Void Domain, Book 04 полностью

Maoa, on the other hand, saw it coming a mile away. She moved her gauntleted hands up and caught the sword on a ridge in the tree bark.

Get up and run! Prax shouted in Shalise’s head.

Shalise wasted no time arguing. She didn’t believe for one moment that she could outrun that doll, but maybe it wouldn’t chase.

Scooping up Juliana, Shalise turned tail and ran.

Wrong way.

“The other way,” Shalise said between pants, “leads through that battle. And that doll. And your mother.”

We cannot leave without first entering the armory.

Shalise slowed to a walk. “What do you mean by that?”

Consider the other demons’ presence. Despite being slaughtered, they have yet to flee as you have. He paused, giving a chance for Shalise to collect her thoughts.

It took her a lot longer to figure out than it should have.

Shalise knelt down and placed Juliana on the ground, propping her up against the wall.

The blond was still unconscious, even after being jostled around so much. She wasn’t sweating much and her breathing was steady. Placing two fingers on the side of her neck, Shalise decided that she had a steady pulse. Maybe faster than normal, but she didn’t know what was normal.

Shalise couldn’t use her pulse as a baseline. Her heart was currently making repeated attempts at breaking out of her chest.

As far as Shalise’s dismal knowledge of medicine went, Juliana was perfectly fine.

She just wasn’t awake.

Whatever had happened to her must have been some sort of sleep inducing toxin. Even deathly sick people would wake up after being dropped a few feet.

Wouldn’t they?

Shalise leaned up against the wall, staying on her knees. What a nightmare, she thought in her own voice.

“What is behind those dolls that is so important?”

None of us can truly escape without entering–

“Stop dancing around words.” Shalise felt like shouting. The words came out too tired. Too quiet. However much sleep she had managed to get was not nearly enough.

You are missing something, servant. How mortals can be so ignorant of their own being, I will never comprehend.

“I’m not your…” Shaking her head, Shalise sighed and closed her eyes.

I see you finally understand your position. Every word he spoke radiated pure smugness. It is about time.

Shalise snapped her eyes open. She put on a smile she didn’t feel. The smile was for Prax’s sake, not her own.

“If you do not explain, I will go back to that battlefield. There I will wait. Either your mother or the doll will come out on top. If your mother comes out on top, I will tell her who you are–”

You would not dare.

“I am tired. I am hungry. I have a headache. I want to go home. I just don’t care. It couldn’t be any worse with her yelling in my head than you.”

You have no idea.

“If the doll wins, well, I might die. But your mother seemed to think I was on their side or something? None of you people can talk straight. But the doll didn’t kill me when it clearly could have. I’ll take my chances.”

Her speech finished, Shalise shut her eyes and leaned her head against the wall. Neither was a chance that Shalise was all that keen on taking.

Contrary to her words, Shalise did care. She didn’t know enough to decide whether Maoa would be any better or worse than Prax, though she was leaning towards worse. As for the doll, it was true that she hadn’t killed Shalise. So she had that going for her.

There was the possibility that the doll had simply been concerned with the obviously bigger threat, but there was something about the way the doll glanced at her.

It reminder her of her youth in Mrs. Mendoza’s home. Usually when Shalise did something she knew she wasn’t supposed to do and Mrs. Mendoza found out anyway. A look full of disappointment.

But Shalise was unsure what kind of disappointment someone here would have in her. She was probably just misunderstanding things in the heat of the moment.

However, if it got Prax to answer her, the threat was worth it.

His presence in the back of her mind had been stewing in his own rage since Shalise closed her eyes. It was like the lid on a pot of boiling water, just shaking back and forth as the steam escaped.

Of course, the pot was inside Shalise’s head.

Shalise opened her eyes, wide in alarm.

Prax was laughing.

The boiling pot of water turned to ice.

Do you know how Keeper creates his dolls?

Shalise frowned. “N-no.” Cursing her stutter, Shalise bit her lip and waited.