Monster's Puppet by Violet Fox

Author:Violet Fox [Fox, Violet]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-07-16T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter thirteen

Marisol

News of my trials spread across the Shadowland, and villages far and wide have come to see me succeed. Oh, I know I am going to succeed. I’m a natural-born queen, and I can’t wait to prove them all wrong. I can’t wait to have them groveling at my feet, begging for my mercy.

I know who I am going to make bow to me first. Grigon, the shaman goat and chief of the southern village. He is revered all around, and one of the oldest shamans in the land, hence why Yor paid his village a visit.

The other villages look up to him, and I would be wise to do as he says. No one will take kindly to me if I am rude to their oldest, most respected member of society.

Still, he’s just a goat. I’m still unsure as to why I even must do these trials.

Just give me my crown already...

The carriage stops at the foot of a volcano, and I gaze up at the giant rock, swallowing my pride. For the first time since I arrived in the Shadowland, I feel genuine fear. I’ve never seen anything so nightmarish. I keep expecting a giant monster to crawl out from inside the volcanic rock and devour me whole, and I shut my eyes, trying to focus.

You can do this, Marisol. You are a natural-born queen. Show them you are fearless...

Yor curls a hand around my shoulder, and I reach up, grabbing his long claws. They remind me of spider legs, and I relax.

“You’ve got this, puppet. I know you can succeed.”

I suck in a breath. “Oh, I will. You watch.”

He chuckles, and I peer up at my master. I meet those red eyes on his shadowed face, and they burn brighter when they focus on me. The shadowy tentacles of his body hover around him like spectral arms. One snake across and lifts my chin. Two others wrap around my back, bringing me closer.

He wraps his claws around my head, pressing me close to his firm chest. I hear his heart. The organ beats in his chest, glowing as red as his eyes, and the more I press my face to him, the faster it beats.

Yig and Yen are not too far behind, and they give me words of encouragement too.

“Go and show them who's queen, doll...” Yen cheers.

I smile and start to ascend the great stone stairs that lead to the volcano. The shaman follows behind me, as well as Yor, Yig, and Yen.

Members of the crowd join too to serve as witnesses, and I try not to think about my upcoming trial. I have survived worse than this. I know I will be victorious.

The stairs take an excruciatingly long time, and if I were, indeed, still mortal, then I would have died from sheer exhaustion. Surely, these stairs alone should be a demonstration of my immortality.

Before long, we reach the top, and we gather around a pool of bubbling red-hot lava. Magma spits up from the depths, wafting heat, and I lose my breath.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.