Beyond The Darkness: The Shadow Demons Saga, Book 9
Page 30
Jackson ran a nervous hand through his hair and sighed.
“Okay, but we put her in the dungeons,” he said. “We have a guard stationed with her at all times. We bind her hands so that she can’t cast. We take every precaution.”
I nodded. “This could be a real turning point for us, Jackson,” I said, walking faster now that the woman in red was visible in the distance.
“I hope you’re right,” he mumbled.
When we reached her, the ruby priestess began to clap. She shook her head and smiled at me.
“Bravo, dear girl,” she said. “I knew the moment I first laid eyes on you that you were special. I never dreamed you’d really find your way home once that portal closed, but I made a promise to you that night that I intend to honor.”
“How do I know I can trust you?” I asked.
She shrugged. “How do we ever really know we can trust anyone?”
“That’s not an answer,” Jackson said.
Gregory joined us at the gate, his face still white as a sheet. This wasn’t the first priestess he’d encountered, and I was sure he didn’t exactly have fond memories of his torture at the hands of Priestess Winter.
“If you’ll give me the chance, I will prove my loyalty,” the priestess said. “I know that it will take time, but like I said, I never like to be on the losing side. I’d like to figure out a way to survive this war, and I’m not going to do it as your enemy.”
“You’ll have to live in the dungeons if you want to stay here,” Jackson said. “It won’t be comfortable for you after the life of luxury I’m sure you’re accustomed to back home.”
“I’m sure I’ll manage,” she said with a shrug. “Your dungeons are bound to be much nicer than the ones my sister Gladys would put me in if she found out I’d come here.”
Jackson looked at me, and I nodded.
Yes, we were taking a huge risk by bringing her into the city, but as long as we got her safely locked away in the dungeons, she would be powerless to make a move. She was, after all, trusting us not to rip her heart out for the sake of freeing the ruby gates. She’d come alone, bearing gifts that we simply couldn’t afford to refuse.
“Follow me, then,” I said, inviting her into the city.
The three of us escorted her up to the castle and then down several flights of stairs to the dungeons below. I was surprised to find so many of them full of witches. I raised a curious eye toward Jackson, and he shrugged.
“We have a lot to talk about,” he said. “Let’s take her to the lower dungeon. There’s no one else down there.”
The lower dungeons were hardly ever used, but they were just as secure. I couldn’t imagine she would be comfortable here, but maybe once she’d truly proven herself, we could figure out something better. A set of rooms with a special lock on the door or a barrier spell, maybe.
But first, she’d have to give us enough information to make it worth the risk.
I motioned for Gregory to open the first cell, and he nodded, taking out a set of keys and placing one in the lock. These cells were made of a special, imbued form of demon steel my father had commissioned from a powerful demon who was a genius at traps and prisons.
We’d imprisoned hunters and witches down here for years with no incidents, and I knew that once the priestess was safely locked inside, she was harmless.
When the door was open, the ruby priestess walked inside without hesitation. She ran her hand along the steel as she walked to the back of the cell and sat down on a wooden stool, the sole piece of furniture in the entire room.
Gregory shut the door of the cell, and I let out of sigh of relief.
I didn’t fully understand it, but if her presence here helped us end the Order, I didn’t need to understand it. If she didn’t prove useful in the next few days, or if she showed any signs of betraying us, we could have her killed.
“If you’ll excuse me, we have something else we need to do,” I said, anxious to get to Cypress. “We’ll be back tonight to talk through the terms of our agreement. Do any of your sisters know where you are?”
“I certainly hope not,” she said with a smile, smoothing out her skirt. “To be honest, I’m hoping I can give you whatever information will help you win this war while still keeping me alive, and then I can be on my way before anyone realizes I’m gone.”
“We’ll be back soon,” I said.
“Don’t let her out of your sight,” Jackson said to Gregory. “If you have to leave, make sure to send another guard to take your place immediately. And don’t open that cell under any circumstances.”
“Yes, sir,” Gregory said.
Jackson placed his hand on Gregory’s arm. “I’m counting on you.”
We made our way back up the stairs toward the portal of roses, our hearts full and the promise of peace on the horizon.
Epilogue
Gregory
Silently, I followed Harper and Jackson through the castle, careful to stay far enough back that they wouldn’t see me.
I watched from around the corner as they disappeared through the rose portal. I closed my eyes and pressed my head against the cool, smooth stone of the archway.
I didn’t want to do this.
I let my hand fall on the hilt of the sword at my side. I still had a choice, didn’t I?
But was death really a choice?
I pretended to be brave, rushing into battle when adrenaline was high, but here, in the light of day, I saw myself as I truly was.
A coward of the worst kind.
A traitor.
Death was a choice for the honorable, but I had faced death once, and I hadn’t liked the look of it.
Now, it was time to pay for the gift of my life.
Slowly, I made my way back down to the dungeons, taking my time to draw out the inevitable, still hoping I might be brave enough to make a different choice. But I was who I was, and my choice had been made a long time ago in a dungeon much like this one.
“There you are,” the ruby priestess said, her voice purring with confidence. “I was wondering when you’d return. Have they gone?”
I lowered my head, hating myself.
“Yes. I don’t think they’ll be coming home any time soon,” I said.
“And everyone else in the castle has joined them for this ritual?” she asked.
I nodded. The castle was deserted.
“Good,” she said, resting her arms on the bars of her cell. “I knew when I saved you from the dungeon at Winterhaven that your loyalty would come to good use someday. Now, be a good boy, Gregory, and let me out of this cage. It’s damp in here, and I’ve never liked damp places.”
My hand trembled as I reached for my keys. One last chance to refuse her. To make another choice.
But I had made a deal with the devil that day when she’d found me hanging there in one of Priestess Winters’ cages, my life nearly depleted. It seemed almost harmless at the time. A single favor in return for an entire lifetime.
I’d convinced myself I’d never see her again. It had felt like an empty promise, something so ethereal and distant compared to the imminence of death.
Once freed, the ruby priestess had cast a spell on me, binding me to my promise. If she asked me for this favor and I refused, my greatest fear would come true. I would be locked away in the body of a witch, forever.
One small favor.
I never dreamed it would turn out to be this. To betray my queen and the memory of her father, whom I had served loyally for a lifetime.
But still, I was not ready to die.
I slid the key into the lock and turned, opening the door.
“My debt is paid,” I said.
Magda Thorn, the ruby priestess of the Order of Shadows, stepped out of the cell and patted me on the shoulder. She smiled and lifted a hand to touch the ruby snake pendant hanging from a chain around her neck.
“We’ll see about that, dear,” she said, sending a ripple of fear and instant regret through my soul.
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As she walked up the steps to the main part of the castle, I slid down the bars of the cell until I hit the floor. I lowered my head into my hands, and with the soul of a coward, I began to cry.
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The End
Book 10: Deceiving Darkness
I sincerely hope you loved Beyond The Darkness. If you enjoyed the book, I would appreciate an honest review. Reviews help so much! Thank you!
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Book 10: Deceiving Darkness will be coming out later in 2018. To get an immediate notification when the book is released, please sign up for my mailing list!
About the Author
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Sarra Cannon is the author of several series featuring young adult and college-aged characters, including the bestselling Shadow Demons Saga. Her novels often stem from her own experiences growing up in the small town of Hawkinsville, Georgia, where she learned that being popular always comes at a price and relationships are rarely as simple as they seem.
Sarra recently celebrated six years in indie publishing and has sold over half a million copies of her books. She currently lives in South Carolina with her programmer husband and adorable redheaded son.
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