Elliot, gone.
The Shadow Bringer made a sound of utter disgust and said: “The only thing haunting me isyou, you—”
Somnus sighed, and the Bringer went still, mouth locked in a snarl. His eyes blinked, furious; it was the only movement he was capable of. “It seems you have lost all sense of civility in your imprisonment. You are filled with rage and bitterness and not much else,” Somnus said, his eyes softening a touch at this observation. Then he said, turning to face me, “Esmer, perhaps you have an idea of what haunts you. I sent you to visit a dream where the darkness was strongest. What did you see there?”
A winged demon peeked over this unfurling edge, its skull ringed in horns that crowned red smoking eyes. Where its face should have been was a mask of swirling darkness.
Merely remembering the demon sent shivers of disgust down my arms. The fact that it felt familiar, somehow, unnerved me even more. Had I dreamed of it once? Why did itknowme?
“There was a demon unlike anything I’d ever seen.”
“And what did it look like?” Somnus asked.
“It had red eyes that burned like fire, and its face resembled a—”
“Storm.” The Shadow Bringer finished my sentence, no longer frozen. “And it has armor. And horns.” We locked eyes, an uncertain understanding forming between us. “I dreamed of such a demon as a child.”
I nodded grimly. “My brother did, too.”
“Interesting,” Somnus murmured. “The Weavers believe this same demon is orchestrating part of the Dream Realm’s Corruption. Unfortunately, it continues to elude us. We receive reports of its whereabouts, but whenever we are on the cusp of finding it, it either disappears or proves indomitable. It may be stronger than any of us are capable of handling.” He placed his hand upon my shoulder, looking unexpectedly sympathetic. “Esmer, this demon has been hunting your family. First, your sister. Eden.” A chill raced over my skin, settling hard in my stomach. “Not long after, it found Elliot. That was the dream you just experienced.” I squeezed my hands together, horrified at the truth beginning to unravel. “Most recently, it claimed your parents. Naturally, Elliot would be next. Then you, of course. If you survive long enough for it to find you, that is.”
I chewed on my thumbnail, trying to come to terms with this terrifying revelation. If I dwelled too long on the fact that Elliot might still be hunted by that demon with smoking eyes, I’d lose what little shred of control I had left.
The Shadow Bringer’s shadows raced up Somnus’s web, ripping it to shreds.
“Unless you are proposing something that results in both my freedom and your head atop a pike,get out of my castle and never return,” the Bringer threatened.
Somnus’s eyes flashed in irritation. “I came here to request your aid in destroying this demon, and to offer my assistance in helping you flee. If you will not heed my request, then go ahead and rot inside these walls as the world crumbles around you. Despair as the demons you unleashed prey upon Noctis.” He added coldly, looking at me, “Your brother included, Esmer. Your time is running out; if you do not find a way to escape this wretched place, your soul will fester here forever.”
And with that, he vanished in a swirl of black.
Later that night, if time could even be measured in the Dream Realm, the Shadow Bringer and I stood on his balcony and watched in horror as stars began to fall out of the sky. Every few breaths, a handful would drop. And when the stars dropped, so did part of the castle. Sometimes, the crash of stone would be far away—a distant rumble as a piece of it broke into dust. Other times, it was extraordinarily close and made us flinch. Part of the balustrade broke away with acrack, nearly catching my boot. I reeled backward—straight into the Shadow Bringer’s armored chest.
I spun around, glaring at him accusingly, and he scowled as though he wanted to throw me off the balcony just to see what would happen. Anothercrackrang out as a stained glass window broke from a lower floor.
“So, your castle really is crumbling. And everything else around it,” I said to break the silence.
“It appears that way, yes.”
He sounded almost pleased. It was maddening.
“And you chased away our only hope of ever escaping.” Somnus hadn’t come back; I didn’t think he ever would.
“I did.”
“And if this world, this—”
“Domain,” he completed.
“—crumbles, then we’ll be trapped in the Dream Realm forever.”
“Correct. We will never again wake in reality and will be confined to the Beyond, which is—”
“The Dream Realm equivalent to hell,” I finished.
He crossed his arms as a smirk dusted his lips. “Very good. You’re catching on.”
“You seem awfully calm.” I was livid.
