Chapter 9

Bael’s orb flickered above her like a guttering candle. In a few seconds, it would extinguish. With a final whistle for Sotz, Ursula leapt off the spider. The bat caught her expertly, and she clutched his soft fur, clenching her thighs around his body.

Pressing her face against his neck, she whispered, “Take me to the Grotto.”

Sotz’s wings pounded the air as he flew through the darkness. For the first time since she’d arrived on the moon, Ursula felt in control, losing herself in the familiar rhythms of lunar bat flight. Despite being a hellhound, she was at ease in the sweet oblivion of the shadows. Above her, the bats’ shrill voices loaned a sense of place to the otherwise pitch-black Cavern of Night.

Ursula peered over Sotz’s side, but she could see nothing. Here, the cavern lived up to its name—reminiscent of Nyxobas’s void. Why the hell did she find the void oddly comforting, strangely alluring? Sweet oblivion, boundless freedom. An escape from her true self.

A voice rose from the depths of her own mind. Who are you, Ursula? Who are you really? She pushed the voice out of her mind, tuning into the sounds and scents around her instead. The bats rushing above her, the wind whipping at her hair, Sotz’s familiar smell… Here, she felt at home.

Sotz banked sharply, and a vortex of lights greeted her. Arrayed in a massive spiral, the lights twisted around like the gyre of a distant galaxy. Not stars, but rather tiny mushrooms growing on the cavern floor. Sotz glided lower, his speed slowing until they landed gently on a giant boulder.

“Is this the Grotto?” asked Ursula.

Sotz chirped in what she thought was an affirmative answer, and she slid off his back onto the damp soil. The lunar bat launched himself into the air, leaving her alone again among the faint light of the mushrooms. Where exactly was she supposed to meet Bael here?

At the base of the rock, a glowing path led toward the spiral of mushrooms she’d seen from her flight. While she was waiting for Bael, she began walking quietly along the path. It sloped downward, weaving between the mushroom caps. Goose bumps rose over her bare legs, and she would have rubbed her arms for warmth if only her hands weren’t still bound. The slope steepened, until she found herself walking along a path that wound along a cliff’s steep face. The path twisted between giant boulders and ran along narrow ledges that kept the yawning precipice only a single misstep away.

Ursula’s lungs and thighs were burning when the path stopped at a massive onyx boulder, blocking the mouth of a cave. Ursula drew in a short breath at the sight of the stone. It looked exactly like the one in Bael’s manor, and when she ran her fingertips over it, she found it smooth and cool to the touch. Is this where she was supposed to go? Bael was able to push his boulder to the side, but Ursula couldn’t get this thing to budge. She’d need shadow magic to move it.

Exhausted, Ursula sat on the damp earth, the soil cool beneath her bare thighs. She rested her back against the cliff face, pulling her knees up to her chest for warmth. I guess I’m going to have to wait for Bael and Kester after all.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when the boulder suddenly rolled to the side, revealing the cave entrance.

A familiar voice pierced the silence. “Ursula, is that you?”

“Cera?” Ursula hopped up.

“Ursula!” The little oneiroi woman hurried toward her, frowning at her singed dress. “What are you wearing?”

“Is that really your biggest concern right now?” She lifted her hands. “Not, you know, the manacles binding my wrists?”

Cera hopped from one foot to another, muttering to herself as she stared at the singed hem, her silver hair cascading over her back. Apparently the hem was the main concern.

Ursula nodded at the cave’s opening. “Cera, can you tell me what’s going on? Where are we?”

“We’re at the Grotto. You’re perfectly safe here.”

“Is there any chance we could go inside? I’m freezing.”

“Of course. It will be an honor. Everyone is very excited to meet you.”

“Everyone?”

“You’ll see.” Cera hurried back into the tunnel, and Ursula followed, ducking her head to pass under a low stone archway.

“Bael hasn’t arrived, I take it?”

“He’ll be joining us soon,” said Cera. “Not to worry.”

Cera led Ursula down the tunnel, carved straight through the side of the cliff. It looked similar to the tunnels in Bael’s and Abrax’s manors—narrow with smooth walls. Glowing fungi illuminated strange runes and twisting designs engraved into the walls. Voices began to carry through the cave, growing louder as they walked. The tunnel curved sharply, then opened to a large, well-lit cavern.

Ursula gasped. This cavern teemed with people.

Not people, she realized as her eyes adjusted, but oneiroi. They moved among a small collection of stone dwellings, like a miniature version of the city at the foot of Asta.

Cera began to lead her down a rock slope, and toward the closest structure.

“What is this place?” asked Ursula.

“This is the Grotto.”

“Why is it here?”

Cera stopped, turning to look at her. “It’s the last free city of the oneiroi. I’m taking you to Xarthra. She’ll explain everything.”

As Ursula digested this information, Cera led her into the city. Oneiroi filled the streets, each one wearing thick robes, with hoods covering their silver hair. Ursula’s eyes widened. I know these outfits. When she’d seen a group of oneiroi reviving a golem in the mushroom forest, they’d been wearing these robes.

Cera led her through winding streets until she stopped at a small stone dwelling.

“This is where Xarthra lives?” asked Ursula.

Cera laughed. “No. But there is absolutely no way you can go to an audience with Xarthra wearing mud and a singed dress.”

Cera opened the door, revealing a modest bedroom. A small bed and dresser nestled in one corner. Dominating the center of the room stood a table covered in myriad colorful fabrics, sequins, and sewing equipment.

“Have you always lived here?” asked Ursula.

Cera shook her head, her eyes darkening. “No. I used to live in the great crater. After Bael went into exile, my little home in the crater was destroyed. Punishment for serving him. So, Xarthra moved my belongings here. I had nowhere else to go.”

Ursula bit her lip. “I’m sorry. That must have been hard.”

Cera shrugged. “It’s all right. I didn’t have much.” She yanked out a patch of green tulle from the pile on the table. “And they saved all my dresses and sewing supplies.” She loosed a long sigh. “Let’s get you something to wear.”

She turned, rummaging through a basket of clothing at the far end of the room, muttering to herself the whole time. While she searched, Ursula peered outside the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of Bael and Kester. No such luck so far.

After a moment, Cera scrubbed a hand over her mouth. “Somewhere, I’ve got a cream silk dress for you. I hope that will be suitable?”

“Cera. You are amazing, and I’ll wear anything you have. Assuming you can get it on me.”

It took Cera only a few minutes of rummaging before she pulled out a long, pearly gown—strapless, and slashed up to the thigh.

Ursula blinked at it. “Are you sure it’s not too…fancy?”

Cera tutted. “You cannot meet Xarthra looking like you might plan to assassinate her. And most importantly, it’s strapless. Your manacles won’t get in the way.”

She had a point. Ursula turned her back, and Cera ripped the tattered, singed dress off her. Cera spent a minute scrubbing the dirt and grime off Ursula’s body while Ursula shivered in the center of the room, goose bumps all over, until Cera directed her to step into the dress. Cera helped to pull it up her body, and it fit like a glove. A pair of cream high heels were the finishing touch.

“There,” Cera said, stepping back. “That looks gorgeous. But before we leave, we just need to fix your hair and face situation.”

“My face situation?” Ursula bristled.

Cera smiled. “You just need some cosmetic enhancements.”

Ursula’s stomach clenched. At this point, she just really wanted to get off the moon, and submitting to Cera’s meticulous grooming might be the only way forward.