Page 94 of A Kingdom of Shadows

Darius twists me around, and I can't help the overwhelming joy of seeing his face. It is maddening, yet it makes me smile.

"No creature to slay?" I say, bracing my hands against his chest.

His laugh warms up my palms. "The night is young."

And clearly, he is hoping for a lot more later.

If we succeed.

I move to his side, staring at the damp walls surrounding us. There's a small path of moonlight highlighting misshaped pieces of stones. I trace my fingertips along the wall's curves and land on one block protruding outward.

My eyes find Darius, not for reassurance but for the confidence that glows within his eyes. He encourages me as he tips his chin, so I nod, pushing down on the block.

A groan splinters the well, and then I yell a startled cry as I fall through an opening from the ground, rolling and tumbling onto hard concrete flooring.

A cough splinters through my throat before Darius lands beside me.

"Fuck, Goldie," he says, immediately coming towards me. "Is anything hurting?" He curls an arm around my waist, lifting me up, and I shake my head, thankful that nothing feels broken except for my sanity. After the last time at Melwraith, I'd lost most of it at the hands of a stupid stone.

And yet here we are collecting another.

I'm on the verge of replying when I catch sight of the right side of the oubliette. I turn, widening my eyes at the hundreds upon hundreds of brass keys—all identical—hanging off hooks.

"Well, the good news is that I know where the stone is," I hear Darius say behind me and look over my shoulder, seeing him stand by a vault carved into the wall. "Bad news is that I assume we have to search through all those keys."

My eyes shutter, exasperated, as I rush over and glance at the cracks in the wall, the keyhole, the sun, and the crescent carvings...

Certain areas of the oubliette are too dark to see despite the gold light bursting through the keyhole of the safe. And below it, there is an etched inscription beneath it.

"To survive," I read out. "Here is a test. There are those who cannot see me but know I am there. When you lose me, you live life in despair. Everyone knows the world isn't fair. But I am what keeps you pushing through when life seems hard to bear. "

A riddle.

My eyebrows press together. I open my mouth to ask Darius for assistance when a rumble shakes the oubliette, and water starts gushing out from the cracks of the walls.

Panic registers within seconds. I spin to where Darius is as he mutters a curse word and starts grabbing keys from the wall, lobbing them at me.

I fumble for the lock as freezing water fills up quick, but nothing works.

Every key he throws, I realize, is the same. None have a distinct pattern. It really could be any of them.

Frustration churns my stomach, making me grit my teeth. "It's not working!" I say, tossing the worthless key.

The water covers the entire vault, and I intake a sharp breath as I go under. I'm desperate for a way inside. By the time we try every key, we'll be long stuck to the bottom of the oubliette drowning.

I study the gap of light through the hole, illuminating the riddle.

There are those who cannot see me but know I am there.

All I can hear is the beating of my heart in my chest.

I reread the next part, intent on figuring out the riddle, but Darius pulls me up, and I gasp at the contact of air. He presses a hand to my cheek, looking at me with concern, but all I can think about is the riddle.

When you lose me, you live life in despair. Everyone knows the world isn't fair. But I am what keeps you pushing through when life seems hard to bear.

The world isn't fair.

No, it is not.

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