Total pages in book: 129
Estimated words: 120029 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120029 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
“Who goes there!?” A raspy old man’s voice assaults me from the side, and when that combines with the stranger turning on a flashlight, I yelp at the sight of his long beard and bulging eyes.
“Good evening, Earl,” Tristan says and flashes me a smile as if he were expecting praise for remembering a human name.
The old man stands in our way with his chest puffed. “I advise you to turn around now. There’s evil in this cave more ancient than this country!”
My knees go a bit weak, because there are far too many things trying to warn me away from the path I’m on. Sure, the man appears to have lost his mind a bit, but Tristan has shown me impossible things, so why wouldn’t Earl have something important to say about the Nightmare Realm?
“What do you mean?” I ask while Tristan fiddles with one of his saddlebags.
Earl’s eyes narrow in the shadow of his thick brows. “This is one of the entrances to the secret city of the lizard people. Those who enter never come out. That’s why so many people disappear in National Parks.”
Oh-kay…
Tristan pulls something out of the inner pocket of his cloak. “And…?” He raises his eyebrows at Earl as he shows him a palm-sized metal brooch of a crab framed by seaweed. “Toxi…”
Earl bows so deeply I take a step back in shock. “Toxic gasses. Yes. I didn’t forget. Just wanted to build it up, you know? Sir. Your Highness.”
It’s baffling to see the man drop his act. How deep does this rabbit hole go?
“Is everything all right?” I ask, but Earl offers me a bow too.
“Absolutely. I am… how to say it… a professional hermit. As long as I stay in my role, people keep away from the cave,” he explains and pulls out an energy bar. “Best job I ever had, young man.”
Tristan passes him a small parcel, and now I know why he bought a whole box of nut bars. “The Lord of the Nocturne Court wishes to thank you for your loyal service,” he says, but then heads into the darkness ahead of us.
As freaky as all of this is, the presence of the strange man does reassure me that the Nightmare Realm doesn’t exist only in Tristan’s head.
Lady grunts in the bag slung over my shoulder, and I slide my hand in to calm her. Tristan squeezes my fingers a bit harder and leads me through the mouth of the cave, past a chamber equipped with a television screen and a comfortable-looking sofa. This must be Earl’s hermitage, or at least a part of it, but I don’t get to consider it any further, because the massive horse is following us closely, and its muzzle pushes at the small of my back.
It nickers when I take a large step forward, walking into Tristan. “Does he always crowd people like this?” I ask, imagining what would happen if this massive animal got spooked by a bat and charged straight through us in this narrow tunnel.
Tristan gives the horse a harmless slap on the ear. “He’s just a bit mischievous. He might be excited to show you what he really looks like. Not long now, Stone.”
At some point, Tristan pulls a delightfully gothic lantern out of a saddlebag and attaches it to the saddle horn. I stiffen when out of nowhere it fills with an eerie green flame, but neither the elf nor his horse are phased, so I choose to just follow their lead.
We walk on for a while, and I’m not worried when I step into a puddle, since my boots are waterproof, but with the next step, my foot is ankle deep. I stop in my tracks, pulling on Tristan’s hand.
“Wait. Is this a stream? An underwater cave?” I’m not some brave explorer. What I’m doing right now is already the biggest adventure of my life, and now all the documentaries about people getting stuck in caves come to the forefront of my mind.
Tristan shakes his head, looking strangely ominous in the jade glow. “Only the shallow water is real. Just trust me.”
This is insane. We’re both probably on drugs, and the horse is the dealer.
But can I really not have a bit of faith?
I can swim, so even if the water gets deeper, I should be able to return to the shore.
Heat crawls up my back when my gaze meets Tristan’s, because he has charmed me, and I so very much want him to not be a crazy lying psychopath.
“You promise I’ll be safe?”
His warm smile is all I need, but he still steps back and gives me a soft kiss on the lips. “I promise. I’ve been through here before. It’s a strange place, but we’re not the first to travel this way. I can’t wait to cross so we can be alone again.” My knees go weak when he licks the seam of my lips, but then Stone presses his muzzle to my ear, and Tristan pushes back his head with a groan. “Did I not say ‘alone’, you bastard?”