Panting hard and covered in foamy white sweat, blood, and scratches, the wolf paused outside the door to stare at Nick. There was a gash above his left eye and the pain in his gaze was searing. It held Nick spellbound. And as they continued to stare at each other, the wolf turned back into his human form. Nick grimaced at the depth of the cut that ran along his brow. He needed stitches. Badly. The entire left side of his face was horrifically bruised, and his nose and lips were bleeding like crazy. His left arm was broken and twisted. He appeared so worn-out and defeated that Nick couldn’t understand how he kept from collapsing on the floor again.
Before Nick could recover from his shock at seeing him like that, the wolf opened the door.
“Go,” he whispered, gesturing toward the back side of the cave. “There’s a small, narrow path that will lead you through the mist of shrills. They cannot hurt you unless you listen to them. Ignore whatever it is they say and stay on course. Move as quickly as you can. At the end of the path, you will emerge into a room that contains several doors. There you’ll have to choose your way home. But beware, the easiest is the hardest and the hardest isn’t as bad as you think.… And one of those doors will lead you to your death.”
“How will I know which is death?”
The wolf winced as if a wave of pain went through him. “The paths are different for each of us. And you won’t know if you’ve picked the right one until it’s too late. But only you can decide which one takes you home.” He stepped back and fell to the floor.
Nick went to him, but the wolf shoved him away with a snarl.
“Why are you helping me?” he asked, trying to understand the wolf’s sudden turnaround.
“I have no idea. I guess Hel and the others are right. I am stupid.”
No, he was a hero. “C’mon,” Nick reached for his right arm, “we can get out of here together.”
He shook his head. “You have to travel alone. It’s the only way you’ll make it. Besides, if I go with you, I can’t hold Hel and her hounds back from your trail.”
“Bud, no offense, but you don’t look like you could hold a caterpillar back in your current condition.”
He met Nick’s gaze and the fire in those purple eyes belied the pain that also burned there. “I’m stronger than I look. Now go before it’s too late.”
“What will happen to you when she finds out you’ve freed me?”
He laughed bitterly. “Look at me, kid. What more can she do?”
Kill him. Torture him. With the gods, there was no telling.
Guilt reared up and bit Nick hard. “I can’t leave, knowing you’re going to be punished for helping me. What kind of dickhead do you think I am?”
“Sometimes we have to make hard choices, and I am nothing to you.”
“You’re not nothing. You’re a hero to me. The man who saved my life.”
The wolf scoffed. “Definitely not a man. I’m just a stranger and you have family who needs you. Go save your mother, and remember, so long as you follow your true heart, you will never make a bad choice.”
Just as the wolf stayed here to save his sister. He understood family the same way Nick did. “Thank you.”
The wolf didn’t respond.
Reluctantly, Nick headed for the small opening. Just as he reached it, the wolf called out, “Nick?”
He paused to look back to see the wolf lying on top of the blanket. “Yeah?”
“Thank you for your gifts.”
“Anytime.” Inclining his head to the wolf, Nick wedged his body through the narrow slit.
As he stepped onto the path, he considered their last exchange. The wolf was right. He was a complete stranger. Nick knew almost nothing about him.
Except for one all-important thing.
The wolf had given Nick a chance when no one else had. For that, he would always owe him. And he wouldn’t squander the wolf’s sacrifice. He promised himself he would make the most of this.
More determined than before, Nick started down the dark, terrifying path. The air here was so cold that it set his teeth to chattering. It was so freezing even his bones ached. Who would have thought that there was something that could make his cage look desirable?
Leave it to Hel …
Closing his eyes, Nick used his powers to set fire to his hands.
It didn’t work. Not even a tiny spark …
Ah, man, this sucked. For one heartbeat, he actually considered going back so that he could at least see something other than the oppressive darkness that made his eyes ache. But he knew what waited for him there. And it was neither pleasant nor desirable.
Yeah, and what’s in front of you might eat you
.
True. If his standard luck held, it would most likely be a whole lot worse. Whoever had come up with the saying “out of the frying pan and into the fire” had definitely met him in a former life. They must have been best friends.
With the hardest challenges go the greatest rewards
. He scoffed at that thought. Caleb’s words offered about as much comfort right now as a good eye-gouging. And yet as stupid as they were, Nick clung to them and trudged forward, hoping with everything he had that Caleb hadn’t been lying about that.
That maybe once, just once, fate would work in his favor and not against him with a grudge match that seemed to take every breath he drew as a personal insult. Holding his hands out in front of him, Nick tried to feel for a wall or something solid, but the only thing was the ground beneath his feet.
As the wolf had warned, he was completely blind about where he was heading. He could see nothing at all. Just an unending hall of darkness that smelled like the underbelly of a turd monster. There was also a strong popping sound that he couldn’t identify.
Suddenly, something caught against his toe and tripped him. Nick belly flopped on the ground so hard that it knocked the breath out of him. For a moment, he couldn’t move as the pain racked him hard.
When he went to stand, his foot slipped on the ice and he slid sideways.…
Into absolute nothing.
Nick grabbed on to the ground as hard as he could while his body dangled over a cliff. Crap! His right hand slipped and he almost lost his left-hand grip. Terrified, he scrambled to get both of his arms on the correct side of the ledge. Finally he managed to stop sliding, but he was still dangling over the edge of … sudden death?
The wolf had neglected to warn him about
this
.
His heart thumped against his breastbone so hard it felt like it might come through it. He knew he needed to pull himself up, but honestly he was terrified to even try. What if he slid again and couldn’t catch himself?
How far away was the ground?
A few inches, not so bad. A few feet, doable. A few yards?
Not pretty.
His arms ached from the strain of holding his body’s weight. He wouldn’t be able to hold on much longer. Scared or not, he’d have to try.
Bracing himself, he remembered the chant for strength Nashira had given him from his grimoire.
Sacred light.
Sacred night.
Give me strength …
Beyond my sight.
He whispered the words, over and over, focusing on those instead of his fears and doubts. Grinding his teeth, he swung his leg up and caught the edge of the path with his heel. It took every bit of strength he had to lift his body up and roll back onto solid ground.
Weak, panting, and shaken, Nick lay on the walk and listened to the darkness while his heart continued to pound hard in his chest. That had been a lot closer to death than he’d wanted to come. Determined not to repeat that fall, he felt along the darkness until he found a small rock. At least he hoped that’s what the smooth round object was.
Crossing his legs to make sure he didn’t accidentally stumble, he remained seated and threw it over the edge where he’d fallen.
For several minutes he heard nothing.
Not until it finally hit the bottom. The instant it did, lightning flashed all around, illuminating the entire cavern.
Holy mother of God …
He was sitting on an extremely narrow ice walkway with giant stalactites suspended over him by the narrowest of bases. Bases that were melting fast and cracking …
That
was the source of the popping sounds he heard. If one of those were to fall, it would impale him like a sharpened stake.
In the water far below were ugly, humongous reptilian sea monsters that glided along the black surface. Nick couldn’t breathe as he realized just how much danger he was in, from everything around him.
“I’m going to die.”
You didn’t really think the journey would be easy, did you?
Nick cringed at his mother’s favorite taunt whenever things got bad for them.
“Get out of my head, Mom. I don’t have time for your lectures right now.”
Yet he heard her voice loud and clear in his mind.
Why do you think there’s only a single stairway to heaven, but an entire highway to hell? Because it’s a lot easier to slide down than climb up, and it takes a whole lot less energy to boot. But the one thing about us Gautiers is that we never do anything that’s easy when there’s a major butt-kicking to be had.
“I get it,” he snapped at himself. “Nelly is dead. You can stop beating her.”
He had to keep going and not let anything stop him.
And as tempting as it was to turn around and run back to the caged safety he’d left behind, he’d have to cross just as much dangerous ground to return as he would to move forward where who knew what was waiting for him.
Why did I throw that rock
?
’Cause he’d wanted to see what was there. And whoever said curiosity had killed the cat must have watched it walk off this precipice and get eaten by the monsters swimming below.
Okay. Focus. Got to keep going.
And he couldn’t do that until he got back on his feet. He bit back a whimper at the mere thought.
Over, under, around, or blasting through like Bubba and Mark. There was always a way to get through any obstacle. You just had to find the right explosive.
Letting out a deep breath, Nick braced himself to stand up and move forward.
I’ll just pretend I don’t know there’s a five-hundred-foot iguana in a sea below waiting for me to fall.
Or huge swords dangling over my head about to break off and plant me to the bridge …
It could be worse.
Yeah, right. Why did people say that when it was obvious bullshit? Really, it could
not
get worse.
At least that was the thought. But no sooner had those words gone through his mind than he heard the strident voices the wolf had warned him about.
You are going to fail. Who are you to think that you won’t? What makes you so special? Nothing. Nothing at all. You’re just like your worthless, selfish father. Everyone hates you. No one would care if you died right now. No one would miss you. They wouldn’t even send a card to your funeral.
Who do you think you are to venture here like somebody? You’re nothing but a pathetic waste who should never have been born. Your mother weeps over your birth and every time she thinks of you. The world would be much better off without you in it. Loser. Stupid. Retard
.
Moron.
Every horrible thought he’d ever had about himself … every doubt … every insult and harsh word that other people had leveled at him echoed in the dank darkness. Their cruelty and his own shouted until he could hear nothing else. Not even the pops of weakening ice.
Whoever said that words could never hurt you was a flank rank moron! ’Cause every one of them tore through him and shredded what little ego he had. They left his soul bleeding in agony. He felt like he was walking barefoot over a glass meadow with his heart strapped to the bottom of each foot.
Those words hurt so much more than any physical blow and they voiced all the inner doubts about himself that constantly flogged him.
I am a socially awkward mandork. No girl is ever going to want to be seen in public with someone as ugly and stupid as I am. Why should they? I’m never going to be anything more than a piece of ignorant, backwoods trash eking out a sorry existence where I barely make rent.…
You don’t belong here with decent people, Gautier. You belong in a dump with the rest of the garbage.
Tears filled his eyes. Acheron had been right. It wouldn’t matter if he became president and ruled the entire world, if he led an army to save all of humanity, he’d always hear that hatred. It was forever carved into his soul.
The weight of it all drove him to his knees. He covered his ears, trying to blot it out and not hear it anymore. But no matter what he tried, it wouldn’t stop. If anything it seemed to get louder.
Nick screamed out in utter agony. “I hate all of you!” But that wasn’t really what hurt him. It wasn’t even the truth and he knew it.
He hated himself. He always had.
You will destroy the world. No matter what you do or try, it won’t be enough. You will kill everyone you love.…
Everyone believed that. Caleb. Kody. Ambrose.
Him.
You should just throw yourself off the edge and let the ugly iguana have you.
Mocking laughter rang out.
Tears gathered in his eyes as he considered the future Ambrose had told him about. As he saw Ambrose’s scarred face and angry, bitter eyes.
His
eyes.
His
face.
You should just lie down and die.…
Everything was so overwhelming. If he were to die, his mother would be safe. Kody could return to wherever she’d come from.…
The world would be a better place.
Do it.
More tired than he’d ever thought he’d be at sixteen, Nick started to fall.
I just want the pain to end.…
What are you doing, Gautier?
Nick frowned as he heard Caleb’s growl in his ear that drowned out all the words of hatred.
When did you turn into a punk?
It was enough to slap him hard, and when it did, the lyrics from his favorite song spilled out of his lips as a breathless whisper.