Page 57 of Becoming Monsterous

We step into the darkness of the Shadow World, and my stomach lurches. I find I can't speak for a moment or respond.

Morpheus, apparently, doesn't have that problem. "She can't only open them halfway. If she does, our contracts won't expire. They have to be either fully open or fully closed—which is why we need to figure out how we're going to handle this."

This being the fact that I'm not willing to leteverymonster out onto Earth.

"Thank you for understanding," I tell Morpheus and Aleron quietly. "It's not that I don't want you to be free. I wantallof you to be released from the contracts. I mean, even the gross icky monsters shouldn't be slaves, if for no other reason than because the summoners take advantage. It's just..."

"Letting them free is a problem," Aleron acknowledges, staring down at the rolling hills we find ourselves standing on. "Like right now, for instance."

Prince and Caleb went in front of us into what's turned out to be a nest of Osseus House rotflayers.

It we were in a science fiction movie, rotflayers would just be calledzombies.Only the real kind of undead, the kind that roam the Shadow World, are fast as fuck.

And incredibly strong.

Angus charges forward, roaring and ramming with his horns. He manages to spear most of the rotflayers and toss them off the summoners. Prince runs out of the group, heading frantically towards the portal—which Sian has just stepped through.

"Don't close it! Don't close it!"

The undead zombies turn towards us, and I feel fear close up my throat.

Instinctively, I reach for my powers. The warrior abilities come quickly. My dagger is light in my hand, my snakes ready to strike.

My powers of love and devotion... not so quickly.

Because when the rotflayers turn towards us, there's nothing but emptiness in their eyes and hate in their hearts.

There's nothing I can do to control them. I'll never be their Queen. If they're let loose on Earth, they'll go through humanity like a knife through tissue paper.

Angus tears them off Caleb, tosses him over his shoulder, and roars.

Madame Renoire takes control of the situation with a barked command. "Through the portal! Now!"

We turn and run, because it seems to be the only thing to do. This portal test was an utter failure—the next one, I suppose, will be opened up in another part of the Shadow World.

Another horrifying, horrible part of the Shadow World, with its own threats to face.

Shades. Machina. Dustrikes. Howlers. Shrieks and banshees.

I can't count how many monstrous, terrible things live here. Far worse things than my three monsters, who can tear men apart without a single bit of remorse.

We land on the other side of the portal. Prince and Sian frantically close it—apparently the spellcanbe done by two summoners. Angus gingerly sets Caleb down, and Lise jumps to attend to him, drawing potions and powders from her bag.

I feel my heart in my throat.

It's like my decision is being made for me.

Here's proof that they can't be let loose on Earth.

I'm not sure what to do, but I am sure I don't want them unleashed on the world. I need time to think.

Everyone is watching me.

But I'm not given time to think. We've barely finished patching up Caleb when the doors to this room, which I thought was private, are thrown open.

The Magistrate strolls in. He takes one look at our group—including the statue of Aaron in the corner of the room—and scoffs, his eyes glimmering with cruelty.

Suddenly it's clear we won't be able to make any further moves without starting a war.

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