Page 66 of To Dwell in Shadows
“I don’t know, she’s the only one I’ve ever tried,” Selene said. When the two demonesses continued to stare at her, she added urgently, “Can you help her?”
Vanthee got to her feet with fluid grace. “Yes, of course. It’s nearly time for me to go anyway.” Selene noticed that some of the snakes coiled around Vanthee’s arm melted into her tattoo, disappearing. “This spirit belongs in the Afterworld. Ask her to follow me.”
Selene turned and gently said, “Ruth, this is Vanthee. She’s going to guide you home. Go with her—it’s time.”
Ruth’s form quivered, shifting from a gray wisp to a black, pulsing mass. She began to twist and flicker, spiraling in turmoil.
No! Not without you, miss!
Selene felt a pang in her chest at the spirit’s agitation. She mustbe so frightened. “All right, Ruth, it’s okay,” she murmured. Turning to Vanthee, she said, “She wants me to come with her.”
Vanthee let out a sigh, dramatic and exasperated. “Fine. But listen, you absolutely cannot get too close to the gateways. Understand?”
Selene nodded.
Vanthee withdrew a long piece of wood looped through her belt, and with a flick of her wrist, it ignited, casting a warm glow on her face. Selene realized it was her torch. “Let’s go.”
Selene turned to Empusa, who was still staring at her with awe. “Thank you for your help, Empusa.”
“It was my pleasure, vampire killer,” Empusa said, raising her cane in a mock salute. “Farewell, and dark blessings!”
Chapter 33
Selene estimated they had walked at least a mile past streams and barren fields toward a looming range of black mountains before Vanthee finally came to a halt. Far behind them, the palace stood like a dark specter, its jagged spires slicing into the red sky.
In front of them, the land dropped off sharply, revealing a vast, desolate basin nestled between the mountains. At its center, three enormous rock domes jutted up from the earth, perfectly arranged in a triangle. Each dome emitted a different glow. The largest radiated a piercing, otherworldly white light; the second shimmered with a serene blue haze, and the third pulsed ominously with a deep red.
“Follow me,” Vanthee said irritably and began her descent down a treacherous staircase carved into the cliffside. The stone steps were narrow from age, worn smooth by time.
“What is this place?” Selene asked, trailing behind her carefully. She wore a long velvet gown with bell sleeves, and though she was deliberate with her footing, she nearly slipped off more than once. Ruth sweetly reached out to steady her elbow, but her hand passed right through.
“Spirit Veil Valley.”
“What are those domes?”
“Those are the thresholds,” Vanthee replied as though Selene had just asked something painfully obvious. “The white one leads from the living realm into the Underworld, the blue goes to the Afterworld, and the red leads to the Sanctum of Agonizing Rectitude.”
By the time they reached the bottom, Selene was breathing hard, her skin damp with sweat. Then Vanthee startled her by pressing a hand to her sternum and pushing her back against the mountainside.
Vanthee’s red eyes locked onto hers. “It’s nearly time for the souls to arrive. You have to stay right here. Got it? No matter what you see or hear, do not move from this spot.”
Selene nodded. Her pulse quickened in anticipation.
“We don’t have much time.” Vanthee added, then she pointed to the dome glowing with the blue light. “Tell Ruth that’s where I’ll take her.”
Selene looked at the dome then up at the spirit hovering behind her. “Ruth, it’s time for you to go. You need to follow Vanthee to the blue light over there. Then you’ll be home.”
Honest to goodness?
“Yes. You can do it,” Selene urged gently..
Ruth pressed her hands together and bowed.
Thank you, miss.
Vanthee made a beckoning gesture, and Ruth floated behind her.
With each step toward the Afterworld threshold, Selene watched the fear etched into Ruth’s ghostly form melt into relief. Her shoulders relaxed and her haunted eyes softened with a quiet acceptance.
