Talon stepped toward the windows and tore down the tapestries. Light flooded the space, drawing our attention to the rust-colored stains all over the floor. Grim-faced, we all looked at each other as we wordlessly acknowledged what the substance was.
Old blood.
As we moved deeper into the room, the smell grew stronger. And then, in the light of a single sconce, I saw the pale, unmoving flesh of an arm on the ground. My organs felt like they were twisting in knots inside me, like every part of me was trying to flee this place.
We continued, and the eerie silence was worse than constant screaming. But then I heard something.
My whole body froze like a deer that has scented a hunter.The others stopped, too, weapons at the ready. Beside me, Talon moved closer, his warmth radiating against my side.
And then something stepped forward out of the darkness.
A waif of a girl, dressed in servant’s gray, moved toward us, shambling like a puppet on a string. She kept to the shadows, the dim lamps barely illuminating her. My arms broke out in goose bumps as we waited for her to move closer. She lurched into the light, and Talon flinched beside me. Her clothing was rumpled and torn and covered with dark stains. Her eyes stared back at us, black as night, and she was missing her arm. She grinned a terrible smile, unhinged and grotesque on her ashen face.
I froze as my heart hammered against my ribs, each beat sharp and punishing. A walking corpse, just like Raven. My grip on my own sword turned painful. The hair on my arms rose as a heavy feeling pressed on us from all sides, like it came from the shadows.
Before we could make an offensive move, another sound drew our attention, though I never took my eyes completely off the servant girl. That same shambling movement, and then there were five more, all dressed as servants, and as they drew closer, I took in a shuddering breath. They, too, were dead.
In an explosion of violence, the three Eagle Riders leaped forward and cut them down. Zamir was a whirlwind of speed with her daggers, cutting through the walking corpses faster than I would have thought possible. Baz swung his heavy sword and cleaved into two corpses at once. Kestrel took on one after another with his sword. When the dead servants fell to the floor, hope bloomed inside me. Maybe we would get out of here easier than we thought.
The riders stepped away from the fallen servants, turning their attention to farther down the hallway. Somewhere downthis passage were the former emperor’s quarters, which was where we expected to find Ozul.
“Let’s move,” Talon said, and we all moved forward, skirting around the macabre pile of rotting corpses.
But as I passed the girl with one arm, she lashed out and grabbed hold of my ankle. Her hand was surprisingly strong, her clawed fingernails digging into my flesh. I stifled a scream, horror chilling me to the bone as I swung my sword. It connected with the girl’s neck with a sickening thud. The blade only made it through halfway. Her head hung to one side on her partially severed neck, but her hand tightened on my ankle. I cried out in pain. Talon whirled around to help me. Before he could intercede, I brought the sword down again and decapitated the girl.
Her body slumped to the floor while her hand still clung to my ankle. Whimpering, I kicked it free.
“Their heads!” Talon shouted to the others as the servants began to slowly rise again. “Cut off their heads.”
The two riders with swords obeyed, cutting off one head after another until six headless corpses remained. Finally, there was no longer any movement.
“Skies, that was terrifying,” Kestrel said with a shudder.
“At least we know what works now,” Baz said, though even he looked a bit pale.
Talon bent down to examine my ankle, which was already turning color with a nasty bruise. But at least she hadn’t punctured the skin. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” I said. Only terrified out of my mind, but there was no going back now.
We continued down the hall, all of us keeping an eye on every shadow. Finally, we came to a massive set of double doors with handles shaped like eagle wings.
“This is the entrance to Emperor Lamir’s private chambers,” Talon said. “There will likely be other walking corpses. Are you ready?”
We nodded, weapons at our sides.
Talon pushed the door open, and the three riders rushed inside. The room was massive, with several antechambers that branched off from the main entryway. Huge floor-to-ceiling windows covered one wall, but like the ones in the hallway, they were partially hidden by tapestries. Talon ripped them down, letting in the sun. The light revealed ornate marble floors, dusty with disuse. No servants waiting for us. Only the sound of a crackling fire. We followed the sound through an archway that led into another dark room. At one end was a fireplace big enough for a horse to stand inside comfortably.
Two figures sat in front of the fire, their backs to us. The man on the right turned, and when I saw his face, a deep simmering hatred bubbled rapidly to the surface, burning through my veins.
Lord Heron.
He grinned at us, the flickering light of the fire making his smile stretch and distort. The man beside him turned his head, too, and I took a step back.
“Skies,” Zamir said in horrified disbelief, “is that…?”
I had only seen paintings of him, and now part of his face had rotted off to the point that only white bone shone through, but I still recognized him.
“Emperor Lamir,” Talon said. “How is this possible?”
