Although I step inside without hesitation, my wolves pause for a beat, and I’m reminded that they don’t like this sort of enclosed space—no matter how bright it is.
I find that a little odd now that I know what the demon city is like, given that my demon wolves were born into this world, but maybe they didn’t live in the city. Or they were simply too young to remember it. I haven’t seen any creatures in the vicinity so far. It suddenly occurs to me to wonder: If the beasts of Mortem live somewhere other than the heart of the city, and they’re officially in Roman’s care, does that mean Roman lives somewhere else too?
Forcing myself not to think about him, I step to the back of the surprisingly large elevator, feeling calmer when my wolves follow me. Temple presses against my right thigh, Luca presses to my left, Blitz takes up position in front of me, and Ace stands at my back, facing Carys, who keeps her distance from all of us.
I immediately recognize the protective formation my wolves are taking, and I guess they’re as anxious as I am about what could be waiting for us when these elevator doors open.
I’m a little surprised when the light beam we’re standing on descends since I thought we were already on the first floor and I assumed we would ascend into the upper levels of the Citadel.
The light beam whispers to a stop, the doors grind open, and Carys breezes out. “This way.”
Ahead of us, the long, narrow hallway is dimly lit, the walls are a dark stone with flecks of silver through them, but they aren’t shiny like the rest of the building. Actually, this reminds me more of the pit I peered into. Not that I think she’s leading me into the Scourge…
Blitz takes off down the hallway, scouting ahead and returning at full speed, skidding to a stop beside me before I’ve taken more than five steps. He whines up at me, his violet eyes glowing and narrowed, but he doesn’t try to stop me from progressing as he would if there were immediate danger.
Ahead of me, Carys pauses outside an ornate wooden door—the only door I can see in the length of visible hallway. It’s painted a deep crimson color like the one I stepped through before, and its surface is carved into a pattern of thick whirls.
She pushes it open and a dusty, unused smell wafts out from the room. Ace immediately steps in front of me and prowls inside, his head low, sniffing at the furniture while Temple stays close to my side—between me and Carys. I might be trying to get along with the demon, but my wolves are making it clear to me that they don’t trust her.
The room is small. A bed is crammed into the far-right corner with a chair beside it, the headboard and the chair both appearing to be made out of the same crimson-painted wood as the door. The bed sports a heavy woolen-style blanket. It looks like there’s a cramped bathroom through a door in the far-left corner, through which I can see a basic washstand.
A pile of clothing has been left on the end of the bed, a violet dress is laid out beside the pile, and a sparse plate of food sits on the chair.
I swing to Carys, only to find her gliding away down the hallway, her loose, ivory clothing making her look like a disappearing cloud in the dark. Her voice floats back to me. “Enjoy your room, Nova. Don’t be late for the Purification. It’s taking place in front of the Citadel.”
“Sure,” I murmur.
I blow out a controlled exhale. Somehow, I don’t think this is how her children live. The real danger is that there’s only one way in and out of this place, which makes it harder to escape, although I make a mental note to investigate what lies at the other end of the hallway, hoping it’s not a dead end.
The only blessing is the clock on the wall, although it takes me a moment to read it. It has one hand, and there are ten spokes around its edge, which must mean Mortem has a ten-hour cycle morning and night, instead of twelve hours like Earth.
The Purification Ceremony is supposed to take place at the eighth hour, and, even though it looked like mid-afternoon when I came inside, the clock already points to the sixth hour. I tell myself to go with it. Even if Carys has messed with the clock, I’ll be early, not late.
When I reach for the door to close it, Temple nudges me and takes up position outside it in the hallway. My guard and protector. Ace and the others remain inside, each of them moving to the available corners of the room other than the corner occupied by the bed.
Closing the door firmly behind me, I take peace in the knowledge that I’m not alone. Also that Ace has stuck with me. I brush his head lightly, whispering, “Grinta” and taking a moment of connecting with him.
Then I hurry to eat—a cold meal of limp vegetables that resemble spinach and potatoes and slices of some sort of protein substance. My wolf turns her nose up at them, but her acute sense of smell doesn’t detect anything rotten or poisonous, so I make myself swallow them down. Checking out the bathroom, I find it rudimentary, and the water is freezing cold. I brave the shower to get myself clean and then rush to dry my shivering body before I wrap a towel around myself and dig through the clothing on the bed.
Hmm.No jeans or leggings in sight; it’s basically a pile of underwear plus a few soft shirts that I guess I’m supposed to use as pajamas.
The dress, however, is beautiful. The kind of garment I’ve seen princesses wear in movies. It’s violet to match my hair with a lace bodice cut to a V-neck. The lace has a thicker pattern across it that cleverly conceals my breasts while the sheerness reveals the remainder of my skin down to a high-waisted, wide band of material at the waist, flowing to a full satin skirt that has so many layers, it takes me a minute to find the middle.
The dress is undoubtedly for the Purification Ceremony, but none of this clothing will help me if I need to fight later on—assuming someone isn’t going to give me more clothing in the coming days. I can’t shake the very real possibility that Carys will do everything in her power to throw me off-balance, even denying me access to armor. I remind myself that I have my protective suit—assuming the rune on my wrist still works. And at least the dress isn’t a mess—and it fits, which is a big relief.
For now, I just have to go with what I’ve been given.
Once I’m dressed, I sweep my hair back and comb it with my fingers before I open the door and call Temple inside.
Turning to all four of my demon wolves, I ask, “How do I look?”
Blitz darts to my side, Luca gives a whine, and Ace bounces his head at me, a snarl of affirmation on his lips. Temple remains watching the door, but her violet eyes gleam and her lips pull back, as if to say,Make them pay.
I drop to my knees, bend my head, and wait for my wolves to gather around me. Ace, as always, is the more reserved, darting in before standing back, but I speak to all of them when I say, “I love you all. Thank you for sticking with me.”
Rising to my feet again, I pull on my boots, which are thankfully mostly concealed beneath the skirt, and head down the hallway.
Within minutes, my wolves and I have returned to the marble entry room. I was half-expecting to see the royals milling around, but the place is empty. There’s no harm in being early, so I continue to cross the Scourge with my demon wolves close on my heels and take a deep breath before I exit the Citadel.
