Erethis laughed out loud, a sound like breaking glass. "Home? Oh, how delightful." He leaned in, his face mere inches from mine. "But that's not how this works. The way I see it, I have two choices: I can add you to my collection of dolls—” He waved a hand and illuminated a glass case of… women. All dead. Eyes wide, as if destined to always see their last moments of life.
I stumbled backward, gasping, and brought a hand to my chest to keep my heart from falling out.
Gods, what horror had I walked into?
“—or I could…” Those eyes became a brighter, sickly shade of red. “…hand you over to the dark ones for a handsome reward. I’m utterly…undecided.”
“Let me go. Now.” I was shit scared but needed to stand my ground and do whatever I could to get out of here.
“No. I will not do that.”
I reached for my magic again, frantically searching for any thread of power I could find.
But like before, I felt nothing.
"Weren’t you paying attention? I told you; I'm a spatial demon." Erethis waved a hand dismissively, like my struggle was mildly entertaining. "Your magic won't work here. And your little time spells fizzled the instant you fell into my lair.”
“Why?”
“This is the Interstice, a pocket within the spatial realm. Outside of time," He gestured to the darkness around us, almost proudly. "Only those of this realm can use magic here. So, yours?" He tilted his head, that cruel smile returning. "Is useless. Nothing you have will work here on me.”
The weight of his words settled over me like a shroud, and I realized just how well and truly fucked I was.
He took a step closer, his red eyes gleaming. “What shall I decide?”
I didn’t answer. I stepped back, not wanting him to be any closer to me.
That didn’t stop him.
He closed the distance between us, and long, scaled fingers tipped with black claws traced the line of my jaw.
I froze. My skin crawled where he touched me, every nerve wanting to tear itself free.
His claws traced down my throat, and that cruel smile widened into something unhinged before he leaned close and inhaled me the way Zerch did.
“Smell that ancient blood. Smell thatblossomingpower.” His voice pitched higher, giddy with anticipation.
“Get the hells away from me.” I went to shove him, but he caught both my hands with one of his.
"You know what?" He chuckled. "I'm truly, trulyfascinatedby you, Elariya Grayson.”
Hearing him say my name made my stomach churn. I hated that he knew it when I hadn’t told him. And the way he said it.
“I can't help myself. I simplymustsee what you can do." He pulled back slightly, his red eyes gleaming with manic delight. "So, here's what we're going to do, little mage. A game.”
“You bastard. I won’t play any of your sick games. Let me go.”
“Ah, but you see, if you win the game, I might consider letting you go. Three trials. Survive them—ifyou can—and I'll give you something you want. Something valuable. Like freedom." He leaned in close, inhaling me again. "But if you fail?" His grin stretched impossibly wide. "Your soul will belong to me. I’ll help the dark ones with your magic, and when they’re done with you, you’ll become one of my pretty, little soulless dolls."
Everything in me went still. That awful, ringing kind of still, where the world kept moving but you'd stopped.
I searched his face, fear rippling through me.
What a fucking nightmare.
But once again, I had to try. I couldn’t give up. All would be lost if I did.
“If I win, how do I know you’ll keep your word? You may hand me over anyway.”
