Page 65 of To Dwell in Shadows
I’ll follow you, miss.
“Great. Let’s go.” Turning to Zetta Selene said, “You stay here.”
After some minor whining from Zetta, Selene left the library and headed toward the places she’d seen Vanthee lingering. Ruth floated along behind her. Selene stopped to ask a few passing demons if they’d seen Vanthee, hoping for a lead. One demon shrugged, barely glancing at her; another simply shook his head before slinking away.
Eventually, Selene spotted a familiar figure approaching—a demoness with wild gray hair and an eye patch. When she caught sight of Selene, she boomed jovially, “Vampire killer!”
Selene smiled, grateful for a friendly, if eccentric, face. “Hello, Empusa. Have you seen Vanthee? I’m looking for her.”
“She’s recharging in the Serpent Burrows, I’d wager.”
“Could you take me there? I need her help.”
“Yes, but… ” Empusa’s gaze focused behind Selene. “Did you know there’s a spirit following you?”
“Yes.”
Empusa gave her a skeptical look, then shrugged. “Follow me, then.”
As they walked, Empusa pummeled Selene with more questions about when she killed Margery like, “When the vampire turned to dust in the morning, did you breathe it in? What did it smell of?”
Selene disappointed her by confirming she had not, in fact, inhaled vampire dust. Still, she continued trying to placate Empusa’s curiosity for fear the demoness might lose interest and abandon them to find the Serpent Burrows on their own. Eventually, the solid terrain beneath their feet became soft and uneven.
“There she is,” Empusa said, pointing in front of them.
Up ahead, Selene saw mounds of dirt pocked with openings that looked like gaping mouths. Vanthee sat cross-legged in the center of the largest mound with her eyes closed, looking like a glamorous yoga teacher deep in meditation. Sparse patches of grass and twisted, thorny plants surrounded her. The air was dry and still, making the whole place feel desolate.
Selene eyed the holes in the ground uneasily as they came closer. Then she clapped a hand over her mouth when she saw the nest of snakes squirming in Vanthee’s lap. Their scales gleamed in shades of green, brown, and red, their bodies pulsing and slithering over one another like a living tapestry.
“Vanthee!” Empusa’s voice rumbled through the air. “This human wants to see you.”
Vanthee’’s eyes flew open, and her copper-colored wings gave a single sharp twitch. Her eyes fell on Selene, then narrowed. “What do you want? I'm preparing for the Hailing of Souls.”
“I’m sorry, but I need your help,” Selene began. She hesitated—torn between the urge to flee from the nest of snakes and the pressure to find the right words. After steadying herself, she gestured behind her.
“This is Ruth. She’s been here for a very long time.” The ghost placed a cold, translucent hand on Selene’s shoulder. A chill radiated through her, startling but not unpleasant. “She’s told me she’s ready to go home.”
Vanthee’s face drained of color. “She what?”
“She wants to go home,” Selene repeated. “To whatever happens next.”
“You can hear her?” Vanthee asked. The snakes in her lap grewrestless. Some wound up her arms to drape themselves around her shoulders, while others slipped back into the dark burrows beneath her feet. “How do you know this soul’s name?”
“And that she’s ready to go?” Empusa added. She leaned on her cane as though she feared falling.
“She told me,” Selene said. “We can communicate through the shadows.”
Vanthee’s expression shifted, just slightly. Selene saw her disdain give way to something deeper, heavier. Like grief.
But just as quickly, Vanthee masked it with a smirk. “Prove it,” she said. The snakes hissed as if echoing her demand.
“Come on. She’s not a trick pony,” Selene said. When Vanthee failed to drop her challenging glare, Selene sighed. “Ruth, would you please hold up three fingers so they know you can hear me?”
Instantly, Ruth’s translucent form responded, raising a ghostly hand and spreading three fingers.
Empusa pressed her hand to her chest. “Damnation and ruin, she’s telling the truth! How is this possible?”
“Is it just her, or can you speak to all the lost souls?” Vanthee asked, her expression curious now.
