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I swiped the back of my hand across my cheeks. There was no use in crying. I sucked in a breath. The stickiness had dried between my legs, so my first goal was to find somewhere to clean up. Maybe a bathroom, too? I had to pee.

Getting to my feet, I walked over to the window to look out at the barren land. A deep blueish-purple tinted the sky. I shivered and inched back to the only door. Once I popped out of the room, I made sure to leave the door open. They all looked the same, and I didn’t want to waste too much time looking on the way back.

This place was too big for there not to be somewhere to clean up. Fortunately, the torches never seemed to be extinguished, so that was a perk.

All I could hear was my breathing as I shuffled across the stone floor. I came to a stop at the intersection of a four-way hall, debating which way to go. The place was a labyrinth. I scratched my neck to rid myself of the crawling sensation. The same one that had haunted me since I turned eighteen. I’d always believed they were normal until I started talking to them. The first person I’d talked about them to was Aunt Vee, who’d dragged me right to a therapist, thinking it was a manifestation of my parents not being around. Other than a few other small hiccups, I’d learned to mask mypeculiarities.

The feeling of uneasiness wouldn’t leave. I whipped around, but I couldn’t make anything out through the shadows. I chose the left path. Something cold grazed my arm and I whirled, my heart thundering.

“Hello?” I whispered. The flames flickered so violently that they cast shadows everywhere and . . . wait—shadows.

“You,” I whispered. I licked my lips, feeling silly at addressing the inky tendrils, but at this point, I’d officially lost it. “Is there somewhere I can bathe?”

Absolutely no reaction. I’d probably gone mad a long time ago. Before I could take a step, the ticklish touch returned. Gasping, I focused on the darkness twisting around my wrist.

“Can you understand me?” What was I doing talking to a shadow? The tendril lifted and pulsated, and like a finger, the darkness wiggled up and down as if in a nod.

It understood me.

“Is there a place I can bathe?” The tendril grew and became thicker. It nodded again.

The shadow wrapped around my wrist and tugged. I staggered after the black pulsating mass, picking up speed as it dragged me down a hall, back the way we’d come. Shadows whipped around me, touching and caressing my skin, leaving goose bumps in their wake.

It took me with it so fast that the walls blurred in my peripheral. It took a sudden right, and a wall rushed toward my face. I tried to fight the pull, struggling and yanking to get free, but it was clear: I wouldn’t get free. I squinted, waiting for impact, but the wall undulated, and I went through it. It spat me out into the empty throne room. He wasn’t here? The shadows guided me diagonally and to the corner behind the throne.

This passage led to a different hallway and down to a second entryway where it opened up to a room that was built of granite from top to bottom. Every inch was covered in smooth opalescent stone, and in the farthest half of the ballroom-sized room was a huge oval granite pool filled with water. It stretched from one end of the wall to the other. Hesitantly approaching in case something jumped out at me, I peeked inside. On one side of the pool was a thin fissure that glinted like metal, running from one edge to the other. To the far right of the pool was an iron spout where water came out. The thin sliver on the left must be a drain. It had some sort of filtration system.

On the drain side was a rounded exit to a terrace. As soon as I stepped out into the open air, the trickle of water reached my ears. I shuffled to the side, taking care not to fall off the porch. I poked my head over the railing and immediately backed up. If Ididn’t die on impact, it would be an excruciatingly painful death. I returned to the safety of the side of the pool and looked at the shroud hovering behind me.

“Is there a bathroom or rather, a toilet?” Unlike the last few times, the shadows didn’t wrap around my wrists. It faded and then thickened, clouding at the exit, pulsating like it was waiting for me.

I walked toward it, and it grew. Once I stepped into it, they curled around my arms and led me to the spot across from the terrace, through a slim path that turned dramatically to the right.

A toilet sat at the end, illuminated by the opening overhead. I swatted the cobwebs blocking my way, and they tangled with my hand. I didn’t want to see what had created them. I shivered, but didn’t stop my progress to the porcelain seat. It looked just like a toilet, with water and everything. But where was the plumbing?

As embarrassing as it might end up being, I didn’t have the luxury of waiting. I bunched my skirt to my waist, then dropped and peed. Immediate relief relaxed my shoulders. I waited a bit to dry off since there was no paper. I popped to my feet and hunted for the lever . . . but there wasn’t one.

I peeked into the toilet, and the water remained clear. It looked like it hadn’t been touched. So weird. It had to be some sort of magic, which had been proven to exist. I’d been dragged through shadows by some monstrous winged creature; nothing about this screamed normal.

I wasn’t going to debate the blessing of the magical toilet, and headed back to the pool. I pulled my clothing off and gently laid it on the ledge. My cross settled on my chest in a comforting weight. I dipped my toe into the pool, which was surprisingly warm. Moaning, I stepped into the shallow end, walking deeper and deeper until it reached my shins. Then I got to washing,cupping my hands to scoop water as quickly as possible to clean every inch.

Moisture trickled down my body, and I flicked the droplets from my fingertips. Only the tips of my hair were wet and slicked against my shoulders, but I didn’t want to risk going deeper into the pool when I couldn’t see the bottom. I could swim, but what if there was something invisible in there, ready to drag me under.

I shivered.No thanks.

Once I pulled myself up on the ledge, I hovered near my clothes.

“A towel would be so good right now.” I sighed, shivering and flicking yet more droplets from my fingertips.

The shadows undulated and began to vibrate. Something white shot at me. My scream was muffled when it smacked into my face. Just as quickly as it landed, I yanked it off, dangling the face towel in my hand. The shadows had gotten me what I’d asked for.

“Thank you,” I breathed. If the shadows could bring me things, what else could it do? I dried myself off quickly and slipped on my clothes. “Can you take me home?”

The smoky cloud pulsed and then seemed to thin. It was disappearing!

“Wait,” I gasped, scurrying after it, the towel still in hand. I slowed midway down the dark hall. I’d scared the shadows away.

Keeping hold of the towel, I wrung it in my hands as I entered the throne room. There was still no sign of the Lord. Movement at the corner of my eye whipped me around, but upon turning, there was nothing to see.