Chapter 13

I glared at Garrick, my eyes narrowing as I tried to calculate my next move. I refused to fall into his trap and get stuck in this realm forever. My heart raced as I scanned the surroundings. The realization that my worst nightmare was coming true settled in my gut like a cold, heavy stone.

We stood in a clearing surrounded by twisted, gnarled trees, their dark, dense foliage blocking out the cold, pale moon. The branches seemed to reach out like skeletal fingers, ready to ensnare anyone who ventured too close. Mists swirled around our feet, their tendrils curling and twisting like ghostly serpents. A chill crawled up my legs, spreading across my body like icy tentacles, and I shivered, cursing myself for not bringing a heavy coat.

The faint sound of distant wails drifted through the air, carrying a sense of despair and anguish that made my skin prickle. I drew a sobering breath, inhaling a cloying mix of decay and an oddly sweet perfume from unknown flowers. My head swam as I tried to focus on my surroundings, searching for any clue that might lead me to Justice and a way out of this nightmare.

Garrick extended his hand, his eyes glinting with amusement and impatience. "Come with me."

I folded my arms, my jaw clenching. "I'm not going anywhere. Where is Justice?"

He gestured and smiled. "Oh, he's here. You're not alone."

"Garrick." I drawled his name, dripping with anger and frustration.

He bowed as if trying to be endearing. "Come with me. You need something to eat after traveling between dimensions."

Food?I suppressed a shudder at the thought of consuming anything from this strange realm, especially zigitar. The last thing I wanted was to get trapped in this world.

I squared my shoulders. "That's not what I want. I want to find Justice, and you promised to take me to the library."

Garrick's expression hardened, his eyes narrowing to slits. The earlier traces of amusement and false charm had vanished, replaced by a cold, calculating look that turned my blood to ice.

"I'm returning to my castle, Angarth Stronghold." His voice was as sharp and unyielding as the jagged rocks that littered the landscape. He swept a gesture toward a distant, ominous structure looming on the horizon.

My eyes widened as I took in the sight of the castle. Its black spires reached skyward, piercing the murky, swirling clouds like the claws of a monstrous beast. The dark stone walls seemed to absorb the meager light that managed to penetrate the gloom, giving the fortress an aura of impenetrable darkness.

The architecture reminded me of the grand castles in Scotland with their towering turrets and imposing battlements. However, where those structures had exuded a sense of history and enchantment, Angarth Stronghold radiated an eerie, malevolent energy that made my skin crawl.

A gust of wind whipped through the clearing, carrying the faint whispers of tortured souls and the acrid scent of ancient evil. Mists swirled around the base like a legion of ghostly sentinels, their spectral forms twisting and writhing in an eternal dance of anguish.

I tore my gaze from the unsettling sight. My heart pounded as I tried to suppress rising fear. The thought of entering that dark, forbidding place filled me with dread, but I knew I had no choice if I wanted to find Justice and unravel the mysteries of this realm.

He met my uneasy gaze. "Tomorrow, I will take you to the Archive of Shadows. If you don't come with me, beware of the terrifying beasts out here that would tear you apart, especially the shadow wolves. The choice is yours."

My breath caught in my throat. "What about Justice?"

Garrick shrugged. "He's a vampire and can feast on the creatures of the night."

I couldn't shake the feeling there was more to Garrick's decision to separate us than he let on. The way he reacted to Justice's mention of Maggie earlier made me wonder if they had a deeper connection, a history Garrick was unwilling to reveal.

Still…drink their blood? My stomach revolted at the thought. How could Chelby trust this Unseelie? So far, he'd shown nothing but deceit and manipulation.

Another growl from somewhere within the dense foliage broke my indecision. Garrick flashed me a pointed look. If I didn't go with him, I would be on the menu for whatever beast watched us from the shadows.

Garrick turned his back on me and headed down a dark, winding path. I scanned the clearing one more time to make sure I hadn't overlooked Justice, but he wasn't here, and the darkness was growing.

Reluctantly, I jogged to keep up with Garrick, my feet sinking into the soft, spongy ground with each step. The cold air burned my lungs as I pushed myself to match his pace, my muscles already aching from the exertion.

Garrick flashed me a knowing smile. "Wise move, beautiful," he crooned.

Bile rose in my throat at his term of endearment. Refusing to answer him, I focused on the path ahead, scanning the shadows for any signs of Justice. My heart raced, each beat echoing the desperate mantra in my head. Please, please be okay.

I clasped Garrick's arm, my fingers digging into his sleeve. Desperation clawed my throat as I searched his cold, ancient eyes for any glimmer of empathy or understanding. "Garrick, will you please tell me where you left him?"

He held my gaze, his expression unreadable as the seconds stretched into an eternity. "Even if I told you, it would mean nothing to you," he replied, his words measured and cryptic.

"Maybe not, but I need to know," I insisted. "Please, Garrick. I can't bear the thought of Justice being out there alone, facing unknown dangers."

Garrick sighed. "If you insist. He's in a place called the Voiceless Wilds. Does that satisfy you?"

The name sent a chill through my veins, its utterance seeming to leech the warmth from the air around us. I looked around, half-expecting to see a signpost or some indication of where these Voiceless Wilds might be, but there was nothing. Only the endless expanse of twisted trees and swirling mists.

"Is it far from here?" I whispered.

Garrick refused to answer. His eyes hardened as he turned away. With a swish of his cloak, he strode toward Angarth Stronghold, and the gathering gloom swallowed his form.

With a deep breath, I squared my shoulders and set off after Garrick, my footsteps heavy with the weight of the task ahead.

As we approached the ominous castle, the air grew colder, and an eerie silence enveloped the area, broken only by the occasional rustling of leaves in the twisted, gnarled trees. The murky, obsidian-colored moat encircling the structure seemed to possess an unnatural stillness.

Suddenly, I glimpsed movement beneath the surface, and a massive creature broke through the inky water. Its scaly hide gleamed with an oily sheen, revealing a terrifying amalgamation of features reminiscent of an alligator and a stegosaurus. Razor-sharp teeth lined the beast's elongated snout, while rows of jagged, bony plates adorned its back from its neck to the tip of its powerful tail.

Garrick stood beside me, a wicked smile on his lips as he observed my reaction to the mysterious beast. "Magnificent, isn't it? They're called saurigats." Pride and a hint of malice laced his voice. "These creatures serve as the perfect guardians for my castle, ensuring only those I deem worthy may enter."

My chest tightened as I glanced over my shoulder, wondering about Justice. Where was he in this desolate, eerie land? Could a vampire survive an attack from one of these deadly creatures?

Garrick gestured toward the imposing drawbridge. "The saurigats are fiercely loyal to me and will not hesitate to devour anyone foolish enough to attempt crossing the moat unauthorized. Their presence alone is enough to deter most would-be intruders."

As if sensing its master's praise, the saurigat released a bone-chilling roar that echoed through the air, rattling my bones. The sound was a haunting blend of a crocodile's bellow and the guttural growl of a reptilian monster, promising death and pain.

Garrick's eyes glinted. "Now, let us proceed. My castle awaits." With a wave of his hand, the drawbridge lowered, creaking and groaning as it extended across the moat.

As I crossed, the saurigat submerged itself again, its dark form vanishing beneath the surface. The castle's entrance loomed before me, a portal to the dark wonders and terrors that awaited. Yet, as I stepped forward, my thoughts remained with Justice, hoping he had found a way to navigate this treacherous land unscathed.