Page 103 of A House of Fangs & Deceit

We’d be able to see just fine in the dark, but we were entering an unknown space where there was likely only one exit, and at least three wraiths waited for us inside.

As much as it annoyed me to do so, I looked to Vail forwhat to do next. If anyone could get us in and out of here alive, it was him.

Silently, he moved forward, and we all fell into step behind him. Once we’d cleared the entrance and taken a few steps into the dark room, he stopped, allowing our eyes time to adjust. A vast open space greeted us, full of more spiraling columns and tables and chairs carved out of the same stone.

Despite how beautiful everything was, the wonder that I felt outside failed to overcome me now. The wraiths were all I could think about. Our sharp night vision would help us navigate, but it couldn’t see the wraiths hiding in the shadows. Only Cali would be able to sense them, though most wraiths had encountered Furies before, and they could sometimes trick their senses.

Cautiously, we continued through the room until we reached another doorway. Then Vail raised a fist in the air, the signal for us to stop, and we all immediately halted. Another signal came, this one to wait, before he jerked his head towards Cali, and the two of them proceeded into the next room.

I remained completely still but studied the area while we waited, trusting Nyx to keep an eye on things. There wasn’t much to the room, aside from the doorway where Vail and Cali had disappeared through, but I did spot a set of stairs in each corner opposite the entrance.

Curiosity flickered through me, wondering where they led, but I forced myself to stay put.

After what felt like hours but was probably only a few minutes, Vail and Cali returned, both wearing troubled expressions.

I tapped Vail’s shoulder, and once his attention was on me, I pointed out both of the stairwells.

He looked at Cali, and some sort of silent conversation happened between them before she shrugged. Vail gave her a pointed look, and she returned a sharp smile.

My eyes bounced back and forth between them, not really having any idea what was going on but taking away some enjoyment at my friend getting under Vail’s skin.

Finally, Vail made a decision and gestured for us to follow him as he moved towards the stairs, which, as it turned out, led to balconies running along each side of the room he and Cali had explored. The walls were lined with empty shelves and narrow, arched bridges periodically stretched across the room to connect the balconies.

What had this place been used for?I carefully looked around the walls and the ceiling for clues.

The first room we’d entered had been pitch-black, but this one was dimly lit. Thick lines of what appeared to be gold ran up the walls and across the ceiling, giving off a faint warm light.

I looked around but I didn’t see any other lanterns hanging anywhere. Maybe the golden light used to be brighter? Or perhaps there had been lanterns at one point?

I couldn’t tell if this had been built by the Seelie or Unseelie, which I thought was a little strange. The fortresses they’d left behind had very distinct styles based on who built them. But here, there were no distinguishing features anywhere. Everything from the shelves to the bridges had been carved out of the plain white stone of the mesa as if it were all one gigantic piece.

Even in the dim lighting, it was magnificent.

Faint voices came from up ahead, and all of us froze. I tried to make out what they were saying, but they were talking too low, and we were too far away. Vail made us move away from the railing so that we hugged the shelves along the wall as we crept forward.

Vail, Nyx, and Cali all remained calm, but I could hear Alaric’s and my heart beating loudly. I did my best to soothe myself, trusting the instincts of Cali and the rangers.

As we closed the distance between us and whoever was speaking, it became clear they were using one of the Fae languages. But their voices were too low and raspy for me to understand any of it or tell if it was Seelie or Unseelie.

When it sounded like we were directly above them, Vail halted, and we all stood still with our backs to the wall. He slowly stepped forward until he could see over the railing and then glanced over his shoulder, motioning us forward. I held my breath as I moved towards the railing and peered down.

My heart threatened to leap up in my throat at what I saw. Normally, wraiths were amorphous shadows. They could contort themselves into various shapes and for a split second take corporeal form. In that small window of time, they would rake their claws down our sides or tear out our throats with long, curved fangs.

Fighting them was almost impossible because you couldn’t injure them when they were shadows. Only for that split second they were solid.

The wraiths below were nothing like the ones I’d seen before. Even though Cali had told us that these were corporeal, or close to it, I still hadn’t really believed it until now. Three figures stood facing each other, deep in conversation. Dark shadows dripped off their forms and contorted their features, but they were unmistakably Fae.

We were right. The Unseeliehadfucked up and cursed themselves into shadow monsters. But how? And what were they doing here now? Were they waiting for someone?

A tap on my shoulder got my attention, and I turned to face Vail. He gestured for me to get down, and I noticed that everyone else was crouching. I quickly glanced back at the wraiths below. If I knelt down, I’d still be able to hear them, but I wouldn’t be able to see them. Though, if they looked up, it was possible they’d see me.

Reluctantly, I silently sank to my knees with my feet flexedon their toes beneath me. It wasn’t super comfortable, but it meant I’d be able to spring to my feet in a hurry.

Time ticked onward, and the wraiths continued with their conversation. No matter how hard I strained, I couldn’t make out what they were saying. My damn ears felt like they were bleeding from the effort, but the raspy voices were just low enough to be out of my range.

Alaric shifted beside me, nervously looking back towards the stairwell. I desperately wanted to know what he made of all this, but we couldn’t risk speaking. I shared his concern, though. We were running out of time. Sunset couldn’t be too far off, and we couldn’t chance being here at night.

Cali shifted, drawing my attention. Her black wings were wrapped around her shoulders like a cloak, and shadows began to swirl around her. Vail’s hand snapped forward to grab her, but he was too slow. On liquid joints, Cali slipped through the darkness until she was perched on the railing in a shadowy corner. The only reason I could even make out her form was because I knew she was there.

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