Page 148 of My Monster’s Keeper

Frost still looks like he wants to argue, but he just shuts his mouth and stays quiet.

The first step is like sinking into dark shadows. It’s cold and a little spooky. I get chills and miss the warmth of the sun. But, after a little bit, I start to get used to it. It reminds me of stepping into the gang’s turf. You know that walking in this direction could be bad for your health, but you have business. You just hope that you can get in and out unscathed.

I don’t know what I did exactly to that Fae queen and her court. I don’t know why I was able to affect them so strongly. But I left them decimated. Destroyed. I should feel bad about it, but I just remember the last five weeks alone. The heat and what almost happened. I’m not sure I’m sane anymore.

And I really don’t feel bad at all.

I’m in the middle of a town, in an alley. The roads appear to be made with cobblestones. I’m mildly fascinated by the strange appearance, but I don’t really give it too much thought. Everything is dark, but balls of light float of the palest blue.

I hear laughter and creep towards the edge of the alley. People are celebrating? Why? Pitch jumps down and leads to the left. I follow without questioning the small feline.

It’s only at the corner that I realise the cobblestones aren’t stones, they’re skulls. I swallow thickly as I wonder what poor creatures were massacred to such an extent that their skulls became part of the architecture.

The buildings are made out of some green material that resembles wood but sways like fabric. When I reach out to touch one, it shies away from my hand. I figure if something doesn’t want to be touched that much, it must have a good reason and leave it be.

But why am I here? Who is here? Stix or Puppy?

I hear the laughter again and walk out into the street. A small figure darts out in front of me but doesn’t look back. Pitch and I follow behind.

There is a smell here, like blood and a tang. I can’t place it exactly, but it’s familiar. This village doesn’t leave me with good feelings of recognition, though. In fact, it’s leaving me feeling a bit green. Anxious.

I spot a crowd and quicken my step. They are loud, calling out jeers and growling. Laughing. The hairs on my neck rise.

I have a feeling that whoever I’m looking for will be on the other side of this crowd. I elbow my way through, ignoring the snarls, until I break through the crowd.

The first thing I notice is the buxom woman standing on a huge box. Her face is painted with blue markings and her tits, all six of them, are almost pouring out of her corset.

It’s not a pretty sight.

But the box draws my attention. I hear an aggravated growl, so full of fury that it sounds insane.

My heart rips, and I feel like I’m falling backwards off a cliff. It’s the only way I can explain the sudden, acute agony as I realise that my Grim is in that box. And the stick she is poking inside is to hurt…

I launch myself at her. I’m halfway up the box before she even notices me. She looks at me and stumbles back, but the stick is caught.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I don’t need to understand her language to understand her intent.

“Open the cage,” I snarl. She understands me just as clearly.

“Are you insane? No way in hell.”

“It will be your hell in one minute if you don’t release my Grim.”

“Look, you’re out of your fucking mind. That Grim needs to be destroyed.”

Her meaning blooms in my mind. Kill…my Grim? I’ll slaughter everyone first.

I snarl and crouch. Testing the bars. I can’t see Puppy. He’s in the shadows, hiding. I don’t even know if he knows I’m here. Yes I do, I can feel him.

I reach out, seizing the magic again but find Wilder’s magic instead. I snatch it up and feel my body start to shift.

Wings sprout out of my back, my fingernails turn to talons and grow to three inches. My legs get longer and stronger.

The creature stares at me, her eyes wide with what appears to be horror.

“You shouldn’t be here!” she wails. Now her words are making complete sense to me.

I smile. “Ahh, but I am.”