Page 87 of To Dwell in Shadows
He veered right and crashed straight into a wall. Staggering back, he turned, only to find himself face-to-face with a spirit.
Sam inhaled sharply, more startled than afraid. Yet something about the apparition tugged at his memory.
It was an Aurelian. A wolf-like Lycah with a strong build and scornful gaze. The side of his ghostly head was caved in, and one arm dangled uselessly from his shoulder.
“Hello?” Sam said cautiously. “What do you want?”
The Lycah’s lips curled back, exposing translucent canines. His scorn twisted into rage. With his good arm, he gestured first to his shattered skull, then to his mangled limb.
Sam took an uneasy step back. “Do you need help?”
The question made the spirit’s form seethe, mist swirling violently. He bared his fangs in a silent snarl, fury shining through his hollow eyes. And suddenly, something in Sam’s mind sparked.
Recognition.
“Who are you?”
The Lycah lunged. Sam barely had time to stumble before hitting the ground, the spirit hovering inches above him. Then, out of the shadows, more spirits surged forward—silent, desperate, their empty eyes drilling into him.
Hatred. Accusation. Fury.
Sam’s skin began to tingle as an unlocked memory crashed through his mind.
Crowds cheering as the moon rose in the sky. A pale figure yanking me out of Brunie’s arms. Rough hands pushing me into the ring. Eldridge’s voice begging for them to stop. Someone coming towardme. A fist driving into my stomach. A blow snapping my head back. More cheering. More pain. My fear slowly fading, replaced by the burning rise of demonic rage. It soon consumed me, and then?—
Sam blinked up at the Lycah. He had come face-to-face with the first person he had ever killed.
He opened his mouth to say something—to apologize, repent. But one by one, the other spirits came closer. Some were covered in burns or badly bruised; others held their heads in their hands. He searched their faces, realizing they weren’t just random spirits sent to slow his progress.
Sam tried to push them away, to stand, to run. But their ghostly hands pressed against his skin with desperate insistence.
And all at once, Sam began to relive every death he had ever caused.
Chapter 43
Selene chewed her fingernail worriedly.What is taking him so long?
The candle measuring Sam’s trial had long since burned out, yet there was still no sign of him. Hours ago, Vanthee had breezed through the maze so fast that Selene worried it might draw attention and jeopardize her identity. But then the first competitor stumbled out behind her, sweating profusely and babbling about nightmares so wildly that he captured everyone’s attention. Others made it out with only a small pool of wax in their candle—shaken but relieved.
Most demons watching the trial had grown bored and left. King Asmodeus and Queen Lamia remained, though they both looked disappointed and weary. When the Eventide bell tolled in the distance, Lamia motioned to Ghar and whispered in his ear.
Ghar cleared his throat and announced to the remaining spectators, “The Maze of Endless Paths Trial has ended. However, due to its complexity and grueling nature, any competitor who failed to finish within the time limit remains eligible to be theking’s champion.”
When a few nearby competitors began to grumble, Ghar’s gaze snapped to them. “Protestations on this decree are forbidden by order of the queen. All demons are to depart this area at once.”
Selene watched King Asmodeus stumble to his feet, while Queen Lamia spoke quietly to Ghar. Cautiously, Selene approached the king.
“Your Majesty, should we be worried that Sam hasn’t come back yet?”
The king looked at her, then to the maze, then back at her. “I’m sure he’s fine. All that time in Aurelia likely dulled his sense of direction.”
“What’s actually in the maze? Why were so many demons screaming?”
Asmodeus looked thoughtful. “You know… I can’t remember.”
The sinking feeling in Selene’s stomach grew worse. Was Asmodeus losing his mental faculties as well as his physical ones?
“Come, darling,” Lamia said to Asmodeus, ignoring Selene. “Ghar is bringing you a horse to ride back to the palace.”
