Chapter 36

T he library wasn't far from the kitchen.

On the way, Keryssa told me about her encounter with Aculeus, and rage flooded my veins. We knew he would come to her again sooner or later, but I hated the thought of him threatening her. I hated the thought of me not being there to protect her. While I couldn't have fought the demon, if worst came to worst, I could at least distract him, give her a chance to get away, maybe find help elsewhere.

But my anger had to wait, and I stuffed it into the recesses of my brain. I needed a clear head.

Our accomplice already awaited us in the shadows of tall, rustic bookshelves, overstuffed with dusty tomes.

As I entered the massive chamber with Kerys on my arm, he stepped out, waving while he approached. "Lurax," he whispered, holding out a hand to her.

I'd never asked his name. Names only furthered attachment, and he was a pawn. Disposable.

My wife seemed to think otherwise, shaking his hand, smiling politely. "Kerys."

She always had a habit of being too nice to worthless rabble.

My tail lashed. The vines pressed into the underside of my skin, tempting me to rip the guy's head straight off. I cracked my neck, reining in my frustration. She didn't mean it that way, I knew, but she was beautiful, and Lurax clearly wasn't immune to her effortless charm.

Just another reason to get this over with.

I gestured at Lurax, who flinched like I'd just startled him from some sort of dirty daydream, and he finally tore his eyes from Kerys. Not that I could blame him after a year of abstinence, but shit, he even thought she was pregnant with my child!

"Stand guard," I growled. "Right there by the door."

Lurax nodded, quietly skulking across the gray tiles and taking up position as I ordered. I didn't sense magic in him, and he was too scrawny to be an experienced fighter. If we did get caught, he wouldn't be much use … but he'd make a good decoy.

Clenching my jaw, I approached three paintings on the west wall. They depicted Dax'eia in various art styles, each with a different signature, but I didn't care for the works themselves.

I took the left one off its nail, revealing an ornate, circular plaque embedded into the stone wall. With its concentric rings of runic symbols, it could have passed for a decorative piece, but upon closer inspection, it was apparent that the rings were meant to be rotated independently.

The glyphs weren't similar to Xar'vathi or any other language I spoke or heard of, but I didn't need to know what they meant to solve the riddle.

Kerys gave me a questioning look as I leaned the artwork against one of the shelves.

"Lurax told me where to find the tongues. Earlier, we came here to clean, and while dusting the frames, I slipped a flowering vine behind the painting to spread invisible pollen across the mechanism," I whispered, holding a hand in front of the wheel. "Now I just have to …"

The warmth of my magic flowed through me, and the pollen dust began to shimmer a subtle gold. I grinned. Just as I'd suspected, whoever had been on prayer duty tonight left clear fingerprints.

"How clever," Kerys teased, and I bowed my head in feigned humility.

"You know me, my darling wife. I get what I want, either by choice … or by force."

She flushed again, giving a breathy giggle, and blood rushed to my dick. Fuck, she really was a massive distraction, but the lock demanded my attention.

I worked my way outward, aligning the fingerprint-marked runes along a vertical line at the top. A soft click sounded, and the gentle grinding of cogs drifted from behind the wall. Impressive. This was the only well-maintained part of the monastery, not close to falling apart, rusted, chipped, stained or otherwise showing signs of aging.

The wall slid aside to reveal a sizeable square chamber. A lantern dangled from a short chain affixed to the low ceiling, a blue flame flickering to life as I ducked my head and stepped inside.

Shelves were carved into the stone, loaded with rows of jars, their lids sealed with wax and some sort of runic scripture. Inside each, preserved in a light-yellow fluid, swam a tongue. While there might not have been many living members at one time, the Creed sure had accumulated quite a collection throughout the centuries.

Kerys entered behind me. She made a beeline for the furthest shelf at the opposite end of the room, picking out the dustiest jar she could find. With a shrug, she returned and held it up to my face.

"It says eternal silence of the faithful dead ," she whispered. "I figure the older the better, and that far back, they're less likely to notice one is missing."

"I agree. Let's go, we have what we need," I responded, guiding her out with a hand on her back.

Lurax's head twisted as we exited, and I forced a grin. He exhaled a breath of relief before looking out into the hallway again.

I turned the wheel to its previous position, and the wall closed. With the painting in its rightful place, it seemed as if we'd never been here.

We joined Lurax by the door, and Kerys handed me the jar to take the vial from her robe's pocket.

She focused, and when the herbal essence glowed, being absorbed into the gray gem, a real smile curled my lips. Kerys in full command of her magic was a delightful sight. I'd always admired her work, her talent, and the creative applications of her powers.

A tickle drifted over my skin as the magic took hold. The world around us shimmered, like a sheer, white veil had dropped over us. Kerys took the jewel from the vial and closed her fist around it, discarding the glass vessel behind the nearest row of books.

"This spell is very potent. You can imagine it like a bubble that makes us invisible to everyone, including demons, dampening any noise our bodies make. Steps, heartbeat, breath. Even speech. But it's an active enchantment, which needs my constant maintenance, energy, and focus. I can't hold it forever," she said, voice thinning slightly with strain. "Don't stray from my side, keep as close as possible. And whatever you do, don't walk into anyone. We're still physically in this realm and can't pass through people or objects like a ghost."

"Understood." I pulled Kerys close while I glanced at Lurax. "And you? Understood?" He swallowed hard, chewing on his lip as he nodded.

"So far, so good," I said. "Onward to the maw of the beast then."

I took the key for the outside door from its hook and slid it into my pocket.

The door built into the towering wooden gate leading to the creature's chamber was still unlocked and unguarded. They didn't need to lock it—the monster was deterrent enough to stop stragglers from wandering out. I opened the exit just enough for us to slip through. Me first, then Kerys—her hand clutching the gem firmly encased in mine—then Lurax.

The repulsive, sweet stench of decay and sulfur hung heavy in the air. Clusters of orange mushrooms with glowing, spear-shaped caps grew from piles of cracked bones, both humanoid and animal remains, dipping the vast, rectangular chamber into dim light. A few boulders littered the ground, but the beast was nowhere in sight.

Our accomplice gagged. One hand flew to his mouth, the other pointing upward in panic.

I raised my gaze to the ceiling, and my pulse picked up, my body stiffening.

There, in the corner above the exit, lurked the most fearsome animal I'd ever seen.

It perched on a web of shimmering gossamer strands, what I assumed to be some of its victims hidden in cocoons of iridescent purple silk.

A bone spike tipped each of its eight triple-jointed legs, attached to a bloated, gray carapace. Curved, serrated mandibles as sharp as blades protruded from its front, clicking and shifting as it twitched. A sea of eyes covered its body like orbs of burning crimson, pulsating with a dim glow. They all moved individually, flicking and rolling, surveilling its lair.

Now it made sense why we'd been blindfolded. I guessed that making eye contact with the creature would drive it into a frenzy.

How the Creed had summoned and bound this demonic being was a mystery—one I didn't have the leisure to ponder.

"Get it together," I hissed at Lurax. "Move."

He didn't respond, staring at the huge arachnid. I dragged him along by the wrist, shaking my head. What a weak-willed excuse for a Xar'vathi.

We were about halfway through the room, avoiding skulls and ribcages, treading on squelching soil between patches of fungi, when Kerys gasped.

I knew immediately what she meant. I felt it, too.

"We need to hurry," she breathed. "I think the herbs were too degraded. My spell is slipping, and I can't stabilize it no matter how hard I concentrate."

"Not much further now." I quickened my pace. "Don't think about it. Just walk."

"Oh, Gods help us!" Lurax raved. He dug his heels in, ripping his arm from my grasp. "We're dead! We're dead!"

"Calm down, please," Kerys said, laying a hand on his shoulder, but he pulled away.

"This thing will eat us!" he screamed, fingers digging into his cheeks. "We will end up like-like the others!" He was shaking, tail lashing back and forth, sweat trickling down his temples.

The gigantic spider flinched, turning in our direction.

Shit. The spell was weakened enough to let our movements shine through.

"Either come with us or stay, I don't care," I growled. "But we are going. Right now."

That seemed to snap him out of it. His eyes widened. "No, no … don't leave me!" he sobbed. "I'm sorry, I?—"

The spell slid from our forms like a smooth silk curtain. Goose bumps cascaded down my back to the tip of my tail, and Kerys's hand trembled in mine.

All of us froze.

"Don't move. Don't even look at it," I hissed. "Those eyes aren't just for show. It might not notice us if we stand still."

The arachnid lifted a single leg. Its mandibles clacked. Foamy green liquid oozed from its maw, falling onto the glimmering threads at its feet, dripping to the soil, forming a sizzling puddle.

I knew what I had to do. So long as I was alive, no harm would befall my wife.

"On three we run." I shoved the tongue jar into Kerys's arms. "One. Two. Three."

I scooped her up and broke into a sprint as she dropped the gem—it was worthless now. From my periphery, I watched the beast jump to the ground. It dashed toward us, skittering legs almost too fast to see.

My heart thundered, and I glanced at Lurax, running by my side.

Well, he was useful after all.

My tail lashed, hitting him in the back of the knees. He fell, screaming. His head turned as he twisted, and in that split second our gazes met, I saw condemnation in his eyes.

Betrayal. Hurt. Rage.

Pity I didn't give a shit.

I hit him again, in the face this time, opening a gash along his forehead. Just as I'd told Kerys, no predator could resist the scent of blood. The lure of easy, injured prey.

Neither could the demonic arachnid.

It leaped, the ground shaking as it landed a few feet from us.

I didn't look back. Neither did Kerys.

Not even when Lurax's last word was traitor , ended by the gargling of blood. Or when the snap of his bones echoed in my ears. When the wet tearing of flesh was all that was left of him, I yanked the key from my pocket, and we slipped out into the antechamber, locking up behind us.

The only person who mattered was in my arms, smiling up at me, clutching that grotesque jar to her chest. In her gleaming eyes, I read trust. Gratefulness. Adulation. Love.

In the past, I'd never needed a justification for murder or violence, and there was no point in pretending I needed one now.

I killed because it was my job or to achieve my goals, if someone stood in my way or insulted me. I killed because I enjoyed it, and other times to let out the rage simmering in my marrow.

In truth, I always thought I was born to kill and destroy.

But killing for my wife, to protect her, to please her … Gods, it felt like my holy duty. And that whispered thank you falling from her plump lips, the adoration in her voice … they were the worthiest rewards I could have thought of. I would have felled kings, burned down the continent, and slaughtered an army of demons just to make her look at me like that, with such devotion in her eyes.

"Told you we'd make it," I said as I opened the door to the outside.

Above, the bright moon hung like a silver lantern, and far in the distance below, shimmered the capital city, the jewel of the desert, Xalax'ar. Fresh air filled my lungs, carrying the scent of roses and sand.

"I never doubted you, dear husband." She tilted her head back, pressing a ticklish kiss onto the base of my neck. "That's why I wasn't afraid."

"My pretty liar." I winked as I set her on her feet. "Admit it, you were a little afraid."

"Yes, but not for myself."

"What do you mean?" I asked, interlacing our fingers as we strolled down the mountain path.

I had no concerns about being followed. The exit was locked, the key in my pocket, and with a bit of luck, everyone inside the monastery was still asleep anyway.

"I knew that if it came to a confrontation with the arachnid, you would stay to fight and protect me." She paused, chewing on her lip. "And you wouldn't have allowed me to remain with you."

Blood flowed to my cheeks, probably turning them a ridiculous shade of red.

Me .

She had been worried about me .

"You're right." I squeezed her hand. "And I'd never forgive you if you sacrificed yourself for me."

She regarded me with a grim smile. "I know."

"Hey, don't look so sad," I said, tousling her hair. "That won't happen. We'll be together from now until the end of our lives. I promise. When all of this is over, we'll have Emily find a way to extend your lifespan to match mine. She'll love the challenge."

Kerys stayed quiet.

"Don't you want to?" I asked.

"That's not it. I want to be with you for as long as I can, but …" She glanced up at me, eyes misty. "What if the demo?—"

I shook my head. "I don't want to hear it, and I don't want you to think that way. We'll be together. I'll move the Heavens and Hells to keep you by my side, my darling wife."

She let out a long sigh. "I'll hold you to that."

I curved an arm around her waist, pointing to the city. "After days in this shit-stained, awful monastery, I can't wait to enjoy the luxuries Xalax'ar has to offer. But most of all …" I leaned over and kissed the top of her head, inhaling the scent of mild soap, her sweet musk, and a hint of salt from the exertion of our escape. "I can't wait to share them with you."