hard her red hair swirled around, she growled. No, he was good. His soul was good. Had he died, he would not be here. This was the Isle of the Damned. Good souls did not venture here.
The commotion from the hall distracted her. Elizabeth, in a screaming fit, demanding the blood of a virgin. "He can't see me like this!" she wailed, her voice coming closer and closer.
Coming to Eiress's door.
Because Eiress was the only one left. They'd killed all the others.
Mary will never let her kill me. They need me.
But Mary was strangely silent. Her vicious laughter didn't follow Elizabeth's screams. Only Vlad's monotone pleading.
Across the room, the door handle shook.
Kaida clawed more frantically at the shutters, trying to light them on fire when he couldn't break through. Frowning, Eiress backed toward him, unable to tear her horrified gaze from the handle.
The door swung open.
Elizabeth stood in the doorway, illuminated from behind by the hallway candles, her face bathed in shadows except for her glowing red eyes.
"Mary said we weren't allowed to touch her," Vlad said, stopping behind Elizabeth. "She'll destroy us all—"
"I don't care what Mary says!" Elizabeth shrieked. "Mary's not here, is she? I am the Queen, and I say it's time for you to taste her blood. It's time for me to bathe in it."
Vlad's red eyes glowed bright with hunger.
Kaida squealed, throwing his tiny body against the shutters as Elizabeth and Vlad advanced. Stifling a scream, Eiress stumbled backward, away from them. As Elizabeth's claw-like hands reached for Eiress's throat, Eiress grabbed Kaida, tucked him against her chest, and threw herself backward.
Out the window.
She expected to feel free, as she fell. She'd always thought falling to her death would be the best way to go. But she didn't feel free. Her body twisted over and around, tumbling through the air, and as she fell she saw in the distance a light.
A light, being smothered by the darkness.
And Eiress knew she had to fight. She could not die—not now.
She had to save the light.
Suddenly, somehow—she didn't know how, even when she thought back on it later—but the shadows devouring the bright light exploded. The darkness seemed to rip apart at invisible seams, and the light was suddenly free and running.
Running away from her.
And she never figured out how, but Eiress was suddenly no longer falling. She was on her feet, Kaida wrapped around her arm like a shaking bracelet, and then Eiress was running. Running away from the castle and toward the darkness and the nightmares and the lost souls.
Toward the light.
She was yanked clear off her feet, though, as her chains caught.
Her chains. She'd forgotten all about them.
She whirled, felt them tangling around her ankles and wrists, up her legs. She teetered and fell to the ground, her head bouncing against a rock. Eiress struggled to remain conscious as blackness blurred her vision. Elizabeth stood at her windows, pulling the chains, pulling Eiress back toward the castle.
Beyond the edges of the courtyard, the light had fallen again. Hungry shadows fought over it, as they'd fought over Kaida, and she thought she could hear screaming, but she couldn't be sure it wasn't Elizabeth.
She could not go back to the castle. She had to save the light.
She had to save the light. She had to. She had to.
Her chains exploded.
They burned her skin, scorched her skirts. Elizabeth screeched, falling backward and out of sight, her face and hands afire.
Eiress was free.
She wasted no time. Struggling to her feet, she kicked her bedraggled skirts out of the way and ran, barefoot and cold, as hard as she could go toward the light.
L ANDON HAD PLAYED FOOTBALL HIS WHOLE life. He thought he'd known what pain was.
He was so wrong.
Shadows he could barely see, attached to claws and teeth and glowing eyes, monsters he remembered living under his bed and in his closet, they tore at him. Somehow, he'd kept his throat intact, but the arms and
The commotion from the hall distracted her. Elizabeth, in a screaming fit, demanding the blood of a virgin. "He can't see me like this!" she wailed, her voice coming closer and closer.
Coming to Eiress's door.
Because Eiress was the only one left. They'd killed all the others.
Mary will never let her kill me. They need me.
But Mary was strangely silent. Her vicious laughter didn't follow Elizabeth's screams. Only Vlad's monotone pleading.
Across the room, the door handle shook.
Kaida clawed more frantically at the shutters, trying to light them on fire when he couldn't break through. Frowning, Eiress backed toward him, unable to tear her horrified gaze from the handle.
The door swung open.
Elizabeth stood in the doorway, illuminated from behind by the hallway candles, her face bathed in shadows except for her glowing red eyes.
"Mary said we weren't allowed to touch her," Vlad said, stopping behind Elizabeth. "She'll destroy us all—"
"I don't care what Mary says!" Elizabeth shrieked. "Mary's not here, is she? I am the Queen, and I say it's time for you to taste her blood. It's time for me to bathe in it."
Vlad's red eyes glowed bright with hunger.
Kaida squealed, throwing his tiny body against the shutters as Elizabeth and Vlad advanced. Stifling a scream, Eiress stumbled backward, away from them. As Elizabeth's claw-like hands reached for Eiress's throat, Eiress grabbed Kaida, tucked him against her chest, and threw herself backward.
Out the window.
She expected to feel free, as she fell. She'd always thought falling to her death would be the best way to go. But she didn't feel free. Her body twisted over and around, tumbling through the air, and as she fell she saw in the distance a light.
A light, being smothered by the darkness.
And Eiress knew she had to fight. She could not die—not now.
She had to save the light.
Suddenly, somehow—she didn't know how, even when she thought back on it later—but the shadows devouring the bright light exploded. The darkness seemed to rip apart at invisible seams, and the light was suddenly free and running.
Running away from her.
And she never figured out how, but Eiress was suddenly no longer falling. She was on her feet, Kaida wrapped around her arm like a shaking bracelet, and then Eiress was running. Running away from the castle and toward the darkness and the nightmares and the lost souls.
Toward the light.
She was yanked clear off her feet, though, as her chains caught.
Her chains. She'd forgotten all about them.
She whirled, felt them tangling around her ankles and wrists, up her legs. She teetered and fell to the ground, her head bouncing against a rock. Eiress struggled to remain conscious as blackness blurred her vision. Elizabeth stood at her windows, pulling the chains, pulling Eiress back toward the castle.
Beyond the edges of the courtyard, the light had fallen again. Hungry shadows fought over it, as they'd fought over Kaida, and she thought she could hear screaming, but she couldn't be sure it wasn't Elizabeth.
She could not go back to the castle. She had to save the light.
She had to save the light. She had to. She had to.
Her chains exploded.
They burned her skin, scorched her skirts. Elizabeth screeched, falling backward and out of sight, her face and hands afire.
Eiress was free.
She wasted no time. Struggling to her feet, she kicked her bedraggled skirts out of the way and ran, barefoot and cold, as hard as she could go toward the light.
L ANDON HAD PLAYED FOOTBALL HIS WHOLE life. He thought he'd known what pain was.
He was so wrong.
Shadows he could barely see, attached to claws and teeth and glowing eyes, monsters he remembered living under his bed and in his closet, they tore at him. Somehow, he'd kept his throat intact, but the arms and
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