Page 88 of To Dwell in Shadows
“But… ” Selene watched helplessly as the remaining demons swarmed away from the maze. In the distance, two great black horses were being led in their direction. A tug at her sleeve made her turn. It was Vanthee, eyes gleaming conspiratorially through her mask.
“Hide with me until they all leave,” she whispered.
Selene nodded, deeply relieved that someone else shared her concern. She hung back with Vanthee behind a thicket of brush while Asmodeus carefully climbed on the horse. Once Lamia made sure he was settled, she mounted the other. And without even a backward glance or word to their daughter-in-law, Sam’s parents set off for the palace.
When everyone was completely out of sight, Vanthee beckoned Selene to approach the maze’s entrance with her.
“What’s really in there?” Selene asked.
Vanthee shrugged. “For me? Nothing, really. I kept to the left as we discussed and made my way out. I hit a few dead ends and crossed paths with some spiders, but nothing to make me scream like the others.”
Selene placed a hand over her racing heart, hoping to calm it. “Maybe Sam tripped and hit his head or something. Or one of the walls collapsed and he’s pinned under it. Or what if?—”
“Stop that,” Vanthee said sharply. “Making up stories isn’t going to help anything. I’m going in.”
“So am I,” Selene said, following Vanthee through the entrance.
The demoness immediately turned left, but Selene reached for her hand to pull her back. “No, he didn’t go that way. He tried, but after a few minutes, we all saw him go the other way.”
The confidence in Vanthee’s face faltered. “Well, there’s one reason why he hasn’t come out. All right, human. Let’s go.”
Figuring they could reverse the left-hand rule, Selene kept her right hand on the wall while Vanthee walked ahead through the maze. The air was damp and reeked of rotting leaves, but so far, no monsters or boogeymen leapt out at them.
“Sam?” Selene called out now and then, but silence was her only reply. They took several wrong turns, and as the sky darkened, it became even harder to see where they stepped.
When Vanthee slipped on a puddle, she huffed in frustration. “Forget this.” Reaching under her dark coat, she pulled out a torch that must have been strapped to her belt. With a quick tap of her fingers, it flared to life.
The burst of light and warmth eased the tightness in Selene’s chest, but it also revealed new hazards—cracked flagstones, foot-snaring vines, and scattered heaps of broken stone. When Vanthee stumbled on a loose rock, she said, “If I get to be Dark Sovereign, one of the first things I’m going to do istear this ruin down.”
Selene was about to agree when a faint sound froze her in place.
“Uhhh… ”
Vanthee’s head whipped around. “Did you hear that?”
“Yes!”
They sprinted toward the sound, which wavered in volume with each turn. Vanthee was much faster, rushing ahead while Selene’s lungs burned with every stride.
Eventually, Vanthee disappeared around a corner. Selene heard her gasp sharply, followed by, “He’s here!”
Even though she could barely breathe, Selene forced herself to move faster. But before she reached them, Vanthee’s voice rose again, this time in alarm. “What are you doing? Go away!”
Selene rounded the corner and skidded to a stop.
In a corridor that funneled into a dead-end Sam lay curled on the ground in a fetal position, his body still. Above him, a swirling mass of spirits pulsed, each one diving down in turn to torment him. Their relentless assault contrasted with the faint, aimless shadows drifting listlessly through the air.
Selene took in the scene with horror, her heart pounding so hard she feared it might stop altogether. Vanthee was trying to reach Sam, shouting and swiping at the shadows, but they ignored her. The worry and fear Selene had dealt with all day morphed into anger.
She rushed toward them, shouting, “Get away from him!”
Instantly, the spirits halted. Then, as one, they abandoned Sam and hurtled toward Selene. She barely had time to react before they were upon her, a blur of movement so fast it sent her stumbling backward. When the back of her head touched the wall, the spirits descended.
Speak again!
Can you hear me?
What are you?
