Page 112 of Cruelest Kiss and Fairest Blood
I wonder if it will be large or small. The mirror is only a few feet from top to bottom. Whatever is going to come out of there can’t be much larger than I am.
The girl on the floor is silent, eyes trained on the mirror. The mirror expands, becoming an open pit that takes up the entirety of the wall. Black smoke spills out, curling around Catreena’s ankles in greeting before covering the rest of the space. The captive girl spins as far as her chains will allow, watching the smoke surround her.
I’m not sure what to expect. A spider or some other oversized humanoid insect? A slew of tiny goblins? The troll with his human slaves? Will it have wings? Fangs? My imagination races to piece together the endless list of atrocious mashups, trying to prepare me for what’s to come. With the many terrible things I’ve witnessed recently I’m sure?—
My train of thought dies as the monster emerges from the mirror.
It’s not like anything in the dark forest.
It’s worse.
Far, far worse.
The first hoof presses through the veil. I know from that single foot that the monster is going to be massive. Bloody, tattered flesh hangs from its long leg. Another leg pushes through the dark void. When its face comes into view, I have to cover my mouth. I know better than to make noise and give myself away, but my body is trying to force out a scream. It’s lodged in my throat, threatening to choke me if I don’t set it free.
Within several seconds, the entirety of the beast has emerged. I can’t quell the quaking of my body. It’s more terrifying than anything I could have dreamed up. The scent of death infiltrates my hiding spot. Rotting meat, putrefied flesh, rampant decay. I thought the scents of death in the room were strong before. This is so strong I feel it physically hit me like a wall of hot, noxious death.
Catreena moves toward the mirror monster, placing a palm on the creature’s face, not seeming to mind the blood and gore I can see squishing between her fingers. The creature’s bony, crimson-stained snout sways side to side in a serpentine motion. Its body is long and misshapen, with four hooves, a thick, wolf-like tail, and a bulky curved spine leading to its twisted neck. It looks like a horrible mashup of a skinned deer and a mutilated bear.
Something twitches on the sides of its body and my breath stops.People.There are people fused into the shoulders and back of the towering beast. Dozens of human bodies. They sit in various states of decay. Some are perfect skeletons while others hang limply, chunks of meat and sinew still clinging to their frames.
My eyes are drawn to movement near the animal’s right shoulder blade. A man stares back at me in my hiding place, eyes still blinking. The lower half of his body is a twisted collaboration of human and animal, disappearing beneath the mottled fur of his captor. His mouth opens and closes. Is he still alive? When his mouth opens again, a broken, hair-raising wail breaks free. It’s quickly followed by a symphony of torture and despair as the other bodies widen their jaws, wailing their own mournful sounds of agony.
Those things on its body. They’re trapped. It’s a fate worse than death.
Several of the fresher bodies spark recognition. The servant girls. I recognize Beatrice and Winnie. Winnie’s ebony hair hangs near the creature’s stomach, but when she screams, I can see inside her throat. Half her face is missing. Some of the bodies don’t have faces at all, as if they’ve been flayed.
Catreena steps aside, gesturing to the terrified girl who sits frozen on the floor. The mirror monster visibly shudders as it spots her. The girl has turned as white as a sheet. Petrification has rendered her unable to move. The ground shakes as the monster moves toward her.
I don’t want to watch but I’m glued to the spot. Silent tears trek down my cheeks. The creature strikes so fast it’s all a blur. Its jaw latches on. The girl makes choking sobs as it buries its teeth in her abdomen. A light passes between them like illuminated mist. The girl’s flailing limbs and fighting protestsgrow weaker with each passing moment. When her body falls limp, the mirror creature drops her to the floor.
Maybe she’s dead. I hope so. That way she won’t end up one of those things on its body. The girl’s pale arm twitches. The creature’s gnarled maw opens wider and wider, defying physics and creating a black void where its muzzle once was.
A small, broken cry squeaks out of her. The mirror monster peers down, holding its face above her. The girl begins to scream again.
When it lowers that gaping, dark mouth, I know something terrible is coming. Several ghostly white arms shoot from within the void, latching on to the girl and dragging her into the open mouth.
“No! No!” Her cries intensify into a single, shattering scream. Then she’s gone.
Silence takes up residence in the room. A glistening black oval forms on the monster’s right shoulder. A face appears, pushing through the tarry substance. That poor girl has been fused to the monster. The second her face is fully through, she screams again. The only other part of her that appears is her right arm. The rest of those horribly mutilated and trapped bodies scream too. Their mournful keens welcome her into the ranks of the undead.
The sound is so awful, so horrifically overwhelming that my own scream rips free. Both Catreena and the mirror monster whirl toward me. Before I can run, I’m hauled into the room. Invisible hands cinch around me, dragging me to stand before Catreena herself.
Her feline eyes are pure evil as she glares at me. “I was hoping our paths would cross. Cassius is going to be disappointed when he returns to your quarters and finds you gone. Never you mind. Did you enjoy the show?”
I struggle against my invisible binds.
“Want to see what happens after my sweet demon has had his fill?” Catreena grins.
The light I saw transferring between the girl and monster earlier beams forward, striking Catreena in the chest. She gasps, stumbling back a step. When she looks back at me, she’s the picture of stunning beauty. Her skin is literally glowing. Every hair is golden and lustrous. She’s grown years younger in a matter of seconds.
“You’re the fucking demon.” I spit on her pristine skin.
She recoils as if I’ve infected her with some beauty-stealing disease. “Bitch!”
The back of her hand connects with my cheek. I hit the floor, head spinning. She’s so much stronger than she looks.
The bedroom door opens. A moment of foolishness has me looking toward it, wide-eyed with hope. Cassius strides through. His face darkens when he spots me. “Decided to skip out before I could have my fun with you?”
