Gingerly, I stepped over the bodies, still glancing from one mottled face to the next. Not a single one of these Sluagh had a spear sticking through its skull. Someone had been down here. They had killed the Sluagh. And then they’dfled.
Butwho?
I didn’t have time to dwell on it because another scuttling sound shot out of thedarkness.
“Don’t bloody tell me there’s another one of these things,” I muttered outloud.
And sure enough, there came another Sluagh, creeping along like a wraith in the night. I held up my sword and narrowed myeyes.
“Yeah, I don’t think so, mate. I am so done with this damn trial. You come near me, and your head will be on that floor with the rest of thedead.”
Unfortunately for the creature, it took no heed of my warning. It still wanted to eat me. So, as soon as it stepped foot within the swing of my sword, I whirled. Steel met flesh, and it fell. The head thumped with a sickeningcrunch.
In the distance, the rush of scuttling Sluagh feetanswered.
“Yeah, no. Fuck this.” I shook my head. “That isit.”
Maybe my Spear Friend was still out there, watching and waiting, but I wasn’t going to stick around to find out. Plus, I could save myself, thank you very much. All I had to do was open that damndoor.
With my sword still clutched in my hands, I booked it across the room. I grabbed the handle and ripped open the door. Four pairs of eyes peered down from above. The door opened into a brick wall, with a platform all the way up to my eyelevel.
I cast a glance over my shoulder as the rush of scuttling feet grewlouder.
“I see you’re alive...though, just barely.” Lugh’s voice was as apathetic as ever. “Why have you opened the door? It sounds like there are several more Sluagh down there who are eager to fightyou.”
Narrowing my eyes, I sheathed my sword and reached for the platform edge. “You said my task was to get through this hellhole of a maze without dying. Well, I’ve made it. I refuse to stay down here for even a secondlonger.”
Surprisingly, he didn’t argue. He took my hand in his and pulled me out of the vaults. I hated how strong and steady he felt, and I especially hated how relieved I was to seehim.
“You look like shite,” he said with a grin as he pulled me out of the vaults just in time. He slammed the door shut behind me, blocking the Sluaghinside.
I glared athim.
His voice was smooth, like syrup. “Welcome to the Court ofWraiths.”
5
Covered in stale water,grime, and blackish blood, I gratefully followed Saoirse through the residential hallways of Castle Wraith—which I’d learned it was called. Turned out these fae were huge fans of the whole wraith thing. Her long brunette hair swished at her waist, her stride confident, her demeanour unbothered. She really didn’t give a toss that I’d almost died an hourago.
King Lugh had barely given me a word of congratulations after he’d hauled me out of the vaults. He’d merely welcomed me into his Court and then vanished like the wraith he was. A part of me had wanted to chase him down to see what he was up to...but I had to admit, I needed some rest. My entire body ached from thefight.
Saoirse stopped at a doorway identical to the rest about halfway down the hallway. After pushing it open, she motioned me inside. The room was much larger than the one back home, and the furnishings far lessposh.
All the walls were wood, including the lofted ceiling. A single bed had been placed in the corner beside a tiny window. A pair of thick red curtains hung loosely, skimming along a threadbare rug that matched. A vase of red flowers perched on a small, square bedside table, along with a hotel-like phone and a ticking clock. In the opposite corner, an antique desk sat before a wooden chair. A couple of floor lamps glowed from each end of the room, casting shadows onto the television hanging above a smallcupboard.
Other than that, there wasn’t much to see. It was sparse and mismatched, but cosy in a way I hadn’texpected.
“This will be your new home.” She spread her arms wide. “You’re lucky. This room only opened up a few weeks ago. If it hadn’t, you would have been given one of the cold ones on the top floor. The heating isn’t working up there rightnow.”
I cocked my head. “Why did it becomeavailable?”
She pressed her lips together. “Ah. That’s a long story. Maybe it can wait untiltomorrow.”
Interesting. More secrets. More unanswered questions. I filed this one away with the multitude of others I’d collected since I’d stepped foot through that yawning frontgate.
I took a stroll around the room and stopped at the tiny square of a window. It was only big enough for one of my feet to punch through it. I peered outside at the foggy, blurring lights of the city streets down below the steep cliff. If I ended up needing a hasty exit, this wouldn’t beit.
“You have anyquestions?”
