Page 101 of Crown of Slumber

A scream in the distance.

But it wasn’t coming from ahead. It came frombelowme.

I glanced down at my feet, finding nothing but soil and leaves. I stepped forward, then back, then hopped once.

A hollowthumpechoed.

I gasped, glancing up at Mal, who stared at me, deadpan, as if wondering why it had taken me so long to discover this.

“You could have done something to show me, you great brute,” I muttered, crouching to the ground and swiping leaves away. It appeared to be nothing but soil underneath, but as I cleared the area, I made out a faint rectangular groove etched into the ground.

It was a trapdoor.

“Holy shit,” I muttered. “These ogres are craftier than I gave them credit for.”

I could have sworn Mal snorted in agreement.

Drawing my sword, I wedged the blade in the groove and pushed hard. With a soft groan, the leverage released the latch holding the door in place, and it swung open, revealing a dark staircase below. The gap was huge—big enough to fit even the most massive of ogres. After sharing an uncertain glance with Mal, we both descended.

Despite the broad width of the staircase, Mal had to fold in his wings completely to fit. I had to trust my fae sight to guide us, as no torches or lanterns lit the passageway. Our footsteps echoed, and Mal’s claws kept scraping on rock. I was certain someone would hear us. My pulse throbbed in anticipation, and I kept a steady grip on the pommel of my sword, prepared for an ogre to jump out and attack us.

When we reached the bottom, lanterns lit the way, revealing a wide-mouthed tunnel within a cave. The air smelled of blood and ogre.

And in the distance, Aurelia’s scream echoed again.

I lunged, prepared to sprint down the hall toward her voice, but Mal growled and snatched my tunic with his teeth, halting me. The fabric ripped, but the restraint gave me pause, my steps faltering. Gasping for breath, I stared down the tunnel, red creeping into my vision.

They were hurting her. Torturing her. Killing her. How could I stand by and do nothing?

Mal’s golden eyes glinted, his uninjured eye narrowing with intensity.Be smart about this,his expression seemed to say.

Still panting, I nodded, but the rage continued to simmer in my blood.

Those beasts would pay. I would slaughter them all.

Mal and I crept forward, our steps slow and careful as we made our way down the passage. In the distance, low chanting echoed, and I frowned. Were those the ogres? I strained to hear what they were saying, but it was in a language I didn’t understand.

I didn’t know the ogres could speak at all. They were so feral, so animalistic, that I assumed they were nothing more than wild beasts.

I had underestimated them. And now, Aurelia was suffering for it.

Swallowing around the lump in my throat, I focused on the chanting, concentrating on the voices of each ogre to try to estimate how many were there.

It had to be more than a dozen. Perhaps two.

Unease curled within me, but I focused on my fury, letting it fuel me as I continued down the tunnel. Beside me, Mal huffed, his large nostrils flaring as his sharp white teeth flashed in the lantern light.

He was enraged, too. I knew without a doubt he would show the ogres no mercy. We would destroy them together.

When we reached the end of the passage, I raised a hand to signal Mal should stop. I leaned forward, peering around the corner. Aurelia’s muffled protests filled the air—the ogres must have gagged her. Meanwhile, the chanting continued. I made out the shapes of more than twenty ogres surrounding a slab of concrete on which Aurelia was tied, thrashing against the ropes tethering her.

My blood ran cold. Oh, gods. They were going to sacrifice her.

I’d heard rumors of dark ogre rituals, but I had assumed they were merely tall tales meant to frighten us, to keep us out of the woods.

But this meant ogres possessedmagic.And that changed everything.

My palm was slick with sweat as I gripped my sword, steeling my nerves with my sharp breaths. I could do this. Sure, I was still weak, and I only had one weapon. And I was severely outnumbered.

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