Page 65 of A Spell of Bones and Madness
With each crunch of their boot, Katrin’s stomach clenched more. What if they were traveling in circles, destined to never reach the center? What if these were the illusions Leighton warned them of? A never-ending path to drive them to the brink of insanity, before pushing them over the edge.
But then it started—the low rumble of falling boulders, the vibration of the ground beneath them, a faint panting of angered breaths. It wasn’t something chasing them—no—it was waiting for them, prowling ahead, egging them on.
Ember clutched Katrin’s arm. “Did Leighton say anything about a creature guarding the center of the mountain?” Her voice was shaky as she drew a second sword from her back.
“He said there were many things we might encounter before we reached the opening,” Katrin replied, the knuckles of her right hand gripped around her own weapon as pale as Ember’s ashen skin.
“I think we might have encountered one.” The noises around them stopped and Katrin threw a ball of her light down the now straightened passageway where three sets of all-white eyes glared back at them.
“Katrin, get down!” Ander shouted as he tackled her into the side of the passage, narrowly avoiding a thick black claw that was aimed straight for her gut.
“What—what is that?” Katrin asked as she scrambled to her feet, before the creature’s paw could come barreling down on them once more.
“Cerberus. It’s Hades’ pet, his guard dog.” Ajax had shifted back in front of them. “We need to move—that thing is lethal if it strikes you. The claws are laced with the same venom as a viper,” Ajax managed to get out before a loud growl filled the air.
The beast stood before them, its shaggy black hair matted close to its body. Long, spindly golden teeth appeared as Cerberus snarled, clacking the venom-soaked claws as it stalked toward them. It was nauseating and sweat inducing, how slow the beast prowled at them once more, as if haste was not an issue to defeat them. Thick, black drool dripped down each of the three maws, and those white, lifeless eyes—Katrin was captivated by them, unable to move from where her boots stood. Then the pairs ofeyes blinked and crimson snaked its way from the lids, swirling into pupils.Hiseyes. She had not seen them since the day of the attack on her home—no longer had they plagued her sleep—but now, they consumed her. The scars on her back stung like each whip of the man’s belt was coming down on her again, cruel and debilitating as the waves that crashed against the ship she was on. No—Katrin wasn't on the ship anymore. She was in the caves.I am in the caves. I am in the caves.But no matter how many times she repeated it, everything was there—the broken cot with tattered blankets, the white robe cast aside on the floor. The red-eyed man.
It isn’t real,a calming voice swept into her mind,just breathe, Starling. I need you—I need you to help fight this thing off, to save your people, all of our people. Think of home. What makes you feel home?
Home. No longer a place—who knew what state Alentus was in. Her home was something more—crisp air whipping through her hair, the sunrise over the hull ofThe Nostos, salt and lemon and olive oil. Alexander.
Fiery, white-hot starlight buzzed around Katrin's palms, winding up her arms, radiating from her skin. The images of the ship faded back, replaced by the now lit up caves, Cerberus growling before her. If they were going to survive this creature—this mission, even—she would need to fight. At least long enough that Ember and Ajax could get past, find the bident, and destroy Hades’ soul before he returned. Save their parents.
Katrin locked eyes with her sister, who was braced for a fight, to go down swinging. She spoke softly, teeth gritted. “I need you to run—you and Ajax. Getto the center of the mountain.”
Ember’s head cocked to the side, lines forming between her brows. “I can fight! I can help you.”
“Yes—you can. But Father asked you to do this. You’re the only one who can get that relic back. I’ll be right behind you. I promise.” Katrin turned away from her sister, letting her thoughts clear, letting the scent of ocean breeze and the simplicity of slapping waves fill her mind, and then light exploded.
Chapter Fifty
Ember
“Come on, Ember! You heard what she said!” Ajax shouted, clutching her hand and pulling her farther past the beast.
“I can’t leave her! She’ll—she might die!”
Blinding light refracted off the onyx walls that just before had seemed to absorb any glow around them. Covering her eyes with her forearm, Ember tried to pull back once more.
Katrin was barely visible in the white hot starlight that flowed from her outstretched palms to the cowering creature before them. To her side stood Ander, his own power wrapping chains of fog around the beast's four massivepaws, halting him in his place.
The three-headeddaimonstruggled against the two, menacing growls ripping from each of its mouths. Thick, black drool clung to its maws, sputtering out toward the tunnel walls, landing against them with a sizzle. Carrion wafted in the musty air as the liquid burned from Katrin’s light.
“Ember, please! This may be our only chance!” Ajax squeezed both her shoulders, shaking her. “Ander is with her. He won’t let anything happen to her.”
“But she has the crystal! Isn’t that our best weapon now?”
“Right now, our best weapon is time. If we can find your father, or stop Kohl before he does, we won’t need that blasted crystal—and trust me, you don’t want her to use it, not in a place like this.”
Widening her eyes, Ember resheathed her sword and began running past the beast, Ajax in tow. What type of wicked curse did that talisman hold? Why was it even more fearsome than Hades’ relic itself?
Roots crunched below each booted stomp as they ran.
No.
Not branches.
Ivory.
