Page 58 of The Cries of Monsters

Shrieks and cries filled the air as monsters scrambled to get out of the way, but one of the boar’s tusks speared a satyr through the chest, and a succubus and wolf shifter were trampled and left bleeding on the floor. The boar grunted loudly and shook his head, and the satyr flew from his tusk and into the crowd.

Monsters howled in anger, and as the boar turned, charging toward Darian again, monsters from the crowd rushed after him. Shifters ripped at their clothes, shedding their skins to their creatures, while succubi and incubi leaped forward, brandishing their weapons. Even other satyrs came to avenge their wounded.

Before long, the ballroom was in chaos as monsters continued to join the fray, and I stepped back into the crowd, dodging swinging arms and gnashing teeth. In the midst of it all, Asher and Darian fought back-to-back, looking like a pair of fearless warriors. Darian’s blue eyes were as hard as steel as he brought Cassar’s boar down, using his song to daze the creature at the last second before smashing the hilt of his sword to the beast’s head and rendering Cassar unconscious. When the beast stopped moving, Darian’s gaze slid to me and he took a step in my direction, but more monsters rushed him. It was as if the monsters didn’t care who they fought anymore. They were angry and wanted to cause pain.

I looked over at Asher in time to see him punch Losak’s basilisk form in the side of the head. A wide grin stretched across Asher’s face, and there was something wild and unrestrained in his gaze.

Fucking hell. What is happening?And then my gaze landed onhim.

Warrick.The older vampire was watching the whole scene unfold from the back of the room with an amused gaze. His attention was on a troll who was busy fighting a vampire, and he sipped his drink, looking as though he was content to enjoy the show.

I dodged another flying fist, and the corner of Locke’s map jabbed at my breast. With Warrick still in my line of sight, I knew what I had to do.

CHAPTER 27

~ Raine ~

MyheartlurchedasI moved further into the crowd, weaving and ducking to avoid the frenzied monsters around me. When I reached the double doors to the ballroom, I let out a relieved breath and slipped into the tunnel. The monsters’ grunts and screams faded the further I fled down the tunnel, and I only allowed myself to stop when the noise ceased entirely. Peering around, I made sure no one had followed me before pulling Locke’s map from my dress.

With shaky fingers, I unfolded the map and stretched it out on the wall of the tunnel, keeping close enough to a torch so I could make out the markings. The city of Katakin was inked in precise detail, from the winding waterways to the seven guard towers positioned around the city. Even the locations of the different high houses were depicted. Locke had left black crosses over the map, but they didn’t appear to follow any specific pattern. Knowing I didn’t have the time to figure it out, I traced my finger to where the markets were indicated on the southern end of the map.The fae.

My finger lingered on the spot before I turned the parchment over. On the other side, a map of the mountain was drawn with the same intricate detail. Many of the different tunnels and caverns were labeled, and I dropped my finger to the base of the mountain.Warrick’s lab.The lab itself wasn’t labeled on the map, but there was a clear path to reach down there.

I stared at the winding tunnels that led into the depths of the mountain and memorized the turns as I folded the map and tucked it back into the front of my dress. I hadn’t seen Jarin at the party, and I was still going with the theory that Warrick had done something to silence him. If that was the case, Jarin wasn’t going to be giving me any answers.

I was now convinced Warrickwas hiding something, and it was clear the vampire wasn’t someone willing to share his secrets. But if he had a lab, it was possible he might have documents that could give me information. It was my best hope. If I found nothing, I’d escape into the city and try to find Cara on my own. I couldn’t go back to Asher and Darian and participate in my fight against Lana the next night. She was a vampire, and there was no way I’d be able to fight her without her spilling my blood.

And then everyone would know what I was. I’d thought Kade and the others might come up with a plan for me to avoid it, but if they had, they hadn’t told me, and I couldn’t take the risk.

Down, down, down I went as if I was climbing to the depths of hell itself. Slowly, the air grew stale, and the torches lining the tunnel dimmed as if they knew that deep down in the mountain, the monsters didn’t like the light.

Soon I began passing rows of large iron doors, and my steps faltered as I took in the deep grooves and marks scratched into the thick iron. One door had grooves so deep I was surprised whatever was on the other side hadn’t punctured through, and I shivered. As if whatever was in there sensed me, an ear-piercing screech sounded from the other side, and my heart jumped to my throat as I stumbled backward. Scrambling to my feet, I turned from the door and moved down the tunnel again, a trickle of fear sliding down the back of my neck.

I was beyond what was drawn on the map now, but I continued downward until I eventually reached two doors at the end of the tunnel. Neither of them had marks clawed into them, and I could only guess that one of them led to Warrick’s lab.

Without letting myself hesitate, I stepped up to the door on the right. I had no idea how long the fight in the ballroom would last or how long Warrick would be distracted, but I didn’t want him to find me down there.

Pressing my ear to the door, I ignored the cool bite of the iron against my skin and listened. When seconds passed and I heard nothing, I pulled back. Granted, the door was so thick I probably wouldn’t have heard anything anyway, but it seemed like the smart thing to do.

With shaking fingers, I gripped the iron handle and twisted. The door didn’t budge.Damn it. Of course, it’s locked.I stepped over to the door on the left and groaned in disappointment when I found that one was locked as well.

If I can just get past these doors, I’m sure there has to be some answers.All right, so I wasn’t reallysure,but I had a feeling there had to be answers there. If not, then aside from Jarin I was back to having no leads.

I tried twisting the doorknob again but growled in frustration when it still wouldn’t move.Fuck. I’ve come all this way. I can’t turn back now.

I thought then of the way I’d turned the rocky ceiling to sand nights ago. Could I do it again? I ran my palms over the smooth rock to the right of the door. I had no idea what was on the other side, and if it worked, I risked someone seeing me, but I had to dosomething.Peering behind me, I checked the tunnel was still clear, and then I placed a palm on the wall and closed my eyes.

All right. Magic. I can do this.I tried not to think about how ridiculous I felt and instead focused on finding that energy inside myself. That spark that had seemed to explode inside me when I’d turned the rocky ceiling to sand and again when I’d conjured the wind in the rooms.

A moment passed, and I felt…nothing. It occurred to me that I was a human standing beside a wall, hoping to magically create an opening. Groaning, I opened my eyes and dropped my hand.Goddess, this is stupid.

I paced along the wall before reminding myself that, no, it wasn’t stupid.Something was happening inside me, and whether I was turning into a monster or not, somehow I had done magic and I had no reason to believe I couldn’t do it again.

Forcing myself to let out a long breath, I stopped before the wall and closed my eyes again. Gingerly, I placed my palm back on the cool rock. I thought of the times I’d felt the magic before and the sheer desperation that had every nerve in my body feeling as though they were on fire. Then I thought of Darian and Asher brawling with the monsters in the ballroom and Kade and Locke fighting the fae. Fear struck my heart, and a spark flared to life deep inside me. I focused on the spark, letting it burn hotter until warmth traveled from my chest to my fingertips.

Grains of sand fell between my fingers, and when I opened my eyes again, I had to take a step back and blink several times to believe what I was seeing. A section of the wall had fallen away, the rock transformed to sand that had fallen near my feet.

Mother Falia, I did it.I let out a cheer as I punched a triumphant hand into the air, but then, realizing what an idiot I was, I clamped a hand over my mouth and cursed internally. When the tunnel remained silent, I slowly crept forward, ducking my head as I stepped into the cavern.