Page 120 of Monsters in Love

“What do you mean?” Emmi gripped her arm. “How could that be? Mama said he…”

“Disappeared in the forest?” Belle gave a sad huff. “I never quite believed that tale. Now, I know why she always turned to the belfry when she spoke of him. She knew he’d been thrown beneath, like so many of our neighbors.”

“But he marked the way to safety before he died,” Emmi said.

Or before he became a mindless creature.

But Belle refused to give that horror voice. “He left us a path home.” Heart aching, she kissed her fingertips and pressed them to the carved symbol. “Thank you, Papa.”

Following her father’s path, and with Tarn and Talos’ help, she led the way.

Some marks had been lost, scratched by claws or eroded by a steady drip of water from the world above. Yet between the surviving carvings, her creatures’ memories and the map in her mind, she was able to piece together the puzzle and lead them through the labyrinth.

More than once, Talos and Tarn stood between them and the waking demons. Yet they miraculously avoided outright conflict. The sheer size of Talos, combined with their torches and the demons’ desire to sleep through the day, seemed enough to deter any seeking a casual snack.

Though she feared their luck was coming to an end.

More were stirring, and keening wails echoed down the tunnels.

“Here,” she said, pointing to what remained of a compass. “We must be close to the exit.”

“Good.” Ears swiveling, Talos glanced behind. “Let us walk faster.”

“Oh, Gods.” Emmi grabbed Isabelle’s arm. “It sounds like an army waking from the dead.”

“Come.” Belle scooped up her skirts and hurried around the next bend.

Her heart beat in her throat—her sister wasn’t wrong. If they thought they’d heard the worst on their first night in the tunnels, they’d been wrong. The volume was almost deafening, loud enough to drown out any doubts she’d had about Tarn’s warning.

The demons were rising.

And they were demanding flesh.

She led them around a series of twisting passages as fast as she dared. Two markings later, the air felt lighter, fresher, and yet they’d taken too many lefts to be beneath the Keep. Rounding another corner, she gasped at the sight of a beam of white light cutting through the gloom.

She raced ahead and peered upward.

The opening was as narrow as promised and high above the ground, more of a sloping drain than anything designed for human use. Yet she was certain Emmi could fit through it, and that she would likely make it through as well.

“Boost me up?” she asked Talos.

He scooped her up by her rear, giving her a lusty wink before lifting her toward the drain. She squirmed upward on her elbows and studied the square of white light, searching for a clue as to their location. It seemed too bright for the interior of the Keep, and were those voices talking?

No. She blinked. Not just voices,chanting.

Gods. She knew exactly where they were—and it was where she’d least expected to find an exit.

“Pull me down,” she whispered.

When Talos returned her to the ground, she faced him, Emmi and Tarn. “We traveled all the way through this labyrinth and ended up going in an almost complete circle. We’re back at the square. Directly across from the Chastry—I can hear the afternoon prayers.”

“Whoa,” Emmi breathed. “How is that—”

“No time.” Talos stepped between them. “You must go.”

Gods. She needed more time. Isabelle’s heart plummeted to her slippers.

“No.” She wrapped her arms around his waist, and buried her face in his chest. “There must be another way. I only just found you again. I can’t leave you!”

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