Page 24 of Mirror of Vanity

Another growl from somewhere within the dense foliage broke my indecision. Garrick flashed me a pointed look. If I didn’t go with him, I would be on the menu for whatever beast watched us from the shadows.

Garrick turned his back on me and headed down a dark, winding path. I scanned the clearing one more time to make sure I hadn’t overlooked Justice, but he wasn’t here, and the darkness was growing.

Reluctantly, I jogged to keep up with Garrick, my feet sinking into the soft, spongy ground with each step. The cold air burned my lungs as I pushed myself to match his pace, my muscles already aching from the exertion.

Garrick flashed me a knowing smile. “Wise move, beautiful,” he crooned.

Bile rose in my throat at his term of endearment. Refusing to answer him, I focused on the path ahead, scanning the shadows for any signs of Justice. My heart raced, each beat echoing the desperate mantra in my head. Please, please be okay.

I clasped Garrick’s arm, my fingers digging into his sleeve. Desperation clawed my throat as I searched his cold, ancient eyes for any glimmer of empathy or understanding. “Garrick, will you please tell me where you left him?”

He held my gaze, his expression unreadable as the seconds stretched into an eternity. “Even if I told you, it would mean nothing to you,” he replied, his words measured and cryptic.

“Maybe not, but I need to know,” I insisted. “Please, Garrick. I can’t bear the thought of Justice being out there alone, facing unknown dangers.”

Garrick sighed. “If you insist. He’s in a place called the Voiceless Wilds. Does that satisfy you?”

The name sent a chill through my veins, its utterance seeming to leech the warmth from the air around us. I looked around, half-expecting to see a signpost or some indication of where these Voiceless Wilds might be, but there was nothing. Only the endless expanse of twisted trees and swirling mists.

“Is it far from here?” I whispered.

Garrick refused to answer. His eyes hardened as he turned away. With a swish of his cloak, he strode toward Angarth Stronghold, and the gathering gloom swallowed his form.

With a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and set off after Garrick, my footsteps heavy with the weight of the task ahead.

As we approached the ominous castle, the air grew colder, and an eerie silence enveloped the area, broken only by the occasional rustling of leaves in the twisted, gnarled trees. The murky, obsidian-colored moat encircling the structure seemed to possess an unnatural stillness.

Suddenly, I glimpsed movement beneath the surface, and a massive creature broke through the inky water. Its scaly hide gleamed with an oily sheen, revealing a terrifying amalgamation of features reminiscent of an alligator and a stegosaurus. Razor-sharp teeth lined the beast’s elongated snout, while rows of jagged, bony plates adorned its back from its neck to the tip of its powerful tail.

Garrick stood beside me, a wicked smile on his lips as he observed my reaction to the mysterious beast. “Magnificent, isn’t it? They’re called saurigats.” Pride and a hint of malice laced his voice. “These creatures serve as the perfect guardians for my castle, ensuring only those I deem worthy may enter.”

My chest tightened as I glanced over my shoulder, wondering about Justice. Where was he in this desolate, eerie land? Could a vampire survive an attack from one of these deadly creatures?

Garrick gestured toward the imposing drawbridge. “The saurigats are fiercely loyal to me and will not hesitate to devour anyone foolish enough to attempt crossing the moat unauthorized. Their presence alone is enough to deter most would-be intruders.”

As if sensing its master’s praise, the saurigat released a bone-chilling roar that echoed through the air, rattling my bones. The sound was a haunting blend of a crocodile’s bellow and the guttural growl of a reptilian monster, promising death and pain.

Garrick’s eyes glinted. “Now, let us proceed. My castle awaits.” With a wave of his hand, the drawbridge lowered, creaking and groaning as it extended across the moat.

As I crossed, the saurigat submerged itself again, its dark form vanishing beneath the surface. The castle’s entrance loomed before me, a portal to the dark wonders and terrors that awaited. Yet, as I stepped forward, my thoughts remained with Justice, hoping he had found a way to navigate this treacherous land unscathed.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

As I stepped through the towering, iron-bound doors of Garrick’s castle, the eerie magnificence of his stronghold seemed to press down on me. I blinked as my eyes slowly adjusted to the dim, flickering light from torches encased in twisted metal sconces along the dark stone walls. The cool, damp air carried a faint, musty scent that spoke of ancient secrets and long-forgotten tales.

Garrick scanned the grand hall. “After Baka invaded my home, I had this redone. I didn’t want to leave anything touched by that damn shadow dragon.” I heard anger and maybe a touch of fear in his voice.

I wondered what this place looked like before he remodeled it.

The entrance hall was vast, its ceiling lost in shadows that seemed to swirl and shift as if stirred by an unseen force. The floor was a mosaic of dark stone inlaid with silver, depicting scenes of historic battles and mythical creatures, each more menacing than the last. Enormous, shimmering tapestries hung from the walls, showing the dark majesty of the Unseelie Court. Forests under moonlit skies, armies of shadowy figures, and fearsome beasts with eyes that seemed to follow my every move.

My footsteps echoed as I ventured deeper, passing between rows of towering statues of Unseelie aristocracy. They were carved from some dark, glossy material that absorbed light, their surfaces slick as if wet. Each statue’s expression was stern and haughty, their opal eyes glinting with a ghostly light, giving them a lifelike, unsettling quality.

“Are these your ancestors?” I stole a glance over at Garrick, who was watching me intently.

Garrick ran a hand over the arm of the nearest marble statue. A flicker of amusement danced in his eyes. “Yes and no. Not all of us came through bloodlines. Some of us had to force our way to the crown.” His lips curled into a smirk, and he gestured toward a face with a scar running down the cheek. “Take him, for example. He challenged the previous king to a duel and emerged victorious, claiming the throne.”

I suspected plotting to kill the Unseelie King and take over was a favorite pastime around here, but I didn’t say it. Who knew what other “games” they played in this twisted realm. Pin the sword on the human, feed the human to the saurigats. The possibilities sent a chill down my spine as I followed Garrick into the depths of his castle.

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