Page 57

Thesix fey archers and the rage demon had likely made it to the grand opening—after all, few dangers existedwithinthe castle for those who weren’t cursed—only to be turned right when freedom was in reach.Hadthe mother ghoul done it?

“Irecognize those tattoos,”Poppysaid. “That’sTrullertheVictor.Oritwas.”

“Gottabe honest,I’mnot a fan of his glow-up.”Thelegendary demon was now a yellow-eyed monster.

“Theghouls that theValkyriesmake sport of are all former humans.Doyou think these ghouls retained their strength and speed?”

“I’veseen similar ones on distant planes.Thefey will still be as quick, the demon as strong.Thinksuper ghouls.”

“Howwere they not found?Thebest trackers in theLoresearched for them.”

“Theymust’ve gotten lost in the wilderness.It’ssome of the most inhospitable terrain this realm has to offer.”Orhad they crossed over intoanotherrealm—the one of the undead—only to return now?

“Whydidn’tTrullerteleport home when he was struck?”

“Dependingon the strength of the infecting ghoul, the contagion can work quickly.”AdetailRökhad factored into his calculations. “Trullermight have wanted to spare loved ones.Butwhat’s brought them back here tonight?”

“Maybethe only two living people for hundreds of miles.Rök, they’ll stop at nothing to turn us.Whatare we going to do?”

“Whenthe door opens,I’llattack.You’llfollow, grabbing my back asItrace.”

“No, absolutely not.”

“I’mgoing to annihilate them,Poppy.Yousaw me fight the visitors.Unlikethem, these ghouls can be killed.”

“There’snot a doubt in my mind that you can take them down.Butavoiding a single scratch isn’t possible.”Shestudied his expression, and her lips parted. “Oh,Hecate, youknowyou’re going to get scratched.”

“Notsaying it won’t be risky, butI’vefaced worse odds for much less upside.”

“No!You’llturn.”Hereyes went wild. “Thinkabout what you’re saying.”

Hehad. “I’mopen to ideas, butI’verun down all the possibilities.”Eachscenario ended with one outcome:Rökwould become undead.

“Youtold me noble wouldn’t happen again!”Hergaze darted around the foyer. “Usethe closet door as a shield, then we barrel forward.”

“Ademon as strong asTrullerwill punch the door, breaking it.I’llbe holding pieces of wood instead of a sword.Ifwe lose an inch of ground, which we will with an inswing door andTrullershoving, the fey will swarm in behind him faster than we can blink.Thenyouget clawed.Unacceptablemission failure.”

“Sowe let them in and fight them here.You’remated now and will be stronger than ever.I’llfashion some kind of weapon.”

“Theonly way to outpace a fey is to teleport, whichIcan’t do inside this place.Andwe have no idea when the door will close.Iwon’t risk you based on message board speculation.”

Soundingpanicked, she said, “Whatabout a trap?”

“Castle’sabout to open.”

“Thenwe stay here!”Shenodded frantically. “Youasked me whereIwant to live?Ilied;Iampicky.Iwant to live here with you for the next twenty or so years.Wecan use the time to plan for when the door opens next.Listento me,Rök,I’min lovewith this castle.Ican’t live without it.”

Shewas telling him she loved him.Hecould play along. “Myheart is a hundred percent committed to this plan to save you,Red.I’llbe devoted to it for the rest of my life.”

Sheunderstood him, expression going soft.

Thenit hardened. “Stayinghere is our only option.Worstcase: we’re stuck for two decades, a blink of an eye for an immortal.Bestcase: my sisters will figure out how to open this place.”

“Andif they can’t?Whatif they come on the nextHalloweenmoon?Thatsame troop might greet them, if it isn’t even larger.Inthe meantime, you would have wasted away to nothing.”

“I’mold enough to revive.”

“BeforeIwatch you suffer like that,I’drather be undead.”Whichwas no longer his worst fear.Herecalled his bafflement thatCademight chooseHollyover the fate of an entire kingdom.NowRökunderstood.