I had thought to be Elliot’s.
Under the unusually bright and silver-tinged stars, the Bringer’s balcony was a sight to behold. Dark roots entwined with ironwork, forming sculptural motifs across the castle walls, and the floor was a glistening, star-flecked obsidian that felt like silk underfoot.
“Have you finally the wits to see us? Here, here,” the voice whistled again, echoing out from somewhere below the balustrade.
I peered down at the forest, uncertain as to what I’d find.
“Ah, dreamer,” the familiar gray-haired demon called. “Quite some time it has been.”
The demon seemed more human than before, its eyes no longer seeping and its cheeks less like the curves of a skull. Even its posture seemed more composed—tall and graceful, not hunched and dragging as though the weight of hell rested upon its shoulders. Or maybe it was just the starlight playing tricks on me. Stars and the shimmering blue orbs that floated through the forest’s many trees.
“Where is he, dreamer?” a second demon asked, slinking from the forest. This one wore a short cape, unlike the long, meandering cloth of the first, and glared up at me with eyes of coal. “What have you done? Where is he?”
Surely they meant the Shadow Bringer. If they knew he was gone, what would they do? Would they try to take advantage of his absence and overrun me?
“He’s inside,” I answered, turning my shoulders as if to leave. “In fact, he’s calling for me. I had better return before he notices I’m speaking to monsters in the woods.”
The first demon grinned and tilted its head. “You’re cold. Has he not attired you with one of his cloaks? They are rather extravagant, but practical enough. Quite suitable for times such as these.”
“He already offered,” I bluffed, hoping they weren’t catching on. “I declined.”
The second demon scoffed. “You would spite him in such a manner? How loathsome.”
The grin of the first demon widened. “Quite loathsome, indeed. But I do forget—our poor demon-riddled minds are so fragile, you know—our lord has only a single cloak, typically affixed to his shoulders. He does not lend it willingly.”
“I spoke too quickly. I only meant that he offered me ablanket.”
“Hmm. A blanket, you say? Strange—my memory has returned. Our lord always adorns his personal guests in cloaks. Yes, most definitely cloaks. A welcome gift, if you will.”
Color rose to my cheeks, clearly revealing my frustration, so I stepped back into the shadows. I wasn’t sure how well the demons could see, or how powerful they were, but I didn’t feel like finding out.
“Retreating so soon?” the first demon questioned. “Are you certain you wish to do that?”
“I won’t tolerate your tricks, demon. Leave me be and go back to where you belong.”
