Page 316 of The Spider Queen
“Where is the Prince? How did you escape him?”
“The harpies. They bound him in chains.”
The Smith closed his mouth. “Hmmm. Prometheus.”
I frowned. “Excuse me?”
“The chains. They are the same chains that once bound Prometheus. They won’t hold the Prince of Darkness for long. So we must be quick.”
The Smith turned away from me, and I couldn’t see what he was doing. His broad back shielded my view.
“I made this. I’ve been holding it for the day you came to me, and it appears that day is today.” He turned slowly, cradling in his hands a crystal orb mounted on a gleaming gold base.
He handed it to me.
I hesitantly reached for it and warmth preceded my touch. It was cool, despite being surrounded by heat. I stared into the crystal globe. White mist inside swirled like storm clouds and then slowly parted.
I saw a fountain in the center of the orb with a stone angel upon it and gasped in recognition.
Beastly growls and barking had my head whipping toward the staircase.
“Lucifer has sent his hellhounds,” the Smith said, his tone surprisingly mild. “You must go. Now.”
“But how do I—”
“The dome. It will take you to where you need to go. Here…” He handed me a brown satchel, made of the finest leather I had ever seen. “To carry it safely on your journey.”
I took the bag and settled it across my chest just as a brown, short-haired beast rounded the corner of the staircase. It lifted its snout to the air, sniffed sharply and then bellowed. It looked nothing like sweet Cerberus.
“Go,” the Smith stated quietly. “Before it’s too late.”
The hellhound stalked down the steps toward me, its beady red eyes locked on mine, its lips curled in an angry snarl. My heart tripped in fear.
I shook the crystal dome.
Just as the beast lunged for me, I disappeared, no longer in the Smith’s workshop, but in a familiar place.
I was suddenly standing at the Bethesda Fountain in Central Park.
Chapter 19
The Smith’s globe was warm in my hand when it had been cool a moment ago. I felt like the mist of the dome was swirling in my head, making me dizzy and nauseous.
Suddenly, the sensation left me and I buckled to the ground, careful to shield the crystal dome. It might’ve been a magical transport, but that didn’t mean it couldn’t be broken. I set the orb inside the small bag slung across my chest. I was glad for it now as I cinched the satchel closed, my hands free.
The lampposts around the park illuminated the dark sky. Whenever Herron and I had walked through Central Park during winter and the ground and trees were covered in snow, it always made me think of Narnia and the White Witch.
It wasn’t winter yet—it had been the height of summer when Lucifer had taken me to Hell. It was early fall now and eerily quiet. No one in his right mind would be in the park in the middle of the night.
I stared at the angel adorning the top of the fountain. The moon appeared from behind the clouds and something in the angel’s outstretched hand glistened.
The first pearl?
Hope and excitement beat inside my chest.
I looked around, wanting to ensure I was alone, not wanting to bring attention to myself. The last thing I needed was park security or the NYPD hauling me away.
There was no time to waste.
