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“No, they won’t.” I pointed behind us to the library doors. “But they’ll escape into the palace. They’ll look for someone to kill.” Cold lanced at my heart and stiffened my muscles. The king’s door had released Shadows into the world. Perhaps the same Shadows I’d fought back at the manor. And now I would do what he had done. Sending more beasts into the world. Into a building filled with innocents.

I gritted my teeth and pulled myself to my feet. “Close the door fast behind me,” I muttered. “Let as few as possible come through.”

“I’ll do my best.”

I helped her stand, and her hand squeezed against my arm.

“I’ll be at the door, waiting for your return,” she said. “Good fortune to you, Lope de la Rosa.”

I bowed to her. She startled. No one had done that before, I supposed; not to her. She was from no great family. But herhelp, her companionship, her guidance—it was more noble than any of the courtiers here.

Slowly, tremulously, I curled my hand around the door’s handle.

26

Lope

Those who are brave

Fight past their limit;

Those who are brave

Press on through the final tears they have to shed.

With one sharp pull, the door was open. There was the horrible, grating, keening sound of Shadows as they pushed past us like storm winds. My head was spinning, my legs were trembling, but every second I lingered in the doorway, I let another Shadow through.

I lunged through the door and heard Eglantine slam it shut behind me. I whirled on my heel, and there it was, closed, with a shining golden doorknob. And behind me, the Underworld lay beyond—where there was only blackness, thicker than darkness, purenothing.

Something slithered around my feet. I gasped and gapeddown at a dozen Shadows, their claws clutching at the fabric of my breeches. My hand flew to my hip—but my sword was not there.

I turned back to the monsters, crawling, grasping, but not yet opening their mouths. Not yet trying to kill. Fear paralyzed me. I’d never felt so useless before. So naked. Without a sword, who was I? If not a knight, who was I?

I moved to bat them away with a blow of my arm—I was trained to fight, even without my sword—but my arms were slow, useless. Like they wouldn’t obey me.

It was true then. All of my combat skills—gone.

Still the Shadows undulated around my feet. I shut my eyes and listened to my haggard breaths and my pounding heart.

You’re doing this for her, I chanted.Whatever it takes, it’ll be worth it for her.

Opening my eyes again, I glanced about me, my hands fisted so that I would have the fortitude not to look at the monsters.

My eyes were growing accustomed to the darkness. I stood atop a tall spiral staircase. Below, plains and hills of black grass extended all around me, and even the moon looked desolate, casting long white beams over an inky ocean below. It was a strange moon, glowing and misshapen. A crystal. More crystals, bright purple, gleamed in the dark expanse above the water. This world was only anecho of the one above. A darker, sadder one.

Ofelia. Find Ofelia.

My feet slowly trudged forward, down the stairs, pushing through the swamp of creatures surrounding me. They clung to me still, following my every step.

“Leave me,” I spat.

They hissed, that awful sound that made me shudder in spite of myself, but followed me still.

“Fine,” I muttered. “This is your world, isn’t it? If you’re to follow me, can you at least take me to Ofelia?”

The Shadows didn’t move. I wasn’t their master, I supposed.

Their master. What had Ofelia said?