Lucian makes unhappy noises, and so do the dark elves, but Jonah is quiet in the back. He’s a creature of old magic and this place… this garden and forest and roses and apple trees… he may understand its nature far better than I can.
He gives me a small nod, an affirming gesture, and I hope it means he thinks I’m doing the right thing.
Halle’s wry voice breaks across the air. “You certainly made short work of the orchard.” She cranes her neck at the cottage. “And the furniture, by the look of things.”
I give her a hard stare. “I’ll make short work of any environment that threatens me or my pack.”
Her lips pinch. “Still with the distrust.”
“I’ve learned hard lessons,” I snap back.
Her lips pinch before she shakes herself, clears her throat, and her voice becomes cheerful again. “Well, then, dearest, I’m certain that you’re going to love Veritas.”
I narrow my eyes. “Veritas?”
“It’s what we call the place where truth can be sought,” she says with a bright smile. “Distrustful creatures always love it.”
From the tone of her voice, I’d think we were about to eat candy and ride unicorns across green meadows.
Oh, what fun.
“Lead the way,” I say.
We follow Halle to the exit. Orlan and the hellhound proceed ahead of her and it’s the hellhound who opens the door.
I don’t tell Emil what to do, but he stays close to my left side while Anarchy remains on my right and my pack brings up the rear.
Jonah is last, following more slowly.
A glance back at him tells me that something is definitely on his mind. He keeps taking glances at the orchard and then to me.
He was chatty enough last night so I tell myself to wait. I’m sure he will choose to speak soon enough.
In the meantime, I focus on keeping Emil in my sights.
When we all leave the room, the door shuts quietly behind us, and I try not to wonder if the environment is wiping itself clean, ready for its next occupants.
We’ve stepped back into the main tunnel, and once again, I have a sense that the path curves very slightly, as though we’re walking downward in a very wide spiral.
It feels like many branches extend from it since we pass doors and rooms and more tunnels along the way, some of them stretching off into the distance on either side. They’re all different colors and none of them are as black as the main tunnel, so it’s easy enough to stay on the main path.
“Nearly there,” Halle announces after we’ve walked for a solid fifteen minutes.
A short time later, she slows her steps and finally comes to a stop outside an opening on the left-hand side of the tunnel.
“Do not step inside yet,” she says, although she gestures me to her side. “There are rules you must understand first.”
The opening is wide enough that it’s easy for everyone to gather around me and still see inside. Emil stays on my immediate left, standing nearer to the side of the entrance, while the others keep a little more distance. I’m certain they will take Halle’s warning seriously.
Unlike every other room and tunnel we’ve passed so far, the one that now sits on my left is as black as the main tunnel. Black rock rises up on all sides and across the ceiling. The space inside the room doesn’t appear much bigger than that of my prison cell.
It looks like it will be a darn sight more cramped within it than I was hoping it would be.
A single word is carved into the stone above the entrance, each letter emblazoned in gold that catches the soft light:Veritas.
“Truth,” Halle says, pointing to the carved name. Then, her attention snaps to Emil. “Stand clear of the magic,” she says, her eyebrows pinching together. “The moment you touch it, the room will pull you inside.”
Emil has lifted his left hand, his palm out. “This is old magic.”
